Satan in the Endtimes

Introduction

Our page on The First Prophecy explains the key story and the Endtimes Judgement of Satan. This page is an overview of Satan, the fallen Angel, and a look at his activities related to the Endtimes story.

Since so few people believe that this character called Satan (the Devil) even exists, let’s address that first. The modern culture has so divested itself (themselves) of God and the supernatural that the idea of a creature, a spirit being no less, called an Angel is far fetched. The Devil is a cartoon character and that’s where we’d like to keep him. He’s a joke, and believe me, that’s where he would like to stay in the minds of people, until all Hell breaks lose and he demands that you bow down before him – the god of this world. (2 Corinthians 4:3-4)

The Bible says so much about Angels that if they aren’t real, nothing in the Bible is real. The Devil is an Angel, and Angels are recorded interacting with people all over the Bible. If God created us, why is it so difficult to believe that he created other intelligent / personal beings? Yes they are immaterial beings, or spirit beings, but we also have spirits and/or souls. While we operate in the physical world, all religions recognize some kind of a duality between the physical and spiritual.

 

Origin

At some time during the early days of creation God created the Angels – Spirit beings. As we will see there are classes of Angels, and they are innumerable. (Revelation 5:11 – myriads of myriads)

“Let them praise the name of the LORD, For He commanded and they were created.” – Psalms 148:5
“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? … When the morning stars sang together And all the sons of God shouted for joy? ” – Job 38

We don’t know the names of many Angels except the following:

  • Michael the ArchAngel – Guardian over Israel
  • Gabriel – Another chief Angel – who stands in the presence of God, messenger from God
  • Lucifer / Satan – perhaps the highest Angel (His various names in the Bible: Satan, Devil, Serpent, Dragon, Lucifer)
  • Demons – all fallen angels (Jude 6)
  • Cherubim and Seraphim

 

Genesis 3

Genesis 3 introduces us to Satan and who he is, how he operates, and his fallen / evil nature. He is so full of himself that he calls the Holy God a liar. I will raise my throne above the stars of God.

  1. He is crafty and deceptive – disguises himself as an Angel of light. (2 Corinthians 11:14)
  2. He calls God’s motives into question with Eve – the first woman
  3. He questions God’s character – You surely will not die! (Genesis 3:4) (God is a liar)
  4. He tempts Eve with his own evil desire: the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil
  5. Adam is tempted by Eve and partakes in the sin, thus corrupting the human race
  6. All of Adam and Eve’s descendants will experience physical death

Interestingly, when Satan says they will be like God, his temptation to disobey God was also like recruiting them to his team. As Romans 5:12 says, it was through this first sin, through Adam, the progenitor and representative of the human race, that sin spread to all people. Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned. They signed on the dotted line, so to speak. They both made the choice of Joshua 24:15 – choose for yourselves today whom you will serve.

 

His Fall from Heaven

Isaiah 14 describes the fall of Satan while also referring to the king of Babylon. (Near-Far prophecy)

  1. Satan’s fall from heaven to earth (v12) – his demotion to the realm of the Earth (Jesus references it in Luke 10:18)
  2. He is involved in human affairs
  3. His objective: To ascend to heaven (in God’s place) “I will Make myself like the Most High”
  4. He will ultimately be sent to Hell

 

His Purpose 

His purpose then is clear. He is operating a spiritual and somewhat military take-over plan, (Ephesians 6:11) unfortunately aided by the people of the Earth. Adam and Eve both decided to follow Satan rather than God, whether they realized that or not. While this sounds amazing, it does answer a lot of questions about the brokenness of human beings along with the Nations, their tendency towards evil and desire to be like God. It also opens our eyes and awareness of the unseen spiritual world that is operating just under our noses.

Jesus addressing the Jewish Pharisees explains this:

You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44)

The use of father is very interesting. The spiritual children of Satan (all unbelievers) have inherited his nature and are knowingly or unknowingly working with him to execute his plan. C.S. Lewis book The Screwtape Letters comes to mind, where demons are assigned to work on and corrupt human beings in service to the Devil.

 

Our Enemy

Satan is described as our enemy in the Bible. In Matthew 13 Jesus interprets his own parable describing the Enemy in context of the Endtimes.

The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, 38 and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one; 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels. 40 So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, 42 and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

 

Satan in The Endtimes

Given the above background, the Endtimes story (the People, Places and Purpose) is getting more clarity. We already know that the Nation of Israel plays a key role in the Endtimes and will undergo judgement, and some will be saved. (to finish the transgression… make atonement)

Now, in the Book of Revelation, during the 7-Year Tribulation we see Satan, the Demons and both the AntiChrist (a man) and the False Prophet (a man) working towards the same devilish goal. (Revelation 13:4) Their end will be judgement from God, as Genesis 3:15 predicted. The culmination of the story of The First Prophecy, where Satan and his minions are judged.

 

Revelation 12-15

The pause for details of Revelation 12 describes key events in the story

  1. Israel and her Messiah
  2. The Red Dragon (Satan) who tried to kill the baby Jesus through Herod when he killed all the male Hebrew children 2-years and younger. (Matthew 2)
    1. Satan took 1/3rd of the Angels with him when he fell
  3. Christ is born to rule the Nations, but he is caught up to Heaven’s throne. (same word used for the rapture)
  4. War in Heaven with Michael the ArchAngel and Satan and Demons.
  5. Satan the Accuser and his Demons are cast out of heaven to the Earth – Probably the mid point of the Tribulation (Great Tribulation) 
  6. The Dragon persecutes Israel (Not Spiritual Israel, not the Church, but the actual Jews)

 

The Woman, Israel

A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; 2and she was with child; and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth.

The Red Dragon, Satan

3Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems. 4And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child.

War in Heaven

And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, 8and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. 9And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him

 

Judgement

Jesus judges the Devil and his angels around the time of the Sheep and Goats Judgement, after the return of Christ and just before the Millennial Kingdom. Revelation 20 has the specifics. 

Matt 25:31-33 But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. 32“All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; 33and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.

Matt 25:41 ‘Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;

Revelation 20 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. 2And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; 3and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time.

 

Conclusion

Satan is one of the central figures of the Endtimes and The Day of the Lord.

  1. Satan caused evil (sin) to enter the human race, and his activities in the Endtimes lead up to his judgement. (The First Prophecy)
  2. Satan and his activities play a big role in the events of the Tribulation. (The Antichrist, False Prophet, and the demonic world) They battle against The King of Kings.
  3. The regathered Nation of Israel is to be purged and some saved (Romans 11:25-29)
  4. Satan will again attempt to destroy God’s covenant people, the Jews, but God will hide and protect them – the remnant. (Revelation 12:5-6)
  5. The Nations are to be judged as partners of Satan. Some will be rescued with the Gospel being preached by the 144 thousand Jewish Evangelists, and the Angels preaching the Gospel.

 

Continue with the related First Prophecy page

 

Further Reading and Resources

Basic Theology – Ryrie  (Ryrie has an excellent section on Angels)