What is the origin of the devil? Satan was on the scene as early as the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:1). But since he is not introduced and no account of his birth or creation is given, can we know his origin? Consider that there are only three kinds of beings: Deity, angels, and humans. Satan is not divine since he is obviously subject to God (cf. Job 1). He is not human because he possesses powers superior to humans (cf. Mt. 4). Therefore, he must belong to the class of angels. God does not create evil (Jas. 1:17),1 so he must have been created good and became evil (like man). It follows then that Satan is a rebellious angel who was judged by God and fell from holiness to wickedness. Jesus indicated this when He said, “I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven” (Lk. 10:18). Peter adds this information: “…God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment” (2 Pet. 2:4). Pride seems to have been the cause of his fall (1 Tim. 3:6). The angels who fell with him are thought to make up his army of spirits opposed to God and God’s people (Eph. 6:10-13; Lk. 11:18; Jude 6).
What is going to happen to the devil? Evidently, Satan still has access to heaven (Job 1-2; Zec. 3) but one day will be thrown out (Rev. 12:7-12). He works feverishly since he knows his time is short (12:12). When Jesus returns, He will cast Satan into hell, the lake of fire, where he will be tormented forever (Rev. 19:11-20:3). Hell was prepared for the devil and his angels, but rebellious sinners who reject Christ and believe Satan’s lies will also suffer with them (Mt. 25:41; Rev. 20:11-15).
Satan seems to control my life. How can I beat him? There are three steps to defeating the devil: (1) We must recognize when the devil is at work (2 Cor. 2:11). For instance, when there is a lack of love, we can be assured that the devil is near (1 Jn. 3:10). (2) We must respect his subtlety or slyness (2 Cor. 11:3; 1 Pet. 5:8). (3) We must resist him with the Word and prayer (Mt. 4:1-11; Jas. 4:7, resist, anthistemi, “to stand against, oppose, withstand;” Eph. 6:17,18). To resist we must: (1) Put on our protective gear (Eph. 6:10-18). We wouldn’t think of going into a radioactive area without putting on breathing equipment to avoid contamination. How foolish to go into the arena with the devil without the gear God has given for our protection. (2) Rely on Christ and the Spirit (Rev. 12:11;1 Jn. 4:4). When Satan desired to sift Peter as wheat, Christ prayed for him (Lk. 22:31; Acts 26:16-18). (3) Take away his advantages (Eph. 4:27). Paul names some sins that give Satan a foothold: lust, lying, anger, stealing, corrupt speech, evil speaking, an unforgiving spirit, bitterness, malice, and so forth. Any sin we enjoyed before becoming Christians can be brought over to ruin the new life, so be sure to keep your heart clean. Husbands and wives are taught not to defraud each other sexually lest Satan use that advantage to tempt them to commit adultery (1 Cor. 7:5).
We can beat the devil at his own game. The stakes are high, and the consequences are eternal. Don’t give up. Don’t ever give up.
