TEACHING NOTES ‌ Introduction Now that we have learned about many of the other gods mentioned in the Bible, today we’re going to learn about the ultimate rebel—the satan. It is important that we have a biblical understanding of the satan, because there are many inaccurate views of the devil. So, we’re going to take a journey through the Bible so we can understand our enemy. ‌ Psalm 96:4–5 4 For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods. 5 For all the gods of the nations are demons, but the LORD made the heavens. ‌ The other gods are real spirits created by Yahweh who rebelled, became counterfeit gods, and seek to lead humanity into destruction. ‌ The other gods and what they represent: Ba’al = Unrestrained Immorality Asherah = Gender Confusion Molech = Child Sacrifice Mammon = Materialism/Greed The Satan = Deception/Destruction ‌ Who is the satan? Hebrew = ha satan - the adversary, accuser Greek = ho satanas - the adversary ho diabolos - the devil, slanderer ho peirazo - the tempter ho poneros - the evil one ho planao - the deceiver ‌ Popular View of Satan: Satan was an angel whose heavenly name was Lucifer and was the leader of music among the angels in heaven. Before or shortly after earth was created, Satan convinced a third of the angels to rebel against God and were cast out of heaven. Problem: The popular view of the devil does not come from Scripture. ‌ Revelation 12:7–9 [John describing events in heaven at the birth of Jesus] 7 Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, 8 but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. ‌ Satan in the Old Testament ‌ Genesis 3:1–3 1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” ‌ Genesis 3:4–5 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” ‌ Genesis 3:14–15 14 The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. 15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall crush your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” ‌ Cursed are you = Notice that in Gen. 3 the humans are not cursed. Only the serpent and the ground are cursed. The fact that Adam and Eve sinned but were not cursed by God tells us that God is more angry with the serpent. The same response to sinners is seen in how Jesus treats sinners in the Gospels. Jesus seems to be angry with the devil and demons, while being compassionate toward sinners. ‌ On your belly you shall go = Some have taught that this is when snakes lost their legs. But this story is not about zoology or scientific history. It would be better to understand this phrase as a seraphim losing its wings. Seraph is another Hebrew word for snake and in Isaiah 6 the prophet seeing seraphim that have wings around the throne of God in heaven. ‌ Dust you shall eat = Because humans die and return to the dust (Gen. 3:19), this was understood by ancient readers to mean that the devil is the eater of the dead. In other words, the devil leads people to sin so they will die and go to Sheol/Hades, which is the place of the dead. This is why other passages refer to the devil “contending for the body” of humans (Zech. 3; Jude 9). This is also why sin, satan, and death are connected in the New Testament as the enemies of humanity that need to be defeated. ‌ Genesis 4:6–7 6 The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? 7 If you do good, will you not be lifted up? And if you do not do good, sin is crouching at the door. His desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over him.” ‌ Sin is crouching at the door = Remember that the context here that Cain and Abel are coming to make offerings to Yahweh, who dwells in the garden in Eden. The serpent, along with Adam and Eve, were exiled from the garden. Yahweh is telling Cain that “sin is crouching at the door” which is the entrance of the garden. The Hebrew word for “crouching” here is robes/rabas, which means “to lurk” as if sin is a coiled snake about to strike. This word can also mean “to set precious stones”—a concept used in later passages in reference to the serpent in the garden (Isa. 14; Ezek. 28). ‌ His desire is contrary to you = This can also be translated “his desire is against you” and is the same phrase from Gen. 3:16. Sin’s desire is against Cain and wants to destroy him—or get Cain to destroy himself. Just as the serpent led Eve to eat the fruit, he is now leading Cain to commit murder. ‌ You must rule over him = Notice that Yahweh tells Cain that he is able to rule over sin and must rule over sin. This is contrary to modern views of “original sin” that claim every human is born with sin already inside them. Cain could have ruled over sin, but instead chose to let sin rule. Cain goes on to murder his brother Abel. As a result, Cain to exiled further east away from Eden. ‌ Later Scriptures Tell us More The Bible is notorious for introducing themes that are not explained until much later. The serpent in the garden is a character that slips into the background until later in the writings of the prophets. In fact, the serpent is not referred to as the devil or satan until Rev. 12:9. ‌ Isaiah 14:12–15 “12 How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! 13 You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ 15 But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit.” ‌ Ezekiel 28:12–13 “12 Son of man, raise a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say to him, Thus says the Lord God: “You were the signet of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. 13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle; and crafted in gold were your settings and your engravings. On the day that you were created they were prepared.” ‌ Ezekiel 28:14–16 “14 You were an anointed guardian cherub. I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God; in the midst of the stones of fire you walked. 15 You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, till unrighteousness was found in you. 16 In the abundance of your trade you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned; so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God, and I banished you, O guardian cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.” ‌ Summary God wants to dwell with humanity and lead them to rule creation. The satan wants to rule, so he leads humanity into sin and death so they will be separated from God. ‌ Satan in the New Testament In the Old Testament, the nations are enslaved to many other gods. At the end of the Old Testament, even Israel is unfaithful. Jewish writings between the testaments tell us that the satan (also named Azazel and Mastema) became the leader of the other gods. This belief is reflected in the New Testament. The satan is the ultimate and original rebel who has gained power over the whole world. John 8:43–44 “43 Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. 44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” ‌ Luke 4:5–6 5 And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, 6 and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whom I will.” ‌ 2 Corinthians 4:4 In their case the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. ‌ John 14:30–31 “30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, 31 but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.” ‌ Ruler of this world = This is not the only time in the New Testament that the devil is portrayed as the ruler of the world. In the temptation of Jesus, the devil claims to own all the kingdoms of the world and Jesus does not correct the devil (Matt. 4:8-9; Luke 4:5-7). John also writes in 1 John 5:19 that “the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.” ‌ He has no claim on me = The devil is the accuser of humanity and for all of human history the devil has had claims against every human. The result of sin is death. But Jesus is the only human against whom the devil has no claim. Therefore, for Jesus to die would be unjust, because He never sinned. If the devil leads people to kill Jesus, then the devil has killed a human that had no sin. ‌ Ephesians 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. ‌ 1 Corinthians 2:6–8 6 Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. 7 But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. ‌ Colossians 2:13–15 13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them by the cross. ‌ Romans 8:1–4 1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin [sin offering], he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. ‌ The day that sin and death crucified Jesus was the day that sin and death were condemned forever and humanity was set free to become the righteousness of God. ‌ The End for the Devil ‌ Revelation 20:9–10, 14 9 And they [satan’s armies] marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, 10 and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever…14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.” ‌ How to Respond Prayer: Ask God to reveal what needs to change. Repentance: Agree with God and repent of sin. Worship: Thank God for what He is doing in you. Communion: Take Christ in and renew faithfulness.