The Doctrine of Satan - Part 1
by Rev. Jim Jester
June 14, 2026
SCRIPTURE READING: Luke 10:18, ISV,
“I watched Satan falling from heaven like lightning.”
INTRODUCTION
Relatively speaking, the topic of Satan is one of the last things for Christians to talk about. Nevertheless, the subject is worthy of review: In fact, hardly a church service goes by in which we do not speak of the chief enemy of God and Christendom—the jews, who are directly related to Satan according to the statements of Jesus Christ in the Gospels.
The question before us is, does the language of Scripture confirm or reject the person of Satan? Is he real, or just a personification of an abstract idea?
We gain knowledge of the scriptures, not only by the Holy Spirit, but by common sense. It is not a matter of defining Greek, Hebrew, or even English words to understand a statement, but how those words are used in the sentence. Sometimes defining words is irrelevant, although valuable insights can be learned by consulting the definitions. Also, to properly understand a statement from the Bible we must recognize its context. Point being, one does not have to be a Greek or Hebrew scholar to understand the Word of God.
A prime example of the futility of defining a word without context is in the subject of Baptism. Many are convinced that the method of this ritual is immersion in water. They base this from the fact that the Greek word baptizo means immerse, submerge, dip or wash, but they fail to see places where the word is used when the context reveals that water is not in view, such as, Matthew 20:22: “But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able.” No water here! The context is the coming suffering and death of our Lord. Jesus was immersed in tribulation.
In Mark 7:4 the word baptizo appears when speaking of some things: “And when they come from the market, except they wash [baptizo], they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables.” Certainly we may expect that most of these things were immersed in water, except for the tables since they are too large to be covered with water.
Many Christians, upon hearing that there is a belief by some that Satan does not exist, are really “taken back” in shock, because all their lives they have been taught that he is real. Now I don’t mean to play the devil’s advocate here, but these people have questions and they deserve an answer. I expect to give them a reasonable and Scriptural answer.
Over the past two years I’ve looked into the subject of Satan from a theological perspective. Traditionally, the topic of Satan has been neglected, and no wonder, for he is insignificant compared to other topics in the Bible. Likewise, most church confessions leave out the subject altogether. Even textbooks on basic theology don’t have a section on Satan, and they say very little about him. Bible dictionaries, however, will give quite an overview on the subject. Among the shortest of them is Easton’s Bible Dictionary:
Adversary; accuser. When used as a proper name, the Hebrew word so rendered has the article “the adversary” (Job 1:6-12; 2:1-7). In the New Testament it is used as interchangeable with Diabolos, or the devil, and is so used more than thirty times.
He is also called “the dragon,” “the old serpent” (Rev. 12:9; 20:2); “the prince of this world” (Jn. 12:31; 14:30); “the prince of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2); “the god of this world” (2 Cor. 4:4); “the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience” (Eph. 2:2). The distinct personality of Satan and his activity among men are thus obviously recognized. He tempted our Lord in the wilderness (Matt. 4:1-11). He is “Beelzebub, the prince of the devils” (Matt. 12:24)… His power is great in the world. He is a “roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Pet. 5:8). Men are said to be “taken captive by him” (2 Tim. 2:26). Christians are warned against his “devices” (2 Cor. 2:11), and called on to “resist” him (Jas. 4:7). Christ redeems his people from “him that had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Heb. 2:14). Satan has the “power of death,” not as lord, but simply as executioner. (Easton)
So it seems to me that a personality with this many titles and epithets must of necessity be more than some sort of intangible influence towards evil, such as the “sinful nature” (sometimes referred to as “the flesh”) or an “evil thought.” Yet, there are some who deny the existence of such a person as Satan. Now, in some respects this position is tolerable, for we all should live as though there were no devil by not demonstrating evil in our lives. But to deny his existence, is to deny the plain language of Scripture and its warnings against him. And so, with our opening verse, the words of our Lord, “I watched Satan falling from heaven like lightning” (Lk. 10:18, ISV), certainly leaves us with the impression that this person is real and not just a personification of an abstract idea.
Christian Identity is not the first church to adopt a “no Satan” doctrine. It seems that this position got its start during the Restoration Movement of the Second Great Awakening. The following are quotes from Wikipedia:
The Christadelphians are a restorationist and Unitarian Christian denomination. The name means “brothers in Christ,” from the Greek words for Christ (Christos) and brothers (adelphoi).
The Christadelphian movement traces its origins to John Thomas (1805–1871). He initially associated with emerging Restoration Movement in the United States but later separated from them. The Christadelphian community in the United Kingdom effectively dates from Thomas’s first lecturing tour of Britain (May 1848 – October 1850). During this period, he wrote Elpis Israel in which he laid out his understanding of the main doctrines of the Bible. Since his medium for bringing change was print and debate, it was natural for the origins of the Christadelphian body to be associated with books and journals, such as Thomas’s Herald of the Kingdom. His message was particularly welcomed in Scotland, and Campbellite, Unitarian and Adventist friends separated to form groups of “Baptised Believers.”
The Restoration Movement (also known as the American Restoration Movement or the Stone–Campbell Movement, and pejoratively as Campbellism) is a Christian movement that began on the American frontier during the Second Great Awakening (1790–1840) of the early 19th century. The pioneers of this movement were seeking to reform the church from within and sought “the unification of all Christians in a single body patterned after the church of the New Testament.”
Two groups which independently developed similar approaches to the Christian faith were particularly important. The first, led by Barton W. Stone, began at Cane Ridge, Kentucky, and identified as “Christians.” The second began in western Pennsylvania and Virginia (now West Virginia) and was led by Thomas Campbell and his son, Alexander Campbell, both educated in Scotland; they eventually used the name “Disciples of Christ.”
Christadelphians believe in the inspiration of the Bible, the Virgin Birth, the status of Jesus as the son of God, believer’s baptism, the resurrection of the dead, the second coming of Christ, and the future kingdom of God on earth. However, they reject a number of mainstream Christian doctrines, for example the Trinity and the immortality of the soul, believing these to be corruptions of original Christian teaching.
Christadelphians believe that the word devil is a reference in the scriptures to sin and human nature in opposition to God, while the word satan is merely a reference to an adversary or opponent (be it good or bad) and is frequently applied to human beings. According to Christadelphians, these terms are used in reference to specific political systems or individuals in opposition or conflict and not to an independent spiritual being or fallen angel. Accordingly, they do not define Hell as a place of eternal torment for sinners, but as a state of eternal death and non-existence due to annihilation of body and mind.
Christadelphians believe that people are separated from God because of their sins but that humankind can be reconciled to him by becoming disciples of Jesus. This is by belief in the Gospel, through repentance, and through baptism by total immersion in water. They reject assurance of salvation, believing instead that salvation comes as a result of remaining “in Christ.” After death, believers are in a state of non-existence, knowing nothing until the Resurrection at the return of Jesus. (Wikipedia)
Now while the Restorationist leaders blamed church splits on official church dogma, you may have noticed that they, themselves, had plenty of division among their own various churches. These churches, both then and now, had no concept of covenantal identity, but continued the error of everyone in the world being either a Jew or a Gentile.
We shall begin with the Old Testament.
OLD TESTAMENT HISTORY
In the progress of God’s revelation the existence of Satan was gradually revealed, and at the same time, a mass of superstition grew up around the subject. The captivity brought the Israelites face to face with the great dualism of Persian mythology, the conflict of Ormuzd with Ahriman, the co-ordinate spirit of evil. But it is admitted by all theologians that the Satan of Scripture bears no resemblance to Ahriman, for his inferiority was clearly shown. Thus, the biblical doctrine of Satan is not dualistic (albeit a mitigated dualism). Satan’s empire had a beginning, and it will have a definite and permanent end. He is God’s great enemy in the cosmos, but he is God’s creation, exists by divine will, and his power is no more equal with God’s will than that of man’s will.
The claim that the doctrine of Satan destroys the unity of God is not valid either. To some minds the reality of more than one will is dualistic and therefore invalid. But a true doctrine of unity makes room for other wills than God’s, namely, of those people whom God has given liberty. In this stands the doctrine of sin and Satan, which no more hinders the unity of God than the idea of other wills set against God. We will examine three passages from the Old Testament that depicts Satan as the real unseen ruler over the kings of those respective nations.
THE KING OF TYRE
“No Satan” advocates will say, “See, there is no devil here—this passage is about the king of Tyre.” But let us examine Ezekiel 28:12-18:
12 Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. 13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.
14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. 15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
16 By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.
17 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. 18 Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. (Ezk. 28:12-18)
Here in chapter 28 we have a picture of Satan before his fall. Chapter 26 was against the city of Tyre, chapter 27, against the merchandising of Tyre, and chapter 28 now is directed against the king of Tyre. Ezekiel takes up a lamentation for the king. Then suddenly, there is a transition, and he begins to address Satan, the power behind that earthly kingdom. In the context of a lament for an arrogant king, God spoke of the sin and the fall of the spiritual power behind that king (the devil). Both Satan and the king shared the same characteristics. Jesus referred to Satan as “the ruler of this world” (Jn. 12:31, NKJV), and unless a nation and its leaders are truly dedicated to God, then Satan is the one controlling that nation.
“Thus saith the Lord GOD” (Ezk. 28:12); it is no longer the “son of man” (Ezekiel) speaking. At this point there is a switch and we go behind the scenes where God is now addressing Satan. This is probably one of the most graphic descriptions of Satan that exists in the Bible. And, contrary to popular notion, he is not wearing a red suit, holding a pitchfork and having a forked tail.
“Thou sealest up the sum” (Ezk. 28:12), meaning, you’ve got it all together. You are full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty; you have been in Eden the garden of God (Ezk. 28:12-13). Yes, he (the “serpent,” a symbol of rulership in the ancient world) was there, talking to Eve, and tempting her to do what God had forbidden. So this description could not have referred to the literal, mortal king of Tyre, for he was never “perfect in beauty,” nor had he been in Eden.
“Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth” (Ezk. 28:14): A cherub, of course, is an angel. Cherub is singular; cherubim is plural. We find in the Scriptures that there are the four cherubim (Ezk. 1:10; Rev. 4:6) that are around the throne of God. No doubt, Satan once dwelt there near God in the heavenly realm. His position was high enough that when Michael was contending against him over the body of Moses, and having respect for the position Satan once held, Michael did not bring any accusation against him; rather, Michael just said, “The Lord rebuke you.” The fact that Satan is called a “cherub” ought to convince anyone that he is a fallen angel. Again, this could not have been the physical, mortal, king of Tyre.
“I have set thee so: you were upon the holy mountain of God; you have walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire” (Ezk. 28:14). Satan was a created being. God is self-existent, and always has been. Satan was created; but not created evil. So, it is wrong for us to think of Satan as the opposite of God. He opposes God, but he in no way is the opposite of God (dualism). When we think this way, we ascribe to Satan much more power than what he actually has. God stands alone in the universe. There is nothing to compare, either in likenesses or opposites.
“And you were perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee” (Ezk. 28:15). We immediately recognize this as describing a being higher than any earthly king, for no king could be considered “perfect.” And what is the iniquity that was found in Satan? If you turn to Isaiah chapter 14, the prophet gives some insight into this iniquity: “For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God” (Isa. 14:13). So up until that point, this cherub had been a model of perfection.
“By the abundance of your trading you became filled with violence within, and you sinned” (Ezk. 28:18, NKJV): Because Satan is spoken of here as the king of Tyre, God spoke of Satan’s “sins” in the same terms as Tyre’s sins. Tyre was a commercialized city-state focusing only on winning a profit. Sound familiar in jewish America? Satan’s trading was found in his competitive spirit, and his desire to be exalted above his associates (Isa. 14:13). The shady business practices of the leaders of Tyre were a reflection of the dishonest dealings of the spiritual power behind them. Satan and the king of Tyre are being compared to each other.
THE KING OF BABYLON
Isaiah chapter 14 describes Satan’s fall:
How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. (Isa. 14:12-14)
As this prophecy continues, from the context of the previous chapter, it is important to remember that Isaiah has two aspects of prophetic fulfillment in mind. First, there is the near and partial fulfillment regarding the empire of Babylon and its king. Second, there is the distant and ultimate fulfillment regarding the spiritual empire of Babylon, and its king, Satan.
In the habit of speaking of these fulfillments, the prophet will sometimes speak more about one than the other. Here is an example of Isaiah speaking more to the distant fulfillment. It is true that the king of literal Babylon shined brightly among the men of his day, and fell as completely as if a man were to fall from the sky. But there was a far more brightly shining being who inhabited heaven, and fell even more dramatically, the spiritual king of Babylon, Satan. So the prophet is describing the spiritual ruler behind the earthly ruler, where the description of the King of Babylon goes beyond any earthly king and describes Satan himself.
“Fallen from heaven” (v. 12): In fact, there are four falls of Satan, and this refers to his final and fourth fall.
• Satan fell from glorified to profane (Ezk. 28:14-16). This is what Jesus spoke of when He says He “saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.” (Lk. 10:18) This is the only fall that has already happened.
• Satan will fall from having access to heaven (Job 1:12, 1 Ki. 22:21, Zec. 3:1) to restriction on the earth (Rev. 12:9).
• Satan will fall from his place on the earth to the bottomless pit for 1,000 years (Rev. 20:1-3).
• Finally, as mentioned here in Isaiah 14:12, Satan will fall from the bottomless pit into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:10).
“Son of the morning” (v. 12): This is a title of glory, beauty, and honor, which fit Lucifer quite well before his fall. Jesus Himself is called the “Bright and Morning Star” (Rev. 22:16). Satan had some of these qualities too. No wonder that “Satan transforms himself into an angel of light” (2 Cor. 11:14), deceiving many with his supposed glory, and goodness.
“How you are cut down to the ground” (v. 12): What a contrast! This cherub, once so high, so shining and bright, now cut down like grass in the yard.
“I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High” (v. 13-14): These five “I wills” of Satan was the beginning of rebellion in the universe. Once again, this goes beyond any mortal king.
THE PRINCE OF PERSIA
Daniel was in prayer for Israel for three full weeks; chapter ten describes his experiences during this time. But the answer to Daniel’s prayer did not come right away even though Daniel persisted in prayer. In verses 12-13 we read:
Then said he [a certain man, v. 5] unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words [of prayer]. 13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia [angelic being] withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael [angelic being], one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia. (Dan. 10:12-13)
The prince of Persia is not an earthly prince, but an angelic prince. An earthly prince, or any kind of human, or mortal king, could never resist an angel on his way with a message from God. But a demonic prince could be strong enough to stop an angel of God temporarily. This prince of demons, or Satan, who influenced the kingdom of Persia, was so powerful that the archangel Michael had to come and give aid to the messenger for Daniel. Michael is the prince (not a king) of Israel. In Daniel 10:21, Daniel is told that Michael is “your prince.” Michael is here called “one of the chief princes” and in the last chapter he is called “the great prince” (Dan. 12:1).
We know that angels are used by God for the protection of His own (Heb. 1:14). They execute the will of God in His providence, and they communicate God’s directives. We also see here that certain angels help each other in their fight against apostate angels. Michael was sent to help the angel who was sent to Daniel. This angel was stopped by the prince of Persia (the devil), which made it impossible for him to carry out his mission. He stayed behind and stood before other angelic princes who had Persia under duress. These powers were trying to stop God’s work in Persia, and they still operate like this today.
Therefore, from these three main examples: The king of Tyre, the king of Babylon and the prince of Persia; we discover a supernatural ruler over the nations of the world who is the inspiration for the wickedness of mortal kings and other rulers. And they are often called “princes.”
You may recall that when the devil tempted Jesus, he offered him all the kingdoms of the world:
And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. 7 If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. (Lk. 4:5-7)
The fall of Adam “delivered” the earth to Satan, and so it was his to give. If Satan is an inanimate object, just a symbol for something else, then how could he take lordship of the earth? He couldn’t! Of course, Jesus made the right choice and refused the offer.
Jesus called Satan the “prince of this world” (Jn. 12:31; 14:30; 16:11), and Paul called him “the prince of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2). The fact that the devil is a “prince” proves he is a supernatural being. A personification of an abstract idea could not be a prince.
There are some statements from Isaiah that Satan deniers use to prove he doesn’t exist (Isa. 45:5-7, 18, 21 ). Here is one of those passages:
I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: 6 That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else. 7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.(Isa. 45:5-7, KJV)
These references, are used as a blanket statement to prove their point that God Almighty is the only supernatural entity. But I do not believe that is the intent of these passages. The context reveals that this God is the God of Israel, only. There is no other national god for the covenant people; Yahweh is the true God. There is none else that exists for Israel. Other people and races may make up a god for themselves, and they may even claim the God of Israel as their own; but all their intentions are irrelevant if they have no covenant relationship to Him. True Israel already belongs to God by Covenant, and He even helped them when they forgot Him. The repeated phrase “there is none else” is not to be taken exclusively in regard to existence, but only exclusively in regard to His people. Besides, Satan is not a “god” but a fallen angel.
In verse 7, God contrasts some things in relation to Israel’s punishment for forsaking their God. These are opposites: light and darkness; peace and war. The KJV says “evil” but this is not correct: God would not “create evil.” The JFB commentary says, “…not moral evil, but in contrast to ‘peace’ in the parallel clause, war, disaster.” Other translations have rendered this more accurately than the KJV.
Albert Barnes comments:
“And create evil” — The parallelism here shows that this is not to be understood in the sense of all evil, but of that which is the opposite of peace and prosperity. That is, God directs judgments, disappointments, trials, and calamities; he has power to suffer the mad passions of people to rage, and to afflict nations with war; he presides over adverse as well as prosperous events. The passage does not prove that God is the author of moral evil, or sin, and such a sentiment is abhorrent to the general strain of the Bible, and to all just views of the character of a holy God.
The main subject of this chapter in Isaiah is the prosperity which would attend the victories of Cyrus:
The 12th and 13th verses are intended to calm the anxieties of the exiles in reference to Cyrus. He who created all things had also raised up Cyrus, whose victorious career had awakened the fears of the exiles; but Jehovah had summoned him to the work, and this was to be the guarantee that Cyrus would build up Jerusalem again, and set the captives free, and that without redemption of money. This whole passage may have its drift and meaning summed up in a single sentence. It is an appeal of God to His people to leave the whole management of their redemption in His hands, and to let His power, wisdom, and righteousness reassure their minds under any difficulties or fears that may trouble them. (C. Short, M. A., Biblical Illustrator)
[This concludes O. T. history, and Part 1 on the Doctrine of Satan.]
