Satan Is Not Omnipotent: A Philosophical Arguments (10)
Satan Is Not Omnipotent & Not Sovereign
Satan is not omnipotent! Satan is not omniscient! And Satan is not omnipresent!
Satan cannot claim the same greatness as God, his creator, and hence Satan is not omnipotent. Understood as a power to act, perhaps upon others or oneself, omnipotence is an internal or external relation. Given that omnipotence is predicated on persons only in God’s case, it appears that it must be an internal relation. God is a being with maximal greatness, for no one created Him. In Philosophical arguments, God is known as the ‘First Cause,’ ‘First Mover’; ‘Intelligent Designer’; ‘First Unmoved Mover’; ‘Necessary of Itself’; ‘intelligent Being,’ and so on.
Satan was a created being, an angel, judged because of his rebellion. According to 1 Timothy 3: 6, Satan was sparked by his pride. He is responsible for introducing evil to the world. A created being cannot be like or greater than the creator. The most explicit passage in the Bible about Satan is in Rev. 12: 7-9:
And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. And the dragon and his angels waged war, and they were not strong enough and no longer found a place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. Rev. 12: 7-9 (NASB). Satan is invested with a specific vicious and malignant character. Still, it has no power to act without divine permission being first obtained and, therefore, cannot be regarded as the embodiment of the power that opposes God. Christians should never underestimate Satan, but he can be overcome in the name of Jesus Christ, who has absolute authority in the heavens and earth (Matt. 28:18).
Satan is nowhere near God.
God is omnipotent. He is all-powerful, omniscient: He is all-knowing. God is omnipresent: He is present everywhere. The devil, in sharp contrast, does not reflect these divine attributes. Satan is mighty, more than any man, and more potent than most angels. But he is not anywhere near to being the equal of God. Satan’s knowledge is limited, and he cannot know all human beings’ thoughts. And while God can be everywhere simultaneously, Satan can be in only one place at a time. However, he does not work alone. He has his minions, his demon forces that do his devilish work (Ephesians 6:10-12).
Satan can do nothing in the life of a faithful Christian without God’s permission.
While God may allow demonic attacks in your life, you are still under God’s divine protection. In the book of Job, the account of Satan being among the angels coming to present themselves before the Lord is recorded. God said to him, “From where do you come?” (Job 1: 7). Satan answered, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.” Satan pointed out the hedge of protection God had placed around Job, his household, and everything he owned. A Christian can be oppressed to some degree, but neither the devil nor a demon can ever take control of his life. When you place your faith in Jesus Christ, you are under His protection (the protection of blood).
Satan knows this and must back off. Instead, the devil will try to lure you out of God’s protection and draw you into his web of deception. The objective of a child of God is to stay as close to the Lord as possible. And keep as much distance between himself and the devil. The difference between Satan’s accusations and the Holy Spirit’s conviction is that Satan will always drive you away from the cross, while Jesus will always bring you to it.
The devil was soundly defeated at the cross of Calvary
Colossians 2:15 say, “Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.” At Calvary, the devil lost his foothold and stranglehold on the life of human beings.
Satan is Not Omnipotent.
He has great power—more than any man and most angels—but he is not near our God’s equal. As mentioned, he must seek God’s permission before he can even do certain things.
Satan is Not Omniscient.
He has a powerful intellect and knows many things from experience (far more than people), but only God is all-knowing.
Satan is Not Omnipresent.
Satan is an individual personality, so he can be in only one place at a time (Job 1:7). So when someone says that the devil is tempting them, more than likely, it is Satan’s power working through his network of demons.
Ways One Gives Authority To Demons:
It is possible to permit demons into one’s body, and the ways one gives authority to demons to enter one’s body and operate are through:
Satan Worship
The worship of Satan is as old as man on earth, known as worldliness or Satanism.
Satan worship is found in various ways, such as black magic, black mass, and all facets of drug culture. All forms of idol worship and blood sacrifices have their roots in Satanism.
Evil dedications
Baby dedications are performed when a child is born, whether to the living God or a lesser deity. Baby Jesus was dedicated to the Almighty God. (Luke 2: 22 – 23.):
When the time of their purification according to the law of Moses had been completed, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord.
The unbelievers dedicate their children to Satan, demons, gods, water spirits, or other lesser deities. When a child or baby in the womb is dedicated to these gods’ service, the demon spirits are assigned the task of ensuring the child remains in their custody all of their life. Sometimes these children are dedicated to special festivals, unique ceremonial or market days’ deities or gods. This dedication can only be broken when such a person comes to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. The demon spirits then see that person as a traitor, and consequently, the demon spirits then activate a curse of destruction in their life.
Idol Worship
Idol worship is fellowship with demons. Sacrifices made to idols are made to demons, and these demons inhabit the bodies of their followers. Most ancestral curses originate from idol worship.
Occult involvement
Occult involvement means obeying the teachings of demons. These include performing rituals, re-counting incantations, keeping or using charms, using demoniac powers, casting spells, reading occult literature/publications, magical arts & practices, witchcraft, divination, and sorcery. All these types of occultism invite demons into the bodies of practitioners. Acts 19: 19 says, “A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas.”
Psychic experiences
A Psychic is susceptible to psychic influences like a medium, fortuneteller, and divination. Divination is a pagan counterpart of Christian prophecies, and divination is my demon power (it is Satanic). The Bible classifies false prophets and diviners as one.
Habitual Sins
Behind every sin is a Spirit. If you continue in sin, then you give authority to demon operations in your life.
Curses
Curses can result in demoniac activities and can affect generations of families.
Uncontrolled Emotions
Anger, Jealousy, hatred, envy, and other vices can open a doorway to evil spirits, thereby possessing your body.
Wrong Teachings
Wrong teachings come through the doctrines of the demons and those open ways to evil spirits.
