Actor Christian Bale, thanked Satan for his inspiration in playing the role for which he received the best actor award at the 2019 Golden Globe awards.  I suspect the actor meant it to be a joke, but it wasn’t funny. Evil, spiritual demonic inspiration nor Satan himself are laughing matters.

We get the word Satan from the Hebrew word for ‘accuser.’ In the Old Testament, Ha-Satan is the accuser, a member of the divine council, who challenged God and was cast down from the status of angel to that of demon.

If you don’t believe in the reality of Satan then what do you do with the encounters Jesus had with him in the desert? In John 8:42-27 Jesus not only identifies the devil as God’s enemy but as the pro-generator of those who do not believe Jesus is who He claims to be.

The word Satan appears in all three Biblical languages: Hebrew: שָׂטָן, Satan; Koine Greek: Σατανάς, Satanás; Aramaic: סטנא, Saṭänä. These words appear in I Chronicles, Job, Zechariah, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, I and II Corinthians, I and II Thessalonians, I Timothy and Revelation.

He also appears through the Scriptures by several aliases:

• Abaddon (Hebrew: Destroyer) – Revelation 9:11
• The accuser of our brethren – Revelation 12:10
  
• The adversary – 1 Peter 5:8
• The angel of the bottomless pit – Revelation 9:11
  

• Apollyon (Greek: Destroyer) – Revelation 9:11
  
• Beelzebul – Matthew 12:24; Mark 3:22; Luke 11:15
• Belial – 2 Corinthians 6:15
• The Devil – Matthew 4:1; Luke 4; Revelation 20:2
• Our common enemy – Matthew 13:39
• Evil spirit – 1 Samuel 16:14
• The father of all lies – John 8:44
• Gates of hell (Hades) – Matthew 16:18
• Great red dragon – Revelation 12:3
• The liar – John 8:44
• Lying spirit – 1 Kings 22:22
• The murderer – John 8:44
• That old serpent – Revelation 12:9; 20:2
• The dominion of darkness – Colossians 1:13
• The prince of this world – John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11; of demons – Matthew 12:24; and of the power of the air – Ephesians 2:2
  
• Ruler of the darkness of this world – Ephesians 6:12
• The serpent – Genesis 3; 2 Corinthians 11:3
• The spirit that works in all disobedient people – Ephesians 2:2
• The Tempter – Matthew 4:3; 1 Thessalonians 3:5
• The god of this world – 2 Corinthians 4:4
• Unclean spirit – Matthew 12:43
• The wicked one – Matthew 13

On five occasions in the Pslams, the Hebrew word satan is translated as adversaries and refers to those people who oppose the Lord.

“They also that render evil for good are mine adversaries; because I follow the thing that good is.” Psalm 38:20 

“May my accusers be put to shame and consumed; with scorn and disgrace may they be covered who seek my hurt.” Psalm 71:13

“In return for my love they accuse me, but I give myself to prayer.” Psalm 109:4

“May this be the reward of my accusers from the Lord, of those who speak evil against my life!” Psalm 109:20

“May my accusers be clothed with dishonor; may they be wrapped in their own shame as in a cloak!.” Psalm 109:29 

Several additional passages are understood to refer to Satan:

• Genesis 3
• Ephesians 4:27; 6:11-16
• Colossians 2:15
• 2 Thessalonians 2:9
• 2 Timothy 2:26
• Hebrews 2:14
• James 4:7
• 2 Peter 2:4
• 1 John 2:13; 3; 5:18
• Jude 1:6-9

The oldest trick of Satan might have been played in the Garden of Eden but his current trick seems to be fooling people into believing he’s really just a joker.  Let us not be people who trivialize the Enemy of God – neither let us unnecessarily fear him.  We are disciples of Jesus Christ who has crushed the serpent’s head and overcome the Evil One once and for all!

Satan is real, for the Bible tells me so