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THE NAMES AND CHARACTERISTICS OF THE DEVIL

by bruno sebrechts  
5/14/2021 / Bible Studies

His Names and Designations Reveal his Character

Satan, the liar and father of lies (John 8:44), proclaims a false image of God, and denies his love and goodness. Today, as the great destroyer, he tries to attack the Creator who sentenced him, by damaging humanity—the crown of his creation. As the accuser (Rev 12:10), he tries to discourage and burden those who seek God. As a ruler, he tries to exploit humans as slaves. As a roaring lion he searches for prey, trying to tarnish, rob, and extort, for the world is his hunting ground (1 Pet 5:8).

In prosperous countries, his success as the seducer comes rather through decadence, abundance and overconfidence. But his nature is also to oppose (“the adversary”) all kinds of the blessings and peace, for he loves to see people suffer from poverty, terror, or persecution—all of which are evident in many parts of the world.

As destroyer, his arsenal ranges from blatant violence, which may be sudden or sustained, or through insidious but subtle evils such as drug abuse and depression, which can be equally effective in infecting the world with his destructive spirit. Through technological progress, the world has the most advanced weapon systems, yet it fails to maintain safety and justice. 

As slanderer, he harasses humans by invoking slanderous thoughts toward God and between humans.

As deceiver he spreads lies and perpetuates evil through oppressive political systems, dreamy philosophies, and even via so-called spirituality or religious deceptions. Any ideology that lacks reflection on the limits of human thought and action will sooner or later reveal idolatrous and demonic traits. The devil uses modern media, peer pressure, human weakness, alleged human strength, and humanistic wisdom—aided by humanity’s infestation by sin, blindness, and tardiness in questioning its personal presumptions. 

The church is targeted by his most sophisticated deception. Posing as an angel of light, yet hindering the exposure of misleading doctrines, the devil promotes heresy as liberating truth, and surrounds deceptive religious experiences with stirring feelings. Luther rightly called him the “ape of God.” He promotes extreme opposites: of legalism and lawlessness, of powerlessness and power addiction. He knows how to exploit humanity’s preferences for nice-sounding doctrines and for the way of least resistance. In contrast, Christ calls us to take up our cross and to wait patiently on the fulfillment of his promises.

As the prince of darkness, the devil is impossible for our natural vision or mind to reliably observe or trace. God presents himself as "I am who I am,” but the devil is never who he claims to be. He hides his true nature by presenting himself incognito or as a caricature, enlarging or minimizing certain characteristics, to reduce the likelihood of being taken seriously.

Our rational, materialistic, post-Christian culture allows him much freedom to operate “underground;” to portray himself as a fringe phenomenon within the fascination for paranormal or in entertainment such as horror movies. Any ridicule about his existence allows him to mingle unnoticed within prevailing behavior or thinking. Therefore the general assumption that he does not exist indicates that he has attained one of his main objectives. For if he were to manifest himself in our society as he really is, people would wake up. Just as in the Garden, he is less interested in revealing himself than in having his message accepted and followed.

As both heretic and inquisitor, he assumes contradictory roles: coming in the flesh of witches while simultaneously instigating frenzied witch hunts; loving sorcery, yet gloating in the persecution of sorcerers or supposed sorcerers. He sends out his demons, even while overzealous exorcists further his goals.

These tactics mean that anyone with a serious demonic infestation can feel very lonely and misunderstood. Our contemporary Western society[1] tends to ignore or to dismiss such problems. This may be one of the reasons why deliverances prove to be more difficult in some cultures than in others.

Superstitious religions allow dark forces to be much more obvious and to weave prevailing fear into their culture. [2] For example, Africa has highly populated areas where any doubt about an invisible realm of evil will be scorned. Even so, the devil deceives these people into the belief that everything depends on the involvement of powerful spirits. Such people are attracted to demonic manifestation or trances, protective rituals, curses, idolatry, or divination, and are trapped by powers they cannot control.

But even in our rational, materialistic culture, things like horror movies, horoscopes, and occultism grow in popularity. Deceptive spirituality is increasing its foothold in wider entertainment. Sports with arenas called temples, players exalted as gods, and mascots revered as keys to success.

The high-tech world is not immune either. One of the world's most sophisticated centers for nuclear research, the CERN laboratory in Geneva, prominently features a two-meter tall statue of the Indian deity Lord Shiva, the god of destruction and rebirth.

The old gods are still in our midst. While we do not worship Dionysus, Aphrodite, or Mammon, we cannot deny their influence on the shaping of modern social pursuits for exuberance, lust, and financial addiction—all of which the ancient pantheon took under their control.

The devil can effectively use various strategies, confirming C. S. Lewis’s observation that demons “hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.”^[3]

The enemy of God is a cunning strategist (Gen 3:1), whose methods may differ depending on the society and time period in which we live. But he will never fully reveal himself lest he exposes his character and hidden agenda.

His strongest weapons include fear, anxiety, pride, and provocation, but he cannot succeed unless people cooperate with his seductions in one way or another. Whenever evil enters, such as when we are treated wrongly, we can stop a potential spiral of evil by answering evil with good (Rom 12:17, 21).

Proper Attention

To give the devil too much attention or to lightly ignore him are equally dangerous and unbiblical.

Scripture assures us that God “guards us from the evil one” (2 Thess 3:3) while urging us to be watchful because the devil is “seeking whom he may devour” (1 Pet 5:8). This has similarities to when we take children to a zoo, reassuring them that they are safe with us even though we still warn them to respect the rules for their safety.

The devil’s strategies require proper attention, and the New Testament gives us clear guidelines. We must arm ourselves against his deceptions through the word of God (Eph 6:17), resisting him while remaining humble in God’s sight (Jas 4:6), being sober and vigilant (1 Pet 5:8), strong in God’s power (Eph 6:10), prayerful (Eph 6:18), restrained (Jude 1:9), conscious (2 Cor 2:11), and realistic (Rev 2:10–13).

Satan directs his action to cause divisions, discourage, hinder, accuse, or persecute believers (Luke 22:31; 1 Thess 2:18; Rev 12:10; 2:10). He uses evil spirits to attack us (Eph 6:11). Believers endure certain periods of strong attack or the “evil day” (Eph 6:13). The Psalms mention such periods, usually depicting them as nights or darkness that must be endured until morning dawned (Ps 46:5; 59:16). The believer is called "to withstand the evil day, and having done all, to stand" (Eph 6:13). Not needing to force an immediate win, we must remain standing till Satan’s time has expired, till Christ brings victory (see Exod 14:13).

Having sufficient resources in Christ to persevere and overcome (2 Cor 2:14), believers can be reassured Satan’s possibilities are limited in time and intensity. He is under God’s control (1 Pet 5:9), yet still has governing power in this world. Even after the resurrection, he is still “the god of this age” (2 Cor 4:4), the “prince of the power of the air” (Eph 2:2), and the one “who leads the whole world astray” (Rev 12:9). And though we as believers are no longer under his authority, we still need God’s continual protection because we live in an evil, fallen world.

Satan is a "fallen" being

The Bible contains no explicit teaching on Satan’s origin nor his “biography;” yet it leaves no room for him to be anything but a created being. The fall of humanity is clearly described, but we are not given the same detailed information about the fall of Satan and his angels. Nonetheless, the Bible contains evidence supporting the thesis that Satan and his evil spirits are “fallen” beings.[4]

In describing how the kings of Babylon and Tyre met their demise (Isa 14 and Ezek 28), it offers a glimpse of the spiritual powers working behind the scenes. Scripture uses parables, real events, and persons to reveal and explain spiritual truths, just as New Testament writers interpreted the kings Melchizedek and David as foreshadowing Christ. So these kings of Babylon and Tyre seem to allude to Satan. They were typical enemies of Israel, and in that sense, images of evil powers. Furthermore, Jesus used imagery about the devil that matches Isaiah's description of the prince of Babylon (Luke 10:18 and Isa 14:13–15).

Most Church Fathers interpreted these Old Testament passages as referring to the fall of Satan, even though this interpretation was not held by Ancient Jewish sources,[5] nor were the Reformers inclined to do so.^[6] These passages lend themselves to different interpretations, and this requires caution. Yet they are worthy of our attention, especially since Babylon is repeatedly presented in Scripture as an image for the kingdom of darkness (e.g., Rev 18) or the realm of death (Ezek 37:1-10; cf. Hebr 2:14).

To compare the fall of the King of Babylon in Isaiah 14 with Paul’s description of Jesus Christ in Philippians 2 is to find a complete contrast: the extreme arrogance of the prince of Babylon with Jesus, who epitomizes humility:

“I will ascend into heaven. Exalt my throne above the stars. ... I will sit on the mountain. ... I will make myself like the Most High. ... You shall be brought down to Sheol” (Isa 14:12–15).

“Christ Jesus ... taking the form of a servant ..., he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, yes, the death of the cross. Therefore, God also highly exalted him” (Phil 2:5–9).

The complete contrast of this king with Christ indicates the king’s similarities to the devil, who is characterized by his boundless pride and ambition to both replace God and receive divine honor and worship (Matt 4:9). Such unbridled aspiration always leads to downfall (Prov 16:18), as this king’s story vividly illustrates.

Conquered, but not yet knocked out.

The Devil and his evil powers are conquered by the cross (Col 2:15). By dying for our sins, Jesus broke Satan's claims. In confessing our sins, we partake in his salvation and come under divine protection. The Devil and his evil angels are conquered, but not yet knocked out. They try to lure us away from God’s salvation. To be dressed in the armor of God means to actively embrace God’s protection by living in truth, practicing justice, walking in peace, maintaining the faith, proclaiming the word, and persevering in prayer. (see Eph 6:10-20).

 

 

[1] “When I speak on this subject, I usually have a long line of people coming up to me afterward expressing relief that their experiences weren’t abnormal, hallucinations or the beginning stages of insanity.” Chip Ingram, 'The Invisible War' (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2006), 168.

[2] See Green, 'I Believe in Satan’s Downfall', 17–18.

[3] C. S. Lewis, 'The Screwtape Letters' (New York: HarperCollins, 2009), ix.

[4] Chafer argues that Satan “fell” morally when he started sinning, but will be banished from heaven at a future date. Lewis S. Chafer, 'Satan, his Motif and Methods' (Grand Rapids: Dunham Publishing, 1964), 11.

[5] See Hector M. Patmore, 'Adam, Satan, and the King of Tyre: The Interpretation of Ezekiel 28:11-19 in Late Antiquity' (Leiden: Brill, 2012), 41.

[6] E.g., Calvin: “Some persons grumble that Scripture does not in numerous passages set forth systematically and clearly that fall of the devils, its cause, manner, time, and character. But because this has nothing to do with us, it was better not to say anything, or at least to touch upon it lightly, because it did not befit the Holy Spirit to feed our curiosity with empty histories to no effect. And we see that the Lord’s purpose was to teach nothing in his sacred oracles except what we should learn to our edification.” John Calvin, 'Institutes of the Christian Religion', trans. Henry Beveridge (Peabody: Hendrickson, 2008), I, Ch. 14, 16.

Bruno Sebrechts is a counselor and Bible teacher with over twenty-five years of pastoral experience. He saw God at work, especially in the healing/deliverance of the most damaged believers. His writings are the result of his extensive experience and continuous study. See www.LightInOurDarkness.net

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