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In looking into the biblical view of Satan and his schemes, it is important that we look into examining his name. Why is he called the devil? Who is Satan? What about Lucipher? Let us address these questions from the biblical perspective keeping in check our imaginations, emotions, and feelings of “our” view of Satan. In quoting Dr. Robert Morey, “The mark of true humility in a man is the quality of being and remaining to be teachable.” In today’s culture, names are often selected because they are popular or simply because they may run in the family. In the Bible, the name of the person indicated something about their character. As a result the names given to our adversary reveal his nature and work against all that is good.  Let’s dive into an examination of the names and titles given to the enemy, as revealed in Scripture.  

Satan 

The fallen angel is referred to as Satan 53 times in Scripture. This name is noted as the proper name for the devil. When our Lord rebuked the enemy in Matthew 4:10, he was called Satan. In the Hebrew and Greek the name Satan means adversary (One who has it in for you). The first reference to Satan in Scripture is found in 1 Chronicles 21:1. The passage of first mention is of great importance. It should cause us to examine closely what the passage tells us about Satan. In the context of 1 Chronicles 21:1 several things are revealed about the adversary (For more in-depth details refer to the book Satan’s Devices by Dr. Robert Morey).  Devil  This is the most used title for Satan in the New Testament is Devil. This word in the Greek literally means tempter. This word is a title for Satan and not a name. He is called the devil 31 times in the New Testament. This is because he tempts people to do or commit evil. Whenever temptation is within the context of a passage, the title devil is used by New Testament authors. Dragon This title for Satan was a popular Jewish Intertestamental (the periods between Malachi and Matthew) literary description. The book of Revelation refers to Satan as the “dragon” 13 times. “In chapter 12:9, the dragon is identified as Satan, the devil, and the serpent all rolled into one evil being.” The Jews viewed the dragon traditionally as loathsome, evil, vile, and malicious. This is the reason it was applied to Satan.  

The Evil One This title is used 12 times in the Bible. This is what he is in his nature. In this title we see who he is in his character. Reader please note: English versions of our Lord’s Prayer who have Jesus saying, “deliver us from evil” should actually read “deliver us from the evil one,” according to the Greek text. In the high priestly prayer of Jesus our Lord, He says, “I do not ask you to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one.”  Baalzebub or Beelzebub   He is called this 11 times in the Bible. This Hebrew word literally means “lord of the flies. In history, this referred to this referred to the Egyptian worship of the sun god called “Baal.” In terms of Jewish metaphor, the Jews viewed the individual idol as a pile of dung with the worshipers surrounding it (flies) and landing on it. In his book Satan Cast Out, Frederick Leahy notes that, “most biblical scholars regard the name as a contemptuous title probably meaning “dung-lord” or “lord of the dunghill.” (See J.B. Lightfoot, J.A. Alexander, F. Godet, and Albert Barnes). The Serpent 

He is called serpent or snake 7 times. In Genesis 3 we find the first reference to Satan where he communicated with through a snake. See the passages in 2 Corinthians 11:3, Revelation 12:9, and Revelation 20:2.  The Prince of this Age John the apostle called Satan by this title 3 times in John 12:31, 14:30, and 16:11. The King James translates the passage “prince of this world,” however, the word world, in the Greek, is not referring to this planet but the present age.  The Adversary or Enemy He is called this twice in I Timothy 5:14 and I Peter 5:8.  The Prince of Demons  He is called this twice in Matthew 9:34 and Matthew 12:24. He is the ruler of demons which gives the realm of Satan a military type of structure or organization. They are not disorganized. They have a chain of command. Satan is the General and the demons are his “soldiers.”  The Prince of the Power of the Air He is called this in Ephesians 2:2. He is the ruler of his kingdom which is universal and not visible as the air is.   The God of this Age  2 Corinthians 4:4 identifies Satan with this title. His ultimate goal is to keep people from hearing the good news of the gospel by blinding their minds to the truth. It should be noted that the world god here is figurative in the same way pagan idols are called “gods.” They are gods by name only and not by their nature.  

The Accuser of the Brethren 

“Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.” Revelation 12:10 

The Spirit of Disobedience  

In Ephesians 2:2, Satan is referred to in this manner as he motivates people toward rebellion and anarchy. 

The Deceiver of the Whole World 

“The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.” Revelation 12:9

Abaddon or Apollyon  Abaddon is the Hebrew and Apollyon is the Greek for these titles. Both of these words mean “destroyer,” one who loves to mangle, rip, or tear. “They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon.” Revelation 9:11The Father of Lies Jesus calls Satan this in John 8:44. All lies have their origin in Satan.  The King over the Demons 

They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon.  

The Tempter 

The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Matthew 4:3   “For this reason, when I could stand it no longer, I sent Timothy to find out about your faith. I was afraid that in some way the tempter might have tempted you and our efforts might have been useless.” I Thessalonians 3:5 

Lucifer See Isaiah 4:12. Most Hebrew scholars believe that this name is not a proper translation of the Hebrew word.  The Hebrew actually refers to him as the “shining one,” the one who had the brightness of God’s glory originally shining around him. Many modern translations do not use this name for this reason.  In closing part VI of Satan and His Schemes, may we take seriously the war we are engaged in. We are to understand that in the grand scheme of things, Christ the Lord is on His throne. He is sovereign and has defeated the enemy, our adversary at the cross. It is for this reason we must take great heed since God’s sovereignty magnifies our responsibility.  Knowing and understanding to a greater degree, our enemy, will empower us by the grace of God, to more effectively identify his assaults toward us as individuals, families, churches, and nations. I leave you with this quote from Fredrick S. Leahy: 

“Any study of evil which fails to reckon with the Evil One must tend to become merely theoretical in its approach and fall short of the biblical revelation on the subject. Even the spirit of this world, with its strife and turbulence, cannot properly be understood until there is an awareness of those spiritual forces which are as much opposed to man as they are to God. Christians who are virtually oblivious of the malignant opposition of the fallen angels, are to some extent deficient in caution and dependence upon God. Hence in the study of demonology we are not wasting time on the unimportant. The confrontation between God and Satan which centres on the cross of Christ is cosmic in its proportions and transcends the centuries of time. It is foolish and dangerous to wander, blind, and deaf, along the firing line.”