Role of Satan

Volume One—Chapter Sixteen THE ROLE OF SATAN

Why should you desire to know anything about this most-unsavory character? Isn’t he best just ignored? Is there any benefit to coming to an understanding of him?

It would seem prudent to obtain some understanding about an individual who yearns and plots to see you lose your spiritual reward and spend eternity with him in outer darkness. An understanding of him will allow you some protection against him and his wiles.

I will separate our discussion of Satan into four topics: (1) Who is he? What is his history? What are his abilities and characteristics? (2) Why does he do what he does? What motivates or drives him? What does he really want? (3) What is the nature of his power? Is he powerful? Are you justified in writing him off as having little or no impact in your life? Must you maintain respect for what he might do? (4) What is his approach to achieving his ends? What is his modus operandi, his strategy? How does he plan to attack you?

#Who Is He?

His history. We must first acknowledge that he is, in fact, an individual man. He does literally exist. He is not some mythical character—some prototypic monster— dreamed up to explain all that is negative in the universe.

Prior to spirit birth, when we all existed as individual intelligences, there is evidence that he was among the more accomplished due to his obedience. In that premortal realm, all necessary conditions were in place for spiritual growth, and apparently he grew notably. The evidence for this consists of his being granted the blessing of becoming an early-born spirit, a “son of the morning.” Following spirit birth, his dignified name Lucifer (“Light Bearer”) corroborates the idea that he was a respected and highly visible being of light. Later on, he would acquire the not-sohonorable titles Satan (meaning, in Hebrew, “adversary”) and the devil. This latter title comes from the Greek diabolos, meaning one who assaults the character of another through lying—a slanderer.

Early on in premortality, he was apparently an ostensibly righteous and accomplished individual. It is obvious, however, that lurking under the surface were terrible and profound character flaws. When did these become overt? What caused him to show his true colors? It appears to have been the anticipation of mortality. The importance of periods of testing for each of us is thus made evident.

His abilities. We are taught in the scriptures that Satan is currently incapable of spiritual growth. “Light and truth forsake that evil one” (D&C 93:37)—he has been categorically excluded from the process of receiving light or divine spiritual gifts. We previously concluded there are no plateaus in spiritual growth. Satan stopped progressing long ago, and any divine spiritual gifts he once possessed have long since slipped away (D&C 1:31-33; 82:7). He currently possesses nothing in the way of divine attributes.

There seems to be no question, however, that from a secular standpoint, he is clever, bright, effectively manipulative, and highly streetwise. He is also charismatic, persuasive, passionate, and well motivated. Much of his passion and motivation stems from his hatred of the Father and the Son.

If he were inept and incompetent, he would be an unknown irrelevancy. He is hardly irrelevant. He possesses a keen intellect and is infamous in the extreme.

The principal source of evil? I will revisit a question posed in a previous chapter as a pertinent reminder: Is Satan the most important source of evil in the world? Evil, you will recall, is any influence that leads to the temporal or spiritual detriment of an individual. It is any influence that hinders man on the road to his salvation. We previously concluded that the natural self of man, and not Satan, is the most important source of evil in the universe. If Satan did not exist, evil would still be present in God’s universe, and many, perhaps even most, would fall short of their exaltation.

While Satan has nothing to do with the existence of the natural self, he does delight in it and in its potentially adverse effects on the spiritual progress of man.

Does he have agency? Satan’s agency is completely intact. Each intelligence’s personal agency is sacrosanct. It cannot be taken from anyone, and this includes Satan. Agency is the right to choose among available alternatives. The access to abundant alternatives is freedom or liberty. Satan lacks this abundance. He is perfectly able to choose among alternatives or choices available to him. However, he has greatly limited his choices by his own sins. While we do not know the exact nature of outer darkness, it seems likely it will be characterized by a terrifying loss of freedoms.1

#What Motivates Satan?

By looking carefully at the pattern of his behavior in the premortal world, it is possible to speculate as to those emotions and thoughts that provided his essential motivation and exposed his malignant character flaws. While there is little scriptural basis for trying to determine what he was thinking and feeling, it is possible to construct a plausible personal profile by deducing his motives and thoughts. During the premortal councils, under the direction of the Father, an individual was selected to be both the Creator of our universe and the Savior of mankind. Some have the impression that Satan was in the running for both positions. It is unlikely he was seriously considered for either. His name was apparently put forward, but it is likely he himself volunteered to be in the running. Jesus Christ, or Jehovah, was chosen to fill both positions (Abraham 3:27-28). Satan was deeply offended and angry at being passed over. We thus begin to see his motives. Spinning out of his deep disappointment, we see evidence of jealousy, resentment, and hatred of the Father and the Son. While he is powerless to destroy the work of the Father and the Son, he is committed to try to thwart them at every turn.

Another intriguing factor in his motivation seems apparent. Why did he oppose the Father’s plan so vociferously? The plan of salvation includes agency freely given to all men. It also includes exposure to an environment presenting both good and evil alternatives in abundance. It involves significant risk for all participants. Many will not return to their celestial home. Successful negotiation of this plan for mortality requires real character. Character is the willingness and ability, indeed the courage, to consistently do the right thing in all situations and circumstances, especially when it is difficult. It is the inclination and strength to deny one’s “natural self.” Character helps us resist that which is comfortable, easy, pleasurable, and wrong. Because of character, we may succeed in accomplishing that which is difficult or even painful to do. We do it because it is right, because it leads ultimately to eternally positive results.

The Father’s plan obviously did not appeal to Satan. It is highly likely he strongly suspected he would not be successful in negotiating the risky mortal experience that lay ahead for all those who accepted that plan. He lacked character and courage, and he knew it. He doubtless sensed his own spiritual inadequacies. He would fail to return to his former notoriety and glory, and he was horrified by that prospect. He was likely haunted by the prospect of mortality. From his perspective, he had everything to lose and nothing to gain by submitting to the mortal experience. He might even become the laughing stock of the universe.

While the majority of heaven’s hosts mustered the courage to willingly submit to the mortality test, he could not. He was profoundly frightened. It would not do to let others suspect him of being fearful. He had to do something to hide his cowardice. He therefore conceived a stratagem of campaigning for a change in the Father’s plan. After all, he knew there were others in the premortal sphere similarly frightened to leave the security of heaven and submit to the rigors and risks of mortality.

In the spirit of the adage, “the best defense is a good offense,” he proposed a hypothetical “plan” whereby everyone who passed into mortality would return to their celestial home without risk of failure. His plan necessarily included the abrogation of agency for each intelligence. There was never any serious consideration of Satan’s plan by the Father, and Satan was surely aware of that. Any plan excluding law, agency, and accountability could never be accepted by the Father, and the Father was in charge. The plan of salvation was and is a fixed and immutable part of the Father’s plan, and agency is an essential ingredient in that plan.

Though Satan knew his plan could never be accepted, campaigning against the Father would achieve some of his aims. It would at least lead some of the Father’s spirit children away. This would be a slap in the face to the Father. Satan would also gain some followers. He would become their champion. Never mind where he might be leading his minions—at least he would have a following.

Others likely did share Satan’s apprehension about coming to earth. They could not bear to take the considerable risks of mortality. Satan was confident in his ability to lead many to reject the Father’s plan and refuse agree to entering mortality. His confidence was deserved. He had success among a “third part” of the hosts of heaven (D&C 29:36)—appealing to their fears and self doubts. Perhaps they actually came to believe that the Father could be persuaded to change the proposed plan. At least Satan offered some hope to avoid perhaps their greatest fear—that of losing their way in mortality and failing to reaching their celestial home.

Satan’s campaign was successful, at least to some degree. His followers were duped by his wiles. Under his specious “plan,” Satan would have become our master. He would have “[led us] captive at his will” (Moses 4:4). He could never have made good on his offer of an alternate plan for exaltation, and he knew it. Yet, he basked in the glory and recognition he received from those souls inclined to accept his “plan.” His real motive was to hurt the Father and the Son by leading away the children of God. He knew his actions would prevent these deluded souls from ever having a chance to return to their celestial home. In his misguided vainglory, apparently he even eventually came himself to believe an appeal by the combined body of those who supported him might change the Father’s mind.

While we may not be certain of the quantitative literalness of the “third part” of the hosts of heaven,” it seems clear that a significant number failed to see the

hopelessness of Satan’s position? Why were they foolish enough to support Satan’s “plan”? They must also have sensed, deep down, it was not realistic and workable. Perhaps they also were blinded by their fear of the prospect of mortality. Perhaps they were persuaded Satan could “pull it off.” Obviously, they were insensitive to his real motives and limitations, or, at least, they were late in discerning them.

Satan possesses yet another counterfeit virtue that might have been instrumental in his recruiting a following. Undoubtedly and ironically, Satan would have also preached the idea of a camaraderie, a collegiality, a supportive fellowship, among those who would follow him. We see the same idea today here on earth. Recall those pitiable souls today who band together in so-called “Satan worship” and other evil group endeavors. Perhaps failing to find acceptance in more-acceptable circles, Satan’s followers associated themselves together in a desperate attempt to be accepted. Satan has not the slightest interest in any of his so-called followers. Alma taught, “The devil will not support his children at the last day, but doth speedily drag them down to hell” (Alma 30:60).

All those duped by Satan’s lies, both mortals and premortals alike, are to be pitied. Satan feigns an interest in others only to strike out against the Father and the Son for whom he holds venomous hatred.

Given his likely personality profile, why did he volunteer to become the savior of mankind? He certainly must have understood what would be required of the future savior. Yet, he volunteered for the calling. Why? Was he really willing to suffer unimaginably for the sins of the world? Surely he had no intention of actually fulfilling that role. The prospect of the awful atoning sacrifice must have terrified him. We may suppose his stratagem was to first obtain the recognition of being chosen. Then he would seek to change the nature of the assignment. The Father, of course, who knows Satan perfectly, was not fooled.

Finally, there is yet another significant factor in his motivation. Satan knows well his awful fate. He is condemned to live for eternity in outer darkness. How does he feel about this horrific prospect? He must be desperately frightened and viciously angry. He will stop at nothing to injure the Father and Son and as many of the Father’s children as he can before he is eventually cast away.

Let us remind ourselves that Satan’s influence was not the sole reason why a substantial number of the hosts of heaven lost their opportunity to be saved in a kingdom of glory. Each one of these individuals chose, on his own, not to come to the earth. Each therefore forfeited his right to salvation. These were not simply uninformed dupes who blindly followed Satan’s urgings. They made informed choices that have resulted in their being sealed up to outer darkness.

In order to become a son of Perdition, one must first rise to a lofty spiritual state and have a firm conviction of truth. One must possess the realistic potential of eventual exaltation. Then, one must turn against the Savior and his cause, and even become his overt enemy. Only then will the Lord pronounce the awful penalty of being sealed up to destruction in outer darkness. Only then can one be found guilty of the unpardonable sin.

There is no reason to think the situation was any different for Satan’s followers in the premortal world. Each knew for certain the truth of the Father’s plan. Each had made substantial spiritual progress. And yet each rebelled and became an avowed, committed enemy of the Father and the Son. Each was cast down to earth never to receive a mortal body. Each had committed the unpardonable sin and was beyond redemption. Each bears the full blame for his decision. Each dramatically and tragically fell from his lofty state.

#What of Satan’s Power?

Is he powerful? What is power in the context of Satan? Power is the ability to willfully influence the minds, hearts, and life-course of other individuals—other intelligences in the universe. As already acknowledged above, Satan does possess abilities and tools that enable him to have significant influence.

Satan’s power is perhaps most easily understood if we separate it into two categories: (1) power in his “honor” and (2) his manipulative power.

Power in his “honor.” Previously, in discussing God’s power, we suggested that much of God’s power derives from the myriad intelligences that love and honor him. He does not and cannot override their agency. Rather, he requests of them, and they obey.3

Ironically, part of Satan’s power originates in a roughly analogous manner. Satan, also, cannot interfere with the agency of any of God’s intelligences. None can be compelled to obey him. Rather, they must choose to do so. Hence, Satan’s power or influence may be seen mainly in the lives of those willing to obey him. Unfortunately, a significant number are so inclined. His followers may feel they “honor” him, and therefore obey him. We know they are deceived. “There is no honor among thieves.” They will inevitably learn he reciprocates no honor or respect for them. There is nothing in the man Satan an objective individual might find to honor. Hence, we qualify the phrase “power in his honor” by inclosing the term honor in quotation marks. Perhaps it may be more aptly termed “power in his dishonor.”

Satan has little or no power over the righteous individual who is consistently, diligently striving to obey the Lord’s commands and refusing to give in to the constant harangues of his natural self. But, proud men who are ruled largely by their natural self are ideal fodder for Satan’s deceptions. They readily accommodate his requests.

One incident in the life of the prophet Moses is illustrative of Satan’s true substance and points out there is little to honor in the man Satan (Moses 1:12-22). Satan came tempting Moses. In effect Moses told him to “Get lost.” Satan then responded by betraying his true colors. He launched into an embarrassing and pitiful emotional display. He ranted and raved, claiming futilely, “I am the Only Begotten, worship me.”

Satan steps onto the stage when an individual commits sin. With each spiritual misstep or sin, an individual becomes more and more inclined to obey the adversary— more vulnerable to his persuasions. It is not difficult to see why this process may become self-perpetuating. It eventuates in some being entrapped in the scriptural “chains of hell” (Alma 12:9-11).

Satan’s influence is not confined to that “third part” of heaven’s hosts already condemned to outer darkness. He has considerable influence, as well, among many of those who did agree to enter mortality to be tested.

Does Satan’s power rival that of God in any way? There is actually no comparison between the power of the Father and that of Satan. The Father possesses all spiritual gifts to perfection. Satan has none? What about the servants of each? Are they helpful and add to the power of their leader? Those human inclined to become followers of Satan’s influences are themselves spiritually weak and of little help to him. Satan’s “army” consists of those who are spiritually handicapped and inept. On the other hand, those who follow the Father are themselves progressing in their spiritual liberties and abilities. When they progress, they make better and more powerful servants. Thus, the power and glory of the Father are enhanced when his children progress spiritually. Satan’s minions have few spiritual gifts and personal freedoms. Their spiritual growth is stunted. They are less effective servants. Hence, Satan is “king over nothing,” or at least over very little. Compared to God’s power and glory, Satan possesses little power and no glory.

The notion exists in the scriptures that when a mortal is exalted, he adds to the glory of God (see, for example, D&C 45:4; John 13:31; 14:13; 15:7-8). Perhaps we have just discovered a mechanism for the enhancement of the Father’s glory.

Manipulative power. Satan’s manipulative skills are considerable and are described elsewhere in this chapter (see the subsection “His Abilities” above and the section “Satan’s Strategy” below). He has made considerable progress in the world applying these secular abilities to influencing the life courses of men.

#Satan’s Strategy

What is Satan’s approach—his modus operandi? How does he plan to exercise his evil influences over mankind? How does he communicate his evil to man?

Satan is not actually an essential ingredient to a man’s losing his salvation. Any of us can, and some of us perhaps will, slide from the Lord’s grace quite on our own with little or no intervention from Satan. The culprit is our “natural self.” Once a man gives in to his natural self, there is an inevitable increment added to his inclination to do so again, and then again, and again. Any man can become inextricably bound by the chains of hell quite without the participation of the master of hell himself.

Does Satan do anything? Or is he, perhaps, only a scapegoat upon whom we delight in heaping blame for our own foibles and inclinations to sin? Does he add substantially to man’s proclivity for sin? Is each individual on the earth more apt to commit sin because of Satan’s temptations and machinations? Each of us here in mortality is already inclined to succumb to the pulls of the world. Do his ministrations make it more likely that we will?

There is abundant scriptural evidence that Satan is able to exert a perceptible effect on mortals. He adds significantly to man’s inclination to commit sin. The actual mechanism of his promptings is not well understood. Apparently, he is able to whisper temptations into the ear of man and intensify the persuasive powers of the things of the world. A few scriptural evidences bear this out. We are familiar with Satan’s successful efforts to beguile and deceive Eve in the Garden of Eden (Moses 4:5-12). The Father acknowledged that Satan’s abilities here on earth would include the power to “bruise” the heel of man (Genesis 3:15). The prophet Moses saw Satan in vision. Though

Moses rebuffed Satan’s attempts to persuade him, Moses did “fear exceedingly” during the experience (Moses 1:12-22). Satan’s temptations of Jesus Christ were perceptible and real, though the Lord did not succumb to them (Matthew 4:1-11). Both Luke’s and John’s gospels attribute Judas’s betrayal of the Christ to the influence of Satan (Luke 22:3; John 13:27). Luke gives credit to Satan for Ananias and Sapphira’s failure to pay a full tithing (Acts 5:1-11). Immediately prior to Joseph Smith’s 1820 vision of the Father and the Son, Joseph was seized upon by a tangible force producing in him a feeling of doom, despair and alarm. Joseph later described Satan’s influence as a “marvelous power [such] as I had never before felt in any being” (JS-H 1:15-16).

There can be no question that we tend to bind Satan through our obedience to the Lord’s commands. Nonetheless, none of us is completely safe from his wiles. Each of us must remain ever vigilant. The obedient are somewhat resistant to his influence, but the inconsistently obedient are especially susceptible to him. There are some among us with whom he regularly speaks and is regularly obeyed.

Satan is most likely to work hardest with those who, he thinks, can further his cause. He seeks someone with the abilities and resources to directly benefit him.

Certainly one area in which his genius is apparent is in advertising and mass marketing. We see evidence of his wicked plan everywhere. Through his promptings to a relatively few key and susceptible individuals, he has succeeded in flooding the earth with salacious propaganda. Such materials have become ubiquitous. They are intended to garner the attentions of all who will see and hear. He has accomplished this through the media, through the internet, and by word of mouth. Through mass marketing, he has made it difficult for much of humankind to avoid temptations of many sorts. He is “hell bent,” as it were, on creating an unwholesome environment. He intends that we all inevitably and regularly encounter abundant temptations that appeal to our natural self and are difficult to resist. He doesn’t need to worry about many falling for the temptations he presents, as the natural man in all of us will take care of that. He doesn’t need to toil intensively over the common man in urging him to succumb to temptations—many of us are already all too willing.

He is making progress in some notable areas here on earth. One only needs to watch television to gather evidence. The so-called situational comedies and the dramas are full of explicit and graphic references to all aspects of sex, drugs, addictions, and other horrific sins of all types. All forms of mass advertising are often rich in appeals to the baser aspects of man. Little is left to the imagination.

Satan surely understands well the phenomena of psychological and physical addictions. His strategy likely prominently includes an appeal to those with addictive tendencies. We need not look far today to see evidence of his phenomenal successes. We read or hear daily in the media the often tragic consequences of addictions to pornography, sex, gambling, alcohol, and other substances. His mass appeals to worldly pleasures often facilitate the development of physical and psychological addiction. Other worldly pulls such as materialism and lust for power and recognition are ubiquitously available and tempting, and they can all too quickly become habit forming.

Satan has apparently been able to create his world-wide evil, in part, by having his way with a relatively few egregiously evil, well-positioned, and influential individuals. These are the targets for his most direct personal communications. These may be highly public individuals—such as media stars—inclined to gather a following by their worldly popularity. In other instances, they may be unknown people who work behind the scenes on their wicked, often illegal projects. They may even be unaware of their relationship with Satan. Ponder the havoc wrought by the relatively few who have led the way in making available certain prominent evils such as drugs, pornography, or gambling? It is these on whom he has concentrated. These are the individuals who have sunk to an often irretrievably low spiritual level. This makes them susceptible or even captive to Satan’s wiles. These are reduced to a willingness to barter their souls for whatever they can gain. What’s in it for them? The ephemeral pleasures of the world are theirs in abundance. Ironically, though, these pitiful individuals will all eventually come to realize Satan cares little about them. They are all on a collision course with disillusionment (Alma 30:60). Satan will surely forsake them when it suits his purposes.

In addition to the obvious suffering wrought by abusers, how many unsuspecting, innocent individuals are there who have had damaging influences heaped upon them through the mechanisms of broken homes, deprivations, neglect, and personal psychological, physical, or sexual abuse? Satan’s evil empire is flourishing. He is doubtless sitting back and delighting in the tragic toll being wrought.

Those vulnerable souls who live within the range of influence of his evil influence hear three messages—three carefully thought out, deliberately orchestrated promptings:

1. First, they hear, “Go ahead and do it. Just try it once to see if you like it. It won’t hurt to try it. You may not get another chance. You don’t need to persist with it if you don’t like it. If you feel bad about trying it, you can always repent later.”

2. Then, for those unsuspecting souls whom he manages to persuade, he follows that up with this reassurance: “You’re okay. It’ll be all right. What you and that person have done is nothing to be ashamed of. After all, the two of you are consenting adults. Who has the right to tell you what you can and cannot do? You’re not a child anymore. What you’re doing is not hurting anyone else. It’s none of anyone else’s business.” Or, he may say, “Of course you did that. Who wouldn’t, given your circumstances? You were justified in doing so. You deserve the benefits you obtained. Never mind the hurt you brought upon those others. They deserved it.” Or “It’s too bad you had to tread on a few people, but you can repair the damage later. It’ll be all right.” Through his comforting, he hopes to facilitate the usage of self-justification and rationalization.

3. Some who have succumbed to sin may be encouraged to despair. He whispers to them: “Now you’ve done it. You have broken a commandment. You are lost. You might as well abandon all hope. There is no sense persisting in efforts to live the commandments.” He may use guilt and despair to his own advantage.

What about the non-human intelligences on the earth? Does he have power to influence the plants and animals? And what of the elements, the “inanimate” things of the world? All intelligences have agency and are subject to law in their separate kingdoms (D&C 88:36-38). All have natural selves and an inclination to ignore or disobey the spiritual laws that apply to them. All must earn their eternal reward similar to the way humans do. All are subject to Satan’s manipulations, though we know little about these laws and what temptations Satan might use.

As an aside, the student of the scriptures does gain the unmistakable impression that, in general, the non-human intelligences are more generally obedient to the Lord’s commands than the human intelligences. Of the human intelligences, the Lord has said, “Few there be that find [their exaltation]” (Matthew 7:13-14). Yet we know that the so-called “inanimate” things of the earth will, as a group, be resurrected with celestial bodies, as the earth receives its celestial glory following the millennium.

One cannot help but wonder if all of the “worlds without number” Jehovah created, at the behest of the Father, have to contend with Satan and his adherents. The scriptures indicate it was to this earth that Satan and those who followed him were cast down (D&C 29:36-37). We have discussed the idea that even without the presence of Satan’s evil influence, life on any other world would be an adequate test since on each there will be sufficient adversity and opposition (2 Nephi 2:11).

#Conclusion

What would it be like if we were allowed to meet and converse with Satan today? He is, in his heart, a dark, despicable, wretched, miserable, trembling, and pitiable man. He despairs for his eternal future. He is, however, able to present himself as being outwardly charming, engaging, and “charismatic.” Obviously, at his core he has absolutely no personal warmth or feeling for any other person, but his counterfeit charms are likely to impress the unsuspecting. We must never lightly regard the threat of Satan’s influence over us. He is competent at what he does. While he possesses no spiritual strength, he does have much in the way of intellectual prowess. He also is highly motivated to do what he can to shred the moral fabric of any individual. Hence, we all are justified in maintaining a realistic respect for Satan and his potential evil influences in our life and the lives of those we love. Our best defense is consistent striving to obey the Lord’s commands, frequently and promptly repenting when we stumble.

1 See chapter 13, Agency and Freedom.

The scriptures do not say that the Father lost one-third or 33% of his premortal spirits. The scripture reads a “third part” (Revelation 12:4; D&C 29:36). Richard Draper wrote: “One-third, symbolically [indicates] that their bounds have been set. They can go only so far. The fraction one-third is used by a number of the prophets in association with what is called ‘remnant theology,’ the remnant being the unaffected part. We see this in Ezekiel 5:1-5 . . . [and] again in Ezekiel 5:12 and in Zechariah 13:8-9” (Opening the Seven Seals, 95-96). In scripture, the fraction one-third implies a limited degree of power or influence (Ibid., 108). The phrase “third part” implies a numerically undetermined segment of the population, who stand as a symbol that Satan’s power over the premortal spirits was limited. Thus, the numerology in the passage implies that we have no knowledge of the fraction or percentage of the Father’s children who followed Satan. All we know is that he had a limited influence over the premortal spirits. Hence, we cannot assume the Father lost a large number. The scriptures make no such point, and all such assumptions come from a misreading of the standard works of the Church.

3 See “Power in His Honor,” in chapter 14, The Power of God.