Let’s see if we can answer them.
Let’s begin.
I.. Origins of Satan
A.. Brief intro.
This time let’s use the question and answer format. Please note that some answers are speculative.
1.. When did Satan become evil?
We can only speculate, based on Bible-based logic and some hints from Scripture.
He sinned from the beginning (1 John 3:8). This suggests that Satan sinned after God created him with the other angels and before the fall of humanity, when he appears as a serpent in the Garden (Gen. 3:1-16). This implies that he is part of the created order, and he was created good because everything was created good (Gen. 1:31), but now Satan and demons are evil. How did this happen?
2.. What was the sin of Satan that caused his downfall?
Here is a speculative answer, based on Bible logic and hints from Scripture.
We can get a glimpse at it from a verse in the NT. Paul says that a new convert should not be promoted too soon because he might get puffed up and incur the condemnation of the devil (1 Tim. 3:6). This implies–merely implies or hints–that Satan was also arrogant and puffed up.
And Jude 6 says angels did not maintain their own position, but left their proper dwelling. This signifies that they were part of God’s plan, but did not keep to their position. They left or fell or were thrown out.
One passage is in Isaiah 14:12-15. It is about the king of Babylon, but it also goes beyond a man and seems to hint at a higher being, much like, in a corollary opposite way, Messianic prophecies can refer to historical figures, but the Scriptures also go higher than that and are ultimately about the Messiah (Christ). The main sin in Isaiah 14:12-15 is that he will be lifted up with arrogance. “I make myself like the Most High!” (Is. 14:15). This echoes Gen. 3:5, when Satan tempted Eve, saying that she would be like God (Gen. 3:5).
Isaiah 14:13-14 mentions five “I wills.” This is actually in the future tense, which is expressed in English as “will” (or “shall”). So it is not entirely accurate to say the “I will” verses express Satan’s will. However, even the future tense denotes a strong decision: “I shall make myself like the Most High!” It still speaks of arrogance.
In this passage he is called Lucifer (“light-bearer” or “light carrier”), which indicates his high status and special ministry, reflecting God’s glory.
Similar ideas are expressed in Ezekiel 28:1-19, which says that the king of Tyre was also arrogant (vv. 15-17). This poetic passage denouncing him rises above the human level and may refer to a spirit being—Satan.
Thus Satan’s sin was pride and arrogance.
However, if you wish to claim that those verses are not clear about Satan’s origins, then you are certainly entitled. I may agree with you.
3.. But how could Satan be tempted and fall when he had been in the perfect presence of God? What could tempt him?
Angels have a certain measure of free will, because they are persons, and personhood implies that each one has an intellect (mind), emotion (feeling), and will (choice). They can use their will to obey God’s commands and will. But their freewill also implies that they could disobey.
As to what could tempt Satan in God’s holy and pure presence, this is not clear from Scripture, but we can use Bible-based logic. A very powerful being can be tempted in very powerful ways. It is proportional. We humans are tempted by meager things. A created angel has to be tempted in a way that is proportional to him.
One way is self-regard. All it would have taken is one tiny—very tiny—thought entering his mind, which grew. One such thought is that his legitimate exaltation opened the door to self-regard and self-focus, which in turn led to jealousy about God’s status, and then his competing with God. It could even lead to open conflict with the Omnipotent Being called God. All this is reflected in Isaiah 14:15, quoted above. And all this comes out of pride and arrogance, which leads to any downfall in anyone (Prov. 16:18).
But all of this is Bible-based speculation. We don’t know for sure.
4.. Are you actually saying there was a war in God’s holy and perfect heaven?
Why not? There once was. Revelation 12:7 is clear: “Then a war broke out in heaven.” This is why God will create a new heaven and a new earth or overhaul the present one (Rev. 21).
However, some Bible interpreters say this is a mere depiction of a fight that happened at the cross, and it was not a heavenly and literal battle. In Luke 10:18 and Revelation 12:11 speak of Satan being thrown out of heaven. In Luke 10:18, Jesus foresaw this overthrow before he went to the cross. This speaks of his victory on the cross.
In Revelation, Michael waged war against Satan and defeated him. This defeat was guaranteed through the cross. Colossians 2:14-15 teaches that the cross disarmed the rulers and authorities. Jesus made a public disgrace of them and triumphed over them.
Yet other passages speak of Satan is still alive and wreaking damage on people (see the table below on the Activities of Satan); he still has a certain level of power over the worldly kingdoms and republics and unbelievers wherever they live. How do we resolve this? We live in the so-called “already and not yet.” Christ’s victory is already here (in part), but his victory is not yet here in full. This full victory will happen at the second coming (1 Cor. 15:20-28; 54-55).
5.. Aren’t demons evil dead people?
No, because all dead people face judgment (Heb. 9:27); they don’t come back and haunt people. However, sometimes a demon can manifest in the appearance of a dead person—a ghost—but that is not the same as the demon’s true identity, nor the true identity of the deceased.
6.. Aren’t demons the offspring of angels and women (Gen. 6:2)?
No, because angels are asexual (in terms of reproduction) and do not marry (Matt. 22:30), but Gen. 6:20 says the sons of God married women. These men were probably heroes and warriors, or they descended from Seth (Adam and Eve’s third son), the good lineage. Or both heroes and warriors descended from Seth.
See the posts:
Who Were the ‘Sons of God’ in Genesis?
7.. Aren’t demons spirits of the pre-Adamic race?
This depends on the gap theory between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2, which says humans were created during that time. There is no evidence for such a view. This gap theory reads too much into the ancient text, from the overactive imagination of the modern Bible interpreter. Let’s not put ten tons of demands on an ancient text that was intended to carry fifty pounds and offer us clear view of God the Creator in Genesis 1 and humankind being created in his image (Gen. 1:26-27).
B.. Summary
Those questions were designed to clarify some puzzles. Ultimately demonology is not a major theme of Scripture, so sometimes we have to make logical deductions from the Scriptures we do have.
II.. Theology about Satan
A. Questions and Answers
1.. Can Satan read the unbeliever’s mind?
Let’s discuss this.
Jesus could read any thoughts, believers or unbelievers (Matt. 9:41 12:15; Mark 2:8; Luke 6:8; 11:17). And God certainly knows all people’s thoughts at all times (Gen. 6:5; Ps. 139:2, Ps. 139:4, Ps. 139:23; Is. 66:18).
Therefore, some theologians teach that if Satan could read thoughts, he would be omniscient. But that’s not true. It would just mean that he could read some human thoughts. Rather, omniscience means that God knows everything about everything in one simultaneous act, past, present, future. Only God can do that. He can read all the thoughts of every human right now. Satan or a demon cannot do this.
Do I Really Know God? He Is Omniscient
So I say that at times Satan or a demon can read human thoughts at least in part and in some contexts, like the following one. When Satan’s demons possessed the man from Gerasene (Matt. 8:28-34 // Mark 5:1-17 // Luke 8:26-37), the demons surely had access to his thoughts on some level; otherwise, where does the control come in? How can demons control the body and not the brain, which is an organ in the body, and where thoughts reside? But this is perhaps a rare example of total control.
Clairvoyants and fortunetellers and witch doctors can seem to read our thoughts, but it is probable that demons are simply reporting to them what they saw the client do or say in the recent or distant past. It is difficult to measure exactly and precisely how a spirit being (demon) interacts and interfaces with the human mind and body who have no saving knowledge of God or an experience with the Spirit.
Demons can read some thoughts, but not the depths of the heart. Only God can read them. See my posts with an image that clarifies the differences between the mind and the spirit:
Word Study on Spirit, Soul, and Body
Is Humankind Two or Three Parts?
2.. Can a demon read the believer’s mind?
Since Satan can attack the believer’s mind, he must be able to read it to some degree, but exactly how much is unclear. In my own life, Satan has attacked my mind and knows my weaknesses, so he has access to my mind on some level. But it is difficult to know where to draw the line between access to the mind and reading it or not reading it, but he judges my thoughts by my behavior.
On the other hand, some Bible interpreters teach that since the believer wears the helmet of salvation (Eph. 6:17), it is not likely he can read the believer’s thoughts. Demons read our observations and hear our words and from them deduce our thoughts.
The solution is to get the mind full of Scripture, so the attacks have no strong power over the believer.
3.. Can demons cause diseases?
Yes, sometimes (Mark 9:17-18, 20, 22; Luke 4:39; Luke 13:11, 16; Acts 10:38), and all those passages reflect a connection between the body and an evil spirit. However, we have to be careful and not attribute every disease to Satan. The NT writers are able to distinguish between a natural cause of a disease and a satanic cause: “And so his fame spread throughout all of Syria, and they brought to him everyone having illness and various diseases, suffering pains and being demonized, and epileptics and paralytics, and he healed them” (Matt. 4:24). In other words, this verse distinguishes between demonic attacks and natural diseases.
We need discernment to distinguish between the two causes—natural and demonic.
4.. Should we rebuke Satanic strongholds over a city or territory?
The biblical authors do not teach this. For example, let’s say that we believe that first-century Ephesus was engulfed in a territorial demonic stronghold, such that people were oppressed with magic and the occult. They burned 50,000 drachmas worth of occultic papyri and scrolls, a huge monetary amount (Acts 19:17-20). They did this after a demonic manifestation beat down the seven sons of Scaeva (Acts 19:13-16). Despite the satanic environment, Paul just preached the gospel, which breaks bondages in humans, where Satan and demons attack. The Bible does not record that Paul prayed against territorial spirits over Ephesus. Rather, he focused on people’s lives, the gospel, and getting them saved. That’s the best way to take territories away from the kingdom of Satan and for the kingdom of God. Daniel prayed to God, and then he found out about a prince of Persia hindering his prayer (Dan. 10). He did not pray against this territorial spirit.
Ephesians 6:10-12 says that we don’t wrestle against flesh and blood, but against spiritual beings and dark, wicked forces of evil. And then Paul counsels believers to put on personal armor, so they can defend themselves when the evil beings attack, not so believers can rebuke spirits in the air. The struggle is personal, not impersonal way up in the heavenly realms.
Next, an angel informed Daniel that there were territorial spirits (Dan. 10:10-14). But Daniel did not rebuke the spirit. He let God do the fighting, and he sent the archangel Michael to fight.
Nonetheless, some scholars like C. P. Wagner (d. 2016), who headed the International Spiritual Warfare Network, and was a leader in the Third Wave (a Renewal Movement after the Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements), came up with a theology of territorial spirits and praying against them. One such passage of Scriptures is Ephesians 6:12-13, which speaks of rulers, authorities, world rulers of this dark world and spiritual hosts of evil in the heavenly realm. So far so good. However, Wagner adds to this scriptural truth a controversial claim. He says that Christians can pray against them; they can speak to them while the demons live in their realm.
To reply to this teaching, instead of praying against and rebuking these evil ruling spirits in high places, Paul personalizes the spiritual warfare in the individual Christian’s life and tells him to put on the armor of God (Eph. 6:10-11; 13-17). He never tells believers to pray against these evil beings out there in the heavenly, spirit realm. Paul finishes this section of Scripture with encouraging the believers to pray in the Spirit and to be alert and to pray for him. They pray to God; they do not rebuke territorial spirits (Eph. 6:18-19).
I personally don’t bother with rebuking territorial spirits. Unbelievers repenting and coming to know the truth of Christ is the best way for them to escape the snares of the devil, one life at a time (2 Tim. 2:24-26). Just preach the gospel and the clarity of Scripture! That’s how the kingdom of God advances and expands, and the kingdom of darkness retreats and shrinks, in inverse proportion.
Paul taught us to put on the full armor of God, down here on our earth, in our realm (Eph. 6:10-17). Then he told us to pray for one another (Eph. 6:18:-20). That’s how we fight against ruling powers and spirits of wickedness in the heavenly realm.
III.. Scriptural Solutions
A. The New Covenant Scriptures (New Testament) provide a better solution.
In the Old testament, witches were put to death. The death penalty is not the best solution. Here is how the New Testament deals with evil.
B. Rebuke
Simon the sorcerer was saved and rescued from the dark arts, when Peter the apostle told him to repent or perish. At that strong word, Simon asked for prayer (Acts 8:9-24). If you are into the dark arts, you too can pray for repentance of all your bad practices. Renounce them, in Jesus’s name.
C. From darkness to light
A certain Jewish magician named Bar-Jesus (son of Joshua) used to deceive people, but Paul proclaimed a divine punishment on him. Bar-Jesus was to be blinded by darkness. When you today are in the dark arts and magic, you are under spiritual blindness. But in Christ, the light can shine and clarify.
D. Deliverance in Christ
An unnamed female fortuneteller used to tell people about their lives, but she actually had an evil spirit speaking through her. In Jesus’s name Paul commanded the evil spirit to come out of the girl, and it left (Acts 16:16-18). You too can be set free in the name of Jesus.
E. Repentance and renunciation
In the city of Ephesus, seven sons of a Jewish man named Scaeva used to rebuke evil spirits in Jesus’s name. They did this to one client in particular who was controlled by a demon. The human was empowered by the evil spirit and overpowered the seven sons—one man against seven beat the seven. That’s the power of the evil spirit (Acts 19:13-19). This beatdown became known throughout Ephesus and the region. The people realized how wrong and powerful the dark arts were, so they brought all their books and scrolls of incantations and spells and burned them in an act of repentance (Acts 19:17-20).
You too need to get rid of your magic and sorcery books. Throw them in the dumpster or burn them. Don’t give them away.
IV. Reflections
A. Key verses
Here are key verses that talks about the victory Jesus has already won for us.
13 Although you were dead in your trespasses and uncircumcision of your flesh, he made you alive with him, forgiving us all our trespasses. 14 He removed the handwritten certificate of debt against us with the legal demand which were hostile to us. He removed it from our midst, nailing it to the cross. 15 He paraded and displayed the rulers and authorities in a public spectacle, triumphing over them in him. (Col. 2:13-15)
This passage means at least three things for your growth in Christ.
B. Repentance, then forgiveness
Your trespasses and transgressions were forgiven. Satan can no longer attack you for them. This is the best news of all. Remember the wise saying: “When the devil reminds you of your past, remind him of his future!” He will eventually be thrown in the lake of fire (Rev. 20:10).
C. Cancellation of the debt of sin
The handwritten certificate of debt with its hostile decrees has been removed or canceled. This certificate said that the law had caught you in your transgressions. You were forfeit to the law and Satan. However, God ransomed you. He did not have to pay money to Satan, because all God had to do was cancel the certificate by paying it another way—the cross. The debt was deeper than Satan’s clutches and his right to own you. It was payable, ultimately to God’s justice, and the cross satisfied the payment—paid in full.
D. In triumph Christ paraded evil spirits
God paraded the evil spirits (rulers and authorities) before the universe, because he had triumphed over them through the cross, again. This looks like what the Roman emperors did to their captive rulers—paraded them in Rome during a triumphal entry.
E. Total victory
In Christ, you have victory over demons. Do not let them torment you.
RELATED
LONGER POST
20 Demonology: Doctrine about Demons
BIBLIOGRAPHY
I mostly used the systematic theologians here. The tables are mine.
Dr. Jim's Essential Bible Teaching 