A lot of people have misconceptions about Satan, first, they underestimate him, and the second thing, they think he is some red demon with a tail and pitchfork; they also really don’t understand what he actually is doing with his time. Unlike popular theory he is not in hell tormenting the evil people, because A) there is no hell right now and B) you don’t go anywhere when you die, you are asleep in the grave. (Refer to my blogs, Dead Men Tell No Tales, & Life After Death?)
We will be getting into these misconceptions, not to glorify Satan or anything like that, but so that people really truly know what to expect from the great deceiver so that they aren’t deceived in the future. Know thy enemy, for he surely knows you… The Lord is much stronger than the Devil, yet He wants us to know so that we may be prepared for whatever Satan may try to throw our ways.
In order to do that we need to go to the very beginning, the creation of Satan. Although when Satan was first created, he was not as he is now. He had a different name, Lucifer, which means Morning Light or light-bearer, let’s see what the Bible has to say about what he looked like and how it connects with how he became who he is now.
Ezekiel 28:13-18 – Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.
These verses explain that Satan was created as a beautiful angel, he was the head of all the angels in heaven and was the covering cherub, he stood beside the throne of God and it was his job to know the law and to share God’s will with the others. The other angels looked up to him and would go to him for advice and respected him as a leader. Until one day when looking at himself, everything started to change and he grew prideful. All of a sudden, he started to become jealous and wanted the position of God.
He started to talk with the other angels and put questions and doubts in their minds about God, and whether God’s law was necessary and if it really was out of love or out of control that the Lord wanted them to follow these rules and regulations. Satan knew the law better than any of the other angels, so at first half of the angels were on Satan’s side and were starting to question as well. The other half who weren’t deceived knew what was happening and started talking with the other angels to try and convince them and show them the error of their ways.
It helped persuade most of them back to the side of right, but unfortunately, one-third of the angels sided with Satan. Every angel has a job, the station which they are is called Cherubim, and Seraphim. Cherubim was the 2 angels by the throne of God, the covering cherubim’s, of which Satan was one of them. Seraphim was next in line after them. There was perfect order in heaven and every angel knew their role and was happy to do it. Until Satan came along and the two sides were formed.
The Bible tells us that is was pride that brought Lucifer down and how he became Satan. It says it again in Isaiah:
Isaiah 14:12-16 – How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;
Satan wanted the position which was the Lord’s, and he wanted to get it, so there was war in heaven:
Revelation 12:7-9 – And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
That is how sin began, it all started with pride. When Satan fell from heaven, we all know what happened next, he went on to turn Adam and Eve and succeeded in getting them to sin. When Satan fell from heaven did his appearance change? No, he stayed the same and he and his evil angels have the ability to transform themselves into whatever and whoever they want.
2 Corinthians 11:14 – And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
This answers the question about how he looks, he is still of noble stature, remember evil can hide in a beautiful package. Just because something might look great on the outside doesn’t mean that it is good on the inside. He loves these misconceptions of himself, because the more people who know the truth about him, the more are aware and cannot be deceived. He himself starts these lies about himself and all the other rumors as well.
I was shown Satan as he once was, a happy, exalted angel. Then I was shown him as he now is. He still bears a kingly form. His features are still noble, for he is an angel fallen. But the expression of his countenance is full of anxiety, care, unhappiness, malice, hate, mischief, deceit, and every evil. That brow which was once so noble, I particularly noticed. His forehead commenced from his eyes to recede. I saw that he had so long bent himself to evil that every good quality was debased, and every evil trait was developed. His eyes were cunning, sly, and showed great penetration. His frame was large, but the flesh hung loosely about his hands and face. As I beheld him, his chin was resting upon his left hand. He appeared to be in deep thought. A smile was upon his countenance, which made me tremble, it was so full of evil and satanic slyness. This smile is the one he wears just before he makes sure of his victim, and as he fastens the victim in his snare, this smile grows horrible. {EW 152.3}
So, what is he doing with his time nowadays? The same thing he has been doing throughout all history, running to and fro across the world, seeking whom he may devour, and deceiving the nations. Satan and his evil angels are going around tempting and manipulating every single person on this planet. He is not in some place with fire, so when does hell happen?
I will be getting into hell in another blog in more detail, but for now, the brief answer is that hell is not yet on this earth. Satan, his evil angels, and all the evil people in the world will be put to death by fire at the end of the thousand years. They won’t be burning forever either, they will burn and die and be no more, as if they never were. Then Jesus will wipe the tears from our eyes and create a new Heavens and a new Earth. Like I said above I’ll be doing a blog about this next, and going into the proof of what I just said, from the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy.
The great leading temptations wherewith we would be beset, Christ met and overcame in the wilderness. His coming off victor over appetite, presumption, and the world shows how we may overcome. Satan has overcome his millions in tempting the appetite and leading people to give up to presumptuous sins. There are many who profess to be followers of Christ, claiming by their faith to be enlisted in the warfare against all evil in their nature, yet who, with hardly a thought, plunge into scenes of temptation that would require a miracle to bring them forth unsullied. Meditation and prayer would have preserved them and led them to shun the dangerous positions in which they have placed themselves, and that give Satan the advantage over them. {CTr 212.2}
The promises of God are not for us to claim rashly, to protect us while we rush on recklessly into danger, violating the laws of nature, or disregarding prudence and the judgment God has given us to use. This would not be genuine faith but presumption. The thrones and kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them, were presented to Christ. Never will we have temptations as strong as those that assailed Him. {CTr 212.3}
But Satan comes to us with worldly honor, wealth, and the pleasures of life. These temptations are varied to meet people of every rank and degree, tempting them away from God to serve themselves more than their Creator. “All these things will I give thee,” said Satan to Christ. “All these things will I give thee,” says Satan to us. “All this money, this land, all this power, this honor, and these riches, will I give thee,” and we are charmed, deceived, and treacherously allured on to our ruin. If we give ourselves up to worldliness of heart and of life, Satan is satisfied. {CTr 212.4}
The Saviour overcame the wily foe, showing us how we may overcome. He has left us His example, to repel Satan with Scripture. He might have had recourse to His own divine power and used His own words, but His example would not then have been as useful to us. Christ used only Scripture. How important that the Word of God be thoroughly studied and followed, that in case of emergency we may be “throughly furnished unto all good works” and especially fortified to meet the wily foe.—Letter 1a, 1872. {CTr 212.5}
Read all these things for yourself, I am going to give you a passage from The Story of Redemption; read the full book, it is amazing! It also describes the war in Heaven go read that for yourself, that book is fantastic: Here is the full story of the fall of Lucifer from heaven:
Lucifer in heaven, before his rebellion, was a high and exalted angel, next in honor to God’s dear Son. His countenance, like those of the other angels, was mild and expressive of happiness. His forehead was high and broad, showing a powerful intellect. His form was perfect; his bearing noble and majestic. A special light beamed in his countenance and shone around him brighter and more beautiful than around the other angels; yet Christ, God’s dear Son, had the pre-eminence over all the angelic host. He was one with the Father before the angels were created. Lucifer was envious of Christ, and gradually assumed command which devolved on Christ alone. {SR 13.1}
The great Creator assembled the heavenly host, that He might in the presence of all the angels confer special honor upon His Son. The Son was seated on the throne with the Father, and the heavenly throng of holy angels was gathered around them. The Father then made known that it was ordained by Himself that Christ, His Son, should be equal with Himself; so that wherever was the presence of His Son, it was as His own presence. The word of the Son was to be obeyed as readily as the word of the Father. His Son He had invested with authority to command the heavenly host. Especially was His Son to work in union with Himself in the anticipated creation of the earth and every living thing that should exist upon the earth. His Son would carry out His will and His purposes but would do nothing of Himself alone. The Father’s will would be fulfilled in Him. {SR 13.2}
Lucifer was envious and jealous of Jesus Christ. Yet when all the angels bowed to Jesus to acknowledge His supremacy and high authority and rightful rule, he bowed with them; but his heart was filled with envy and hatred. Christ had been taken into the special counsel of God in regard to His plans, while Lucifer was unacquainted with them. He did not understand, neither was he permitted to know, the purposes of God. But Christ was acknowledged sovereign of heaven, His power and authority to be the same as that of God Himself. Lucifer thought that he was himself a favorite in heaven among the angels. He had been highly exalted, but this did not call forth from him gratitude and praise to his Creator. He aspired to the height of God Himself. He gloried in his loftiness. He knew that he was honored by the angels. He had a special mission to execute. He had been near the great Creator, and the ceaseless beams of glorious light enshrouding the eternal God had shone especially upon him. He thought how angels had obeyed his command with pleasurable alacrity. Were not his garments light and beautiful? Why should Christ thus be honored before himself? {SR 14.1}
He left the immediate presence of the Father, dissatisfied and filled with envy against Jesus Christ. Concealing his real purposes, he assembled the angelic host. He introduced his subject, which was himself. As one aggrieved, he related the preference God had given Jesus to the neglect of himself. He told them that henceforth all the sweet liberty the angels had enjoyed was at an end. For had not a ruler been appointed over them, to whom they from henceforth must yield servile honor? He stated to them that he had called them together to assure them that he no longer would submit to this invasion of his rights and theirs; that never would he again bow down to Christ; that he would take the honor upon himself which should have been conferred upon him, and would be the commander of all who would submit to follow him and obey his voice. {SR 14.2}
There was contention among the angels. Lucifer and his sympathizers were striving to reform the government of God. They were discontented and unhappy because they could not look into His unsearchable wisdom and ascertain His purposes in exalting His Son, and endowing Him with such unlimited power and command. They rebelled against the authority of the Son. {SR 15.1}
Angels that were loyal and true sought to reconcile this mighty, rebellious angel to the will of his Creator. They justified the act of God in conferring honor upon Christ, and with forcible reasoning sought to convince Lucifer that no less honor was his now than before the Father had proclaimed the honor which He had conferred upon His Son. They clearly set forth that Christ was the Son of God, existing with Him before the angels were created; and that He had ever stood at the right hand of God, and His mild, loving authority had not heretofore been questioned; and that He had given no commands but what it was joy for the heavenly host to execute. They urged that Christ’s receiving special honor from the Father, in the presence of the angels, did not detract from the honor that Lucifer had heretofore received. The angels wept. They anxiously sought to move him to renounce his wicked design and yield submission to their Creator; for all had heretofore been peace and harmony, and what could occasion this dissenting, rebellious voice? {SR 15.2}
Lucifer refused to listen. And then he turned from the loyal and true angels, denouncing them as slaves. These angels, true to God, stood in amazement as they saw that Lucifer was successful in his effort to incite rebellion. He promised them a new and better government than they then had, in which all would be freedom. Great numbers signified their purpose to accept him as their leader and chief commander. As he saw his advances were met with success, he flattered himself that he should yet have all the angels on his side, and that he would be equal with God Himself, and his voice of authority would be heard in commanding the entire host of heaven. Again the loyal angels warned him, and assured him what must be the consequences if he persisted; that He who could create the angels could by His power overturn all their authority and in some signal manner punish their audacity and terrible rebellion. To think that an angel should resist the law of God which was as sacred as Himself! They warned the rebellious to close their ears to Lucifer’s deceptive reasonings, and advised him and all who had been affected by him to go to God and confess their wrong for even admitting a thought of questioning His authority. {SR 16.1}
Many of Lucifer’s sympathizers were inclined to heed the counsel of the loyal angels and repent of their dissatisfaction and be again received to the confidence of the Father and His dear Son. The mighty revolter then declared that he was acquainted with God’s law, and if he should submit to servile obedience, his honor would be taken from him. No more would he be intrusted with his exalted mission. He told them that himself and they also had now gone too far to go back, and he would brave the consequences, for to bow in servile worship to the Son of God he never would; that God would not forgive, and now they must assert their liberty and gain by force the position and authority which was not willingly accorded to them. [THUS IT WAS THAT LUCIFER, “THE LIGHT-BEARER,” THE SHARER OF GOD’S GLORY, THE ATTENDANT OF HIS THRONE, BY TRANSGRESSION BECAME SATAN, “THE ADVERSARY.” –PATRIARCHS AND PROPHETS, P. 40.] {SR 16.2}
We must share these misconceptions to the world so that they are made aware. I don’t want to be deceived in the last days, do you?
A Star Witness 