Doctrine of Satan’s Indictments

July 23, 2010

Doctrine of SATAN”S INDICTMENTS

Introduction

A.    Satan holds the unenviable title of the chief of all sinners.

B.    Satan is the original sinner.

C.    Satan has worked [ made ] the most injury.

D.    Satan has practiced sin longer than any other.

E.    Satan sinned against the greatest light (God).

F.    Only God can compute the extent and hideous character of Satan’s sinfulness.

G.    Satan’s sin is of such a nature that the so-called self-made man of the world would extol
[ praise ] it.

H.    The self-made, unregenerate man claims that it is his personal right to live in independence of God.

I.    The following is a partial record of the indictments that God brings against Satan:

Partial List of Indictments

1.    Satan repudiated God in the beginning.

Isaiah 14:12-14
12    ”How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, you who have weakened the nations!
13    ”But you said in your heart, `I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north.
14    `I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ (NAS)

2.    Satan drew a third part of the stars of heaven after him.

Revelation 12:4  And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven, and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child. (NAS)

3.    Satan sinned from the beginning.

1 John 3:8  the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil. (NAS)

4.    Satan is a liar from the beginning.

John 8:44      ”You are of {your} father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. Satan 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. (NAS)

5.    In the Garden of Eden he belittled God and advised the first parents to repudiate God.

Genesis 3:1-5
1    Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, `You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?”
2    And the woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat;
3    but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, `You shall not eat from it or touch it, lest you die.’”
4    And the serpent said to the woman, “You surely shall not die!
5    ”For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (NAS)

6.    Satan insinuated to Jehovah that Job loved and served Him only as he was hired to do so.

Job 1:9  Then Satan answered the LORD, “Does Job fear God for nothing? (NAS)

No greater insult could be addressed to Jehovah than that He is not really to be loved on the ground of His own worthiness, but, being rich, is able to hire men like Job to pretend that they love Him.

7.    When permitted to act on his own part, Satan brought five terrible calamities on Job.

Job 1:13-22
13    Now it happened on the day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house,
14    that a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them,
15    and [ 1 ] the Sabeans attacked and took them. They also slew the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”
16    While he was still speaking, another also came and said, [ 2 ] “The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”
17    While he was still speaking, another also came and said, [ 3 ] “The Chaldeans formed three bands and made a raid on the camels and took them and slew the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell you.”
18    While he was still speaking, another also came and said, [ 4 ] “Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house,
19    and behold, a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people and they died; and I alone have escaped to tell you.”
20    Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped.
21    And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD.”
22    Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God. (NAS)

Job 2:1-7
1    Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the LORD.
2    And the LORD said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Then Satan answered the LORD and said, “From roaming about on the earth, and walking around on it.”
3    And the LORD 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 God and turning away from evil. And he still holds fast his integrity, although you incited Me against him, to ruin him without cause.”
4    And Satan answered the LORD and said, “Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life.
5    ”However, put forth Thy hand, now, and touch his bone and his flesh; he will curse Thee to Thy face.”
6    So the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your power, only spare his life.”
7    Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD, and [ 5 ] smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. (NAS)

8.    Satan stood up against Israel.

1 Chronicles 21:1  Then Satan stood up against Israel and moved David to number Israel. (NAS)

Psalm 109:6  Appoint a wicked man over him; and let an accuser stand at his right hand. (NAS)

Zechariah 3:1-2
1    Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him.
2    And the LORD said to Satan, “The LORD rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?” (NAS)

9.    Satan weakened the nations.

Isaiah 14:12  “How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn!
[ Satan ] You have been cut down to the earth, you who have weakened the nations! (NAS)

10.    Satan made the earth to tremble.

Isaiah 14:16  “Those who see you will gaze at you, they will ponder over you, {saying,} `Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms, (NAS)

11.    Satan shook the kingdoms.

Isaiah 14:16  “Those who see you will gaze at you, they will ponder over you, {saying,} `Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms, (NAS)

12.    Satan makes the world a wilderness.

Isaiah 14:17  Who made the world like a wilderness and overthrew its cities, who did not allow his prisoners to {go} home?’ (NAS)

13.    Satan destroys the cities thereof.

Isaiah 14:17  Who made the world like a wilderness and overthrew its cities, who did not allow his prisoners to {go} home?’ (NAS)

14.    Satan did not open the house of his prisoners.

Isaiah 14:17  Who made the world like a wilderness and overthrew its cities, who did not allow his prisoners to {go} home?’ (NAS)

15.    Satan causes war on earth with all its horrors; for when bound, war ceases, and when loosed, war is resumed.

Revelation 20:2  And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, (NAS)

Revelation 20:7-8
7    And when the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison,
8    and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. (NAS)

16.    Satan tempted the Son of God forty days and then left Him but for a season.  Satan proposed to Christ that He forsake His mission, that He distrust His father’s goodness, and that He worship the devil.

Luke 4:1-13
1    And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led about by the Spirit in the wilderness
2    for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days; and when they had ended, He became hungry.
3    And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”
4    And Jesus answered him, “It is written, `Man shall not live on bread alone.’”
5    And he led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
6    And the devil said to Him, “I will give You all this domain and its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.
7    ”Therefore if You worship before me, it shall all be Yours.”
8    And Jesus answered and said to him, “It is written, `You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’”
9    And he led Him to Jerusalem and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here;
10    for it is written, `He will give His angels charge concerning You to guard You,’
11    and, `On {their} hands they will bear You up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”
12    And Jesus answered and said to him, “It is said, `You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
13    And when the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time. (NAS)

17.    Satan bound a daughter of Abraham for eighteen years.

Luke 13:16
16    ”And this woman, a daughter of Abraham as she is, whom Satan has bound for eighteen long years, should she not have been released from this bond on the Sabbath day?” (NAS)

cf.

Acts 10:38
38    ”{You know of} Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and {how} He went about doing good, and healing all who were oppressed by the devil; for God was with Him. (NAS)

18.    Satan entered Judas and prompted him to betray the Son of God.

John 13:2  And during supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, {the son} of Simon, to betray Him, (NAS)

19.    Satan blinds the minds of those that are lost.

2 Corinthians 4:3-4
3    And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing,
4    in whose case the god of this world [ Satan ] has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (NAS)

20.    Satan takes away the Word out of the hearts of the unsaved, lest they should believe and be saved.

Luke 8:12
12    ”And those beside the road are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they may not believe and be saved. (NAS)

21.    Satan deals with saints with wiles [ schemes ] and snares.

Ephesians 6:11  Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. (NAS)

2 Timothy 2:26  and they may come to their senses {and escape} from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will. (NAS)

22.    Satan has exercised and abused the power of death.

Hebrews 2:14  Since then the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him [ Satan ] who had the power of death, that is, the devil; (NAS)

cf.

Revelation 1:18  and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I [ Jesus ] have the keys of death and of Hades. (NAS)

23.    Satan, an adversary, as a roaring lion goeth about seeking whom he may devour.

1 Peter 5:8  Be of sober {spirit,} be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. (NAS)

24.    Satan is opposed to God; he is the persecutor of saints, the “father” of lies.  Through his emissaries he dethrones reason, and moves them to superstition and idolatry.