Satan’s nature is sin, and it results in sinning (1 John 3:8). Sin is Satan’s nature. Just as the nature of a table is wood and the nature of a microphone is steel, the nature of Satan is sin. Satan is a constitution of sin; thus, sin is his nature.
Just as sin is Satan’s nature, lying is also his nature (John 8:44). Sin is an inward condition, whereas lying is the outward expression. Satan not only lies with words, he also lies with actions. Whatever Satan does is a lie and false. Just as Satan’s nature is sin, it is also his nature to lie. There is nothing but lies in his nature, so he is the father of liars.
Murder is also in Satan’s nature. In God’s eyes Satan is fully related to sins, lies, and murder. Satan’s work on man has one principle—to murder man. The Lord Jesus said that Satan was a murderer from the beginning (John 8:44). He not only murders those whom he persecutes, he even murders those who follow him so that in the end even they are doomed to destruction and perdition.
The great dragon signifies Satan as the cruel one (Rev. 12:9; 20:2).
The ancient serpent signifies Satan as the crafty one (Rev. 12:9; 20:2).
In Greek the name devil has two meanings—“accuser” and “slanderer.” Satan accuses men before God and slanders God before men (Rev. 20:2).
Satan means “adversary.” As God’s adversary, Satan opposes God (Rev. 20:2).
The Lord Jesus said that Satan is the ruler of this world (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11). The whole world is in subjection to Satan’s authority and is ruled by Satan.
On the one hand, Satan is the ruler of this world, the ruler of the system on the earth, which is a systematized world (2 Cor. 4:4). On the other hand, Satan is also the god of this age. Originally, there was only God, but in this age Satan has actually usurped God’s position in man. He took over God’s position and replaced God to become god to men; thus, he is the god of the present age.
Being the ruler of the world speaks of Satan ruling over man, and being the god of this age speaks of man worshipping Satan. Today not many on the earth are free from his rule, and not many can avoid worshipping him. On the one hand, men are ruled by Satan, and on the other hand, men worship him because he is the ruler of this world and the god of this age.
The Bible speaks of “the evil one” in a number of places (1 John 3:12; 5:19). The evil one can also be translated as “the evil.” Satan is evil. In the universe there is something called the evil, and this evil is Satan.
God is a Father, and Satan is also a father (John 8:44). God is the Father of lights (James 1:17); everything of Him can withstand the shining of light and is true. Satan, however, is the father of lies; everything of him is a lie and a falsehood. All lies come from Satan; he is the source of lies.
In the Chinese Bible, in some places tempter is translated as “the deceiver.” To tempt is to deceive, to turn falsehood into truth and truth into falsehood, thereby confusing truth and falsehood (Matt. 4:3; 1 Thes. 3:5).
The authority of the air refers to the angels who followed Satan to rebel against God (Eph. 2:2). Satan set them as the authority in the air, and he himself is their ruler.
The Jews reviled the Lord Jesus by saying that He cast out the demons by Beelzebul, ruler of the demons (Matt. 12:24). This Beelzebul, ruler of the demons, is another name for Satan. Beelzebul is Greek; its Hebrew equivalent is Baal-zebub, which is spoken of in 2 Kings 1:3. Both names mean “the lord of flies” or “the lord of the dunghill.” This is a description of Satan’s filthiness. There is nothing clean in him; the filth of the entire world is concentrated in him.
He is the enemy of God and also the enemy of God’s people (Matt. 13:39).
Belial means “base, filthy, and lawless.” As Belial, Satan is mean and low, filthy and squalid, lawless and godless (2 Cor. 6:15).
Satan has at least these thirteen titles in the Bible. We will know the kind of person that Satan is if we consider all of these thirteen titles.