Introduction
    Satan in the Hebrew language is hashatan (meaning, the adversary). He was a beautiful angelic cherub, said to be the one who had covered the holy mountain of Yahweh. But now, is the ruler of this world; an accuser of the brethren and an enemy of Yahweh and Yahshua.

Satan, before the Garden of Eden
   Originally named in Hebrew “helel,” meaning, “son/bringer of dawn/light” (Latin: lucifer), we read the following.
   How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning (helel), son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, you who have weakened the nations! But you said in your heart, “I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of Elohim, and I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol, to the recesses of the pit, Isaiah 14:12-15. (The New American Standard Bible is used throughout).
   Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre and say to him, “Thus says the Sovereign Yahweh, ‘You had the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of Elohim; every precious stone was your covering: the ruby, the topaz and the diamond; The beryl, the onyx and the jasper; the lapis lazuli, the turquoise and the emerald; and the gold, the workmanship of your settings and sockets, was in you. On the day that you were created they were prepared. You were the anointed cherub who covers, and I placed you [there]. You were on the holy mountain of Elohim; you walked in the midst of the stones of fire. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created until unrighteousness was found in you,’” Ezekiel 28:12-15
   This is a figurative representation given in Scripture for Satan. The king of Babylon is mentioned in verse 4, an allegory for Satan. The anointed cherub is a covering over the throne of Yahweh. That is how some have pictured Satan before his fall. Now, he’s pictured as a serpent and dragon.

The Serpent
   Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which Yahweh Elohim had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has Elohim said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” Genesis 3:1.
   Craftiness is Satan’s scheme of which we must not be ignorant (2 Cor. 2:11). For he uses things in the world to distract and ultimately, to kill us.
   Satan will use, even ministers of apostasy to deceive people, alleging the Messiah came to do away with Yahweh’s eternal laws. Read our studies on Why Biblical Law? and Why Grace Leads to Obedience.
   But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of [devotion] to Messiah. For if one comes and preaches another Yahshua whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different evangel which you have not accepted, you bear [this] beautifully, 2 Corinthians 11:3-4.
   Bearing it beautifully is a sarcastic way of saying they seemed not to care that they were walking in error. To go against Yahweh’s instructions is to miss the point that devotion to the Son, is devotion to the Father. John 17:21-23 declares that Yahweh and Yahshua are One in goals, purpose, and actions. None will teach anything contrary to His Word if they are devoted to the Messiah, Whom they will honor for His sacrifice, which has saved them from the penalty of sin. On the other hand, devotion to this world, i.e., to our flesh, is certain death.

The Dragon
    Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, Revelation 20:1-2.
   John believed the devil is real and Paul, too (2 Corinthians 11:3) in his account of what occurred in Genesis 3:1-6. But now, and before Satan is removed, he opposes us and tries to return us back to the vomit and mire of our past and subsequently, death.
   With his removal, Messiah will reign for 1,000 years on the earth. It will be a time of peace and prosperity, without Satan’s presence exercising subtlety and cunning craftiness to distract and draw people away to work unrighteousness.

The Coming Kingdom and Judgments
   “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. And 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; and he will put the sheep on His right and the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right, “Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” … 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,” Matthew 25:31-34, 41.
   This agrees with the Master’s earlier discourse on the ten virgins, five wise and five foolish, and his parable of the distribution of the talents.
   While we may not completely understand the timing of His judgment, we do understand that at the second resurrection, the books will be opened, and some will be judged and cast into the lake of fire. Lawlessness will not be tolerated in the Kingdom as in this world. No one gets away with anything. What a person sows, he will reap.
   Therefore, judgment is not measured until the Master comes, when He will bring to light things hidden in darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts. Then, each man’s praise will come to him from Yahweh, as it says in 1 Corinthians 4:5. Here, Paul confirms that there will be judgment when Yahshua returns.

Satan Opposes Brethren
   In Job, chapter 1, we read that Yahweh initiates a conversation with Satan who had come among the sons of Elohim who were going before Yahweh. Yahweh said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing Elohim and turning away from evil,” Job 1:8.
   We can imagine that Yahweh was like a happy father at that moment and showed Satan that man could do well if he wanted to.
   Subsequently, Yahweh delivered to Satan all that Job had, and he was allowed to bring injury to Job’s substance. This prince of the power of the air even inflicted the loss of Job’s children. Yet, through all this misfortune, Job kept his integrity and didn’t sin.
   At first, in chapter 1, Yahweh withheld Job’s person from the devil’s wiles. In the second chapter, the sons of Elohim with Satan among them, again presented themselves before Yahweh. This time, however, the conversation between Yahweh and Satan took a different turn. Read our study on Who are the Son’s of Elohim?
   Satan is an adversarial accuser. In his second exchange with Yahweh, Satan answered Yahweh and said, “Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. However, put forth Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh; he will curse You to Your face.” So Yahweh said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your power, only spare his life,” Job 2:4-6. Such confidence Yahweh had in this blameless and upright man, Job.
   We could also call the devil a troublemaker when he moved King David to count Israel.
   Then Satan stood up against Israel and moved David to number Israel. So David said to Joab and to the princes of the people, “Go, number Israel from Beersheba even to Dan, and bring me [word] that I may know their number.” Joab said, “May Yahweh add to His people a hundred times as many as they are! But, my master the king, are they not all my master’s servants? Why does my master seek this thing? Why should he be a cause of guilt to Israel?” 1 Chronicles 21:1–3.
   David’s fleshly pride prompted this taking of a census. Pride can move us, too, if we allow it. David’s proceeding in this undertaking met with grave consequences as the account reveals (1 Chron. 21:11-15).
   The Apostle Peter, reveling in the Master’s commendation of His recognition of Him as the Son of Yahweh, afterward was chastised for his challenging the Master’s foretelling the disciples the cause for which He had come into the world. Rebuking Peter, Yahshua told him, “Get behind Me, Satan; for you are not setting your mind on Elohim’s interests, but man’s” (Mark 8: 33b).
Satan was also said to have bound a woman for eighteen years, which may also be a Hebrew idiom (Luke 13:16).
   The Apostle Paul was hindered by Satan, as well, though we are not told how. To the Assembly at Thessaly, Paul wrote, For we wanted to come to you – I, Paul, more than once – and Satan hindered us, 1 Thessalonians 2:18.
   Moreover, to the Assembly at Corinth, he wrote:
   And because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me – to keep me from exalting myself, 2 Corinthians 12:7.
   While “messenger of Satan” is more of an idiomatic phrase, it also confirms Paul knew that there is an evil personage called Satan the devil (Greek diabolus, meaning accuser).
   Satan, more often than not, figures in the problems we experience in this life. However, we can choose to walk a better path, even if we are physically hindered. Remember Job?
   Paul admonishes Timothy that none should be soon set as an elder after conversion, saying,
   [And] not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil, 1 Timothy 3:6.
   In wildlife, predators seek after the young and weak. Satan, too, is a predator, seeking new converts but who over time, become more robust in their faith and less likely to fall into Satan’s trap.

Overcoming Pride
    But He gives a greater grace. Therefore [it] says, “ELOHIM IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.” Submit therefore to Elohim. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to Elohim and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded, James 4:6-8.
   The key is maintaining a humble heart-attitude that submits to Yahweh’s will. Humility and submission to Yahweh’s will enables us to resist Satan’s influence. Of course, knowing His Word, relying on His Spirit and not leaning upon our own understanding, are imperative (Prov. 3:5).
   Pride may have been our past, but it shouldn’t be our present.
   And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest, Ephesians 2:1-3. Being a humble son of obedience is the opposite of being a son of disobedience.
   Satan, the prince of the power of the air, is also a spirit which has the ability to influence spiritually. Of interest is that the word spirit, often translated ruach in the Hebrew or pneuma in the Greek, means life or being, or representing the mind or essence of a person – essentially the attitude that one conveys.
   And He sent messengers on ahead of Him, and they went and entered a village of the Samaritans to make arrangements for Him. But they did not receive Him, because He was traveling toward Jerusalem. When His disciples James and John saw [this], they said, “Master, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” But He turned and rebuked them, and said, “You do not know what kind of spirit (pneuma) you are of; for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.” And they went on to another village, Luke 9:52-56.
   In this case, pneuma or spirit is likened to the spirit or heart-attitude of someone. It could have just as well been said, “you don’t know whose spirit you’re emulating.” That heart-attitude or spirit is subtle, and proceeds from Satan and his demonic forces.
   For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world [forces] of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly [places], Ephesians 6:12.
   Knowing these things, and the other truths of Yahweh’s Word, and what the Messiah had done for us – that is, destroying the works of the devil (1 John 3:8) – helps us to stand firm and overcome pride or anything else that exalts itself before Yahweh.
   The Apostle John in 1 John 2:13-14 says, I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him Who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I have written to you, children, because you know the Father. I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him Who has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the Word of Elohim abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.
   Encouraging words of affirmation. We can all use encouragement at times because Satan doesn’t rest, and his influence is prevalent in the world.

Satan’s Attributes
   As we’ve already seen, Satan is subtle and cleverly deceitful, and furious, knowing his end is coming. Before the end, however, there will be all sorts of satanic signs and false wonders manifested by the anti-Messiah (2 Thess. 2:9-10). Other areas of Scripture give us more insight, as well, so we need not be ignorant of his schemes (2 Cor. 2:11). For this reason, we must know the True Messiah, so we can identify the false one.
   Be of sober [spirit], be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour, 1 Peter 5:8.
   Just as in the book of Job (Job 1:7), Satan roams around to and fro, just like a lion seeking prey. He has ministers, appearing righteous (2 Cor. 11:15) but are far from righteous, as Yahshua pointed out when He dealt with them.
   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.
   These were hard words, but He knew their hearts, by the fruit of their lives (Matt. 7:16, 23:13-15). They were submitting not to Yahweh’s Spirit but rather to Satan’s spirit and influence.
   They, with their father, Satan, pervert Scripture. Even today, false ministers, who knowingly steal and lie, are without excuse. Others who are ignorantly caught up in the lies of Satan will hopefully repent when confronted with the truth.
In Matthew, chapter four, we read the account of Yahshua being tempted by Satan.
   And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of Elohim, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF YAHWEH’.” Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of Elohim, throw Yourself down; for it is written, ‘HE WILL COMMAND HIS ANGELS CONCERNING YOU’; and ‘ON [their] HANDS THEY WILL BEAR YOU UP, SO THAT YOU WILL NOT STRIKE YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE’.” Yahshua said to him, “On the other hand, it is written, ‘YOU SHALL NOT PUT YAHWEH YOUR ELOHIM TO THE TEST’.” Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.” Then Yahshua said to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘YOU SHALL WORSHIP YAHWEH YOUR ELOHIM, AND SERVE HIM ONLY’.” Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and [began] to minister to Him, Matthew 4:3-11.
   Satan knows Scripture, too, but Yahshua rightly divides it.
   In the parable of the wheat and tares, Satan is identified as the enemy.
   Yahshua presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away. But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’ The slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’ But he said, ‘No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn’,” Matthew 13:24-30.
   Yahshua, to Whom all judgment is committed, may be thought as the landlord and the tares, the planting of Satan. But in the end, at the harvest, the tares will be uprooted and burned … before, the wheat is brought into the barn.

The Armor of Yahweh
   What can we do besides maintain humility and nurture a close relationship with Yahweh? The answer is to put on the armor of Yahweh.
   The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of Light. Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Master Yahshua Messiah, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to [its] lusts, Romans 13:12-14.
   The world offers many provisions for mankind’s lusts, the end of which is death. But being in the Light of Yahweh and loving Him provides an excellent reward for the future (Isa. 64:4, 65:17; 1 Cor. 2:9).
   But since we are of [the] day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation. For Elohim has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Master Yahshua Messiah, 1 Thessalonians 5:8-9.
   Here, we begin to gather information about the armor of Yahweh – the breastplate of faith and love that covers and protects the heart … not only the front but the back, as well. This breastplate was a standard issue for Roman soldiers in Paul’s day, and here, the Apostle metaphorically relates this physical armor to the spiritual. We can be thankful for the Messiah, the Author and Perfecter of our faith.
   The helmet here is related to the hope of salvation, which covers and protects our minds.
Ephesians 6:13-17 details others parts of the armor.
   Therefore, take up the full armor of Elohim, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE EVANGEL OF PEACE; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil [one]. And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of Elohim, Ephesians 6:13-17.
   The belt is likened to the truth, which holds things in place. The breastplate is described as righteousness that includes loving Him and keeping His commandments (John 14:21, 23).
   Any soldier will have a good pair of shoes – or in the case of the Middle East, in the 1st century, a good pair of sandals – useful for taking the Good News to mankind. The Good News is that through the Messiah, peace and reconciliation can be achieved between our heavenly Father and us (Isa. 52:7; 2 Cor. 5:18).
   The sword represents the Word of Yahweh, “living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Heb. 4:12). In wartime – and we are set at war “against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12) – the sword is considered both a defensive and offensive weapon. And no good soldier would allow his sword to become dull. So, for us, studying the Word of Yahweh is necessary both to keep sharp and to know how and when to use it.

In Conclusion
   Knowing our enemy, and, alternately, knowing our Savior, will benefit us both now, and in the end. Satan is crafty, ruling the world and whom, we must steadfastly resist in the faith. We are not to let down our guard, but we are to walk circumspectly (Eph. 5:15). We are to walk, not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit of Yahweh (Rom. 8:4).
   The Messiah gave His life for us to overcome Satan’s destructive ways. Satan wants nothing more than for us to forsake the Truth and walk away. But we must not do that because we have victory in Yahshua, the Salvation of Yahweh.
   Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Yahshua, the Author and Perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the stake, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of Elohim. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart, Hebrews 12:1-3.
   Yahshua endured hostility from sinners, just as we do. But now we know who is behind that hostility. We now know who our enemy truly is.