A Brief History of Satan

What is Satan? Usually we think of Satan as a spiritual person who is opposed to God. However, when Scripture speaks of Satan, it is mostly speaking of a spiritual realm that hates and attacks humanity. Here is a summary of the history of the Satanic realm, in its murder of humanity and its rejection of God’s mercy.

1. Creation by God
In addition to the physical universe, God created spiritual beings who ruled and helped create the physical realm. God created every individual within the Satanic realm—all of them spirits submitted to Him. He did not create rebellion, but He allowed for there to be disagreement and, ultimately, rebellion. Genesis 1:26; Ezekiel 28:12-19

2. Yahweh’s battle with Leviathan
Leviathan, a dragon in the heavenly realms, took over the earth and flooded it with the Sea, a physical power with a spiritual power behind it. Yahweh God battled the dragon and defeated him. God creates hell for the rebellious spirits, but causes Leviathan to be submitted to Him. Psalm 74:12-17

3. Six-day creation
God re-created the earth in the aftermath of his battle with Leviathan, punishing the water by dividing it between the heavens and the earth, and dividing it on the earth by raising up land again. God placed heavenly powers over the sun and moon and stars to rule over realms of day and night. And God all things to be submitted under his rule. Genesis 1

4. Creation of humanity
At the apex of his creation, God made humanity—not of the spiritual realm, but of the earth—and gave him rule over the creatures of the earth and air. Many in the spiritual world resented God’s choice of ruler, and determined to destroy humanity and take over the rule of the earth. Genesis 1:26-3:6

5. Serpent’s thwarting of humanity’s rule
God told humanity not to seek personal knowledge of good and evil or else they would die. The serpent, a representative of Leviathan, tricked the humans to disobey God. As their judgement, humanity was exiled out of paradise and placed under the power of Death, which had the right to judge them. Meanwhile, the serpent was also punished for his part in the rebellion. Genesis 3

6. Establishment of Satan
To judge humanity with equity, God established a prosecution to accuse humanity when they sinned, while God acted as both judge and defender. This system for accusation is headed by Satan (Hebrew for “accuser”), who acts as both prosecution and the one who is in charge of finishing out the sentence. Satan established a network of “evil spirits” (a full third of the spiritual powers) to lie and tempt humanity to sin (like the serpent), and when they fall, he accuses them to God, who must sentence them. Once they are sentenced, Satan judges and then kills them through his servant, death. Thus, Satan is a servant of God with his own agenda. Job 1-2; Hebrews 2:14; Revelation 12

7. Sons of God and Daughters of Men
Some spiritual powers married human women who bore giants and violent men. This increased murder in the human realm, until it was so unrighteous that it could not be borne by the spiritual powers. Genesis 6

8. Flood
God was forced to judge all of humanity—except Noah—and so destroyed them with the Sea that he placed under His submission at creation. God then re-created the world again under humanity’s rule. Genesis 6-9

9. Division of the nations
In order to force humanity to obey God’s rule to spread over the earth, the spiritual powers confused the languages of humanity, and caused them to be divided into nations. Spiritual powers were then placed over each nation as rulers. Genesis 11; Deuteronomy 32:8 (LXX)

10. The development of idolatry
The spiritual powers revealed themselves to each nation. Each nation, desiring the favor of their own spiritual power, began worshiping their power side by side of the Most High God. They also did acts that were appalling to the spiritual powers—at which point the nation was judged by their power.

11. Yahweh’s choice
Yahweh, the Most High God, chose Abraham to develop his own nation—Israel— who would worship and honor and depend on Yahweh alone and not any other of the spiritual powers. Genesis 12; Deuteronomy 4:37

12. Exodus of Israel
Yahweh delivered his nation, Israel, from the oppression of Pharaoh in Egypt. Yahweh judged Pharaoh through the judging spiritual powers, including the Destroyer (who killed the firstborn) and the Sea (who destroyed Pharaoh’s army). Exodus 13-15

13. The Thwarting of Israel
The Satanic powers did not want a remnant of humanity reserved for obeying and worshipping Yahweh without judgement. So they caused their surrounding, corrupt nations to tempt the people of Israel into idolatry and sexual abominations. This caused Israel to be judged by Yahweh again and again. Numbers, Judges

14. Judgement of Israel via nations
When Israel became just like the other nations in its idolatry, oppression of the poor and immorality, then Yahweh allowed Israel to be judged by nations under control of Satanic powers—Assyria and Babylon. These nations were punished by Yahweh for their unjust violence in punishing God’s people. II Kings 17; 24-25; Habakkuk 1-2

15. The use of the Law to maximize death in Israel
Israel (now called Judah) continued as a nation, and depended on Yahweh’s law more than ever. However, Satan caused teachers and priests within Israel to apply the law so specifically that it meant no one could follow the Law without breaking it. Because the Law itself taught that everyone who broke the Law would die, Satan captured everyone under the Law and condemned them to be placed under the power of Death. Romans 7

16. Satanic Takeover of the Priesthood and Sanhedrin
The rulers of Israel, the priests and the body of elders (called the Sanhedrin) became focused on maintaining their power under powerful rulers such as Herod the Great and the Romans. This caused them to compromise with these Satanic nations, being under their authority, rather than focusing on what Yahweh granted them. John 8, Mark 12:38-40

17. Declaration and Testing of Jesus
Yahweh declared to all the spirit world that Jesus was his Son, the ruler of Israel. Hearing this, Satan tested Jesus in the wilderness to cause him to fall from his faithfulness to Yahweh. Jesus answered Satan with God’s word, remaining faithful to God. Matthew 4.

18. Attack of Satan by Jesus and followers
Jesus attacked the realm of Satan through exiling his evil spirits of judgement out of Israel. Jesus also gave his apostles the authority to attack the Satanic realm in this way. Mark 1; Luke 10

19. Death of Jesus through Sanhedrin
The Sanhedrin, under the rule of the High Priest, desired their own power as opposed to God’s rule through His appointed Ruler. They had Jesus killed, under the direction of evil spirits. Mark 12, 14-15

20. Defeat of Sanhedrin and priesthood through resurrection
On the third day, the Most High God judged Jesus and declared him innocent, providing power to his pronouncement by raising him from the dead. This overturned the Sanhedrin’s decision and declared them to be in opposition to God. Acts 2, 3

21. Jesus’ defeat of Death
Jesus opened up a way for people to be freed from judgment and Death. Everyone who commits themselves to Jesus participates in Jesus’ death, and so is no longer subject to judgment. Jesus gathers these people into his kingdom, to live according to His law, and they are no longer subject to the Satanic realm. Romans 5-8

22. Satan thrown from Heaven
Because of Satan’s part in killing Jesus, he was declared unrighteous and unfit for heaven. So he was thrown to earth by Michael and the army of God. However, Satan used (and uses) his power to corrupt the nations under his control and to cause them to persecute God’s people. Revelation 12

23. Jesus declared the Father’s “right hand man”
Because of his willingness to die for God’s will, Jesus was declared the ruler of God’s people beside the Father Himself. Jesus rules over his people who are faithful to him, and they have authority to attack Satan and not to live under his authority, for they are under Jesus. Matthew 28:18; Hebrews 1:3-4

24. Attack of Satanic Realm by Apostles
Jesus’ people on earth spoke against the Sanhedrin and the priesthood by declaring Jesus to be raised from the dead. The Sanhedrin and priests persecuted Jesus’ people, but they grew and remained strong, attacking evil spirits wherever they judged people of faith. Acts 3-5

25. Destruction of the Priesthood
After forty years, the priesthood—which was Satan’s tool on earth—was destroyed, due to their killing of Jesus and lack of repentance. Satan then used the Romans to attack Jesus’ people.

26. Satan’s attack of the church
Satan attacks the church today. First by causing parts of the church to be corrupted by false teaching, so that the bulk of the church uses Satanic punishment to attack them. Secondly, Satan oppresses Jesus’ people to be disobedient to Jesus’ law, thus causing them to be judged and placed under Death again. They could be freed of Satan, if they would use their authority, but Satan has made them forget the authority they had. Revelation 12

27. Development and worship of the Beast
Satan will test the world by raising up a man who would rule the world. He will demand to be worshipped as God, and those who do not worship him will be severely punished, especially those faithful to Jesus. Revelation 13

28. Jesus’ return
Jesus will return to earth to halt this organized, world-wide persecution of his people, and will destroy all the persecutors. From this point on, Jesus will rule over the nations, setting aside all other spiritual powers. And idolatry will be no more. Revelation 19.

29. Satan’s capture
Satan will be held in limbo for a thousand years, while Jesus rules the earth. Revelation 20.

30. Satan’s ultimate defeat
At the beginning of the final age, Satan and Death will be thrown into Hell, that God made in the beginning. The Sea will be no more and humanity will not be punished anymore. Revelation 21-22