Satan is not divine
The Bible makes it clear that there is only one God. (Mal 2,10; Eph 4,6)And he is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Satan does not possess the characteristic attributes of divinity. He is not the Creator, he is not omnipresent, not omniscient, not full of grace and truth, not "the only sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords." (1Tim 6,15)The Holy Scriptures indicate that Satan, in his original state, was among the created angels. Angels are created ministering spirits. (Nehemia 9,6; Hebr 1,13-14), endowed with free will.
Angels carry out God's commands and are more powerful than humans. (Ps 103,20; 2Pt 2,11)It is also reported that they protect believers. (Ps 91,11)...and praise God (Lk 2,13-14; Offb 4 etc.).
Satan, whose name means "adversary" and whose name is also the devil, perhaps led up to a third of the angels in a rebellion against God. (Offb 12,4)Despite this apostasy, God gathers "thousands of angels" around him. (Hebr 12,22).
Demons are angels who “did not keep their heavenly rank, but left their dwelling place.” (Jud 6)...and joined Satan. "For God did not spare even the angels who sinned, but cast them into hell, committing them to chains of darkness to be held captive for judgment." (2Pt 2,4)The activity of the demons is limited by these spiritual and metaphorical chains.
The typology of Old Testament passages such as Jesaja 14 and Hesekiel 28 This suggests that Satan was a special angelic being, and some speculate that he was an archangel who was in good standing with God.
Satan was “flawless” from the day he was created until wickedness was found in him, and he was “full of wisdom and exceedingly beautiful.” (Hes 28,12-15).
But he became “full of wickedness,” his heart grew proud because of his beauty, and his wisdom was corrupted by his splendor. He gave up his holiness and his ability to cover in mercy and became a “spectacle,” destined for destruction. (Hes 28,16-19).
Satan transformed from the light-bringer (the name Lucifer in Jesaja 14,12 (meaning "light-bringer") to the "power of darkness" (Kol 1,13; Eph 2,2), when he decided that his status as an angel was not enough, and he wanted to become divine like the "Most High". (Jes 14,13-14).
Compare that to the reaction of the angel whom John wanted to worship: “Do not do it!” (Offb 19,10)Angels should not be worshipped because they are not God.
Because society has made idols out of the negative values that Satan supported, the Holy Scriptures call him the "god of this world". (2Kor 4,4), and the “powerful one who rules the air” (Eph 2,2), whose corrupt spirit is everywhere (Eph 2,2)But Satan is not divine and is not on the same spiritual level as God.
What Satan is doing
"The devil has been sinning from the beginning." (1. Joh 3,8)“He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (Joh 8,44)With his lies, he accuses believers "day and night before our God". (Röm 12,10).
He is evil, just as he seduced mankind to wickedness in the days of Noah: The thoughts and desires of their hearts were only evil forevermore. (1Mo 6,5).
His desire is to exert his evil influence on believers and potential believers, to lead them away from the “bright light of the gospel of the glory of Christ” (2Kor 4,4). to distract them so that they do not receive a “share in the divine nature” (2Pt 1,4).
To this end, he tempts Christians to sin, just as he tempted Christ. (Mt 4,1-11), and he used cunning, as with Adam and Eve, to lead them “away from simplicity towards Christ” (2Kor 11,3)to distract. To achieve this, he sometimes disguises himself as an "angel of light". (2Kor 11,14), and pretends to be something he is not.
Through temptations and the influence of society under his control, Satan tries to lead Christians to alienate themselves from God. A believer separates themselves from God through their own free will to sin, by giving in to sinful human nature and thus following Satan's corrupt ways and accepting his considerable deceptive influence.Mt 4,1-10; 1Joh 2,16-17; 3,8; 5,19; Eph 2,2; Kol 1,21; 1Pt 5,8; Jak 3,15).
However, it is important to remember that Satan and his demons, including all of Satan's temptations, are subject to God's authority. God permits such activities because it is God's will that believers have the freedom (free will) to make spiritual choices. (Hi 16,6-12; Mk 1,27; Lk 4,41; Kol 1,16-17; 1Kor 10,13; Lk 22,42; 1Kor 14,32).
How should the believer react to Satan?
The most important response prescribed by the Bible for the believer to Satan and his attempts to tempt us to sin is to “resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (Jak 4,7; Mt 4,1-10), and thus give him “no space” or opportunity (Eph 4,27).
Resisting Satan involves praying for protection, submitting to God in obedience to Christ, being aware of how much evil attracts us, acquiring spiritual qualities (what Paul calls putting on the whole armor of God), and believing in Christ, who watches over us through the Holy Spirit.Mt 6,31; Jak 4,7; 2Kor 2,11; 10,4-5; Eph 6,10-18; 2Th 3,3).
Resisting also involves being spiritually vigilant, “for the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1Pt 5,8-9).
Most of all, we put our trust in Christ. In 2. Thessalonicher 3,3 We read, “that the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.” We rely on Christ’s faithfulness by “standing firm in the faith” and surrendering ourselves completely to him in prayer, that he will deliver us from evil. (Mt 6,13).
Christians should remain in Christ (Joh 15,4)...and avoid engaging with the activities of Satan. They should think about things that are honorable, righteous, pure, lovely, and have a good reputation. (Phil 4,8)meditate instead of exploring “the depths of Satan”. (Offb 2,24).
Believers must also accept the responsibility of taking account of their personal sins and not blaming Satan. Satan may be the originator of evil, but he and his demons are not the only ones perpetuating it, because men and women of their own free will have created their own evil and persist in it. People, not Satan and his demons, bear the responsibility for their own sins. (Hes 18,20; Jak 1,14-15).
Jesus has already won the victory
Sometimes the view is expressed that God is the greater, and Satan the lesser God, and that they are somehow trapped in eternal conflict. This idea is called dualism.
Such a view is unbiblical. There is no ongoing struggle for universal supremacy between the powers of darkness, led by Satan, and the powers of good, led by God. Satan is merely a created being, completely subservient to God, and God has supreme authority in all things. Jesus has triumphed over all of Satan's claims. Through faith in Christ, we already have the victory, and God has sovereignty over all things.Kol 1,13; 2,15; 1Joh 5,4; Ps 93,1; 97,1; 1Tim 6,15; Offb 19,6).
Therefore, Christians need not be overly concerned about the effectiveness of Satan's attacks against them. Neither angels nor demons nor powers "can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus." (Röm 8,38-39).
From time to time, we read in the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles that Jesus and the disciples he specifically authorized cast out demons from people who were tormented physically and/or spiritually. This illustrates Christ's victory over the powers of darkness. The motivation included both compassion for the suffering and the authentication of the authority of Christ, the Son of God. The casting out of demons was connected to the alleviation of spiritual and/or physical suffering, not to the spiritual issue of removing personal sin and its consequences. (Mt 17,14-18; Mk 1,21-27; Mk 9,22; Lk 8,26-29; Lk 9,1; Apg 16,1-18).
Satan will no longer make the earth tremble, shake kingdoms, turn the world into a desert, destroy cities, and keep humanity imprisoned in a house of spiritual prisoners. (Jes 14,16-17).
“Whoever sins belongs to the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.” (1Joh 3,8)By tempting believers to sin, Satan had the power to lead them to spiritual death, that is, alienation from God. But Jesus sacrificed himself “so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death, the devil.” (Hebr 2,14).
After Christ's return, he will remove the influence of Satan and his demons, in addition to those who cling to Satan's influence without repentance, by throwing them once for all into the lake of fire in Gehenna (2 Thessalonians 2:8). Offb 20).
ending
Satan is a fallen angel who seeks to corrupt God's will and prevent believers from reaching their spiritual potential. It is important for believers to be aware of Satan's tools without becoming overly preoccupied with Satan or demons, lest Satan take advantage of us. (2Kor 2,11).
by James Henderson
