A common concept is that ‘good’ and ‘evil’ are equal and opposite forces continually warring for dominance – God vs Devil. Is this a truism? As anyone involved in conflict is aware, “know your enemy!”. So, what do we know about this ‘evil’ being?
In terms of the Abrahamic religions, the name commonly used is ‘Satan’, or ‘The Devil’ and often instils fear into the hearts of people. The name Satan is not the entity’s name, but a descriptive title of its prime activity. For the term ‘satan’ is derived from Middle English, from Old English, from Late Latin Satān, from Greek Satanas, Satān, from Hebrew śāṭān, devil, adversary, from śāṭan, to accuse, act as adversary (American Heritage® Dictionary). The other primary term used is ‘Devil’ and comes to us via Old English dēofol, from Latin diabolus, from Greek diabolos enemy, accuser, slanderer, from diaballein, literally: to throw across, hence, to slander. But where did this description of its being an accuser originate, and how does it affect us?
The first and second chapters of the Book of Job describe how Satan roamed to and fro across the earth, reporting back to God. Eventually this ‘angel’ (as in ‘spiritual messenger’) began accusing Job of only worshipping God because of God’s benevolence, and was then given authority to remove those blessings from Job’s life. But the story of Satan’s accusatory nature goes back further, for we find in Genesis chapter 3 that he accuses God of being a liar. Regrettably Adam and Eve believed the Lie and we have suffered ever since. In case you’re not familiar with Satan being the Serpent or Dragon, Revelation 12:9-10 clarifies the terms, “So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, ‘Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down’”. Ezekiel 28:13 also places Satan in the Garden, and paints a picture of him as being magnificently adorned and generously equipped for his heavenly duty. The verse also clearly states that he was ‘created’, and is therefore not equal to God.
Isaiah 14:12-15 relates how this majestic creature fell from his position of being the leader of many angels worshipping God to being a leader of rebels cast out of heaven. Some translations refer to him in these verses as Lucifer, again not his name but a title which describes his shining position in heaven and can also be interpreted as ‘Day Star, son of the morning’. [Day Star is usually equated with the planet Venus, a celestial body which shines only with the reflected light from the sun, and is not to be confused with the Morning Star which is the true star that brings light to a new day and thus Morning Star is another title of Jesus (Rev 22:16).] At this time we do not know his true name, but over the centuries and from many differing cultures, he has been called by many names, including: Azazel, Old Nick, Beelzebub, Baphomet and Mephistopheles, with various physical descriptions including horns and cloven hooves instead of feet (based on the mythological god Pan / Faunus).
