Satan is a person. Yes, there is a personal devil. We read in the scriptures that he appeared before God, he talked with God, and he reasoned with Eve in the Garden of Eden, he tempted Jesus, he performed miracles and signs and he tempts both the saved and unsaved to commit sin. Only a person can take part in an intelligent dialogue and reason. We can be assured that, yes, Satan is a person.
We can also be assured that he is evil and was thrown out of heaven to earth where he prowls about seeking to “deceive the whole world.”
He has been given many names and titles in the scriptures. Some of them are:
- Satan — “adversary” He does not have the capacity to love or to show mercy. He is called Satan 50 times in the Bible.
- Devil — “slanderer” this title is used over 100 times in the New Testament
- Apollyon — “destroyer” Found in Revelation 9:11.
- Lucifer — “day star” or “morning star” he can transform himself into an angel of light. Isaiah 14:12
He is called “the god of this age” in II Corinthians 4:4, the “prince of the power of the air” in Ephesians 2:2, the “great dragon” in Revelation 12:9 and the “serpent of old” in Revelation 20:2. Jesus called him the ruler of this world in John 12:31. Remember he is not the ruler of creation but the ruler of the world system. In I John 2:15 God warns us: “Do not love the world or the things in the world.” Satan is in rebellion against God and does all he can to lure us to get caught up in his world system and be lost. God desires that all accept Jesus Christ and be saved.
Two things you must be aware of concerning the devil. First of all, we are warned to be alert because the devil is our enemy and always looking to tempt us. I Peter 5:7 tells us to “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
Second, we have a defense against the deceitful ways of the devil. James tells us to: “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7. Satan does have power in this world, but God has power over Satan.
