THE ORIGIN OF SATAN

THE ORIGIN OF SATAN

Eileen Renders

Matthew 25:41 speaks of “the Devil and his angels.” The common name given to fallen angels is demons. In Hebrew, Santan means accuser or adversary. Many mentions of the Devil are made in both the “Old and the New” Testaments. The Devil and other demons were created by God, good in their nature, but they by themselves made themselves evil. This explanation is found on New Advent, an educational news source that explains the Devil. It goes on to say there was a great battle in heaven. Michael and his angels fought the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. The dragon and his angels failed and were cast out of heaven.

To this, it may be added, the words of St. Jude: “And the angels who kept not their principality, but forsook their habitation, he hath reserved under darkness in everlasting chains, under the judgment of the great day (Jude 1:6; 2 Peter 2:4).

Isaiah:12:12-15 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, who didst rise in the morning? How art thou fallen to the earth, that didst wound the nations? And thou sadist in thy heart: I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God, I will sit in the mountains of the covenant, in the sides of the north. I will ascend above the height of the clouds; I will be like the Most High. But yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, into the depths of the pit.  

In the Catholic Bible, other resources regarding Satan and his demons can be found in Luke 10-18 and Ezekiel 28: 12-15.

Catholic Catechism asserts, “Behind the disobedient voice, opposed to God, which makes them fall into death, is out of envy. Sacred Scripture and the Church’s Tradition see in this being a fallen angel, called Satan or the “devil” (No 391).

The following information is by Father William Saunders, found in Catholic Contributions, Culture:

We have thus learned that God created Lucifer as a good angel, and the Lateran Council IV (1215) stated, “The devil and other demons were indeed created naturally good by God, but they became evil by their own doing.” These angels irrevocably chose through their free will to rebel against God and not to serve Him. For this rebellion, they were cast into hell. Sacred Scripture attests to this belief: Our Lord, speaking of the final judgment, said, “Then (the Son of Man) will say to those on His left: “' Out of my sight, you condemned, into that everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels'” (Mt: 25:41) St. Peter wrote, “Did God spare even the angels who sinned? He did not! He held them captive in Tartarus (the term, in Greek mythology,

to indicate the place of punishment in the underworld. Saint Peter added, “The man who sins belongs to the devil, because the devil is a sinner from the beginning.”