10 Misconceptions About Satan

It dawned on me. Satan is a character in my books, and the way I have portrayed him may be confusing to some who have not studied this enemy of God. While I can't say Satan and I are close, I have studied a bit and would love to pass on what I know.

Even if you don't read my books, this is information you should have. Admit it. You don't know much about him, and you don't want to. But it is important to know who we are going against. So, here are the basics that will help you understand more of what I write.

1. Satan is an angel
Sounds contradictory, doesn't it? There are many kinds of angels. Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 both acknowledge Satan as an angel, and more specifically a cherub. (Cherubs are nothing like the winged babies that portray them in artwork. Read the above passages for more description.) He was likely one of the most powerful in command of the angels as well. And although he is called an angel of light, his light is false and not pure. There is only One true Light (John 1:3-5) - all other light can only be reflected from it.

2. Satan was not around "In the beginning."
The main point here is that God created Satan. (Some would ask "Why on earth would He do that?" Well, why on earth would He create human beings who constantly sin against Him, destroy His creation, and more often than not, reject His sovereignty?) Satan is a finite being, unlike God, who always was.

3. Satan is not alone
​When Satan was cast out of Heaven, he brought with him ⅓ of all the other angels. (Revelation 12). This testifies the extent to which he can be convincing. One third is nothing to sneeze at, and it's a little scary to think of that number, when we are aware that there could be tens of thousands of angels. Those followers - demons - are still following Satan. But what is encouraging is that ⅔, twice as many, stayed true to God, and that's who is fighting on our side.

4. Satan is not a red, horned man with a pitch-fork.
Part of the reason that Satan rose up against God was because he was so beautiful, he felt that he was to be worshipped. (Isaiah 14) It is also indicated that Satan masquerades as an angel of light. (2 Corinthians 11:14). To be honest, I have no idea where the little red man with horns idea came from. It appears to be a conglomeration of different mythical characters. Everything in the Bible points to his being a much more beautiful creature. (Of course, the inner ugliness could account for something too.) One thought is that this image of Satan came about in Renaissance years to mock Satan.

5. Satan is not currently residing in Hell.
The Bible tells us that Satan prowls the earth like a lion looking for prey to devour. (I Peter 5) Job 1 also tells us that he is roaming the earth as well. To be honest, if he were in Hell, he really wouldn't care to much about what is going on with the rest of us.

6. When Satan is sent to Hell, he will not be in charge.
We are told In Revelation 20 that at the end of the last battle, that Satan and his angels will be cast into the Lake of Fire where they will suffer eternally. No partiality in hell. Everyone will be equally miserable, and quite frankly, I don't think anyone will care a hoot about anyone else. There is no order in hell, so there is no honor or ranking.

7.Satan is not omniscient
Why would anyone enter a battle they knew they were going to lose? Satan may have been told he would not win in the end, but it doesn't appear he believed it. He lacks the vision that God has to oversee all of time - past, present, and future - all at one glance.

8. Satan is not responsible for all the evil in the world.
He's not even responsible for all the evil in our own lives. We can thank man's sinful nature for that. I'm not defending Satan here, but don't give him all the credit. We mess up plenty on our own.
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9. We cannot beat Satan on our own.
I work with kids. They feel like they could just punch Satan in the nose if they ever saw him. My response? "Well, after you do that, you better run." In Hebrews 2, Paul tells us that Christ was made "a little lower than the angels," indicating that humans are not as powerful as the angels. Therefore, as an angel, Satan is more powerful than we are.

10. We should fear Satan, but not in the same way we fear God.
Even the demons shudder at thought of the kingdom of God. The name of Jesus alone is so powerful, we only need to speak His name, and evil must flee. (Philippians 2) That's power. That's encouraging. But truly, there are so many more reasons to be in awe of God than just how He defeats evil. I could list them, but there would never be an end.


Now, I am not posting this because I think we need to focus on Satan. I just think we need to know. Use this information however you need to, but hopefully it will also help you understand my books as well.
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