Bible Questions and Answers

What is the meaning of Satan in New Testament? Does it refer to an evil being working against God's purposes?

Satan comes from a Hebrew word meaning ‘adversary’. An adversary can take different forms. What we don’t find in the Bible is the myth of a fallen angel who is an adversary to God.

The only adversary to God is mankind. The Bible explains that evil comes from within us. The reason for this is that we were created with freewill and can choose to do good or to do evil.

The flood came because of humanity’s wickedness. Genesis 6:5; Jeremiah 17:9; Mark 7:18-23; James 1:13-15

The angel who acts as a ‘satan’ to Job is an adversary to Job, not to God. He obeys God explicitly. The adversary puts Job’s integrity to the test but does not tempt Job to sin.

God sends an angel to be a ‘satan’ to Balaam. Numbers 22: 22

God himself acts as a ‘satan’ to move David to number Israel. This we find by comparing the accounts of this incident in 2 Samuel and 1 Chronicles. 2 Samuel 24:1; 1 Chronicles 21:1

When Jesus was tempted of Satan in the wilderness, the ‘satan’ was his own desires. Would he do things God’s way or his own way? Jesus was tempted in exactly the same way that we are – do we do things God’s way or our own way? We are never tempted to sin by a ‘fallen angel’ and neither was Jesus. Hebrews 4:15

The ‘satan’ that needs defeating is within us, not external to us. When it says that Satan ‘entered into’ Judas Iscariot, it means that Judas made up his mind to go through with the betrayal. When Paul writes of delivering Hymenaeus and Alexander to Satan he means that he has excommunicated them. 1 Timothy 1:20

We cannot understand that Paul had an arrangement with a fallen angel whereby the latter would teach men not to blaspheme. He is clearly using a figure of speech.

When the kingdom of God is established on the earth Satan will be bound in the bottomless pit for 1000 years. This means that the evil which resides within man will be completely restrained. Bottomless pit = a state of non-existence. With immortal rulers who can read minds and intentions there will be no hiding place for any kind of sinfulness or criminality.

At the end of this time the restraint will be relaxed for a final showdown with mankind. The rebels will be destroyed. The final judgment will take place, the wicked will perish forever and the faithful, endued with the divine nature, will inhabit the earth forever. God will live in and with his people and his purpose will come to fruition. Numbers 14:21

Finally, the faithful are promised equality with the angels. Luke 20:35,36 If angels can sin and rebel, we will be no better off than we are now, and the promise of eternal life would be a sham.

I hope this helps,

<>God bless.
Glenn