SATAN sā’ tən (שָׂטָן, H8477, adversary, from the verb שָׂטַן, H8476, to lie in wait [as an adversary], to oppose; σατάν, Gr. transliteration of the Heb. שָׂטָן, H8477, as an indeclinable noun [in NT only in 2 Cor 12:7 TR] and σατανᾶς, from the Aram. שִׂטְנָא) the grand adversary of God and men. The personal identification of Satan with the devil is asserted in Revelation 12:9; 20:2.

I. References to Satan

1. In the OT. Without the article the Heb. term rendered Satan has the general meaning of “an adversary,” “an enemy.” Thus in 1 Samuel 29:4 it is used of David as a possible enemy in battle; in 1 Kings 11:14, 23, 25 it designates political adversaries to Solomon; in Numbers 22:22 it is applied to the angel of the Lord who opposed Balaam. In Psalm 109:6 it is used of a human accuser. With the article, “the Adversary,” it becomes a proper name and denotes the personal Satan. It is so used in Job 1; 2 and in Zechariah 3:1, 2 where it clearly designates a celestial being. In 1 Chronicles 21:1 the word does not have the article and may be rendered “an adversary,” but it is generally conceded that here, even without the article, the term is a proper name (cf. 2 Sam 24:1).

The LXX uniformly renders שָׂטָן, H8477, as διάβολος, G1333, except in 1 Kings 11:14 (and in Codex A at Job 2:3) where it is transliterated as σατάν. The Vul. usually renders diabolus; in 1 Chronicles 21:1, Job 1; 2, and Zechariah 3:1, 2 it is treated as a proper name.

It is sometimes said that in the OT the figure of Satan is not essentially an evil being, and that he appears simply as an angelic personage who has the task of trying men. Admittedly the full picture of Satan’s evil character is not given in the few OT references to him, but clearly the recorded glimpses of his activities reveal that he acts in opposition to the best interests of men. Job 1; 2 unmistakably reveal his malicious nature; he moved David to number Israel to his own hurt; his accusations against Joshua the high priest drew down on him the Lord’s rebuke. It is a remarkable feature of the theology of the OT that so little mention is made of Satan as the great Adversary of God and His people.

2. In the Apocrypha. In the Apoc. the term σατανᾶς occurs only in Ecclesiasticus 21:27. Wisdom of Solomon 2:24 uses διάβολος, G1333.

3. In the NT. It is in the NT that the picture of Satan receives its full unfolding. The term satan occurs thirty-six times (the TR also has it in Luke 4:8). It is twice used without the article in addressing Peter (Matt 16:23; Mark 8:33) and once of Judas Iscariot, also without the article (John 6:70). The remaining occurrences, generally with the definite article, “the satan,” refer to the personal devil. (Only in Matt 4:10, Mark 3:23 twice, Luke 22:3, and 2 Cor 12:7 does the article not occur.) He is also referred to thirty-three times as διάβομος (the TR also has it in Luke 4:5), which means “the slanderer” or “calumniator.” No material distinction between the two terms is discernible in their usage. (“Devils” in KJV and ERV is properly “demons,” who are to be distinguished from the personal devil.)

II. Scriptural picture of Satan

1. His names. Beside the two principal names already mentioned, a number of other names and descriptive designations are applied to Satan. They serve to reveal the dignity and character of this mighty celestial being. He is called “Abaddon” and “Apollyon” (Rev 9:11), both meaning “the destroyer”; “the accuser of our brethren” (12:10); “the adversary” (ἀντίδικος, G508, 1 Pet 5:8); “Beelzebul” (Matt 12:24); “Belial” (Βελιάρ, G1016, 2 Cor 6:15); “the deceiver of the whole world” (Rev 12:9); “the great dragon” (12:9); “an enemy” (Matt 13:28, 39); “the evil one” (13:19, 38); “the father of lies” (John 8:44); “the god of this world” (2 Cor 4:4); “a liar” (John 8:44); “a murderer” (8:44); “the prince of the power of the air” (Eph 2:2); “the ruler of this world” (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11); “the ancient serpent” (Rev 12:9); “the tempter” (Matt 4:3; 1 Thess 3:5).

2. His position. Satan holds a position of great power and dignity in the spiritual world. In Job 1; 2 he is pictured as numbered among “the sons of God,” although by his moral nature not one of them. He has personal access to the presence of God, a privilege that will be taken from him in a future day (Rev 12:9). So exalted is his position that Michael the archangel found him a formidable foe and “did not presume to pronounce a reviling judgment upon him” (Jude 9).

The NT reveals that Satan is the ruler over a powerful kingdom of evil which he rules with intelligent consistency. In refuting the charge that he was casting out demons by the power of Beelzebul, Jesus pointed out the absurdity of the charge since it meant that Satan “is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand?” (Matt 12:26). Satan does not operate in isolation but is the head of a well-organized kingdom in which his subjects exercise delegated responsibility under his direction. He is the leader of a vast, compact organization of spirit-beings, “his angels” (Matt 25:41; Rev 12:7). As “the prince of the power of the air” (Eph 2:2), he skillfully directs an organized host of wicked spirits in the heavenlies who do his bidding (6:12). The fallen angels who gave their allegiance to Satan (Rev 12:4, 7, 9) apparently retain their ranks, dignities, and titles which were divinely given them.

Whatever the origin of the demons, it is clear that they render willing and wholehearted obedience to the rule of Satan (Matt 12:28, 29). Acts 10:38 makes it clear that the outburst of demonic activities during the ministry of Jesus was Satan-inspired. Satan, who is not omnipresent, through the work of his numerous subordinates makes his influence practically world-wide. The Book of Revelation reveals that at the close of this age and in the great tribulation there will be another fearful outburst of demonic activity (9:1-11; 18:2).

Satan is also described as “the ruler of this world” (John 12:31). The “world” (κόσμος, G3180) which he rules is the present world system organized according to his own principles, methods, and aims (2 Cor 4:3, 4; Eph 2:2; Col 1:13; 1 John 2:15-17). The greed and self-centered ambitions of the nations, the deceptive diplomacy of the political world, the bitter hatred and rivarly in the sphere of commerce, the godless ideologies of the masses of humanity, all spring out of and are fostered by satanic influence. Satan exercises his domination over “the sons of disobedience” (Eph 2:2). The statement that “the whole world lieth in the evil one” (1 John 5:19 ASV) indicates that the world of unregenerated humanity lies in the grip of Satan and supinely yields to his power. Satan has gained his power over mankind by trickery and usurpation. As the instigator of human sin, whose punishment is death, Satan gained “the power of death” and uses the fear of death as a means to keep men under his domination (Heb 2:14, 15). The statement that he is “a murderer from the beginning” (John 8:44) does not mean that he can inflict death at will but that through the fall of Adam and Eve he brought about the death of the human race. In His death Christ broke the power of Satan over death and took the prey from under his control (cf. Rev 1:18).

During the wilderness temptation Satan displayed to Jesus all the kingdoms of the world, asserted that all had been delivered to him, and claimed that he could give them to whom he wished (Luke 4:5, 6). Significantly Jesus did not dispute Satan’s claim to sovereignty over this world. Christ categorically rejected the satanic offer to invest Him with sovereignty over this world, but that offer will be accepted in the end-time by “the man of lawlessness” (2 Thess 2:3-9; Rev 13:4).

3. His activities. In Job 1:7; 2:2 Satan himself described his restless activity as consisting in “going to and fro on the earth” and “walking up and down on it.” He is engaged in a worldwide and unremitting conflict against God and His people. This stamps him as “the enemy” of God and truth (Matt 13:28, 39; 2 Thess 2:9-12). His activities are associated with the realm of moral darkness (Acts 26:18).

The present tense participle, “the tempter” (Matt 4:3; 1 Thess 3:5), designates Satan by his characteristic activity. His intention is ever to lead those tempted to fall into sin. The people of God are always the objects of his fierce hatred. The church of Smyrna was informed that they would be the subjects of Satan’s special onslaughts (Rev 2:10). The Lord informed Peter that Satan had “demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat” (Luke 22:31).

Satan uses the weaknesses and limitations of men to entice them to sin (1 Cor 7:5). He also employs the allurements of the world (1 John 2:15-17; 4:4). He commonly tempts men to evil by the falsehood that they can attain a desired good through the doing of wrong. His mode of operation is vividly demonstrated in the account of the Fall in Genesis 3. Deception is a universal feature of his activities, justifying his description as “the deceiver of the whole world” (Rev 12:9). He constantly lays “snares” for men to make them his captives (1 Tim 3:7; 2 Tim 2:26). A fundamental temptation employed is pride (1 Tim 3:6).

Satan opposes the work of God through his counterfeiting activities. He oversows the wheat with darnel, placing counterfeit believers among “the sons of the kingdom” (Matt 13:25, 38, 39). These counterfeit believers form “a synagogue of Satan” (Rev 2:9; 3:9). Satan often disguises himself as “an angel of light” by presenting his messengers of falsehood as messengers of truth (2 Cor 11:13-15). Those who thus give themselves over to evil and become the agents of Satan to persuade others to do evil are the children and servants of the devil (John 6:70; 8:44; Acts 13:10). Apostate workers may engage in great religious activity without accepting the power of God’s truth (2 Tim 3:1-9). Satan blinds the minds of men to the light of the Gospel (2 Cor 4:3, 4) and induces them to accept his lie (2 Thess 2:9, 10). He induces men to give heed to “deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons” through the pretentions of religious liars who have their conscience seared (1 Tim 4:1, 2). He hates the Word of God and eagerly acts to snatch it out of the hearts of the unsaved (Matt 13:19). He actively hinders workers concerned to further the welfare of the saints (1 Thess 2:17, 18).

Satan also opposes the work of God through open and fierce opposition. The act of betrayal by Judas was instigated by the devil (Luke 22:3; John 13:2, 27). Peter pictures Satan’s ferocious activity in warning believers that “the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking some one to devour” (1 Pet 5:8). His violent attacks manifest themselves in the persecutions experienced by God’s people (2 Tim 3:11-13; Rev 12:13-17).

4. His limitations. Although a mighty and determined enemy of God, the Scriptures make it clear that Satan is a limited being. He is a super-human being, but not co-equal with God. The power of Satan is derived (Luke 4:6) and he is free to act only within the limits laid upon him by God. Satan was able to inflict loss and suffering upon Job only to the extent that God permitted (Job 1:12; 2:6). The church of Smyrna was assured that their tribulation would last only “ten days” (Rev 2:10). The length of their period of testing was set by the Lord, and Satan would not be able to go beyond it. At present the efforts of Satan on earth are restrained and frustrated by the operation of the divine Restrainer; with the removal of the restraint, Satan will be able to achieve the full outburst of evil in the end-time in the manifestation of the man of lawlessness (2 Thess 2:7, 8).

Believers are assured that God is greater than the forces of satanic evil and that they will never be able to defeat God and separate them from the love of God (John 10:28; Rom 8:38, 39; 1 John 4:4). Satan is permitted to afflict God’s people but they are assured he will never experience complete victory over them (John 14:30, 31; 16:33). God at times even uses Satan as His instrument to chasten and correct erring saints (Luke 22:31, 32; 1 Cor 5:5; 1 Tim 1:20).

Satan is not divine; he is neither omnipotent, omniscient, nor omnipresent. He has vast power, but that power is definitely limited. He is not omniscient, as is evident from his blunders during the course of history, as seen, for example, in his futile efforts to destroy the child Jesus. Satan is not omnipresent but makes his power felt world-wide through the operations of his many minions. Satan acknowledged his limitations in his conversation with Jehovah concerning Job (1:7-11).

5. His origin. Satan is not eternal or self-existent. Scriptural monotheism leaves no room for any view of an eternal dualism of good and evil. His limitations are consistent with his nature as a created being. The words of Jesus in John 8:44 indicate that Satan is a fallen being. The assertion that he “standeth not in the truth” (ASV) indicates not only his past fall but his resultant apostate character. Satan fell under God’s condemnation through ambitious pride (1 Tim 3:6). While numerous interpreters refuse to apply Ezekiel 28:11-19 to Satan, and admittedly he is not named there, yet many scholars hold that the passage must be taken at face value and of necessity must be accepted as going beyond the human king of Tyre to Satan the unseen ruler and true source of all such pomp and pride as that of Tyre. Thus viewed, the passage clearly sets forth the origin of Satan as a created being, his original position of power and dignity over the created universe, at least over this earth, and his fall through pride. Isaiah 14:12-14 is a complementary passage. Addressed to “Lucifer” (KJV), “O Day Star” (RSV), this passage likewise is held by many to go beyond the king of Babylon and to refer to Satan, the prince of the godless world-system of which Babylon was the type. Thus viewed, the fivefold “I will” of Lucifer (vv. 13, 14) portrays Satan’s rebellious self-exaltation, marking the beginning of the conflict between the will of God and Satan’s own will. This interpretation of Ezekiel 28:12-15 and Isaiah 14:12-14 throws much light on the question of Satan’s origin and is in harmony with the scriptural picture of Satan’s close relations with world governments (Dan 10:13; John 12:31; Eph 6:12).

6. His motive. With Satan’s substitution of his own will for that of his Maker there began the protracted conflict between good and evil which has extended through the ages. God has permitted the effort of Satan to establish his own will in opposition to the divine will to be thoroughly tested. The unrelenting conflict between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of evil is the direct result of Satan’s determination to establish his claim. The presence of sin, suffering, and death reveal the inevitable consequences of the satanic claim. Through his seduction of Adam and Eve (Gen 3:1-7; 2 Cor 11:3) Satan succeeded in establishing his domination over mankind. Through the work of the incarnate Christ that power was broken (Heb 2:14, 15).

In his efforts to establish his own will Satan relentlessly works to thwart the purpose and work of God (Acts 13:10). In his ambition to assume the place of God Satan is mastered by a consuming passion to receive worship as God. That master passion was revealed in Satan’s bald offer to invest Jesus with authority over the kingdoms of this world on condition that He would worship him. This passion for worship will be gratified through his empowerment of the man of lawlessness in the end-time (2 Thess 2:9-11; Rev 13:4). Idolatry, with its diversion of worship from the true God, is motivated by demonic forces (1 Cor 10:20; Ps 106:34-38).

7. His judgment. The crucial battle between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of evil took place in the conflict between Christ and Satan. The explicit purpose of the coming of Christ into the world was “to destroy [render inoperative] the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8). Satan’s initial defeat came in the wilderness temptation at the beginning of Jesus’ messianic ministry (Matt 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-12). Because of that victory Jesus was able during His ministry to enter “a strong man’s house and plunder his goods” (Mark 3:27). The decisive defeat of Satan came in the cross of Christ (John 12:31; 16:11). There Satan was judged as a usurper and cast out as the legitimate ruler of this world. In the cross and the resurrection Christ broke the power of Satan over mankind (Col 2:14, 15; Heb 2:14, 15) and potentially delivered every soul from Satan’s power. Those who in faith accept that deliverance are rescued from the dominion of darkness and transplanted into the kingdom of God’s beloved Son (Col 1:13).

While judgment has already been pronounced upon him, Satan is still permitted to operate as a usurper until the time of his final imprisonment. As a dethroned monarch he is still allowed to rule over those who accept his authority while he persecutes those who have declared their allegiance to Christ.

8. His doom. Scripture reveals the certain outcome of the conflict between good and evil and the inevitable doom of Satan and his hosts. Jesus saw a picture of that final defeat of Satan in the victory of the seventy over the forces of evil (Luke 10:18). Jesus asserted that “the eternal fire” had been prepared “for the devil and his angels” (Matt 25:41).

The Book of Revelation portrays the final judgment carried out on the devil. At the return of Christ in glory Satan will be confined to the sealed bottomless pit for 1,000 years, during which time the earth will be free from his deceptive and seductive influences (Rev 20:1-3). At the end of the 1,000 years Satan will again be loosed from his prison and will again resume his deception of the inhabitants of the earth with great success. This final rebellion will be summarily crushed by divine action and the devil will be thrown into “the lake of fire and brimstone” where with the beast and the false prophet he “will be tormented day and night for ever and ever” (20:7-10). His doom will be to share the eternal punishment of those whom he deceived (20:12-14).

III. Believers and Satan. Having been rescued from the kingdom of darkness, believers are assured of victory over the malicious activities of the devil. They are promised that “the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet” (Rom 16:20). They find their security in the keeping power of Christ (Rom 8:31-39; 1 John 5:18).

For effective victory over Satan believers must recognize that on the basis of the work of Christ Satan is a defeated foe. They are called upon to take a firm stand against the devil. “Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). Any attempt to flee from the devil would be useless, but in claiming the victory of Christ man can put the devil to flight. In order to experience victory over Satan believers cannot remain “ignorant of his designs” (2 Cor 2:11). Recognizing that he is a powerful and crafty foe, they must “give no opportunity to the devil” by allowing sin in their lives (Eph 4:25-27). Instead, they must “be sober, be watchful,” alert to the danger from the devil, and firmly resist him in faith (1 Pet 5:8, 9). Ephesians 6:10-17 repeatedly stresses the need to take a firm stand against the satanic enemy.

God has made ample provision for the believer’s victory over Satan. Victory over all satanic attack is possible to those who put on “the whole armor of God” (Eph 6:13-17). They also have the anointing of the Holy Spirit which enables them to discern truth and error (1 John 2:20, 21, 26, 27). The intercessory work of Christ on the basis of His atonement is the divine provision for cleansing and restoration whenever they sin (Rom 8:33, 34; Heb 7:25; 1 John 2:1, 2). The way of victory over “the accuser of our brethren” is given in Revelation 12:11, “They have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.”

It is the commission of Christ’s people to turn the lost “from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God” (Acts 26:18).

IV. Objections to the doctrine. The NT clearly pictures Satan as a malignant, superhuman personality. But the concept of a personal devil is unacceptable to many minds today. The objection is raised that the existence of a personal devil is incapable of scientific proof. Admittedly spiritual realities cannot be proved by means of naturalistic scientific criteria, but consistency would require that the Biblical revelation of a personal God also be rejected.

It is claimed that the devil is in reality man’s invention to account for his own sinfulness. This view seems laudable in its attempt to make man responsible for his own sins. It leads to a shallow view of the reality of sin in the world. It is due to a failure to take sin seriously. It cannot adequately account for the depths of iniquity in the world. An objective evaluation of the reality of sin reveals that it is “too masterly marshalled, too subtly planned, too skilfully directed, too logically remorseless, for any such facile explanation. There is design; there is diplomacy; there is cunning; there are stratagems and campaigns. There must be a master mind behind these activities” (quoted in F. A. Tatford, The Prince of Darkness, p. 14). The Biblical view of a personal devil who is a limited being under the control of divine sovereignty best explains the awful realities of sin and fits a monistic world-view. The sane and restrained scriptural references to the devil are wholly consistent with the world-view presented in the Bible as a whole. These references are woven into the very warp and woof of the Biblical revelation, and cannot be consistently demythologized without serious damage to the fabric as a whole. The recorded utterances of Jesus in the gospels clearly assert the existence of a personal devil. In this He agreed with the views of the Jewish leaders of His day. His acceptance of the view cannot be explained simply on the basis of accomodation to prevailing views, since Jesus did not hesitate to expose the erroneous views of the Jewish leaders wherever He found them.

The view that the NT picture of a personal devil was derived from Pers. dualism is answered by the nature of the NT picture of Satan. The Biblical picture of Satan is not dualistic. Good and evil are not presented as distinct and co-eternal principles. While Satan is seen as a mighty evil being, his kingdom is viewed as having a definite beginning and will have a definite end. The operation of evil is always viewed as being under the sovereign permission of the eternal God. God allows Satan to continue his work in order to give a cosmic demonstration of the bankruptcy of the satanic lie. See Devil.

Bibliography F. C. Jennings, Satan: His Person, Work, Place and Destiny (n.d.); D. L. Cooper, What Men Must Believe (1943), 234-279; E. Langton, Satan, A Portrait, A Study of the Character of Satan Through All the Ages (1945); L. S. Chafer, Systematic Theology, II (1947), 33-112; C. T. Schwarze, The Program of Satan, A Study of the Purpose and Method of the Adversary (1947); K. L. Schmidt, “Luzifer als gefallene Engelsmacht,” TLZ, VII (1951), 261-279; J. M. Ross, “The Decline of the Devil,” ExpT, LXVI, No. 2 (Nov. 1954), 58-61; F. J. Rae, “The Two Circles of Faith,” ExpT, XLVI, No. 7 (Apr. 1955), 212-215; D. G. Barnhouse, The Invisible War (1965); J. Kallas, The Satanward View (1966); F. A. Tatford, The Prince of Darkness (1967); F. J. Huegel, The Mystery of Iniquity (1968); J. D. Pentecost, Your Adversary, the Devil (1969).