The Doctrine of Satan - Part 2

By Rev. Jim Jester

July 19, 2026

SCRIPTURE READING: Luke 10:18, ISV,

“I watched Satan falling from heaven like lightning.”

This is the continuation from Part 1 of the Doctrine of Satan. Those in Christian Identity who do not believe Satan is a real entity, but only a personification of an abstract idea (such as the sin nature), may accuse me of believing what the Judeo mainstream churches believe. That may very well be true; but just because they are wrong on some things, does not make them wrong on all things. Both positions cannot be correct.

In Part 1 we covered three examples from the Old Testament: The King of Tyre, the King of Babylon and the Prince of Persia. Now we shall take a walk through the New Testament.

NEW TESTAMENT HISTORY

The New Testament is first to bring forward, in plain language, the power and influence of Satan. It gives a more complete revelation than found in the Old Testament. From the beginning of the Gospel, when he appears as the personal “tempter” of our Lord (Mat. 4:3), through all the Gospels, Epistles, and Apocalypse, it is asserted or implied many times as being true. Without quoting many passages (making this sermon much longer), the plain and non-metaphorical words of Jesus ought to be sufficient: “Ye are of your father the devil. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abides not in the truth… When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own, for he is a liar and the father of it” (Jn. 8:44). This was not a symbol or a figure of speech because the context in which Jesus spoke was a racial debate with the jews.

The Apostle Paul is our supreme authority for New Testament theology. In warning the Ephesians against the “wiles of the devil” (v. 11), he tells them at Ephesians 6:12 that they contended “not against flesh and blood,” mere mortal enemies, but “against principalities and powers; against the rulers of the darkness of this world; against spiritual wickedness in high places.” So, the contrast is here seen between mortal and immortal foes, the latter being spiritual natures, in opposition to flesh and blood. Satan is immortal, but not eternal, neither omniscient nor omnipresent, but is above mortals in knowledge and power. This passage points us to the spiritual realm.

The Scripture regards evil as an anomaly and a corruption in 1 John 2:14-16. It is to be removed by a new manifestation of God’s love with the incarnation and atonement. The conquest of evil began with God’s covenant after the fall, was put into effect on the cross of our Lord, and shall be completed at the great judgment day. John recognized the existence of evil in the world, such as through “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (v. 16), which desires are born into the heart of man—all of these are “of the world.” So, John reveals in this passage that we experience temptation by three channels: the world, the flesh and the devil (v. 14, “the wicked one”). This evil spirit attempts to motivate man’s free will into rebellion against God. These channels may be used by Satan to tempt us to do wrong; but God uses this process to make us stronger Christians.

Those who deny a literal devil in this passage have a problem. When they say the devil is simply “the flesh,” then that would leave only two channels, for John has already mentioned the flesh. These three channels are not the same; therefore, the devil cannot be a personification for the flesh, the carnal mind, the sin nature, or any other inanimate object.

John here is making an encouraging point for those he is writing to, “…you have overcome the wicked one” (v. 14). John uses the term “wicked one” four times in this epistle. Who is this “wicked one?” Matthew identifies the wicked one as the devil. In the words of our Lord:

The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; 39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. (Mat. 13:38-39)

This verse brings up the same point about a personification: If the “devil” is just a personification of an inanimate object, “he” (it) would not have seed to sow.

James also provides encouragement to those who are tested and tried:

Blessed is the man that endureth temptation [testing]: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. 13 Let no man say when he is tempted [tested], I am tempted of God [for it is Satan who tempts]: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth  [tests] he any man [with evil]: 14 But every man is tempted [tested], when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. (Jas. 1:12-14)

The writer to the Hebrews says of those heroes of the faith, in part;

They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented. (Heb. 11:37)

“They were tempted:” The word tempted has two meanings; first of all, that of being tried or afflicted; and secondly, that of being enticed to sin. In the first aspect of it God did tempt Abraham, that is, He tried him, and this He does with all His people. So count it not a strange thing that you should have a cross to carry.

As for the other aspect of the word tempt, the bad and most difficult, in that sense also the statement is universally true. All the people of God have been tempted to sin. Satan no sooner perceives a child of God renewed in heart than he tries to deface the work of the Holy Spirit, to ruin the happiness of the believer, and to weaken his usefulness by leading him into sin.

The world is always tempting God’s people, and there is no position in life which is free from such peril. This passage does not say how they were tempted, so we can assume that they were tried in every form. They were tempted in every possible way, by friends and foes, by human and satanic agents, by flatteries and afflictions, by words and deeds, to forsake God; but in vain, through the power of faith, they overcame them all. Whether our path be rough or smooth we are liable to be tripped up unless the unseen hand shall hold us up.

LUTHER ON TEMPTATION

The great Reformer and warrior for the Scriptures, Martin Luther, must have experienced the opposition of the Devil: “For still our ancient foe, doth seek to work us woe.” He believed that Satan and temptation were a part of God’s sovereignty. He taught that God was absolutely sovereign over Satan and the wills of men. Luther wrote in his Bondage of the Will:

Christians know there are two kingdoms in the world, which are bitterly opposed to each other. In one of them Satan reigns, who therefore is called by Christ “the ruler of this world” and by Paul “the god of this world.” He holds captive to “his will” all who are not snatched away from him by the Spirit of Christ, as the same Paul testifies, nor does he allow them to be snatched away by any powers other than the Spirit of God, as Christ testifies in the parable of the strong man guarding his palace in peace. In the other Kingdom, Christ reigns, and his Kingdom ceaselessly resists and makes war on the kingdom of Satan. Into this Kingdom we are transferred, not by our own power, but by the grace of God, by which we are set free from the present evil age and delivered from the dominion of darkness. (Luther’s Works, vol. 33, Philip S. Watson, p. 287)

The Christian finds himself in the middle of a great struggle: Sin, Satan, and temptation are quite real, yet is always overruled by God. Further, God rules over the temptation of the Christian in the sense that He has the right to test the believer. In His dealings with rebellious Adam, Cain, David and Jonah, God appears as Judge. To Job He appears as an Enemy. For Jacob, the issue of trial is whether or not he is predestined to salvation. For Abraham the trial was to sacrifice his son Isaac. What a test! And here, note that God Himself was the tempter! The only thing that Abraham had to hang on to was the promise, the Word of God.

Satan is God’s tool used for the Christian’s good. Luther said, “Because we are so attacked by the Devil, we are in excellent shape before God. The very reason he comes is that he smells in you something of faith and Jesus Christ. He does not go to sinners; he is not interested in them.” (Heiko A. Oberman, “Luther and the Devil,” p. 9.) In all Satan’s malice, the sovereign God employs the Devil. He tries his people to build faith.

Satan’s method and desire in temptation is to challenge and overthrow the Word of God. He wanted Adam and Eve to believe his lie after they had lost the Word and their trust in God. Truly, this is the sum of all temptations. Unbelief is the source of all sins; when Satan brought about this unbelief by driving out or corrupting the Word, the rest was easy.

For Luther, the Word of God is the basis of man’s life. The Reformer insists that man’s first duty is to trust that revelation. Adam and Eve were to continue in the exercise of faith in that Word: “Where the Word is, there necessarily faith also is. Here is the Word that he should not eat of this tree; otherwise he would die. Therefore, Adam and Eve ought to have believed that this tree was detrimental to their welfare. Thus faith is included in this very commandment.” (Luther’s Works, vol. 1, p. 153)

In summing up our New Testament history, we continue from the Cyclopedia of Biblical and Ecclesiastical Literature:

The Scriptures are clear about the apostasy of some of the angels, of whom, Satan was their leader. The passage in Revelation 12:7-9, which speaks of “Michael and his angels” as “fighting against the dragon and his angels,” till the “great dragon, called the devil and Satan,” was “cast out into the earth, and his angels cast out with him,” cannot refer to the original fall of Satan. The only other passage which refers to the fall of the angels is 2 Peter 2:4, “God spared not the angels, when they had sinned, but having cast them into hell, delivered them to chains of darkness, reserved unto judgment,” with the parallel passage in Jude 1:6, “Angels, who kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.” In these unusual passages, however, there is some difficulty in considering Satan as one of the rest, for they are in chains and guarded till the great day; while he is permitted to go about as the tempter and adversary, until his appointed time has come.

We determine the personality of Satan by the same criteria that we use to determine whether Caesar and Napoleon were real, personal beings, or the personifications of abstract ideas; namely, by the tenor of history about them, and the personal characteristics attributed to them. All the forms of personal agency are made use of by the sacred writers. They describe him as having power and dominion, messengers and followers. He tempts and resists; he is held accountable, charged with guilt; is to be judged, and to receive final punishment. Assuming it was the purpose of the sacred writers to teach the personality of Satan, they could have found no more explicit terms than those which they have already used.

There are difficulties for those who reject personhood. They suppose the devil to be “the principle of evil.” But if it be applied in the interpretation of two or three passages of Scripture, for example: “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil” (Matt. 4:1-11). Was Jesus tempted by a real, personal being, or was it by the principle of evil? If by the principle, in whom or what did it reside? Was it in Jesus? If so, then it could not be true that in him was no sin. If the principle of sin was in Jesus, it would have made him the tempter of himself. This is bad hermeneutics, producing worse theology.

Remember also, that this principle of evil, in order to be moral evil, must be in some conscious moral being. Sin is evil only as it implies the state or action of some personal and accountable agent. “He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth: he is a liar and the father of it” (Jn. 8:44). With what standard of conduct could these specific acts be charged upon an abstraction? An abstraction a murderer, or a liar! Seriously, to affirm such things to the mere “abstraction of evil” must be false; while to assert them to a fallen angel, who beguiled Eve by falsehood, and brought death upon the race of man, is an intelligible and affecting truth.

There are those who say that the term Satan is not applied to one particular person or spirit, but signifies only an adversary, or opponent in general. This is irrelevant, since it is also applied to the “devil” as an adversary in particular. There are four instances in the New Testament, in which the word “devil,” diabolos, is applied to human beings. In three out of four it is in the plural number, expressive of quality and not personality (1 Tim. 3:11; 2 Tim. 3:3; Tit. 2:3). In the fourth instance (Jn. 6:70), Jesus says to his disciples, “Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?” This is the only instance in the New Testament of its application to a human being in the singular number.

The obvious reasons for this application of “devil” to Judas, as an exception to the general rule (which goes to confirm the rule), is that Judas resembled the devil, as an accuser and betrayer of Christ, and gave aid to him in his designs against Christ. The rule, in New Testament usage, is that the word in the singular number denotes individuality, and is applied to Satan as a proper name. (Emphasis mine, Cyclopedia…)

The statement from our Lord found in Luke 10:18, “I watched Satan falling from heaven like lightning” is really good news. Jesus knew about the fall of the prince of devils. The occasion here is part of Christ’s mission to the seventy disciples. In the next verse, Jesus continues, “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” Where have we seen serpents before? Did one appear to our mother, Eve? Christ’s discourse had to do with his disciples’ power over evil spirits. “Lightning” is an image of “quickness.” I saw Satan fall “quickly” or rapidly. The whole expression of Jesus then may mean, “I saw, at your command, devils immediately depart as quick as a flash of lightning. I gave you this power—I saw it carried out—and I give also now, in addition to this, the power to tread on serpents,” etc. Jesus is complimenting his disciples! He is saying: “Satan’s kingdom is doomed, and it is doomed quickly because of you.” This is great news! In spite of this, mainline churches continue to leave their congregations living in fear of evil spirits.

Also, First John 3:8 states, “…For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.” One can readily see that there’s a big difference between destroying the works of the devil and destroying the devil himself. The fact that the devil is attributed as having works, proves he must have been a personality at one time or another in order to have committed those works.

Therefore, the New Testament teaches that there is a spiritual realm. Thus, it makes sense to accept the supernatural view of the Scriptures, not simply a history of the natural course of things as they occur here on earth for us mortals.

MATTERS OF DEBATE

I have read some of the books on the Satan debate—does he exist or not? I listened to the debate that Matthew Dyer aired on the radio and the Internet. I will not comment on any of these.

There is a small book called “The Bible Devil and Satan Defined,” in which the author states (inside front cover) of the word diabolos (devil): “In no place is it used of a superhuman being tempting men to sin.” But what about the cases of Jesus in the wilderness and Eve in the garden?

In the N. T. (KJV), the words temptation is used 14 times, tempted is used 14 times, tempt is used 9 times, and tempter is used 2 times.

In the case of Jesus we have:

Luke 4:2, Being forty days tempted of the devil…

Matthew 4:3, And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

Luke 4:13, And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.

In the Gospel of Mark, the word “Satan” rather than “devil” is used. Of course, the difference is irrelevant, because for all intents and purposes, they both are the same. The Gospel writers have used both terms within the same context.

In the case of Eve we have the verse:

Genesis 3:6, And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

This is a clear case of temptation at the urging of the serpent. Although no form of the word “temptation” is used in the text, the context supports the idea, as well as 1 Thessalonians 3:5, which refers to the devil as “the tempter.”

So here we have four verses (five, if we count 1 Thess. 3:5) that show us an entity trying to allure someone into disobedience to God. Of course, the author of the book would never admit the mistake by claiming the devil is not a “superhuman being,” even though Luke 4:13 says “he departed from him for a season.” Or, perhaps the author would say that this “devil,” was a jew. Now there’s a thought! But if this “devil” is our own carnal desire, as some assert, then Jesus would not have been a sinless sacrifice, and His supposed “carnal nature” could not have left him “for a season.” Was Jesus schizophrenic? Anyway, the author is able to make the claims he does only because his definition of satan is different from others.

Another error (in my opinion) of the author of this book (same page), is that he claims “satan” is a personification, or symbol, for “evil thoughts,” “the flesh,” “the world as adverse to God’s ways” and “governments,” etc., giving Scripture for each. But none of these have the definite article in the original. Only the word “Satan” has the definite article attached, and therefore it is capitalized: G4567, Σατανᾶς—Satanas, or G4566, Σατᾶν—Satan. This indicates that he is a real personality, not a symbol for something else.

In Zechariah 3:1-2, the word “Satan” occurs in its specific sense as a proper noun. “And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist. And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan.” Here it is shown, both from the context and the use of the article (“the Satan”), that a definite person is indicated.

On page two of this same book, the author quotes Hebrews 2:14 to support his view that the devil was destroyed by Christ. But this verse is simply a reminder of the ultimate future fulfillment when Satan is cast into the lake of fire. In the author’s mind, the devil is “sin,” not a person subject to destruction, and since there’s no devil, he cannot be cast into the fire. The author concludes, “that the devil is a synonym for sin.” But, do words mean anything? On what authority has the author to make the word “devil” a synonym and a personification for something else? As far as I can tell, none.

CONCLUSION

I have come to the conclusion that the evidence shown in the Bible supports a supernatural view of the Scriptures. I have a few questions:

• If there’s no devil, then who is “the serpent?” (Gen. 3:13; Rev. 20:2)
• If there’s no devil, then why is there a death sentence for witchcraft? (Ex. 22:18; Deu. 18:10-11)
• If there’s no devil, then who is “the anointed cherub?” (Ezk. 28:13-15)
• If there’s no devil, then who tempted Jesus the Christ? (Mat. 4:3)
• If there’s no devil, then who is the father of the jews? (Jn. 8:44)
• If there’s no devil, then why are there “children of the devil?” (1 Jn. 3:10)
• If there’s no devil, then why are people “taken captive by him at his will?” (2 Tim. 2:26) An inanimate object has no will.
• If there’s no devil, then who “had the power of death?” (Heb. 2:14)
• If there’s no devil, then with whom did Michael wage war? (Rev. 12:7)
• If there’s no devil, then who is cast into the lake of fire? (Rev. 20:10)

Those who deny the existence of a fallen angel, Satan, may very well have an answer to these questions. But the fact that certain characteristics are attributed to him, such as, his ability to tempt, his will, his power of death, only proves that he is a real personality, not a personification of an abstract idea. Anyway, it appears that Satan deniers still indeed do have a “satan,” he is simply known by another name: Cain, Sin, Jew, etc.

On the doctrine of Satan hangs the doctrines of Temptation, Forgiveness and Redemption. Sin caused the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. Sin made the Law necessary, which brought condemnation to us, God’s children. But Christ took our place and paid the price to free us from that penalty. If there’s no devil, then there is no sin (if synonymous), and therefore, no need for the Law, and nothing to be forgiven.

To make the “devil” a personalization of the fallen nature, makes us our own worst enemy. However, we were not created in the image of Satan, but rather, in the “image of God” (Gen. 1:27)—despite our fallen condition! Satan cannot “make” people sin, he can only influence (or, tempt) them towards wrongdoing through their own desires. This the devil uses to his own advantage, when possible, but does so only with our permission. Everyone will be held accountable for their own sin; they cannot blame the devil.

Satan is the origin for all evil in the world; otherwise, the sovereign God would be at least partially responsible for evil, and party to sin in some small way because of his people, and this cannot be. Therefore, we take the supernatural view of the Scriptures, as did the Apostle Paul: 

Put on the whole armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the devil’s strategies. 12 For our struggle is not against human opponents, but against rulers, authorities, cosmic powers in the darkness around us, and evil spiritual forces in the heavenly realm. (Eph. 6:11-12, ISV)

If there is no devil, then why put on the whole armor of God? This passage is speaking of the supernatural realm, not the natural. Satan may use human opposition in conjunction with himself (as shown in our previous O. T. History), but did you notice verse twelve? “Not against human opponents…” This would also include the sin nature that some (according to their theory) say is the “devil.” This is a supernatural war, “…evil spiritual forces in the heavenly realm.” Thus, Paul described it quite accurately.

Did you know that the Bible addresses this debate—is there a devil, or not? The Sadducees took a natural view of the Scriptures:

For the Sadducees say that there is no coming back from the dead, and no angels or spirits: but the Pharisees have belief in all these. (Acts 23:8, BBE)

So when you hear of those who talk about no devil, no demons, no angels, and no spirits, just consider them on the Sadducee side of theology—the natural view of Scripture. I do not say this in a derogatory manner, for the opposite side of the coin is the Pharisee’s supernatural view, of which the New Testament writers were a part. Therefore, we believe the Scriptures include the supernatural realm, not just the natural world.

You may disagree on what I’ve presented here—no problem. Many in Christian Identity take the Sadducee side on this, and others take the Pharisee side, as did the Apostle Paul; which, by the way, plainly said, “There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body” (1 Cor. 15:44). Christians need not argue and divide over these things. The idea of unity in the church is expressed many times in the New Testament, of which Peter advised, “Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous” (1 Pet. 3:8).

Bibliography:

The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

Cyclopedia of Biblical and Ecclesiastical Literature