BACKGROUND FOR THE BIBLE PASSAGES Session 74: The Origin of Satan Who wears a red suit and has horns, a tail, and carries a pitchfork? Most people, young or old, would recognize this description of the Devil. We know, however, that Satan does not look like that. We ve moved beyond the childish image. The problem, however, is that while moving away from the childish image, many people have also moved away from the truth and closer to spiritual danger. Even though 62 percent of teens say they believe in the Bible and the accuracy of its teachings, 65 percent of teens say that Satan is merely a symbol of evil. They do not believe him to be a living being. Teenagers do, however, seem to believe in the existence of supernatural powers, and many experiment with things such as Ouija boards and fortune-telling. Many teens read books on Wicca or witchcraft, and, according to a Barna report, 73 percent of teenagers say they have participated in some sort of psychic or witchcraft-related activity other than reading a horoscope. Perhaps the most alarming statistic of the Barna report is that only 28 percent of teenagers who go to church could remember learning anything at the church within a year s time that guided them in forming their beliefs about the spirit world. This session and the following two sessions are designed to help teenagers gain a biblical view of Satan. They need to know that dabbling in the spirit world is a dangerous thing to do. Satan does not play games. He is real and his goal is the spiritual destruction of Christians. Ezekiel 28:11-17 Satan was created and had a beginning. The word Satan means the accuser or the adversary. As God s adversary, he leads his forces of evil against God and God s people. He creates situations of evil and tempts people to do evil things. He also has messengers who create problems for God s people. The Bible has very little to say about the absolute origins of Satan. It does, however, mention angels that sinned (2 Pet. 2:4) and angels who did not keep their own position (Jude 6). Some scholars believe that Ezekiel 28:11-17 is directly connected to the origin and fall of Satan as well as to the king of Tyre. Other scholars, however, believe the passage refers only to the king of Tyre and not to Satan. One possible explanation is that Ezekiel was denouncing not only the king of Tyre for his sin, but also Satan for the part he played in prompting the king to sin. Verses 11-17 make up a funeral dirge for the king of Tyre delivered to the king himself. To communicate his message, Ezekiel used a tale that was popular among the people of Tyre. The story tells the tale of a cherub who was in charge of keeping the garden of Eden. Also living in Eden was a man who was extremely beautiful and wise. His bejeweled covering, described in verse 13, is reminiscent of the garments worn by Babylonian gods. However, even though he was just a man, the man arrogantly claimed to be a god. For this sin of pride, the man was cast out of Eden by the cherub. According to Ezekiel s funeral dirge, the king of Tyre was going to face a similar fate because of his arrogance and his desecration of the temples (Ezek. 28:18). The king was a brilliant leader. Under his direction, Tyre became one of the leading cities of its time. But the king and the city were going to face complete destruction. The king would be made a spectacle of before other kings (Ezek. 28:17). While the Bible avoids speaking of the absolute origin of Satan, some scholars believe that this passage is a reference to Satan and his fall. In light of that interpretation, three statements can be made: Satan was beautiful; Satan was prideful; Satan was banished from God s presence. When thinking of the ugliness of sin, it s hard to think of Satan as beautiful. Sin, however, is the result of God s creation going awry. God s creation, at the moment of creation, was perfect, for God does not make mistakes. Thus, when Satan was first created, he was beautiful. He also had free will, just as all of God s created beings have free will. And so, at some point, sin entered Satan when he chose to glorify himself rather than God. In addition to being beautiful, Satan was prideful. Perhaps his pride was rooted in his leadership abilities, evident in the fact that other angels
disobeyed God and followed Satan. Apparently there is a political power structure in the spirit world, for Satan rules over the demons (Mark 3:22). Satan s arrogance was so great that he even asked Jesus to bow down and worship him (Matt. 4:9). Because Satan sinned, he could no longer remain in the presence of God and was banished from heaven. He was expelled... in disgrace from the mountain of God (Ezek. 28:16). Verse 17 goes on to state that God threw Satan down to the earth. Psalm 24 makes it clear that those whose lives are filled with sin cannot enter into God s presence. Conversely, those who are in God s presence and adopt a lifestyle of sin will be removed from His holy presence. Isaiah 14:12-15 Because of his high position, Lucifer became proud and attempted to usurp the position of God. As in the previous Ezekiel passage, many scholars believe that these verses in Isaiah refer not only to the king of Babylon directly but to Satan indirectly. The shining morning star, for example, is a reference not only to the king of Babylon but to Satan as well because Satan is considered to be the guiding force behind the king s administration. Thus, the principles found in these verses apply to both evil beings. Babylon was a wicked city, the complete opposite of Jerusalem. Jerusalem is the city of God, but Babylon is the city of the world. Jerusalem is associated with holiness. Babylon is associated with wickedness. Throughout Scripture, Babylon represents the world s rebellion against God. In verse 12 we read that Satan has fallen from the heavens! Christ later echoed this idea in Luke 10:18 when He said, I watched Satan fall from heaven like a lightning flash. Satan had, at one time, been a part of God s heavens. But because of his sin he had been cut down to the ground (Isa. 14:12). While Ezekiel 28:17 explains that Satan was proud because of his beauty, Isaiah 14:13-14 reveals the extent of Satan s pride. The personal pronoun I is used five times in these two verses. First, Satan proclaimed I will ascend to the heavens (v. 13a). The heavens are clearly God s domain. No being belongs there without His permission. And certainly no sinful being belongs in heaven. Yet that was Satan s self-proclaimed destination. The second time Satan used the personal pronoun I he declared, I will set up my throne above the stars of God (v. 13b). He did not want to bow before God s throne; he wanted a throne of his own so that other angels would bow to him. Notice that Satan planned for his throne to be above the stars of God. He was putting himself in charge of the heavenly hierarchy. He was making decisions that only God could make. The third I reference states, I will sit on the mount of the gods assembly (v. 13c), and the fourth I reference states, I will ascend above the highest clouds (v. 14a). This metaphorical language builds to the sin s climax in the second part of verse 14 where he declared, I will make myself like the Most High. The appalling sin was that Satan saw himself as equal to Almighty God! When the five I references are considered as a whole, it s clear that Satan wanted absolute power. He wasn t going to settle for equality with God. Satan wanted to be God. His goal was to usurp God s power and take His place on the throne of heaven. Satan s pride turned into a rebellion against the God of heaven and earth. The five I references also indicate a subtle progression in Satan s sin. He moved from ascending to setting up to moving above and finally to make myself like God. Satan planned on moving himself into God s domain and setting up house. He was going to plant himself where he did not belong. When that wasn t satisfying enough, he would move even higher or deeper into God s realm. The sequence of events is like a stranger inviting himself into your home. At first he settles for the guest bedroom, but then he decides he wants more so he moves into one of the larger bedrooms, the one with the private bath. He puts his clothes in the dresser drawers and hangs family pictures on the wall. Clearly, the stranger is planning to stay. But confining himself to the bedroom isn t enough so he makes himself at home in your kitchen, raids the refrigerator, and takes possession of the remote control. And then one day you discover that the stranger has moved into the master bedroom because, well, he s decided that it s his house, and he belongs there as much as you do.
In this way, Satan planned on moving into God s heavens because, well, as far as Satan was concerned, he belonged there as much as God did. What pride! Satan s pride, as well as the pride of the king of Babylon, was pride in its dirtiest, most arrogant state. And God hates pride. Proverbs 16:5 says, Everyone with a proud heart is detestable to the Lo r d; be assured, he will not go unpunished. God s punishment for the king of Babylon as well as for Satan was utter destruction. Isaiah 14:15 states that you will be brought down to Sheol into the deepest regions of the Pit. Satan received the complete opposite of what he wanted. Instead of ascending above the highest clouds he was sentenced to the deepest pit of Sheol. The word Sheol means the place of the dead. Words such as darkness, dust, silence, forgetfulness, grave, underworld, and death create an image of agony and despair. Being in Sheol also means being cut off from God. In Psalm 88 the psalmist refers to Sheol and says, I am like the slain lying in the grave, whom You no longer remember, and who are cut off from Your care (v. 5). Revelation 20:10 Satan will ultimately be destroyed. The Book of Revelation is a book of hope because it reveals the end of the story. It lets readers know what will ultimately happen to Satan. Knowing the end of the story helps Christians endure the trials and temptations they experience in life. Satan s residence, according to Matthew 25:41, is hell, a place God prepared expressly for Satan and his demons. Revelation 20:10 describes hell as the lake of fire and sulfur. Notice that the lake is one of fire as well as sulfur. If the lake were made only of fire, it might be assumed that the fire would eventually burn out. But the presence of sulfur, a highly flammable substance, may indicate that the fire is eternal and will never burn out. Sulfur may be a perpetual source that keeps the flame ignited. Keeping Satan company in the lake of fire and sulfur are the beast and the false prophet. One scholar refers to these three as the trinity of evil. The beast first appears in Revelation 11:7 where John describes the beast that comes up out of the abyss. In chapter 13, two beasts appear: one comes up out of the sea (vv. 1-10) and the other comes up out of the earth (vv. 11-17). The second beast helps the first beast by acting as his prophet. Thus, when Revelation 20:10 refers to the beast and the false prophet, the beast may be referring to the beast that came from the sea and the false prophet may be referring to the beast that came from the earth. Both were satanic in nature and their punishment, along with Satan, is eternal torment. Satan is not eternal. One day he will face God s judgment. Hell is Satan s ultimate eternal destination. He will ultimately be destroyed. He was defeated when Christ rose from the dead, but Christ s victory will be complete when He casts Satan into the lake of fire. In the meantime, however, until that day comes, Satan has the freedom to roam the earth. John 14:30 describes Satan as the ruler of the world. The apostle Paul described him as the ruler of the atmospheric domain (Eph. 2:2). One of the most sobering references to Satan is found in 1 Peter 5:8 where Peter warns his readers to be on the lookout for Satan. He warns them, Your adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. Christians must understand that Satan exists and be prepared to deal with this very evil being.
SCRIPTURE PASSAGES Session 74: The Origin of Satan Isaiah 14:12-15 12 Shining morning star, how you have fallen from the heavens! You destroyer of nations, you have been cut down to the ground. 13 You said to yourself: I will ascend to the heavens; I will set up my throne above the stars of God. I will sit on the mount of the gods assembly, in the remotest parts of the North. 14 I will ascend above the highest clouds; I will make myself like the Most High. 15 But you will be brought down to Sheol into the deepest regions of the Pit. Ezekiel 28:11-17 11 The word of the Lo r d came to me: 12 Son of man, lament for the king of Tyre and say to him: This is what the Lord Go d says: You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. 13 You were in Eden, the garden of God. Every kind of precious stone covered you: carnelian, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, turquoise and emerald. Your mountings and settings were crafted in gold; they were prepared on the day you were created. 14 You were an anointed guardian cherub, for I had appointed you. You were on the holy mountain of God; you walked among the fiery stones. 15 From the day you were created you were blameless in your ways until wickedness was found in you. 16 Through the abundance of your trade, you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I expelled you in disgrace from the mountain of God, and banished you, guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. 17 Your heart became proud because of your beauty; For the sake of your splendor you corrupted your wisdom. So I threw you down to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings. Revelation 20:10 10 The Devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet are, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible Copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible, Holman CSB, and HCSB are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.
EXPLORING THE BIBLE DAILY 74 Write Isaiah 14:12 in the space below and memorize this week: Read these Scripture passages each day this week. Respond to each passage by jotting down questions and insights you may have. Day 1 - Isaiah 14:12-13 Day 2 - Isaiah 14:14-15 Day 3 - Ezekiel 28:11-12 Day 4 - Ezekiel 28:13 Day 5 - Ezekiel 28:14-15 Day 6 - Ezekiel 28:16-17 Day 7 - Revelation 20:10
DEFINE YOUR ENEMY Session 74 Look up the Scripture passages below and write information about Satan you discover from each Scripture. 1. Matthew 25:41 Satan abides in prepared by. 2. Mark 3:22 Satan rules over the. 3. 2 Corinthians 12:7 Satan has to afflict God s servants. 4. Matthew 4:9 Satan dared ask even to worship him. 5. Luke 10:19 Jesus gave His followers power over, the enemy. 2007 LifeWay Press. Fuel2: Owning Your Faith, Volume 7. Permission granted to reproduce this item for church use only. Published in the United States of America.
SATAN S HOOK Session 74 Look at the hook above and decide what a hook s purpose is. What hides the hook? How do you get attracted to the hook? List below some hooks that cause other youth, friends, or family to fall because of the wrong choices they made based on their desire for the hook. 2007 LifeWay Press. Fuel2: Owning Your Faith, Volume 7. Permission granted to reproduce this item for church use only. Published in the United States of America.