Satan in the Scriptures

2020-08-22

A lot could be said about Satan, and a lot of Scriptures have been argued whether they are about Satan or not. This essay will look at some of those passages.

Genesis 3: The Serpent is Satan

Many will rightly say that the name Satan does not appear in this passage. However, to say that the serpent is not Satan is not true. Let us look at some other passages.

In that day the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea. (Isaiah 27:1)

When you see “in that day,” you must pause and ask, “what day”? We must go to the previous chapter to find out:

Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead. (20) Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. (21) For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain. (Isaiah 26:19-21)

Three events take place: the resurrection (Isaiah 26:19), the rapture (Isaiah 26:20), and the wrath of God against the people left on the earth (Isaiah 26:21). So, when we are talking about Isaiah 27:1, it would be in the end times when those events are taking place.

Likewise, when we see Jesus return to destroy the kings of the earth in Revelation 19, afterwards we see that Satan, “that old serpent,” will be bound for one thousand years:

And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. (2) And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, (3) And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. (Revelation 20:1-3)

After that, we see him condemned forever:

And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. (Revelation 20:10)

Notice how Satan is referred to as a “dragon” and a “serpent” in Revelation 20:2. Leviathan, likewise, is a “dragon” and a “serpent” (Isaiah 27:1). It is not coincidental that Satan is referred to as a “serpent” in Genesis 3:1, and it is even more significant that we see a cosmic battle between the virgin-born Seed and the serpent in Genesis 3:15.

Isaiah 14: Lucifer is Satan

Some also say Isaiah 14 is not about Satan. They rightly point out that Satan is not mentioned by name, there is a name “Lucifer” or “Heylel,” which is hapax legomenon, and the context directly states that this is a “proverb against the king of Babylon” (Isaiah 14:4).

But who is this Lucifer?

  1. He was in heaven. He was “fallen from heaven” Isaiah 14:12
  2. He wants to go back there. He wants to “ascend into heaven” Isaiah 14:13
  3. He wants to be like God and rule there. He wants to “be like the most High” Isaiah 14:14
  4. He will be sent to hell. Isaiah 14:15

Now most people want to be a god in some way, and many want to go to heaven. However, Lucifer was in heaven, had fallen, and wants to go back to heaven and rule like God does.

We reconcile the context of this being about the king of Babylon in that Satan was the force behind the king. Satan used the forces of Babylon to conquer the known world. It took the power of such a one to perform such domination, and we will see it again in the end times (Revelation 13:2).

Ezekiel 28: The Anointed Cherub is Satan

There is a similar situation when we see a “lamentation upon the king of Tyrus” (Ezekiel 28:12). Many of the arguments are like the “king of Babylon” above. Satan was also the power behind this king of a city of much maritime prowess.

  1. He was in Eden. This is the same Eden that was “the garden of God” (Ezekiel 28:12). I had a Bible college teacher who did not think this place referred to the Eden in Genesis 2-3. He said there was some other Eden in the ancient world to which this referred. However, it seems weird there is another Eden that was called the “garden of God.” The hearers of Ezekiel’s preaching would have known what he was referring to.
  2. He was an anointed cherub. These were spirit beings that served the Lord, not human beings. Ezekiel 28:13
  3. He was perfect, but iniquity was then found in him. Ezekiel 28:15
  4. He was cast out. Thrown out of God’s mountain. Ezekiel 28:16
  5. He was lifted up with pride. Like in the case of Isaiah 14, Satan was full of pride. Ezekiel 28:17

Conclusion

Just because Satan is not mentioned by name in these passages, they must refer to Satan because of indicators in the passage.