Satan is a fallen
angel, and his demons are fallen angels that chose to join him and rebel against
God. Many make out Satan to be more than he is, to be equal to God, but the fact
is he is no more than a fallen angel. We, as Christians, are sons of God, and
the scripture tells us we will one day judge angels (1 Cor 6). We are not inferior to angels, and certainly
not to fallen ones, such as Satan. So, where does Satan get all of his power?
After the fall of Adam, Satan
gained control of the earth. You see this when Satan offers it back to Jesus
when he tempted him during the start of his ministry while fasting in the
wilderness. However, Jesus regained all authority over the earth with his death
and resurrection.
Then Jesus
came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been
given to me.
Matt 28:18-19
Although Satan has power over
those that have not accepted Jesus as Lord, for Christians he operates primarily
through our ignorance of our authority and his ability to deceive us. Jesus calls
him a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44).
Some feel that Satan can
orchestrate harm and bring evil upon Christians at his own discretion, but
scripture clearly shows that Satan must get God’s permission before he can do
so. An example of this is when Satan asks God to sift Simon Peter like wheat;
in other words, to rake him over the coals, and Jesus prays he is given faith
to endure the trial:
Simon,
Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for
you,
Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back,
strengthen
your brothers
Luke 22:31-32
So, what is Satan’s game, what
is he really up to?
Jesus tells us Satan comes to
kill, steal, and destroy God’s creation. He is furious that his scheme to
overthrow God was foiled, that he got thrown out of Heaven, and now is doomed
for destruction at the end of the age, as foretold in the book of Revelation. Now
that he is doomed he wants to destroy as much of God’s creation as he can in
revenge and anger towards God and us, as sons of God. He knows we have been
granted a position in Heaven that he could never have, being a fallen angel.
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