Where is Satan today?
It’s a misconception to think that Satan is in Hell. We need to realize that as believers on the Lord Jesus Christ that we have an active enemy that is seeking to dishonor the Lord and he will use us to do that if we let him. 1 Peter 5:8 says, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”
Ephesians 2:2 says, “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.” From these two verses, we learn that Satan is here among us. He’s not in captivity in Hell…yet. While, by ourselves, we are not stronger than Satan, we do realize that “greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world” as we read in 1 John 4:4. The one who is in the world is Satan, while the greater one that is in you is the Holy Spirit that indwells each believer on the Lord Jesus Christ. It is through the power of the Holy Spirit that we are able to overcome Satan and his temptations as we read of in 1 John 2:13, “I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father.”
One day Satan will be cast into Hell as we read in Revelation 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.” Satan will be cast into the lake of fire, or Hell, after the millennial or 1000 year reign of the Lord on the earth. Briefly stated, one day soon the Lord will come back to get His bride, His church and take us to be with Him in glory. This is what is referred to as the Rapture. After seven years of tribulation on the earth, the Lord will come back with his saints to rule over the earth for 1000 years. At the end of this millennial reign, Satan will be cast into the lake of fire, where the beast and false prophet are, as we just read in Revelation 20:10.
Let’s read together Matthew 25:31-46 – “When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.”
This is a future event that Matthew tells us about. This happens at the end of the tribulation period where the Lord will judge the nations, determining who is worthy to enter into His millennial reign or kingdom. This is a very important event and deserves time and study, but I read it mainly to point out a fact found in verse 41 which says, “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.” This shows us that Hell was created for the devil and his angels, not for man. However, because of unbelief, here shown in their behavior, people who die in their sins will be cast into this terrible lake of fire. At the great white throne judgment we read, “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. 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. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:12-15) We learn here that all who have never trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as their savior will be cast into this terrible lake of fire to receive everlasting punishment as we read in Matthew 24. I urge you, that if you have never repented of your sins and trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ as your savior, you should bow your knee to Him today. John 3:36 – “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”
Now, to the believer, I want to address, for a moment, our dealings with Satan. There are several things that the Bible tells us to flee or run away from. 1 Corinthians 6:18 tells us to “Flee fornication.” 1 Corinthians 10:14 tells us to “flee from idolatry.” 2 Timothy 2:22 tells us to “Flee youthful lusts.” However, the Bible does not tell us to flee from the devil. James 4:7 says, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Notice the important order of this verse: first we submit ourselves to the Lord, and then are able to resist the devil, and having effectively done that, he will flee from us. He will not stay where he is powerless and when we walk in subjection to the Lord; Satan cannot have his way with us. While we are in subjection to the Lord, we can lead lives as the overcomers that we truly are through the Lord Jesus Christ.