Satan Is NOT All That!

Herbert Armstrong portrayed Satan as a powerful and indestructible spirit being who ruled over this earth with his demons and had the ability to deceive and destroy. To support his narrative about Satan he quoted prooftexts from Isaiah, Ezekiel, Ephesians, and Revelation. Likewise, he often described the temptation of Christ as a "titanic" battle between good and evil. In short, for Mr. Armstrong, Satan was a powerful adversary bent on destroying humanity, and that there was very little that we puny humans could do to resist or defeat him.

Fortunately, however, Mr. Armstrong's narrative about Satan was/is NOT consistent with what is revealed in Scripture. Indeed, from the very first mention of this being in Scripture, his subjection to God is underscored, and his defeat is prophesied! The story of the fall of Adam and Eve is well-known to all of us. When God confronted the couple for eating from the tree which he had forbidden them to eat from, we are informed that the woman said that the serpent had deceived her (Genesis 3:13). Next, we read that God told the serpent: "Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel." (Genesis 3:14-15, ESV) Notice, that God has the authority to curse the serpent and to predict that a descendant of the woman would "bruise your head" (indicative of a fatal injury), and that the serpent would only "bruise his heel."

In the next mention of Satan in Scripture, we read: "Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. The Lord said to Satan, 'From where have you come?' Satan answered the Lord and said, 'From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.' And the Lord said to Satan, 'Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?' Then Satan answered the Lord and said, 'Does Job fear God for no reason? Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.' And the Lord said to Satan, 'Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.' So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord." (Job 1:6-12, ESV) Once again, we see that Satan is subject to God - that he presented himself to God along with the rest of the angelic host. Notice too, that he could only do what God ALLOWED him to do, nothing more!

Then, after Satan had removed Job's wealth and caused the death of his children, we read: "Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord. And the Lord said to Satan, 'From where have you come?' Satan answered the Lord and said, 'From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.' And the Lord said to Satan, 'Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? He still holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him without reason.' Then Satan answered the Lord and said, 'Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life. But stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face.' And the Lord said to Satan, 'Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life.'" (Job 2:1-6, ESV) Yet again, Satan was only allowed to do certain things by God. In other words, God was in control! Indeed, there is a strong sense here that God is using Satan for his own purposes - to effect a positive change in Job's life!

Likewise, in the book of Zechariah, we read: "Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. And the Lord said to Satan, 'The Lord rebuke you, O Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this a brand plucked from the fire?' Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments. And the angel said to those who were standing before him, 'Remove the filthy garments from him.' And to him he said, 'Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.' And I said, 'Let them put a clean turban on his head.' So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord was standing by." (Zechariah 3:1-5, ESV) Once again, Satan is portrayed as the accuser, but the Lord was clearly in charge of the situation. This Jehoshua (Hebrew: YHWH is salvation), acting as High Priest, was clearly a type of the Jehoshua (Jesus) who was to appear later for the saving of humankind, and Satan was REBUKED (his accusation was rejected)!

Now, before leaving the Old Testament, we should also take a closer look at those passages from Isaiah and Ezekiel that Herbert Armstrong liked to cite as prooftexts for his portrayal of Satan. In that passage from Isaiah, the King of Babylon was represented as Satan. We read there: "How the oppressor has ceased, the insolent fury ceased! The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of rulers, that struck the peoples in wrath with unceasing blows, that ruled the nations in anger with unrelenting persecution. The whole earth is at rest and quiet; they break forth into singing. The cypresses rejoice at you, the cedars of Lebanon, saying, ‘Since you were laid low, no woodcutter comes up against us.’ Sheol beneath is stirred up to meet you when you come; it rouses the shades to greet you, all who were leaders of the earth; it raises from their thrones all who were kings of the nations. All of them will answer and say to you: ‘You too have become as weak as we! You have become like us!’ Your pomp is brought down to Sheol, the sound of your harps; maggots are laid as a bed beneath you, and worms are your covers. How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit." (Isaiah 14:4-15, ESV)

After leaving Armstrong's Worldwide Church of God, the first thing that struck me about this passage was the fact that he had only used part of the passage. There are clear references within this passage to the DEATH of the person/entity being discussed. This, however, did NOT fit with Armstrong's narrative about an indestructible, immortal Satan! His solution to this glaring contradiction? Those parts of the passage only apply to the human king of Babylon! NO, sorry Mr. Armstrong, this passage clearly speaks of the ultimate and utter defeat and END of Satan! Moreover, it makes sense that the God who created this being would be able to destroy him. After all, we read in Scripture that only God has immortality (I Timothy 6:16)! Now, from what is revealed elsewhere in Scripture, it appears that angels have the ability to exist indefinitely. Even so, as created beings, they exist at the pleasure of their Creator!

In similar fashion, that passage from the book of Ezekiel reveals much more than Herbert Armstrong was willing to admit. After talking at some length about the "Prince of Tyre," the narrative changes to a discussion about the "King of Tyre" (Ezekiel 28:1-12). We read there: "You were the signet of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle; and crafted in gold were your settings and your engravings. On the day that you were created they were prepared. You were an anointed guardian cherub. I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God; in the midst of the stones of fire you walked. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, till unrighteousness was found in you. In the abundance of your trade you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned; so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God, and I destroyed you, O guardian cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I exposed you before kings, to feast their eyes on you. By the multitude of your iniquities, in the unrighteousness of your trade you profaned your sanctuaries; so I brought fire out from your midst; it consumed you, and I turned you to ashes on the earth in the sight of all who saw you. All who know you among the peoples are appalled at you; you have come to a dreadful end and shall be no more forever." (Ezekiel 28:12-19, ESV) Now, that is plain language about Satan's fate! Moreover, as we will shortly demonstrate, it is entirely consistent with what is revealed on that subject in the New Testament!

In the New Testament, the temptation of Jesus Christ by Satan the Devil is mentioned in three of the Gospel narratives (Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:12-13, and Luke 4:1-13). Simply put, Jesus successfully rebutted three temptations put forward by Satan, and then commanded him to leave! Interestingly, both Jesus and Satan cited Scripture in their conversation with each other. Of course, Satan was twisting/perverting the text, and Christ was using it to refute Satan! Nevertheless, after reading these narratives, we have the clear sense that Satan gave it his best shot, and Christ didn't even flinch! In other words, Christ clearly defeated Satan.

Moreover, all four of the Gospel narratives portray Christ and his disciples as having complete authority over Satan's demonic kingdom. We find them casting out demons from possessed and afflicted people on numerous occasions in those writings. Indeed, at one point, after having been sent out to preach Christ's message, we read: "The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, 'Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!' And he said to them, 'I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." (Luke 10:17-20, ESV) Clearly, Christ was portrayed here and elsewhere as having full authority over Satan and his demons.

On another occasion, Christ was accused of casting out demons because Satan had granted him that authority (Luke 11:14-15). Christ, however, quickly pointed out just how absurd such a notion was. He said: "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls. And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore, they will be your judges. But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe; but when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoil." (Luke 11:17-22, ESV) In other words, God and Christ were clearly stronger entities than Satan! Satan and his minions were in subjection to them, NOT the other way around!

On another occasion, after reprimanding the Jews for NOT following the example of obedience to God that Abraham had set for them, Jesus said: "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies." (John 8:42-44, ESV) He was reminding them that Satan is a liar - that he had lied to their ancestors, Adam and Eve. Satan's only power was to lie and deceive and to cause hurt and harm. Indeed, later, in that same Gospel account, we are told that Satan influenced one of Christ's disciples to betray him (John 13:27, ESV)!

Now, from the other writings that make up the New Testament, it is also clear that Christ's apostles had the same perspective on Satan. We read in the book of Acts that Peter believed that Satan had inspired Ananias and his wife to lie about their contribution to the Church (Acts 5:3). And, just as in the story of Job, it appears that Paul felt that Satan was a tool that could be used to procure a positive spiritual outcome (I Corinthians 5:5). Even so, it is also clear that Paul understood Satan's power to deceive (I Corinthians 7:5, II Corinthians 2:11, 4:4, 11:14, Ephesians 2:2, II Thessalonians 2:9). In his own epistle, Peter warned Christians to "Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour..." (I Peter 5:8, ESV). Even so, he went on to reassure his audience that they would have the ultimate victory through Christ (I Peter 5:9-11).

Now, fortunately for us, someone in the First Century decided to write down some very important things about the Chistian perspective on the Hebrew Bible. For our purposes, the most important things revealed in that book have to do with the Angelic realm, and what Christ accomplished for us relative to Satan the Devil. In the first chapter of that epistle, it is revealed that Christ fulfills a role in God's plans that is vastly superior to the one played by angels. Indeed, their part is summed up nicely in the final verse of the chapter. Speaking about angels, we read: "Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?" (Hebrews 1:14, ESV)

Contrary to Mr. Armstrong's teachings in The Incredible Human Potential and Mystery of the Ages, in the second chapter of this epistle, we read: "For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking." (Hebrews 2:5, ESV) The author goes on to reveal that humankind was tagged by God to inherit that "world to come" (Hebrews 2:6-10, ESV). Then, finally, we come to the critical passage: "Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might DESTROY the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery." (Hebrews 2:14-15, ESV) Did you catch that? Christ shared in our flesh and blood to redeem us from the penalty for sin, death! Moreover, it is made very clear that he intended to accomplish that by destroying the one whose deception had prompted so many of us to sin!

Then, in chapters eight, nine and ten of this epistle, the anonymous author compares the High Priest of the Old Covenant with Jesus Christ as the High Priest of the New Covenant. For us, the critical part of this narrative is found in the ninth-and tenth-chapter's depiction of the symbolism surrounding the Day of Atonement. In this passage, we learn that the High Priest of the Old Covenant needed props in the form of some animal sacrifices and two goats. Unlike Christ, the human priest could not supply his own blood for the sins of the people, and he could not carry the peoples sins away from the camp. Moreover, rather than performing this ritual once each year, we are told that Christ permanently fulfilled its symbolism. We read: "For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him." (Hebrews 9:24-28, ESV)

Continuing the thought, in the next chapter, we read: "For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? But in these sacrifices, there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins." (Hebrews 10:1-4, ESV) The thought concluded with this: "And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering, he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified." (Hebrews 10:11-14, ESV)

Unfortunately, in this instance, Herbert Armstrong ignored his own axiom to let the Bible interpret itself. Mr. Armstrong taught that the second goat, the goat of removal, represented Satan the Devil! Ignoring this passage, and all of the other Scriptures pertinent to understanding the symbolism of the ceremony outlined in Leviticus 16, Herbert believed that Satan was ultimately responsible for ALL of the sins that had ever been committed, and that it was consequently just to place all of those sins back on his head.

Of course, he wouldn't have believed that if he'd employed a passage from Ezekiel in his understanding of this ritual. We read there: "The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself." (Ezekiel 18:20, ESV) In other words, "the devil made me do it" isn't going to cut it on judgment day! In short, we should all understand that God laid all of our iniquity on Jesus Christ (Isaiah 53:6), and that he was the ONE designated to take away the sins of the world (John 1:29).

Interestingly, it is the book of Revelation that ties the scriptural narrative about Satan the Devil together (Genesis-Revelation). Indeed, in the twelfth chapter of that book, we find a historical narrative that outlines Satan's role in deceiving humankind and in trying to thwart God's plans. It's there that we find one of Mr. Armstrong's favorite passages: "And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him." (Revelation 12:9, ESV) Also, consistent with what is revealed about him in the Old Testament, we read in this chapter that Satan is the one who accuses Christians (Revelation 12:10). Notice too, that Christians are said to have conquered this entity through the blood of Christ (Revelation 12:11). Then, we read: "But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!" (Revelation 12:12, ESV)

The following chapters outline Satan's role in inspiring and supporting the "Beast" and "Babylon" which are symbolic of human governance of this earth. Then, finally, in the twentieth chapter of this book, we come to the END of Satan's story (Revelation 20:1-10). Notice too, that his fate is NOT to have our sins placed on his head and to wander in the wilderness! Initially, he is bound with a "chain" and imprisoned in a "bottomless pit" (Revelation 20:1-3). Finally, when the thousand-year reign of Christ and his saints is finished, we are told that the Devil is released for a brief period and is, once again, allowed to deceive humanity (Revelation 20:7-8).

Satan's ultimate fate? We read that: "the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur" (Revelation 20:10) Remember too, that Christ had said that this everlasting fire had been prepared for the Devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41). Moreover, a little later, in this same passage from Revelation, we read: "Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire." (Revelation 20:13, ESV) I don't know about you, but that sure sounds eternal and final to me!

Hence, we see that Christ has already gained the victory over Satan and the death which he introduced into the world. Satan's doom is a forgone conclusion. Throughout history, he has only been permitted to do those things which God has allowed him to do. Moreover, it is apparent that God has used Satan to further his own plans to save humanity and give us eternal life with him! In other words, Satan is clearly NOT all that!