Introduction
Adam, it is clear from Scripture, possessed understanding of the world he was placed into as exemplified by his naming of the animal. Also, he had cognitive reasoning powers, as seen in his discernment that he was alone in the Garden of Eden and without a mate. He owned the ability to use language so that he could communicate with God. Adam also had a holy moral nature and free will, which enable him to weigh his choices.
Adam fell from his righteous position when he was swayed by evil: He gave into temptation and rebelled and thus, sinned against God’s explicit command. But he was not alone in his fall; besides Eve, many formally holy angels who also possessed free will chose to rebel against God prior to Adam’s fall. The progenitor of evil is himself a powerful angelic being who was the first to openly rebel against God. This creature tempted Adam and facilitated his leap from reason into the abyss of insanity. It was none other than Satan the devil, using deceitful words, who tempt mankind into taking action against God.
No doubt, however, before being approached by the Devil, Adam was already contemplating rebellion, because as James says, “each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust” (James 1:14). So, while Satan is not the direct cause of Adam’s fall, he does hold a measure of responsibility since he was the one tempting Adam to do evil. Thus, Satan is the second potent adversary of mankind (c.f., Matthew 18:7).
He Was A Murderer From The Beginning
Contrary to what you may believe, Satan exists; he is an actual living entity. He is: the serpent (Genesis 3:4, 14; 2 Corinthians 11:3); the tempter (Matthew 4:3; 1 Thessalonians 3:5); the destroyer (Revelations (9:11); “He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). And he possesses great power and influence over the affairs of men; he is the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4).
He directly hinders the sight of the unsaved, so that they are blinded to the Gospel; their minds are often filled with strange fears and distorted visions of what it means to be saved by grace through faith in Christ and he opposes everything that is of God. While, from Adam onward, humanity has been ever willing to act in accordance with his program of usurping God’s authority, Satan’s power and influence over the human race is ever growing as this present age advances. Concerning unregenerate humanity Christ says, “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father.” (John 10:10).
Satan’s Career
Revelation in regard to Satan begins with that period between the perfect creation of the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1) and his appearance in Eden in the form of a serpent (Genesis 3:1). One passage of Scripture deals at length with Satan and his creation and subsequent fall: “You had the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God…You were the anointed cherub who covers…You were on the holy mountain of God…You were blameless in your ways…Until unrighteousness was found in you…You corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor” (Ezekiel 28:13-15).
This passage in its entirety, describes much of the early career of Satan. In verse thirteen the perfection to which Satan was created is set forth in detail by the suggestive symbols of precious gems that are mentioned. In verse fourteen he is called the “anointed cherub who covers.” By this the purpose of the Creator is revealed in that Satan was created as a guard or protector to the holy throne of the Most High. In verse fifteen it is stated that he was created sinless. He was also “the seal of perfection,” “full of wisdom” and “perfect in beauty” (vs. 12).
It is expressly stated that he was placed by the Most High upon the holy mountain of God: the mountain of God being a symbol of the center of God’s power, government and eternal throne (Psalms 48:1; 68:15; Isaiah. 2:2). He is also said to have been in “Eden, the garden of God,” in which he appeared as the tempter of Adam and Eve. Clearly, he had a position of great authority and power; a position from which he fell; drawing with him a host of spirit beings (i.e., demons) over whom he had and still maintains governing influence (Revelation 12:7-9).
He was created the perfect fulfillment of the Creator’s intention and from this position of perfection he freely chose to turn away from. He vainly purposed to become wholly independent from God. However, since he was created, he is not self-existent and as with all God’s creatures he can never exist in perfection apart from total dependence upon the God who made him (Psalms 4:7, 8).
Also, as is true of all God’s creatures, Satan is a free moral agent; capable of choosing good or evil, but not obliged to do either. That he chose evil must ever be his own condemnation (Genesis 4:7). His fall from the perfect existence that the Creator assigned to him, to his current evil existence is the lot of all who seek to separate themselves from God:
“How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations!” “But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’” “Nevertheless you will be thrust down to [Hell], to the recesses of [Hell]” (Isaiah 14:12-15)
The Root of Sin
The glorious heavenly title, “star of the morning” speaks of Satan’s former first place amongst all creation. However, his sin drove him from his place in glory and made him to inhabit the earth and its surrounding atmosphere (Ephesians. 2:2; 6:12; 1 Peter. 5:8). Yet he was granted the privilege of access to the presence of God (Job 1:6; Revelation 12:10). That the earth and the air are his present domain must be accepted on the testimony of Scripture: in spite of the almost universal impression that he is now in hell—he is not in Hell—that judgment is a future event that concludes his expedition against God.
The actual sin that Satan committed is succinctly stated in Isaiah 14:14, as being a purpose in his heart to become like the Most High. As one gifted commentator states:
“Satan wanted to be like, not unlike, God. The name Elyon for God stresses God’s strength and sovereignty (Gen. 14:18). Satan wanted to be as powerful as God. He wanted to exercise the authority and control in this world that rightfully belongs only to God. His sin was a direct challenge to the power and authority of God” (Charles Ryrie, “Basic Theology,” pp.144-145).
He was corrupted because of his wisdom and outstanding brightness—he foolishly perceived that he possessed power enough to strike at the throne he was created to serve. As evident in his temptation of Adam and Eve, it is not with the force of a frontal attack on God that he strikes. Rather, it is a strike at men’s hearts, to steal the hearts of men, to sway them into an accomplice’s role in gaining a kingdom over which he can rule, outside of all influence of God. He seeks to become the object of mankind’s worship, therefore fulfilling his long held goal to “be like the Most High.”
At first, it would seem that he has succeeded: having triumphed over Adam in the Garden and winning the scepter of earth’s authority from man; he secured man’s loyal obedience to his scheme to “be like God.” All men were doomed by Adam’s subjugation, but all men freely and greedily acquiesce to the prospect that they themselves can become like God. It is by full right of conquest that Satan holds the loyal submission of most of humanity, but it is the individual who willingly surrenders his free will to doing the Devil’s bidding.
While Satan’s triumph over Adam has momentarily secured what he had desired—he became the god and prince of this world (cf., John 14:30; 2 Corinthians 4:4)—there can be no doubt that this mighty being continually influences the affairs of men. His control over the matters of men is secured by the authority he exerts over hearts and minds: “in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corithians 4:4).
While Satan is seeking to exalt himself above God and to be worshipped, he can keep his subjects and prolong his own existence only by an unceasing warfare in which he opposes himself against God and oppresses God’s people. But this cannot go on forever as God has made provision in the Cross to bring a complete end to all evil. Clearly, Satan’s purpose to become like God though an attempt to dethrone the Almighty is a fool’s venture as Scripture emphatically declares there is only one Most High: “You are My witnesses,” declares the LORD, “And My servant whom I have chosen, So that you may know and believe Me; And understand that I am He; Before Me there was no God formed, And there will be none after Me” (Isaiah 43:10).
Scripture does not reveal whether or not Satan believes that he may yet succeed in spite of the eternal decree and realization of the Cross and the evident superior power of God. What is revealed is the finality of his ultimate demise. Of the time of Satan’s final judgment the Bible records: “Nevertheless you will be thrust down to [Hell], to the recesses of [Hell].” While God permits the fallen creature to act under the delusion of independent life this only delays the inevitable righteous judgment that awaits the rebel: his end is banishment to the lake of fire, where he meets his final and long predicted doom.
Motive and Method
The Bible states that the absolute purpose of Satan is to become like the Most High. His true ambition is to make this age as near perfect as his vast, albeit limited, wisdom and power will permit. And in this connection it may be restated that Satan’s ambition was not to become a fiend, but rather to become like the Most High. Regardless of popular mythology, Satan would hinder all gross manifestations of evil if he could, but being limited in his creature power he cannot restrain men’s hearts, which are depraved by our sin natures. Rather than being like God, the addict, rapist, child molester, murder and all human suffering are the evidences of Satan’s failure in realizing his purpose to be like God.
Additionally, Scripture indicates that this current time period, that is the period between the first and second coming of Christ, is a particular interlude in which Satan is being permitted the exercise extreme power and authority over much of mankind to implement his program and to draw out his rebel following (cf., John 14:30; Ephesians 2:2). Ironically, up until the end of the age in which we live, the fallen race of men will not openly or knowingly acknowledge Satan as the object of their worship, as their leader or their submission to his rule. This is in spite of the fact that he like the people of the world he rulers over share disapproval of the gross, perverted and savage forms of sin. The perceived rejection by his minions is okay by Satan, for now, as he prefers to operate from the shadows for the time being. Eventually, he will demand fallen humanity’s object devotion.
For the present he is content to allow his follows to imagine they are worshipping God or serving some positive force in the universe through their empty religious forms and ceremonies, morality, ethics, culture and the promotion of the brotherhood of man. This fits with the satanic ideal of this age for an improved social order; a moral and cultured people; who devoutly, though unknowingly, worship him. Though he is evil he strives for all that is moral and good and to this end he “disguises himself as an angel of light” (2 Corinthian 11:14). His disguise, as the saying goes, is only “skin deep.” He is corrupt; therefore, the good that he would do is likewise corrupted.
All that he attempts are counterfeit endeavors that do not originate from God. They are weak imitations of God’s saving grace and they do nothing to return mankind to righteous standing that Adam once enjoyed. The reality is that fallen men are in a state of God-dishonoring unbelief and all their thoughts are energized by Satan alone (cf., Matthew 13:13; Romans 3:20, 28; Galatians 2:16; 2 Peter 3:10), whose corrupted ideals further serve to distance humanity from the only God who can save us.
So his objective, for now, is to conceal his person and scheme. So successful has he been that the very people over whom he is in authority believes least of all in his reality. His own servants he allows to neglect him and consign him to the realm of myth where he is no more that an imaginary fiend or a mere metaphor for the foulest acts of evil.
However, the conditioning of society from generation to generation during this age is fostering growing disrespect towards God and lawlessness (cf., Daniel 12:10; Matthew 24:12). Ultimately, Satan will possess and operate through the “man of lawlessness” (i.e., anti-christ), openly demanding that he to be fervently received as supreme sovereign over fallen, unregenerate mankind. In time men will proudly proclaim: “Who is like the beast?” In open defiance of God: “All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain” (Revelation 13:4, 8).
Watch Out For Three-Dollar Bills
The Satanic message for this age is social reformation while God’s message is regeneration (i.e. to be born again) by the power of the Spirit; Satan’s counterfeit message is self-improvement through human will; God will is to save you if you believe in Christ as Savior.
Satan, in his imitation of the Most High, is working toward a universal kingdom of morality and peace upon earth, which will be briefly realized under the reign of the Beast (cf., Revelation 13). Of this time it is further said:
“Let no one in any way deceive you… apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed…who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God…the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved” (2 Thessalonians 2:3-12).
According to the satanic program the present order of society will be developed into utopia with him on the throne. All men will practice that which is moral and good and worship him. But he will fail and his desired imitation of a good and moral world will quickly disintegrate during the reign of the “man of lawlessness,” because Satan’s motivation is utterly self-serving in that it is his design to dethrone God (as if God would allow this!) and receive worship.
Also, regarding the heart of mankind it is said: “each one is tempted…by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death;” and “All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man” (James 1:14, 15; Mark 7:23). Mankind is evil, thus unable to restrain their evil ways and ultimately their like desire is to sit on the same throne that Satan wants!
Finally, men of their own accord cannot be virtuous and no matter how much he might desire and try to change this Satan cannot—only God can! This program of Satan’s, albeit calls for brotherhood, morality and goodness, is evil according to the program of God: it is a dark and polluted plan that proves the folly and evil intent of both Satan and humanity to disconnect themselves from the Creator.
Conclusion
In the present age, Satan is struggling for his own existence because of the Cross—“Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 peter 5:8)—but still he attempts the realization of all that has been his objective in past ages. He is making a last-ditched and desperate effort, both to realize his own ambition and to thwart the perfect plan that the Most High has decreed for His creation. Satan knows that if he fails there we be no ground for mercy, but only his dreadful ruin that has been long predicted: “eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41). He knew when he formed this God-dishonoring purpose that he must either be the victor or fall into doom.
However, from God’s perspective, there is perfect calmness and certainty as to the end. While God allows Satan to carry on his agenda—strange as it may seem for the benefit of mankind (cf., 2 Peter 3:9; Romans 2:4)—his judgment and sentence are past: “the ruler of this world has been judged” (John 16:11). When was he judged? “When [God] raised [Christ] from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come” (Ephesians 1:20,21).
It would serve all who have read this far to stop for a moment and contemplate their position in view of these vastly differing programs of God and Satan. Ask yourself: Am I cooperation with God to establish His rule on earth or am I, instead, in league with the Devil, opposed to the coming Kingdom of Christ and working to establish the present unholy kingdom of Satan?
