Christian personalities: Satan<
Biblical passages about Satan and his attributes
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There are many passages in the Bible that are considered to refer to Satan in many different roles. Some
examples are:
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the serpent who tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:4 & Genesis 3:14)
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Satan (1 Chronicles 21:1)
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the adversary playing the role of prosecuting attorney in a heavenly
court with God and the angels (Job 1:6 & Zechariah 3:1-2 & 1
Peter 5:8)
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as the devil (from the Greek "diabolos" which means
"slanderer"), the tempter of Jesus (Matthew 4:1-3,
Luke 4:2)
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the prince of the demons, Beelzebub (Matthew
12:24, Mark 3:22, Luke 11:15)
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unclean spirit (Matthew 12:43)
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the evil one (Matthew 13:19 & 1 John 2:13)
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the author of all evil (Luke 10:19)
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a murderer and the father of lies (John 8:44)
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the prince of this world (John 12:31 & 14:30 & 16:11)
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a demon able to enter into a human body (John 13:27)
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god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4)
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Belial (2 Corinthians 6:15)
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prince of the powers of the air, the spirit that now
works in the sons of disobedience (Ephesians 2:2)
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power of darkness (Colossians 1:13)
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an adversary, like a roaring lion who walks about
seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8)
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the angel of the abyss, named Abaddon in Hebrew, Apollyon in Greek (Revelation 9:11)
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a great red dragon (Revelation 12:3 & 12:9 & 20:2)
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the accuser of our brethren who accuses Christians before God day and
night (Revelation 12:10)
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the dragon, the old serpent (Revelation 20:2) |
In addition, there are three passages that are considered by some Christians as
descriptions of Satan. They are often quoted in isolation as references to the devil:
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2 Kings 1:2-4 contains a reference to Baal-zebub. This passage
describes how King Ahaziah of Samaria had an accident. He fell through a latticed window
in his roof-chamber and injured himself. He decided to send messengers to
Ekron, a nearby
Phoenician city to inquire of their god Baal-zebub whether he would
recover from the accident. Baal was the principal god of the Phoenicians; his name might
have meant "Master of the Heavenly House." The ancient Israelites
followed Baal's name with "zebul" which means "dung;" this
produced the insulting term "Baal-zebul" which was later corrupted to
"Baal-zebub." "Baal-zebub" was simply a religiously
intolerant, insulting term for "Baal," the main deity of a neighboring
tribe. The name had no connection to Satan. (Conservative Christians would disagree with
this assessment; to many of them, all gods and goddesses other than
Jehovah are in fact demons.) By the time of Jesus' ministry,
the related name "Beelzebul" had apparently become a nickname for
Satan. It remains so today.
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Isaiah 14:12-24 is interpreted by some as referring to Satan by the
name "helel" in Hebrew. This is often translated as "Lucifer"
or "Morning Star." The passage describes how he had fallen from heaven,
was thrown to earth, expressed a desire to sit "on the mountains where the Gods
assemble", wished to be like God, and had attacked many cities, leaving them in
ruins. At first glance, this looks like a description of some of the activities of Satan.
However, verse 4 clearly states that the passage refers
to the King of Babylon, not to Satan. Isaiah was simply showing "sarcastic
contempt for the mighty Babylonian monarch that had recently fallen, vanished as does [the
morning star] Venus from the daytime sky." 1
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Ezekiel 28:13-17 is similar. It describes an individual as full of
wisdom and flawless in beauty, dwelling in an Eden. But "iniquity came to light"
in him, and "lawlessness filled his heart." God flung him to the
ground. Again, this sounds a bit like Satan. But verse 11 links the
passage to the King of Tyre. Note that verse 19 describes how God killed
the king and reduced him to ashes so that he "will be no more." Satan
is recording in subsequent passages of the Bible as being very much alive and kicking. |
Descriptions of the powers, activity and personality of Satan and are scattered
throughout the Bible:
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He is a created being, a former Archangel, and thus is inferior to
God.
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He can be only in one place at one time.
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He has limits to his knowledge and power.
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Satan cannot perform any acts unless God approves (Job1:6 to 2:10).
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He is a trickster and an unreliable source of information. John 8:44 speaks of him as a liar, the father of all lies.
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He is the ruler of the earth (John 12:31, Ephesians 6:12 and 2 Corinthians
4:4)
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He leads a personal army of demons (Matthew 12:24)
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He can adopt a spirit form, reside inside a person and influence their thoughts and
behavior:
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Ephesians 2:2 describes him as a spirit who works within "the children
of disobedience."
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John 13:2 describes how Satan "put into" Judas Iscariot's
mind the decision to betray Jesus.
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Acts 5:3 describes how Satan filled Ananias' heart with the decision to lie to
the Holy Ghost about the proceeds of a real estate sale.
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His existence places humans in extreme peril.. 1 Peter 5:8 describes him as a
dangerous entity, a roaring lion, who roams all over the earth "seeking whom he
may devour." |
The Bible describes Satan as having a personal army of demons
(from "daimon" meaning "intelligent" in Greek) to
assist him.
- Charles Panati, "Sacred Origins of Profound Things," Penguin, New
York NY (1996), Pages 363 to 379.
Copyright ©1998 to 2012 by Ontario Consultants
on Religious Tolerance
Latest update: 2012-MAR-25
Author: B.A. Robinson
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