13. Satan & the Origin of Evil Spirits

1. Some years ago word spread around the world that God was dead. There is also a thought among some religious leaders that there is really no such being as Satan, the Devil.

2. His personality was being dismissed as an invention of someone’s imagination, to frighten people into being good and force little children to behave.

3. Some of these religious leaders, to justify their non-belief in Satan, even used such scriptures as Matthew 15:19 to show that all evil thoughts, desires and actions originate within our-selves, and thus it is silly and childish to blame Satan for them.

4. Naturally, both arguments, that God was dead and that Satan does not exist, are wrong. While man can exercise evil thoughts, this does not nullify the existence of Satan and his evil helpers. In Matthew 15:19 Jesus was not denying the existence of Satan, but rather how a man’s heart condition can also defile him.

5. Astrology, occultism, horoscopes and spiritism have since arisen that have engulfed millions of people around the world.. Millions of dollars are spent on these things, and many thou-sands of people will not leave home in the morning or contract any business without first consulting their horoscopes, which are published in magazines and newspapers daily.

6. Astrology, occultism and spiritism are building a great body of followers who, out of curi-osity and desire to see what lies before them, are hoping to discover what the future holds so they can be ready to face what is coming.

7. Who is behind all this? There is only one source from which to receive our answer. That is the Holy Bible! It is holy because God’s Spirit inspired the mind of dedicated, godly men to write down accurately what God had given them. The Holy Scriptures are not pri-vate writings coming from the minds of mere men but are the thoughts and words of God, expressed through His Holy Spirit and therefore truthful and right (2 Peter 1:20, 21).

8. 1 Corinthians 2:11-14 explains that without the help of the Spirit of God, natural man would be unable to understand the “deep things” or secrets of God. Without the Holy Spirit man would read the Bible as he would a novel or any other book written by man. A man search-ing after truth, however, needs the Spirit of God to enlighten his path and help him under-stand the meaning of the various allegories, symbolism, and parables in the Bible.

9. Where do we go to discover the identity of the person responsible for all the misunderstand-ing, sorrow, suffering, war, sickness and sin and death of this world? To the Holy Bible!

10. Long ago, even before the creation of angels, archangels, seraphim, cherubim, and other heavenly hosts, God, through His Son, created a mighty cherubim and gave him extraordi-nary wisdom, beauty and power. See Colossians 1:15-17.

11. The prophet Ezekiel, in 28:11-19, was inspired by God to give us a description of this mighty spiritual being, and in Isaiah 14:12 we see who this mighty spiritual being, who was perfect in beauty and full of splendor and wisdom, is. This mighty cherubim for the first time is called by his (original) name: “Lucifer, son of the morning” (KJV).

12. Verses 13,14 continue telling us what then happened: “You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’”

13. This was Lucifer’s abominable sin! He desired to be like his Creator, the Most High. He wanted to usurp the power and dominion of the Eternal God! He desired to be worshipped and served; but most of all, he planned to take away God’s authority and God’s glory, and make himself Supreme!

1. Satan’s opportunity came when God, with His Son, the Logos, created the first man and woman. He realized that these two persons, in time, would multiply and fill the earth. Then he could be their God -- if he only could deceive, seduce and lead that first couple to doubt and disobey their Creator, turning to him (Satan) for protection and worship, thus be-coming his subjects.

2. Events seemed to work in his favor. God appointed Lucifer to be the guardian cherub of Adam and Eve.

3. Did God know what Lucifer was harboring in his heart? Indeed He knew, but God was now giving Lucifer the opportunity to show his true colors. God in His wisdom, knowing the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10), also knew that the experience with good and evil would be an everlasting lesson to both men and angels -- yes, to the whole creation -- a lesson for all eternity.

4. The day came when Lucifer, using the serpent as his mouthpiece, said to Eve in Gen. 3:1, “Did God really say, `You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?" Here was the start of his deception, for he knew very well what God had told Adam (Genesis 2:16,17).

5. Eve answered by saying that God had given them permission to eat fruit of any tree in the garden, except of the tree that was in the midst of the garden, with the warning that if they did eat the fruit of that tree they would die (Gen. 3:2,3).

6. Lucifer answered with a lie, thus planting the seeds of doubt about the goodness and integri-ty of God, and with the plan to show himself their true friend, saying, “You shall not die, for God knows that in the day you eat from it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Gen. 3:4,5 - NASB). Eve, being deceived, ate the forbidden fruit, thus committing the first act of disobedience (Gen. 3:6).

7. Adam, upon learning of his wife’s disobedience, chose of his own free will to disobey God also, by eating of the fruit offered to him by his wife. Perhaps it was that he feared being without his beloved Eve and so chose to die with her. The Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 2:14 that Adam was not deceived as Eve was; therefore, his sin was more deserving of blame in God’s sight than was Eve’s.

8. The result of their disobedience was the promised sentence of death for the guilty pair. In due time, Satan’s head would be crushed by the seed of the woman, Jesus Christ (Gen. 3:15).

9. Lucifer revealed himself to be the enemy of God and so lost his standing in the heavenly courts, the spiritual realm. God then changed his name to Satan, which means Adversary.

10. But Lucifer didn’t fall alone. He drew with him legions of angels, who followed him into rebellion against their Creator.

11. Our Lord called Satan a liar and a murderer, for when Adam and Eve’s two sons, Cain and Abel, grew to manhood, Satan caused the death of Abel at the hand of his brother Cain (Gen. 4:8). Ever since that time, Satan has been responsible for the death of all mankind through-out history (Heb. 2:14).

12. As mankind began to multiply on the earth, Satan’s desire to be worshipped by man in-creased. Undoubtedly, he proposed to his legion of angels that they materialize as human beings and marry the most beautiful women on the earth, fathering children by them. This they did, as we read in Genesis 6:1-4.

13. The offspring of these angels and women was permitted but not approved by God. These were a hybrid race, men of giant stature, strong and intelligent, but very wicked. These hybrid offspring, with their fathers (the fallen angels), ruled the pre-deluvian world and filled it with violence. The situation grew so terrible that God made the decision to destroy all man-kind -- to wipe the earth clean with a universal flood and start all over again with only No-ah and his family (Gen. 6:7).

14. God then instructed Noah -- a just man who walked with God -- to build an ark and fill it with animals and enough food for them all (Gen. 6 & 7). Seven days before the flood began, when Noah and his family were in the ark, the Lord shut the only door to the ark. The rain burst forth, drowning all those outside the ark. It rained continually for 40 days and nights (Gen. 7:16).

15. What happened to the fallen angels, or evil spirits? They were punished by God, for He placed them in chains of darkness, limiting them to the earth’s atmosphere until the judgment of the great day (Jude 6; 2 Peter 2:4,5).

16. It was not long before people again forgot God and began to practice immorality and idola-try, which the Apostle Paul called “demon worship” (1 Cor. 10:19,20). This idolatry expanded into Samaria, Canaan, Egypt and Mesopotamia where Abraham was born, in Ur of the Chaldees. However, Abraham preferred to worship the true God of his ancestor Noah, so God called him out of Ur and led him to Canaan. He left behind his country and his people which included their idol worship practices. (Gen. 12:1).

1. In giving His law to the children of Israel, God told them in the Ten Commandments that they should worship no other gods, but Him only, and that they should not make any imag-es, statues or idols, nor worship them (Exod. 20:1-6). Thus, Satan and the evil spirits would be denied the worship they hungered for. But these evil spirits were working through wiz-ards, witches, etc., in the land of Canaan, and through these mediums they expanded their in-fluence over the people. So God gave a law concerning them. (See Lev. 19:31 and Deut. 18:9-14.) The children of Israel were forbidden to deal with them. Those who had familiar spirits and the wizards were put out of the land (1 Sam. 28:3&9).

2. Nevertheless, the evil spirits’ influence gradually spread to the whole world. Satan, their leader, became “the god (mighty one) of this world” (2 Cor. 4:4); “the prince of this world” (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11); and “the prince of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2). So that “.... the whole world is under the control of the evil one. ” (1 John 5:19).

3. All through this Gospel Age, Satan and his evil spirits have battled hard against true Chris-tians and have been the cause of all persecution, suffering, imprisonment, false teachings, confusion, etc. Now that we are reaching the end of the Gospel Age, these evil spirits are becoming more active than ever, causing crimes, chaos, wars and confusion in the whole world. Some will even fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doc-trines of demons (1 Tim. 4:1). How can we protect ourselves and our families from these evil spirits?

4. The Scriptures furnish us with much information on this matter. In Eph. 6:12 the Apostle Paul discloses what we are up against: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Can we battle and overcome such pow-ers in our own strength? Absolutely not! The Apostle Peter describes Satan as a “roaring li-on, walking about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

5. What, then, can we do to protect ourselves and our loved ones? Here is Divine advice: First of all, have complete confidence and trust in God’s love, care and protection. Then put on the full armor of God, which is described in Ephesians 6:10-18. Once you have it on, don’t stop to argue with Satan. He is too clever and experienced for you. Do what Jesus did and say aloud, “It is written!” If he is attacking you in definite areas such as lust, say out loud, “Depart from me, you demon of lust. I command you in the name of Jesus, depart from me.” “Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).

6. Be careful to stay far away from wizards, necromancers, astrologers, fortune tellers, medi-ums, seances and anything that deals with the occult. Always remember, that Satan often transforms himself into an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14). He makes it seem that what is said appears to agree with the Word of God.

7. What will be God’s retribution and punishment for all the evil, sorrow and death these evil spirits have caused in the world? Though Satan and his fallen angels are no longer in heav-en, having been cast down into the lower part of the atmospheric condition of earth, as de-scribed in Revelation 12:7-9, he is filled with great wrath, knowing his time is short (v. 12).

8. In due time, the Lord will put a stop to all of his evil deeds. A mighty angel will come down from heaven and imprison Satan in a bottomless pit for 1000 years “so that he cannot de-ceive the nations any more” (Rev. 20:1-3).

9. At the end of the 1000-year reign of Christ, Satan will be loosed again for a little season and go forth a final time to deceive the nations and turn them against God. But fire will come down from heaven and destroy all those who are in league with him (Rev. 20:7-9). Revela-tion 20:10 tells us Satan will be destroyed. For further confirmation of his destruction, read Isaiah 14:4-11 & 15-20, as well as Ezekiel 28:16-19.

10. This will be the Grand Finale of the universal struggle of evil against good -- of Satan against God. The universe will be purified of all evil spirits and evil doers. Then peace, ho-liness and everlasting joy will forever rule in heaven and earth.

1. We feel this Bible study wouldn’t be complete without a word about God’s holy angels, those spirit beings who have remained faithful to God, freely serving Him in various ways, and in particular serving His family on this earth.

2. Angels belong to a different order of creation than man. They have been given higher intel-ligence, knowledge, understanding, power and mobility than has been given us. These are God’s messengers (angelos means messenger) whose chief duty is to carry out His orders in the universe, including this earth.

3. Angels are given power to speak for God as His ambassadors and perform works of right-eousness. Their activities assist their Creator in His rule and control of the universe.

4. What does the Bible say about angels? It clearly states that angels were created by the will of God. There was a time when no angels existed and God was alone. Then God brought forth His only begotten Son, called the Word (Logos). Today we know him as our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. He is the only begotten Son of God, and “... by him (the Logos) were all things created, that are in heaven, and in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, dominions, principalities or powers: all things were created by him, and for him, and he is before all things, and by him all things consist” (Col. 1:16,17).

5. Angels are invisible created beings, and they have the ability to change their appearance, to become visible, and to go back and forth between heaven and earth.

6. Even though angels can and do materialize on occasion, they are not made of flesh and blood. Hebrews 1:14 calls them “ministering spirits.” Furthermore, God did not give them the ability to reproduce after their kind. “They neither marry nor are given in marriage” (Mark 12:25).

7. The holy angels’ empire is as vast as God’s creation. They can go wherever God commands them and do whatever He orders. Their power is from God, and no man or evil spirit being can block or force them to retreat from their appointed tasks.

8. Both the Old and New Testaments mention angels, directly or indirectly, nearly 300 times, but how many are there? Revelation 5:11 describes a scene where there are “thousands upon thousands and ten thousand times ten thousand” of them.

9. Myriad of angels came down on Mt. Sinai to confirm the holy presence of God as He gave His laws to Moses (Deut. 33:2).

10. In Revelation chapter 19, we read of armies of angels who will be with Jesus in the great and terrible battle of the Lord God Almighty when His foes will be gathered together on earth for their last stand against God and the Lamb.

11. When Adam and Eve were sent forth from the Garden of Eden, a cherubim was commanded to bar man’s return to the Garden. He had a flaming sword which turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life, lest Adam, by eating of its fruit, should live forever (Gen. 3:24).

12. Even some scientists admit the probability of the existence of invisible intelligence, and many people are aware of occult and demonic powers. A world-wide interest in the spiritual forces have brought forth thousand of books dealing with spiritism, such as “Gods From Outer Space” and “World In Collision,” and movies such as “Rosemary’s Baby” and “The Exorcist,” which have become very popular, bringing in millions of dollars.

13. But, until recently, very little interest has been manifested in the holy angels of God who are immensely more numerous than the fallen angels. Quotations in the Bible about holy angels far outnumber references to Satan and his demons, the fallen angels.

14. It seems that the activities of Satan and his legions of fallen angels are being intensified and publicized through books, magazines, movies, radio and television in our day, according to prophecy. But the activities of God’s angels for the direction and protection of the Lord’s people are indelibly impressed in the minds of people of faith. If we exercise our eyes of faith, we can see many evidences of the supernatural display of God’s power and glory. (See Ps. 91:11 and Heb. 1:14.) Our God does not sleep! (See Psalm 121.)

15. Christians should be aware of Satan’s power, but they should take notice even more of the activities of God’s holy angels. If you are a believer, be assured powerful angels stay close to you all the days of your Christian life.

16. God’s angels are very real! They don’t draw attention to themselves and don’t seek worship (Rev. 22:8,9). They do their ministering invisibly and unnoticed by men, carrying out their assigned tasks.

17. Are we told to worship angels? No! In Colossians 2:18 we are warned of being beguiled (deprived) of our reward if we worship them.

18. Are the holy angels jealous of those finding repentance and salvation through Jesus Christ? No, again! For Luke 15:10 tells us of their joy over one sinner who repents.

19. In Matthew 13:41 we learn they will be used of God to gather out of His Kingdom all things that offend and them which do iniquity.

20. So in conclusion, believe in God and His Holy Word, the Bible, and you will not have to fear the evil spirits, for God’s holy angels are nearer to you than you think. Only when you allow yourself to become entangled in the occult or other sources of spiritism or witchcraft can you be harmed. Abiding in God assures us He has given the hosts of holy angels the command to “take charge of you, to guard you in all your ways” (Ps. 91:11). They will bear you up above the angry waves to final victory. So fear not! Only trust and obey!