6 Characteristics of Satan (and his followers)

The title of this blog is self-evident, so I will offer little in the way of an introduction. Furthermore, I have a lot to say in this one, so I want to dive right in.

It is on the longer side, yes, but I truly believe it is well worth the time spent reading it. For those who are willing to do so, I hope you will agree.

Let’s get to my 6 characteristics of Satan and his followers.

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1. Characteristic #1: Satan is Powerful

I don’t need to wax poetic to prove this point, or even offer my own insights. The biblical authors were clear about Satan’s power. In the Book of Job, Satan performs all manner of wonders to sabotage Job’s life. Satan took Job’s livestock, murdered his servants, destroyed his land, demolished his reputation, and even murdered his ten children in one fowl swoop (Job 1-2).

He then struck Job with sores on his body and turned his own wife against him (2:7-9). Finally, he sent three insidious “comforters”—Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar—in an attempt to gaslight him and warp his mind. But notice the power exhibited, here. Satan was not only able to destroy so many lives but was also able to cause fire to rain down from heaven (1:16) and whirlwinds to appear at will (1:18-19).

This is a truly powerful being—make no mistake about it.

We also know that Satan famously tempted Jesus—the incarnate Son of God—at the onset of his ministry. There, Satan went so far as to say this:

“The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, ‘I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. If you worship me, it will all be yours” (Lk. 4:5-7).

While Satan is the “Father of Lies” (Jn. 8:44), he wasn’t lying about owning all the kingdoms of the world.

Paul and Jesus both go so far as to state that Satan has ownership over our world, in its currently fallen state. Paul called him the “ruler of this age” (2 Cor. 4:4). He also called Satan the “prince of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2). Jesus called him the “ruler of this world” (Jn. 14:30).

Satan is not God, and he does not win the war; be certain of that. However, Satan is a being—a fallen angel—who possesses immense power. For now . . .

• Characteristic #2: Satan is Stealthy

While Job discovered that Satan’s power can be rather overt, he typically works behind the scenes. This does not mean that he wants to appear absent. It is said that “the greatest trick Satan ever performed was convincing the world he doesn’t exist.” I disagree. Satan’s greatest trick is convincing the world that he is God.

The Bible is clear that Satan wants to be worshipped, not ignored. This was evident in his appeal to have Jesus bow down and worship him (Lk. 4:5-7), and in Isaiah’s description of Lucifer—yes, the Hebrew language uses that term—as the “son of the morning.” Lucifer wants to “ascend to the heavens,” “sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,” and make himself “like the Most High” (Is. 14:13-14). More could be said, but this is not the desire of someone who wants to go completely unnoticed.

Rather, it’s the desire of one who wants to be worshipped and adored.

What I mean by “stealthy,” then, is that he does not make his plans known at the onset. Again, his attempt is not to go unnoticed. Satan, after all, “masquerades as an angel of light” (2 Cor. 11:14). Hear this—Satan’s efforts are to blend in as one of the good guys. Everything is camouflaged to mask his true intentions; everything is a smokescreen.

That is, until he has successfully roped his victims into the net of corruption. As Al Pacino—while playing Satan, of course—remarked on the movie, The Devil’s Advocate: “You gotta keep yourself small: innocuous. Be the little guy . . . I’m a surprise . . . they don’t see me coming.”

They clearly derived these sentiments from personal knowledge of Satan’s strategies. Lucifer is stealthy—you don’t see him coming.

• Characteristic #3: Satan is Manipulative

Another one of Satan’s key characteristics is that he is manipulative. Consider again the temptation of Jesus, but this time look at exactly how Satan tempted him.

The first temptation was of basic need: food. Jesus, having been in the wilderness for forty days and nights, had not eaten in that time and was beyond famished. Satan knew this, so he used this need against Jesus, offering him bread (Lk. 4:3). However, he did so by trying to manipulate Jesus’ divine ability:

“If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread” (4:3).

Next, Satan attempted to manipulate Jesus’ understanding of his purpose and power. By showing him the kingdoms of the world and offering them to Jesus—again, wanting worship—Satan wanted to make Jesus believe that things aren’t as they seem. Jesus—the Creator and Son of God—didn’t really have ultimate ownership over the world. Taking the occasion when Jesus was struggling in human form, he tried to gaslight him into believing something different about his own purpose and power (Lk. 4:5-7).

Finally, he clearly attempted to manipulate Jesus into abusing his power. By tempting him to jump off the top of the temple and have the angels rescue him (Lk. 4:9), Satan was trying to manipulate Jesus into abusing his divine authority and forsake his mission.

But don’t miss this point; note that Satan also quoted Scripture in his manipulative plans (Lk. 4:10-11). There is no clearer sign of manipulation than subverting the very words Jesus inspired through Scripture!

Hmm . . . do any people ever do that?

Lastly, after the temptation, Scripture reveals even further how manipulative Satan really is:

“And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time” (4:13).

Satan picks his times and attacks when we are at our weakest points. In this, he proves that he is also a complete coward.

Let’s not miss the point here though. Friends, understand that these examples are all sophisticated forms of “gaslighting.” Satan loves to create manipulative scenarios that cause others to doubt their understanding of reality, thus turning the situation to his favor. Everything and everyone are a means to an evil end.

He knows the best times to take advantage of us, as well as all the right buttons to press. Satan is truly manipulative.

• Characteristic #4: Satan is a Liar

This one does not need a great deal of explanation, particularly because Jesus directly told us that Satan is the “Father of Lies.” But let’s look at the full statement, for emphasis:

“. . . there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (Jn. 8:44).

There is no truth in Satan. Lying is as easy for him as changing the TV channel is for us. In fact, he cannot help but lie.

Think about his first lie, the Big One. Upon hearing God’s command to Adam and Eve that eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil would result in death, Satan (the serpent) said this:

“You will not certainly die,’ the serpent said to the woman. ‘For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Gen. 3:4-5).

This, of course, worked. Lies have tremendous power to destroy and no one knows that better than Lucifer. Here, he was able to completely subvert the truth. Not only would Adam and Eve not die, but they would in fact “be like God” Himself: eternal and ageless.

This also illustrate Satan’s ability to project his desires onto others. Satan desires to be like God, so it’s logical that he would project that outcome onto others. Projection is perhaps the strongest and most potent form of lying and, once again, Satan is the Father of projection. Satan can, does, and must lie.

• Characteristic #5: Satan has no Empathy

Recall from earlier the incredible damage inflicted upon Job. Satan destroyed countless servants, livestock, property, and even Job’s sons and daughters. All this was done to prove another lie, which is that Job served God only because of his incredible wealth and blessings.

Jesus walked in this world as one of us, being both fully human and fully divine. Because of this, he understands our human condition and can perfectly empathize with it. Jesus can put himself in our shoes and genuinely care because 1) He walked in our shoes and 2) His nature is to care. The author of Hebrews described this reality perfectly when he said:

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (4:15).

Satan, on the other hand, can neither sympathize nor empathize with anyone. His heart is calloused. Destruction is the name of the game. Everyone is disposable, and he cares nothing for other beings, even those who worship him.

Satan decimated Job’s life and murdered those around him. He asked to “sift” all the apostles “as wheat” (Lk. 22:31). He tried to derail Jesus from his mission during the Temptation, afterwards through Peter (Mt. 16:23), and then ultimately succeeded in murdering Christ through corrupting Judas (Lk. 22:3). Presently, he “prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Pet. 5:8).

For Satan, it’s win at all costs . . . even though he knows he can’t (discussed next).

Imagine the callousness it takes to destroy the lives of innocent people at will without having the slightest concern. Satan has no problem with it. Pure callousness. Unbridled cruelty. No depths are too low and no lengths are too far.

Satan is completely pitiless. Completely. There is no remorse, no regret, and no empathy.

• Characteristic #6: Satan is Unapologetic

Along these lines, Satan also has no ability to be apologetic. This may seem obvious, or even irrelevant to you. But let me explain.

Of all beings in existence, Satan understands the power of God. He knows who his Creator is and knows that he, himself, can create nothing. Lucifer understands how this will all play out and that he will inevitably lose. His future is Gehenna, the lake of burning fire.

He knows this for certain, yet he persists. He persists in his mission to destroy God’s good Creation and all those who serve the Lord. He knows he will go down but, rather than repent, Satan opts to “go down swinging.”

Like the Balrog on the Fellowship of the Ring, Satan wants only to take others down with him. His bitterness and hatred are all he has left.

This, friends, is the true face of evil.

To again quote Pacino from The Devil’s Advocate: “Freedom, baby . . . is never having to say you’re sorry.” This is truly Satan’s motto. As the movie also says—while quoting Milton’s Paradise Lost—Satan would rather “reign in Hell than serve in Heaven.”

He would rather be destroyed than repent. Satan is completely unapologetic.

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Satan in his Followers

I have recently done a deep dive into the characteristics of those possessing “narcissistic personality disorder” (NPD), particularly the less obvious—but probably more dangerous—covert variety. For those unfamiliar with this, please take a few minutes to review this video. Your own well-being, or that of a loved one, could depend upon understanding these individuals, who are seemingly everywhere these days.

(I plan to discuss the sadistic nature of narcissism in our world in upcoming blogs, so stay tuned for this.)

My point in bringing this up now is simple: people with NPD are rampant, and they perfectly illustrate how Satan’s characteristics come out in the people of this world.

• Q. Remember how I said that Satan’s true desire is to be worshipped and adored? Well, who does that sound like? A. A narcissist.
• Q. What kind of people constantly operate with stealth, seeking always to manipulate others? A. A narcissist.
• Q. Who relies entirely upon a façade—a “mask”—and lives their life by stacking one lie upon the next? A. A narcissist.
• Q. Who has absolutely zero empathy for others and cannot apologize if their life depended on it? A. That would again be . . . a narcissist.

Am I saying that people with NPD and similar conditions are evil? Yes—and without question. I believe these are far more than mental disorders, though I am not saying that outside factors—such as upbringing, past trauma, and brain chemistry—have nothing to do with them.

What I am saying is that, if these behaviors cannot be clearly labeled as “evil,” then what possibly could?

When Jim Jones—who exhibited all the clear signs of a narcissistic sociopath—charismatically persuaded a flock of individuals to give up everything in their lives and start a “utopian” community in Jonestown, Guyana—which resulted in hideous abuse and what he called “revolutionary suicide” via poisoned Kool-Aid—was he simply suffering from mental illness?

What about other cult leaders? What about mass murderers like Stalin, Pol Pot, Adolph Hitler, and the like. What about school shooters like Dylan Klebold, Eric Harris, and Adam Lanza? Were they all just mentally ill?

Clearly, not all people with destructive personality disorders become mass murderers. However, they all deeply wound those around them. Often—as in the case of narcissists—they even enjoy doing so.

When one’s behavior mirrors the characteristics of Satan himself, there is no other way to see it; it’s simply evil.

We must not give this behavior a pass or attempt to explain it away in biological or psychological terms.

Evil is as evil does.

I will not go farther into this now, but I believe the majority of our actors, politicians, athletes, and other world leaders can (and should) be classified as narcissists (and we now know there is evil behind most of it). Just look at the way they behave. Nearly all of them are completely self-absorbed, have no or little empathy, cycle through an endless supply of romantic relationships, cause harm to those around them, and perhaps most importantly, they have no ability to accept blame or even care about the damage they inflict.

Not surprisingly, these same people are almost universally Freemasons and Satanists. As my readers know, I have probably taken more pains to prove this point than any other. If you are new to my blog, start here and begin the deep dive into the true nature of the world’s elites.

Yes . . . Satan’s followers exhibit his characteristics, and they are all around us: now far more than ever.

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Conclusion

Hopefully, you have found this article worthy of your time and reflection. However, you may still be wondering why I am discussing these matters and linking them all together. Why do I spend so much time trying to expose Satan, the Freemasonic enterprise, people with “personality disorders,” and simply those in our world who exhibit the traits of their evil master?

The answer is simple: Christians need to understand the enemy. We must know who we are fighting against, what their characteristics and strategies are, and the immense threat they pose to the true people of God. As Paul so poignantly said:

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12).

While Satan’s earthly servants threaten us in innumerable ways, they derive both their power and nature from the “forces of evil in the heavenly places.” It’s biblically undeniable, but it also plays itself out clearly in reality.

Satan’s impact in our world cannot—and must not—be overlooked or in any way diminished. The clearer we understand the earthly and heavenly powers of darkness, as well as how Satan’s image is being reflected in our world, the better equipped we will be to wage spiritual battle and to “stand firm to the end.”

Be vigilant to observe the schemes of Satan, as well as those around you who carry them out.

Your very salvation could depend upon it.

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For those interested in seeing how evil this world truly is, please see my video, System of the Beast or check out my book sharing the same name.