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Where Did Satan Come From?

by Chris Simmons

Having considered the scriptural designations for the Devil, there are more than trivial and academic reasons for addressing the question of the origin of Satan. Also, we would be short sighted to consider his origins without any consideration of what the Bible says regarding his destiny. Therefore, this article will address what God’s word has to say about his beginning, his end and the lessons we are to apply.

The Bible clearly states that God is the creator of ALL things, both physical and spiritual. Paul wrote in Colossians 1:15-16, “And He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things have been created by Him and for Him.” Thus, there isn’t any spiritual being (aside from the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) that was not created by God through His Son (John 1:3; Hebrews 1:2). Satan would therefore be a created being and is not eternal in nature.

The question then follows as to whether God created Satan as the evil force that he currently is or whether he (and his servants – II Corinthians 11:15) became such by choice. If one is to take the position that God created Satan as the evil being he is currently, that would make God as the source of all evil which is certainly not consistent with the character of God that we read of in His revealed word. For instance, we read in Psalms 5:4, “For Thou art not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness; no evil dwells with Thee.” Moses said of God, “The Rock! His work is perfect, for all His ways are just; a God of faithfulness and without injustice, righteous and upright is He” (Deuteronomy 32:4). In the New Testament, we read in James 1:13, “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone’” (cf Job 34:10; Psalms 92:15; Habakkuk 1:13 & Romans 3:5). Rather than being the source of all evil, we read in Hebrews 5:9-10 that He is the “source of eternal salvation” through His Son, “to all those who obey Him.”

Rather than being created evil, God’s word teaches us that these spiritual beings that God created are endowed with the ability to choose whether to serve God in their proper domain or to rebel against God and leave their proper place. We read in the sixth verse of Jude of angels “who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode” whom God has “kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day.” It is noteworthy that the Greek word for “domain” (“principality” in the ASV or “first estate” in the KJV) is “arche” which Vine’s defines as “‘beginning, government, rule,’ is used of supramundane beings who exercise rule, called ‘principalities’.” One scholar notes regarding this word that it “always signifies ‘primacy’, whether (a) of time: beginning (origin), (b) of place: point of origin or departure, or (c) of rank: power, dominion, kingdom, office.” There were angelic beings who left (“did not keep”) the original rule and rank that God had bestowed upon them in the beginning and in doing so willfully “abandoned” (literally, “leave behind…by implication, to forsake”; Strong’s) the “abode” or proper place that God had assigned to them upon their creation. Passages such as John 12:31, 14:30, 16:11 and Ephesians 2:2 help us to see that Satan was leader in a rebellion against God as he led others to become his servants (II Corinthians 11:15).

These created spiritual beings were therefore given the ability to choose to “keep their own domain” and their proper “habitation” or not. According to II Peter 2:4, they were given the choice to submit to God or to sin and rebel against His will. “For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment.” Satan chose then to rebel against God and sin. He chose to leave his original rank assigned by God and to do everything in his power to get every soul possible to follow him, and he did so from the beginning. We read in God’s word that from the beginning Satan was a liar (John 8:44; cf Genesis 3:4). His efforts to lead the souls of men into eternal condemnation and punishment have made him a “murderer from the beginning” (John 8:44). Thus, he ever continues to work, today as much as ever, to lead men into spiritual ruin (cf Ephesians 2:2, “…now working…”).

What then is Satan’s destiny? His destiny has already been determined by God. John simply states that, “the ruler of this world has been judged” (John 16:11). Peter states that Satan and every angel who has sinned has been “committed… to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment” where he is being kept “under punishment for the day of judgment” (II Peter 2:4, 9). A place has already been prepared for Satan and his angels that is described as “the eternal fire” in Matthew 25:41 or “the lake of fire and brimstone” in Revelation 20:10. Thus, the prophecy of Genesis 3:15 of the fatal blow to be struck against Satan will come to its ultimate fruition.

What then are we to learn from the origin and destiny of Satan? We need to learn of the extreme importance and power of our choices and decisions. We have been given by God the responsibility to “choose for (ourselves) today whom you will serve” (Joshua 24:15) and choose we must. Both small and great, our choices as to what we think (Philippians 4:8; II Corinthians 10:5), what we shall say (James 3:5-10; Matthew 12:36-37), and what we shall do (I Peter 2:12; II Peter 3:11; II Corinthians 5:10) will impact our spiritual destiny just as they did with Satan.

We also need to learn that though our adversary is relentless and always scheming against us, that as a created being Satan is not omnipotent or omniscient and God has limited his abilities. In the book of Job, we read of Satan’s efforts to accuse and defeat Job being limited by God (Job 1:12; 2:6). His devices are powerful but they are no match for the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ (Romans 1:16; cf II Corinthians 10:3-5; I Corinthians 15:56-57). John wrote, “You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world” (I John 4:4). Jesus said in John 10:27-29, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.” Simply put, Satan can not force his will upon us without our consent. We can be victorious in this spiritual battle that we are in (I John 5:4) and we are able, with the “full armor of God” to “stand firm against the schemes of the devil” and “extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one” (Ephesians 6:10-17). Satan is resistible (James 4:7; I Peter 5:9)!

We also need to learn that God has given us a place to be and that is “in Christ” where “all spiritual blessings” are found including our “salvation” and “eternal glory” (Ephesians 1:3-7; 2 Timothy 2:10). We must first choose to be “in Christ” (Galatians 3:26) and then we must be careful that we never choose to abandon our place in Christ as Satan chose to abandon his. God gave Noah an abode (the ark) which he needed to remain in and should he have left that abode he would have perished with the rest of the world at that time (Genesis 6:17-18; cf I Peter 3:20-21). Likewise we will eternally perish if we ever “abandon our proper abode.”

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