Things the Bible tells us about angels and Satan:
Angels are sent to minister to those who believe (Heb. 1:14)
God created angels - they are not gods (Col. 1:16)
When angels sinned, some were sent to hell (demons) (2 Peter 2:4)
We are not to worship angels (Rev. 22:8-9)
Satan is also called "the ruler of the kingdom of the air" (Eph. 2:2)
He is also called "prince of this world" (John 12:31)
And also called "liar and the Father of all lies" (John 8:44)
He entered Judas and tempted him to betray Jesus (Luke 22:3)
He fell from heaven after his rebellion (Luke 10:18)
There is an eternal fire prepared for him (Matthew 25:41)
He tempted Jesus in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11)
He has been "sinning from the beginning" (1 John 3:8)
He prowls around us like a lion, waiting to devour (1 Peter 5:8)
If we resist him, he will flee (James 4:7)
1. Satan gets people to fear him
Ex: The Wizard of Oz - got people to fear him by pretending and showing himself to be more powerful than he really was
In the same way, Satan flexes his muscles, but doesn't really have all the power he pretends to have. People who worship Satan over God believe he is all-powerful, when he isn't.
2. Bible depicts him as a lion, a dragon, our enemy, the accuser - so why is he so angry?
Satan was created, an angel, who led a rebellion in heaven (see Rev. 12:1-12). Wanting to be on the level of God, and not achieving it, he was cast down to earth, where he wanders.
He tries to lead people down the wrong path by making the path to death look like the path to life!
3. Satan's goals
- Keep people from knowing that forgiveness of sins is possible
- To ruin the lives of people who do believe, by making them think "God could never love me" (he accuses us before God - and he's right! But, the death of Jesus covers any sin, and our salvation will not be undone.)
Satan looks for our weak points and tempts us there. Once he's "inside", it leads us to other sins.
Ex: Someone who thinks they must be perfect may be led to cheat, and then to lie to cover up the cheating, etc. Or, someone who gets angry easily with others may be led to hate others, and then to gossip about them, and so on.
Knowing that Satan works in this way, the job for us is to strengthen our outer defenses...don't let Satan hit you at your weak spot. Where is your weak spot that you need to defend against? James 4:7 says if we resist the devil he will flee from us.
5. Other questions about Satan -
Who created hell? It's a place reserved for Satan and his angels
Does God love the devil? The devil was created by God. For sure, as a created being, he was once loved. But the point is that the devil will never repent. He will not go to heaven. He already had eternal life with God and rejected that. Every human gets another chance; the devil has forever blown his.
Why can't God destroy Satan and sin? He is! When Jesus came out of the grave, that broke Satan's power - people no longer had to die. Life is available to everyone who comes to Jesus. Satan has power - but it's not the kind of power God has. In Genesis 3:15 it says the serpent will strike the heel of "the woman's offspring"...Jesus; but Jesus will crush his head. So, we are living in "the beginning of the end" of evil.
Does Satan have power? Yes, but only in the way the Wizard of Oz did. Much of his "power" rests on suspicions we hold and fears that aren't realistic.
