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12-23-2005, 02:41 PM

I think i can help you out with this one. Satan has not existed eternally, he was created.

Revelation 12:7 - 9(NASB):

7 And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. And the dragon and his angels waged war,

8 and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven.

9 And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

This I believe is the clearest account of Satan's activities before being cast down that I know of in the Scripture. We know it was Satan, in the form of a serpent, that tempted Eve in the garden of Eden. 1 Chron. 21:2 says that Satan was responsible for causing David to commit sin. Job 1:6-12 and 2:1-7 we see the activity of Satan in tempting Job.

He is called Satan,

The Devil (Mt. 13:39);

the Dragon (Rev. 12:3);

Beelzebub (Matt. 10:25);

Belial (2 Cor. 6:15);

and Lucifer in the KJV in Isa. 14:12.

He is referred to as the Evil One (Matt. 13:19);

the Tempter (Matt. 4:3);

The god of this world (age) (2 Cor. 4:4);

the Ruler of the kingdom of the air (Eph. 2:2);

the prince of this world (Jn. 12:31).

Two passages that are often used to teach about Satan are Ezekiel 28:11-19 and Isaiah 14:12-14. Both of these passages should be used with extreme caution.

One should always be aware of the context of a Biblical passage before trying to teach anything from it. In its context Ezek. 28:11-19 is a description of the King of Tyre. To go beyond this in explaining this passage is to go without biblical support. NEVER in Scripture is the context in Ezek. 28 used to speak of Satan.

Similarly, Isa. 14:12-14 speaks of the king of Babylon. The KJV adds "Lucifer" to verse 12 for unknown reasons. Isa. 14 is speaking in figurative language of the downfall of the nation of Babylon.

It could be said in both these passages that the King of Tyre and the King of Babylon were the very personification of Satan. In this case we can assume that certain characteristics of these evil kings are characteristics of Satan.

What we do know about Satan is this. He was a created being, an angel, who was judged because of his rebellion, which the New Testament hints was sparked by his pride (1Tim.3:6). He is the one responsible for introducing evil to this world. Now he desires to devour God's creation by tempting man to reject his Creator.

This is then the lesson we must learn. Satan--an angel created by God--was given the free will to choose whether or not he would obey God. He disobeyed, and that disobedience was evil.

Satan made himself evil by choosing to do evil.

In the same way, humans may choose to do right or wrong, and through their choices, evil flourishes.

So... it was choice that caused Satan to be evil, not an act of Creation.

12-23-2005, 02:41 PM	#12
Godsend Guest Posts: n/a	I think i can help you out with this one. Satan has not existed eternally, he was created. Revelation 12:7 - 9(NASB): 7 And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. And the dragon and his angels waged war, 8 and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. This I believe is the clearest account of Satan's activities before being cast down that I know of in the Scripture. We know it was Satan, in the form of a serpent, that tempted Eve in the garden of Eden. 1 Chron. 21:2 says that Satan was responsible for causing David to commit sin. Job 1:6-12 and 2:1-7 we see the activity of Satan in tempting Job. He is called Satan, The Devil (Mt. 13:39); the Dragon (Rev. 12:3); Beelzebub (Matt. 10:25); Belial (2 Cor. 6:15); and Lucifer in the KJV in Isa. 14:12. He is referred to as the Evil One (Matt. 13:19); the Tempter (Matt. 4:3); The god of this world (age) (2 Cor. 4:4); the Ruler of the kingdom of the air (Eph. 2:2); the prince of this world (Jn. 12:31). Two passages that are often used to teach about Satan are Ezekiel 28:11-19 and Isaiah 14:12-14. Both of these passages should be used with extreme caution. One should always be aware of the context of a Biblical passage before trying to teach anything from it. In its context Ezek. 28:11-19 is a description of the King of Tyre. To go beyond this in explaining this passage is to go without biblical support. NEVER in Scripture is the context in Ezek. 28 used to speak of Satan. Similarly, Isa. 14:12-14 speaks of the king of Babylon. The KJV adds "Lucifer" to verse 12 for unknown reasons. Isa. 14 is speaking in figurative language of the downfall of the nation of Babylon. It could be said in both these passages that the King of Tyre and the King of Babylon were the very personification of Satan. In this case we can assume that certain characteristics of these evil kings are characteristics of Satan. What we do know about Satan is this. He was a created being, an angel, who was judged because of his rebellion, which the New Testament hints was sparked by his pride (1Tim.3:6). He is the one responsible for introducing evil to this world. Now he desires to devour God's creation by tempting man to reject his Creator. This is then the lesson we must learn. Satan--an angel created by God--was given the free will to choose whether or not he would obey God. He disobeyed, and that disobedience was evil. Satan made himself evil by choosing to do evil. In the same way, humans may choose to do right or wrong, and through their choices, evil flourishes. So... it was choice that caused Satan to be evil, not an act of Creation.