KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE AND YOUR ENEMIES CLOSER

 

Know Your Enemy: Satan, Lucifer, Iblis

Whose side are you on?

Most of the people I have met are what I would call accidental Christians. Their parents were Presbyterian and of course they took the child to be baptized in the Presbyterian Church. He or she would have attended Sunday school for a while. And you're almost sure to see them at the Christmas service or the Easter service.

 

Over the years as both layman and as a lay pastor I have found most accidental Christians are biblically illiterate. Most people picture Satan as a red human with a tail, a pitchfork, a throne in hell, and usually horns. But that is a cartoonish Satan found in Paradise Lost and Dante's Inferno. So, with the help of Anthropic Claude I have put together the biblical understanding of our mutual enemy.

Jewish Tradition: The Tester

• Job 1–2 — Satan appears in God's council, testing Job's faith.
• His role is accuser/prosecutor, exposing weakness.
• Always under God's authority, never independent.
• No horns, no throne in hell — simply a tester.

Christian Scriptures: The Adversary

• Isaiah 14:12 — "Morning Star" (Lucifer) mocks Babylon's king, later applied to Satan's prideful fall.
• Matthew 4:1–11 — Satan tempts Jesus with bread, power, and protection.
• John 12:31; John 14:30; John 16:11 — Jesus calls him "ruler of this world."
• 2 Corinthians 4:4 — Paul names him "god of this world."
• Luke 10:18 — Jesus: "I saw Satan fall like lightning."
• Revelation 12:7–9 — Satan cast down to earth after war in heaven.
• 2 Corinthians 11:14 — Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.
• Revelation 22:16 — Jesus declares himself the true "Morning Star."

Islamic Tradition: Iblis the Tempter

• Qur'an 2:34 — Iblis refuses to bow to Adam out of pride.
• Qur'an 7:11–18 — Expelled but allowed to tempt humanity until Judgment.
• His weapon is whispering deception (waswasa).
• Not ruler of hell — destined to suffer there.
• Radiant tempter, fallen through arrogance.

The Common Thread

Across Judaism, Christianity, and Islam:

• Satan/Iblis begins as a radiant being close to God.
• Pride and rebellion cause his fall.
• His role is testing, tempting, deceiving — not ruling hell.
• His power is real but limited; ultimate authority remains with God.

Why This Matters

Because once we know our enemy we can fight back, Ephesians 6:

Put on the full armour of God so as to be able to resist the devil's tactics. For it is not against human enemies that we have to struggle, but against the principalities and the ruling forces who are masters of the darkness in this world, the spirits of evil in the heavens. That is why you must take up all God's armour, or you will not be able to put up any resistance on the evil day, or stand your ground even though you exert yourselves to the full.

This advice is undoubtedly aimed at Christians, but it travels well.  If you honestly want to create a better world this just might be the first step.

References

• Job 1–2
• Isaiah 14:12
• Matthew 4:1–11
• John 12:31
• John 14:30
• John 16:11
• 2 Corinthians 4:4
• 2 Corinthians 11:14
• Luke 10:18
• Ephesians 6:11–13 (New Jerusalem Bible)
• Revelation 12:7–9
• Revelation 22:16
• Qur'an 2:34
• Qur'an 7:11–18 

I am not here to convert you. My role is not conversion, it is to make you think. Ideally you will take the truth I've been given and share it with your faith communities.

Synagogue, temple, mosque, church? It doesn't matter what your community is, what matters is that your community understands the reality of the world we live in and finds ways to stop our headlong rush into hell. Ways that hopefully your faith community will share.