“The Prince of Darkness grim / We tremble not for him.” Martin Luther wrote those words, and yet many people don’t follow them. When they aren’t denying the Devil exists, they’re scared of him. And outside of a biblical worldview, they are right to feel fear. So who is Satan? Why does he haunt the margins of Scripture, often lurking in allusions and cameos rather than starring as a featured villain? And how can faithful Christians battle this unholy foe, especially during spooky season?[1. Photo by Ananthu Selvam on Unsplash.]
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Mission update
1. Satan gets obscure origins and cameos.
“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!
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;
‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.’
(Isaiah 14:12–14, ESV)
- First appearance: the serpent of Genesis 3 (never called Satan).
- Then he and evil spirits lurk in the Old Testament, rarely named.
- Job portrays Satan on a leash, trying to deconstruct a good man.
- His first named evil? Inciting a bad census. Really. (1 Chron. 21:1)
- Theologians see Satanic shades in the taunt of Isaiah 14:12-21.
- Some translations (like KJV) say Lucifer; the ESV says “Day Star.”
- Even this is speculation. Verse 4: this is about the king of Babylon.
- Even here, God’s emphasis is on mockery of this fallen foe (v. 15).
- 3:1–2: last mention, God guarding a high priest from Satan.
- Only in the New Testament do we encounter extra demon work.
2. Jesus has already defeated the Devil.
The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
(Luke 10:17–20, ESV)
- 4 and Luke 4: our first prolonged scene with Satan himself.
- We see Christ’s spiritual-warfare method: quoting God’s word.
- No secret cleansing rituals or rebukes. Just applied theology.
- Luke 10: the Lord appoints His followers to real spiritual warfare.
- Seventy-two missionaries are thrilled that they can boss demons.
- Jesus almost dismisses this. Oh? That’s great, but I saw Satan fall.
- One way or another, to Him, Satan’s defeat is a past-tense reality.
- He specifically urges His people to rejoice more in their salvation.
- This is our reminder to keep focusing on biblical priorities.
3. And yet the Devil remains dangerous.
And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. And they 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, 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.
(Revelation 20:7–10, ESV)
- As a Christian, we rejoice in salvation and protection from demons.
- Yet it’s good and healthy that nonbelievers remain scared of Satan.
- He’s a horrid entity. A roaring lion (1 Peter 5:8). A dragon (Rev. 12).
- Satan wanted Peter (Luke 22:21) after taking Judas (Luke 22:3).
- Later he tempted professing Christians (Acts 5) who lied to God.
- Satan gets name-checked in another judgment scenario (1 Cor. 5).
- He disguises himself as an angel of light to deceive (2 Cor. 11:14).
- He can send a “messenger” that God uses for good (2 Cor. 12:7).
- And the Devil uses false teaching to hinder the gospel (1 Tim. 5:15).
- Satan uses little-A antichrists to work greater evils (1 John 2, 4).
- Of course, many Christians believe in a final Antichrist (Rev. 13).
- By the end, Satan is cast into Hell—twice. (Rev. 20:1–3, 7–10).
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Top question for listeners
- How do you see Satan working evil in the world?
Next on Fantastical Truth
In the last month, we have seen fans who share their strong feelings about, say, certain movie trailers, directors, or corporations. Among these are the usual scoffing fans often hear from high-school bullies who hate “nerds.” But there’s a new and not-very-clever tactic in play. It’s the accusation that passionate fans are just turning into monsters who may be worse than Satan—fighters in a scary culture war. Why do some critics say this? What do they mean? And how is this a great big old manipulative lie that can easily be defeated with good sense?
