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Are We Satan or Is Satan Simply Within Us?

Posted March 2, 2010



Hi P____,

Thank you for taking the time to write me, and thank you for being "upfront" with me.

You say:

I will ask you a few questions, and I would appreciate an answer to every question. That is what I do when someone writes me. I answer every question, and I use scripture to give that answer, because what I believe or what you believe, outside of scripture, really is not relevant to what is Truth. "Thy Word is truth."

Joh 17:17  Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

You actually deal with my first question which is "If Satan is "never apart from man," then who was speaking to Eve?" Your answer is consistent to your assertion that it was Adam himself, but where is the scripture to back that up? Making an assertion, and then using that assertion to prove you point is called circular reasoning, and that is just another way of saying forked tongue. That is the very reason a serpent is used as the symbol of "the spirit of disobedience."

If "the spirit of disobedience" is simply the flesh, and does not exist apart from the flesh, then how can the spirit of obedience exist apart from the flesh? After all they are both spirits?

You say "Satan will be annihilated." Well, of course Satan will be annihilated, because, as you point out, he does not exist apart from mankind, and mankind will also be annihilated and cast into the lake of fire.

Rev 20:7  And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
Rev 20:8  And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom [is] as the sand of the sea.
Rev 20:9  And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
Rev 20:10  And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet [are], and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Rev 20:11  And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
Rev 20:12  And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is [the book] of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
Rev 20:13  And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
Rev 20:14  And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Rev 20:15  And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

The only way death can be destroyed is for mankind to be annihilated, and little baby 'Adams' will then cease to be, and the second resurrection can then occur when the sea, the symbol of all flesh, will "give up the dead which is in it."

1Co 15:22  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
1Co 15:23  But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.
1Co 15:24  Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
1Co 15:25  For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
1Co 15:26  The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

There is an end, and in that "end" death will be destroyed. But if your assertion is correct that "Satan is not a spirit apart from man, and Satan does not exist apart from man," then it would also be true that Christ, being a spirit, does not exist apart from man. Gabriel and the entire spirit world, would not exist apart from man. According to that doctrine there would be no spirit world at all apart from man. Why would we Biblically assert that Satan cannot be a spirit apart from man, but Christ is a spirit apart from man? Why would we say that Satan cannot exist apart from man, but Christ can and does exist apart from man? Be sure to answer that question for me, and please use scripture to do so.

1Co 15:50  Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

Mat 10:39  He that findeth his life shall lose [Greek - apollumi - destroy]  it: and he that loseth [apollumi] his life for my sake shall find it.

So it simply does not follow that since Satan will be destroyed and will not exist apart from man, therefore there is not an evil spirit realm apart from man. The fact that both are annihilated simultaneously, does not prove they did not exist contemporaneously. It is through their mutual destruction that they are mutually saved.

Mat 10:28  And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy [Greek - spollumi] both soul and body in hell.

Do not both Paul and Christ make it clear that our salvation is through our destruction, our 'apollumi'?

1Co 3:15  If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
If Christ can exist apart from man, then Satan can also exist apart from man.

Now let me continue with my list of questions.

1) Was Adam not in Job until the Lord took down the "hedge?"
Job 1:6  Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.
Job 1:7  And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
Job 1:8  And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that [there is] none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?
Job 1:9  Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?
Job 1:10  Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.
Job 1:11  But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.
Job 1:12  And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath [is] in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.

Of course Satan works within our flesh, but was it Adam in Job, who "went forth from the presence of the Lord?" Did Job himself remove the hedge around Job, or is this not all taking place in the realm of the spirit working upon mankind, but with no help from mankind?

2) If Satan does not exist apart from man, then why are we told that "the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him?" From the Lord? Was Adam not there all along?

1Sa 16:14  But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.
1Sa 16:15  And Saul's servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee.

If Satan does not exist apart from man, then why was it necessary for God to send a lying spirit into Ahab's prophets?

1Ki 22:19  And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left.
1Ki 22:20  And the LORD said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner.
1Ki 22:21  And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, I will persuade him.
1Ki 22:22  And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so.

"I will go forth... [[from] the hosts of heaven] and be a lying spirit..." Of course "all the host of heaven" is within us, but it simply does not follow therefore, that "all the host of heaven" does not exist apart from man?

3) Was Adam not in Judas until after the sop?

Joh 13:21  When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.
Joh 13:22  Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake.
Joh 13:23  Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved.
Joh 13:24  Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, that he should ask who it should be of whom he spake.
Joh 13:25  He then lying on Jesus' breast saith unto him, Lord, who is it?
Joh 13:26  Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped [it]. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave [it] to Judas Iscariot, [the son] of Simon.
Joh 13:27  And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly.

Of course Satan works within us, but it simply does not follow that because he works within us he cannot exist apart from us.

4) Was it Adam in the apostle Paul who was hindering him when Paul made this statement?

1Th 2:18  Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again; but Satan hindered us.

Obviously Satan hindered the apostle Paul, but how does that indicate that Satan cannot exist apart from man?

5) My final question for you is, if Satan is mankind, then how can mankind be in prison during the millennium, while mankind is being "ruled with a rod of iron for one thousand years?"

Rev 20:1  And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
Rev 20:2  And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
Rev 20:3  And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

Yes, Satan is indeed under house arrest within us, but again, it simply does not follow that because he works within us that he is therefore not a separate spirit being. That simply makes no more sense than to say that since Christ can be in us that therefore Christ cannot exist apart from mankind. The truth is that Christ is a separate spirit being, who exists whether He is in our flesh or not, and will indeed exist when flesh and blood no longer exists.

Satan and his angels, on the other hand, will be purified by the fires of the lake of fire along with the beast and the false prophet who are our unregenerate flesh in the physical realm which you are mistaking for a much more powerful and much more deceitful spirit realm, separate from but working within all of mankind, just as Christ is separate from but working with sinners.

Heb 7:26  For such an high priest became us, [who is] holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the [host of the] heavens;

Satan, just like Christ, operates in both the heavens and in the earth, simply because both are within us. But the fact that both are within, does not change the fact that the one will be destroyed while the other will endure, separate from flesh and blood mankind.

Eph 6:12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood ["Dust thou art and unto dust shalt thou return," Adam], but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places].

2Co 4:18  While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen [are] temporal; but the things which are not seen [are] eternal.

The reason Christ called Peter, Satan, was because Peter was at that time under the influence of the spirit of Satan, while resisting the truth, that it was expedient that Christ must die for our sins. The fact that the mission of the Adversary and the lusts of the flesh, happen to coincide, does not make the lust of the flesh the same as the powers and principalities of the heavens. If what you say is true, then this could not be true, and I repeat.

Eph 6:12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood ["Dust thou art and unto dust shalt thou return," Adam], but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places].

I hope you will take the time to answer each of these questions with scripture. If you do that and if you can demonstrate "line upon line and precept upon precept" that the spirit world is not separate from the physical world, then I will acknowledge that the reason Christ called Peter, Satan, was because Peter was Satan, and Satan could not have been there or have existed apart from Peter.

When we take the time to demonstrate with scripture, the validity of our arguments, we are "trying the spirits to see whether they are of God." Like the flesh, all spirits come from God, and yet not all spirits are of the mind of God. When we refuse to "try the spirits to see whether they are of God," then we have what the scriptures call an "idol of the heart."

Eze 14:1  Then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before me.
Eze 14:2  And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Eze 14:3  Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be enquired of at all by them?

People who have idols in their hearts do not bother to prove their point with scripture. They excuse themselves from that burden, and say to themselves that it is those who disagree with their heart's idol who are closed minded.

I truly pray that neither of us has an idol of the heart, and that we both want only to know what is the mind of God concerning whether there is a spirit world that is above and beyond the world of the flesh. If God deceives us, then we are totally helpless to see what is right there before our eyes in scripture, simply because we, like Job, have lost any hedge we might have had, and are now being deceived by the Lord Himself, via the agency of the lies of the father of lies himself, Satan.

Eze 14:9  And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the LORD have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.
Eze 14:10  And they shall bear the punishment of their iniquity: the punishment of the prophet shall be even as the punishment of him that seeketh [unto him];

1Jn 4:1  Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

These "many false prophets" are said symbolically to be "two hundred thousand thousand," and we are told that "they darken the sun and the air" of our lives.

Rev 9:16  And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.
Rev 9:17  And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses [were] as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.
Rev 9:18  By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.
Rev 9:19  For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails [were] like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.

It is with the mouth that we spread false and hurtful doctrines, and we become this "tails like unto serpents."

Isa 9:14  Therefore the LORD will cut off from Israel head and tail, branch and rush, in one day.
Isa 9:15  The ancient and honourable, he [is] the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail.
Isa 9:16  For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed.

This doctrine tends to make man himself central to what God is doing. Scripture, on the other hand makes Christ central to what God is doing, and Christ certainly exists separate from sinners.

Col 1:14  In whom we have redemption through his blood, [even] the forgiveness of sins:
Col 1:15  Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
Col 1:16  For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether [they be] thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
Col 1:17  And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
Col 1:18  And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all [things] he might have the preeminence.
Col 1:19  For it pleased [the Father] that in him should all fulness dwell;

Contrary to where this doctrine leads us, salvation is not within us, nor is it innate to us. Salvation is outside of us and comes into us from the realm of the spirit which, again, is within, and is yet separate from man who is not spirit but has a spirit, and who is dust.

Gen 3:19  In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

Thanks again for being upfront with me. I am returning that honor and I look forward to your reply.

Your brother in Christ,

Mike