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S
SATAN, THE ADVERSARY OF MANKIND
atan, also known as the devil, is mentioned frequently in the Bible. There are many popular ideas about this evil spirit being. Some think that Satan is not real, but is rather a personification of the wickedness that abides in the world. Othersadmit that the devil exists, but presume that he is now confined in the fiery pits of an ever burning hell. Still others believe thatSatan is free and actively promoting sinfulness in our world today. What is the truth? What does the Bible tell us about this evil being?God's Word clearly teaches the reality of Satan as a personal entity. He is presented as an evil being who affects humanity byhis actions. Many details about the devil are available in the Bible, but the facts have to be searched out. In this article we will piece together what the Scriptures have to say about Satan and draw conclusions from the Bible and other available sources.Although the Bible doesn't tell us explicitly, evidence suggests that the angelic realm was formed sometime during the firstthree days of creation, before God brought forth the dry land on the earth. This understanding is supported by passages from Nehemiah and Job:
NEHEMIAH 9:6 You alone are the LORD;
You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all theirhost
, the earth and everything on it, the seas and all that is in them, and You preserve them all.
The hostof heaven worships You
. (
 NKJV 
)JOB 38:4 "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. 5Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? 6 To what wereits foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, 7 when
the morning stars
sang together, and all
the sons of God
shouted for joy? (
 NKJV 
)
The "host of heaven" mentioned in Nehemiah 9:6 is a reference to angels, as are the parallel terms "morning stars" and "sons of God" in Job 38:7. The passage from Job suggests that the angels were present when God "laid the foundations of the earth"(probably a reference to the separation of the dry land from the water on the third day of creation). Now that we have an idea when the angels were originally formed, let's examine what the Bible reveals about the creation of Satan:
EZEKIEL 28:12 "Son of man, take up a lament concerning the king of Tyre and say to him: 'This is what theSovereign LORD says: "'
You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty
.13
You were in Eden, the garden of God
; every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz and emerald,chrysolite, onyx and jasper, sapphire, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold;
on the day you were created
they were prepared. 14
You were anointed as a guardiancherub
, for so I ordained you.
You were on the holy mount of God
; you walked among the fierystones. 15 You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found inyou. 16 Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So
I drove you indisgrace from the mount of God
, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones.17 Your heart became
proud
on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of yoursplendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings. 18 By your many sins and
dishonest trade
you have desecrated your sanctuaries . . ." (
 NIV 
)
Satan is never mentioned by name in this passage. However, there are some clues in Ezekiel 28 that identify the entities being
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spoken of here. The chapter starts with God's proclamation against the "Prince of Tyre" (v. 2). This prince is proud and says, "Iam a god, I sit in the seat of gods" (v. 2). These words mirror what Paul says about the "Man of Sin" (II The. 2:4). Ezekiel28:1-10 is speaking figuratively of the comingAntichrist.We see another message beginning in Ezekiel 28:11, this one addressed by God to the "King of Tyre." However, because of thethings said about this king, it is clear that God is not speaking to a mere man. This king is the one who will give his authority tothe Prince of Tyre at the end of the age (Rev. 13:2). This king is the ancient dragon, Satan.The first thing to notice from this passage in Ezekiel is that the "king of Tyre" (Satan) was in the Garden of Eden and he was"the seal of perfection."
When
does the Bible show that the Garden of Eden was created?
GENESIS 2:8 The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He hadformed. (
 NKJV 
)
Genesis 2:8 seems to indicate that the Garden of Eden was planted by God
after
He created man. Ezekiel 28:13 reveals thatSatan was in Eden before he sinned. Therefore, contrary to traditional understanding, Satan was in the Garden of Eden withAdam and Eve
before
he fell.This anointed guardian cherub was likely one of the two angels who covered the mercy seat with their wings (see Heb. 8:5; 9:5,23-24; Exo. 25:20; 37:9; I Kings 6:19-28; 8:6-7; I Chr. 28:18; II Chr.3:10-13; 5:7-8). However, because of 
pride
, this cherub'swisdom was corrupted, as I Timothy 3:6 implies.
I TIMOTHY 3:6 Not a novice, lest being
puffed up with pride
he fall into the same condemnation as thedevil. (
 NKJV 
)
How did
pride
cause Satan to fall into condemnation? The Bible doesn't tell us directly, but there are enough clues to figureout the answer to this question.Genesis 1:26-28 shows that God made mankind in His "image":
GENESIS 1:26 Then
God
[
'elohim
] said, "Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness; let themhave dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth andover every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." 27 So
God
[
'elohim
] created man in His own image; inthe image of 
God
[
'elohim
] He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then
God
[
'elohim
]blessed them, and
God
[
'elohim
] said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; havedominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on theearth." (
 NKJV 
)
There are several theories about what it means to be made "in the image of God." This passage makes it clear that being madein God's image is what makes mankind (both men and women) different from the rest of the physical creation.Mankind is like
'elohim
in some way because we are made in the image of 
'elohim
, but how? Michael S. Heiser, an ancientHebrew language expert, gives the following explanation in answer to this question:
. . .
This
points to
viewing the image in a FUNCTIONAL sense
(i.e., we are created to "image" God)
asopposed to a QUALITATIVE sense
(as though the image is some quality or ability given to us; i.e., theimage is some
possessed
attribute).. . . When Scripture speaks of mankind being created in the image of God, what is meant is that
mankindhas been created to represent God on earth
.. . .
God deliberately created mankind to rule the earth
, and to accomplish this purpose, he createdman as his own image -
He made man his co-regent / representative ruler
.The image of God then, refers to our unique status as human beings, rulers in God's stead, according toHis own will. We are created AS his image - to function as he would were he administering His own affairsdirectly. Our abilities - unequally given to us in the providence of God are not THE image, but only a means
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to carrying out His expressed and often secret end. (pp. 8, 9, 10, 11, "The Image of God in Scripture")
This understanding of "the image of God" is supported by the immediate text, which shows that mankind's duties includedhaving dominion over the earth and every living creature on it. This interpretation is also supported by a related passage of Scripture in Psalm 8:
PSALM 8:4 What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him? 5 For
You havemade him a little lower than the angels
, and You have crowned him with glory and honor. 6
Youhave made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things underhis feet
, 7 all sheep and oxen — even the beasts of the field, 8 the birds of the air, and the fish of the seathat pass through the paths of the seas. (
 NKJV 
)
Although this Scripture is a prophecy of the coming of the Messiah as a man (Heb. 2:6-9), it also shows the position of mankind on the earth and alludes to the reason for Satan's ultimate fall. Verse 5 tells us that humanity was made "a little lower than the angels." However, it was mankind, not angels, who were given rulership over the earth.As Ezekiel 28:12 tells us, Satan was "the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty" when he was created. Yetneither he nor any of the other angels were given dominion over the earth initially. Rather, Adam, a being Satan surelyconsidered inferior to himself, was given this power. It's easy to see why Satan's pride led him to sin.Ezekiel 28:16 tells us that Satan was filled with violence and sinned through his "widespread trade." The Hebrew wordrendered "trade" in Ezekiel 28:16 is
rekullatekha
; it is a form of the noun
rekulla
, which means "merchandise" or "traffic."However,
rekulla
is derived from the root word
rakal 
, which means "to go about." A closely-related derivative,
rakil 
, means"slanderer." In the New Testament, Satan is often called the "devil," or 
diabolos
in Greek. Not coincidentally, the literalmeaning of 
diabolos
and its variations is also "slanderer."The account of Satan in Ezekiel 28 probably involves aspects of both "merchandising" and "slander." The Scriptures imply thatSatan, likely through peddling his slander, turned one-third of the angelic host against God (Rev. 12:3-4). It's not hard toimagine that Satan went around to the angels, seeking to build support for his contention that they were far better qualified torun the earth than mankind was. It was through this slanderous "merchandising" that Satan became filled with violence againsthumanity.Eventually, Satan developed a plan that he must have felt would deliver to him the position he believed should have rightfully been his in the beginning. He decided to deceive the humans in the Garden into disobeying God's direct command. After having proven mankind unworthy of the rulership position God had placed them in, Satan, in his arrogant pride, must havethought God would see that he should be given authority over the world in their place.It's in this context that we see Satan approach Eve in the Garden of Eden:
GENESIS 3:1 Now the
serpent
was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made.And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?" 2 Andthe woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of thetree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest youdie.' " 4 Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day youeat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." 6 So when the womansaw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make onewise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. (
 NKJV 
)
The Bible elsewhere identifies Satan with the
serpent
in this story. In Revelation 12:9 and 20:2, he is called "that
serpent of old
, called the Devil and Satan." Did he appear to Eve in the form of a talking snake? Probably not.The Hebrew word translated "serpent" in the above passage is נחש (
nachash
). In addition to "serpent," this Hebrew root wordhas several other possible meanings. It can be used as a noun to mean "one who practices divination," or "shining brass."However,
nachash
can also be used as an adjective to mean "bright" or "brazen."In Genesis 3, it is likely that
nachash
is an adjective being used as a noun. If that is the case, the proper translation of 
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