Tares Among the Wheat - Part 9 - Satan as The Ruler of This World

<p style="text-align:center;">Satan as the Ruler of this World</p> <p>     Many think of Satan as the counterpart of God; but this is wrong. God is the Creator, whereas Satan is merely a creature. God is infinitely and eternally good, whereas Satan was created good, but then turned away in rebellion, leading others to follow, both angels and people. Satan is not the counterpart of God; rather, he is the counterpart of those angels who maintained their allegiance to God. To understand this is to contrast Satan with good angels where, as a creature, he properly belongs.</p> <p>     The Bible reveals Satan was originally created a holy angel of the class of cherubim; however, because of pride (Ezek 28:11-18), he rebelled against God (Isa 14:12-14), and convinced many angels to follow him (Rev 12:4, 7). The name Satan is derived from the Hebrew שָׂטָן Satan which means “adversary, opponent, accuser, opposing party…[or] the one who hinders a purpose”<a href='#_ftn1'>[1]</a> The Greek Σατανᾶς Satanas carries the same meaning and is used “in a very special sense of the enemy of God and all of those who belong to God.”<a href='#_ftn2'>[2]</a> Other names for Satan include the shining one, or Lucifer (Isa 14:12), the evil one (1 John 5:19), the tempter (1 Th 3:5), the devil (Matt 4:1), the god of this world (2 Cor 4:4), the accuser of the brethren (Rev 12:10), the prince of the power of the air (Eph 2:2), the serpent (Rev 12:9), and the great red dragon (Rev 12:3). Further, Satan is a murderer and liar (John 8:44), is compared to a lion that prowls about, looking for someone to devour (1 Pet 5:8), and one who disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Cor 11:14).</p> <p>     Lucifer became Satan at the time of his rebellion when he declared, “I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.”  (Isa 14:13-14). J. Dwight Pentecost states, “The desire