The Devil In Details

      Life is a battle, a war between good and evil; or is it? Humans like things to be organized, separated, and easy to understand but unfortunately life just isn't. This desire for simplicity however, has lead to an erroneous belief that there are two camps at war with each other, with humanity in between. God is cast as the good guy, the champion of light and righteousness, valiantly battling against evil for our souls. Conversely we have Satan placed as the lord of evil, waging eternal battle for dominion. The problem with this idea is that it takes power away from God and gives way more power to Satan than he really has.

“Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour.”

(1 Peter 5:8)

     Satan. What do we know about him? Honestly we don't know much. He is not, however, the opposite of God. Often it seems He is portrayed as God's opposite number, the ying to His yang (or yang to His ying depending on how exactly that works). In movies like Constantine (2005) we see this played out as a cosmic battle with both sides fairly equally matched and masters of their own spiritual domain. The truth however is both far simpler and harder to accept.

     Satan is a created being, just like the angels and just like me, you, or anybody. Created as a divine being he is often called the angel of light and, like everything, was created perfect. Angels however, like humans, have a degree of free choice and Satan gave in to pride and a desire for power. He desired to be “like the most High” and coveted the throne and praise of God. Ultimately he convinced a number of other angels to join him in revolt and was summarily cast down.

(This passage is meant for the King of Tyre but is also seen as being said to Satan as well, some of the event referenced are obviously before that king existed.)

"...You were the perfection of wisdom and beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God. Your clothing was adorned with every precious stone-red carnelian, chrysolite, white moonstone, beryl, onyx, jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and emerald-all beautifully crafted for you and set in the finest gold. They were given to you on the day you were created. I ordained and anointed you as the mighty angelic guardian. You had access to the holy mountain of God and walked among the stones of fire. "You were blameless in all you did from the day you were created until the day evil was found in you. Your great wealth filled you with violence, and you sinned. So I banished you from the mountain of God. I expelled you, O mighty guardian, from your place among the stones of fire. Your heart was filled with pride becauszze of all your beauty. You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth...”

(Ezekiel 28:12-17)

“Then there was war in heaven. Michael and the angels under his command fought the dragon and his angels. And the dragon lost the battle and was forced out of heaven. This great dragon-the ancient serpent called the Devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world-was thrown down to the earth with all his angels. Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens, "It has happened at last-the salvation and power and kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ! For the Accuser has been thrown down to earth-the one who accused our brothers and sisters before our God day and night. And they have defeated him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of their testimony. And they were not afraid to die. Rejoice, O heavens! And you who live in the heavens, rejoice! But terror will come on the earth and the sea. For the Devil has come down to you in great anger, and he knows that he has little time."

(Revelation 12:7-12)

     God you see, has no problems dealing with Satan. God does not struggle against anything nor does anything interfere with His plans. The treason of Lucifer and the evil that exists today are not an unfortunate and unseen circumstance but a part of the plan. In a way, God created evil, not that He authors it or causes it but because He made what is right. When something is defined as good, something else is automatically made that is correspondingly bad, at least in theory. When God created things outside Himself, He made the possibility of evil. The point here is that nothing is a surprise to God and nothing is out of His control. We do not find ourselves in a metaphysical war against evil, we are simply in a rather uncomfortable portion of God's great plan for eternity. No matter how dark the night may be God (who has perfect judgment) decided that it was worth it.

     Satan has no power apart from what God allows. He is not another god, he is not another power, but he is the enemy of our souls. Imagine him as a great big mean dog on a leash. If he were free he would do all sorts of harm, but he chained, and unable to go further than that chain allows. Satan is not foiling God's plans he is fulfilling them, whether he wants to or not. Also, as a created being, he is limited to his being. He is not all knowing, nor can he be everywhere. We should be wary of him for what he can do but not afraid of him for who he is. God is more powerful than any adversary and nothing -absolutely nothing- happens without His consent. We need not fear some evil shadow when we walk with the light of the world.

“Then the Devil, who betrayed them, was thrown into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”

(Revelation 20:10)