Just as the perception of hell differs greatly from what the Bible actually says it is like. The concept of the devil in our minds often is very different from what we actually know about him from scripture. Many bases all they know about satan from what they have seen on TV, in movies, and even what they have heard in songs. Which holds no claim to the truth. If we really want to understand the devil and the role he has in our lives then we must turn to the Bible. The only source that contains complete truth.
First and foremost we must understand the devil did not start his life in the same place he is in now. He was created by God as one of the angels. In fact, from the scripture we have about him it seems as though he was one of the greatest angels. Even being the closest to God himself.
Ezekiel 28:12–14 (ESV)
12 “Son of man, raise a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say to him, Thus says the Lord God:
“You were the signet of perfection,
full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
13 You were in Eden, the garden of God;
every precious stone was your covering,
sardius, topaz, and diamond,
beryl, onyx, and jasper,
sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle;
and crafted in gold were your settings
and your engravings.
On the day that you were created
they were prepared.
14 You were an anointed guardian cherub.
I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God;
in the midst of the stones of fire you walked.
So if Satan used to be in heaven with God what happened? Why did he lose his position and become the wicked one we think of today? Because of his position in God’s Kingdom pride started to grow in his heart. Which eventually came to a head when he started to believe he could be greater than God. The devil was no longer content with serving God but wanted to be God. Which eventually lead to a great battle in heaven that ended with satan being cast out.
Isaiah 14:12–15 (ESV)
12 “How you are fallen from heaven,
O Day Star, son of Dawn!
How you are cut down to the ground,
you who laid the nations low!
13 You said in your heart,
‘I will ascend to heaven;
above the stars of God
I will set my throne on high;
I will sit on the mount of assembly
in the far reaches of the north;
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.’
15 But you are brought down to Sheol,
to the far reaches of the pit.
Revelation 12:7–9 (ESV)
7 Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, 8 but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
Note that the verses from Revelation make mention of the dragon(Satan) and his angels. The devil did not try to rise against God alone. But he formed an army by seducing other angels to join him in his efforts. We read that the devil was able to take one-third of God’s angels with him. This group is no longer referred to as angels but will forever be known as demons.
Revelation 12:4 (ESV)
4 His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it.
Thanks to the Bible we can have a clear understanding of who the devil really is and even what lead to him being the way we see him today. He was not formed evil nor was he always positioned against God. But in reality, he started life as all the other angels in a position of service to the Lord most high. It was not until sometime after his creation that he took the turn and become the evil one. Knowing this it leaves us wondering what he is doing now. Is he already in hell? Ruling and tormenting those who have lived a sinful life without ever knowing the lord?
That is in no way the case even though it seems to be the thought in much of pop culture. In reality, the devil is still moving freely. He spends his time wandering the earth looking for ways to corrupt people. While it seems the devil’s home is on earth that does not prevent him from returning to heaven and speaking to God. As we are able to see in the book of Job.
Job 1:6-7 (ESV)
6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. 7 The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.”
Which begs the question what is the devil doing on the earth? Well, to quote the old Chalie Daniels song he is simply looking for a soul to steal. Since mankind has been on the earth the devil has been trying to lead them away from God. With the hopes that humans will choose to serve him instead of the Lord.
This is personified throughout scripture and in no better place then Genesis chapter three. When the devil tricks the first people into unleashing sin into the world. But the devil does not stop there he continues and we even see that he tried to lead Jesus a stary in the same way. But Satan did not realize just who he was up against.
Genesis 3:1–7 (ESV)
3 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.
He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.
Matthew 4:8–11 (ESV)
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,
“ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God
and him only shall you serve.’ ”
11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.
Now believe it or not the devil is not the fun prankster that many have depicted him to be over the years. He is not attacking people and leading them into a life of sin because he gets a kick out of it. No, in reality, he is just angry because he knows he has already lost. He knows his time is short and he is doing all he can to take away from God while he can as an act of revenge. He is active on the hunt.
Revelation 12:12 (ESV)
12 Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”
1 Peter 5:8 (ESV)
8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
Now we come to the greatest misunderstanding there is about the devil in my opinion. Many have been tricked into seeing Satan as the ruler of hell. As the one who will be doing the tormenting and even taking great pleasure in doing it. When what the Bible actually teaches is that hell is not a place for the devil to rule and reside in. But where he will be locked away. The place where he and all his followers will not be doing the tormenting but will forever be tormented. The time will come when the devil will be cast into the depths of hell for eternity and he will be subject to its tortures.
Revelation 20:10 (ESV)
10 and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
Which explains why he still has not given up the fight. Satan does not want to go to hell and be tormented. Even the demons do not want to go to hell. They would rather be sent into a herd of pigs before they were sent to hell before the appointed time.
Matthew 8:29–31 (ESV)
29 And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” 30 Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them. 31 And the demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.”
There is good news to be found for the Christian when looking into the ways and abilities of the devil. To often we are tricked into believing that the devil has real power in our lives. That he can cause us to fall to sin or that he can easily lead us astray. But the truth is the devil has no power over us that we do not give him.
Because Jesus has already won. He overcame the world and defeated the devil on the cross. Because we have been washed in the blood of Jesus we share in this very same victory. Leaving the devil with absolutely no real power in our lives. The devil can only suggest but can never force so all we must do is turn to our savior and the devil will flee from us.
1 John 4:4 (ESV)
4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
Revelation 12:11 (ESV)
11 And 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.
James 4:7 (ESV)
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
The devil is very real and he truly is trying to defeat us every single day. But as Christians, we know that the victory is ours. We have read the end of the book and know that in the end the devil will be cast into hell for eternity. Never able to touch or trick anyone ever again. Because of this we should praise the God of victory and find peace in knowing that our God will protect us from the touch of the enemy.
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