Lucifer: Created, Fallen, Defeated

Question 29: Revelation 20:2 says, “And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years.” Devil & Satan? Are they 2 separate creatures? Why 2 names?

That's a good question because Revelation 20:2 uses several different names in a single verse. If we are not careful, we might assume John is talking about multiple beings rather than one individual.

Let's begin by looking carefully at the verse itself:

Notice that John does not say, "the Devil and another creature called Satan." Instead, he uses a series of titles to identify the same being. In fact, Revelation 12:9 uses nearly identical language:

One way to understand God's authority over Satan is to think about raising children. When my children were young, they were allowed to play in the yard. Within those boundaries, they had the freedom to make many decisions on their own. However, that freedom did not mean they had permission to do whatever they wanted. They were not allowed to fight with one another, call each other names, or throw rocks through the neighbors' windows.

In a similar way, Satan operates within boundaries established by God. The fact that God permits Satan to act does not mean God approves of everything Satan does. Satan remains responsible for his actions just as children remain responsible for theirs.

The book of Job demonstrates this principle. God established limits that Satan could not cross (Job 1:12; 2:6). Satan acted within those limits, but God never approved of Satan's evil intentions. Satan desired to…

The Bible clearly teaches that angels can engage in conflict. We see this in Daniel 10, where an angel was opposed by the "prince of the kingdom of Persia" for twenty-one days until Michael came to help him (Daniel 10:13). We also see warfare in heaven in Revelation 12:7-9, where Michael and his angels fight against Satan and his angels. These passages demonstrate that angelic beings can engage in real spiritual conflict.

What Scripture does not tell us is whether angels can be physically wounded as humans are. The Bible never describes an angel bleeding, suffering bodily injury, or requiring healing after a battle. Since angels are spirit beings (Hebrews 1:14), the nature of angelic conflict may be very different from human warfare.

Some have suggested that because there is warfare, there must also be injury. While that may seem reasonable, Scripture simply does not say. The Bible reveals the reality…

Question 27: When we talk about God not being able to be in the presence of sin in Roman’s Road, how can God be around Satan in heaven in the book of Job?

That’s a good question because it forces us to examine something many Christians have heard all their lives.

At some point, most believers have heard someone say: “God cannot be in the presence of sin.”

The statement is usually intended to emphasize God’s holiness, and there is certainly truth behind that concern. God is absolutely holy. Sin separates people from fellowship with Him. But before we answer the question, let’s ask an important Bible study question:

Where does the Bible actually say that God cannot be in the presence of sin?

Most people are surprised when they begin looking for that verse because they discover that the Bible never states it in exactly those words.