Answering a Parental Question about The Satan

Tonight I received a question from a parent about how to answer her child's questions regarding the Satan. Here is her questions and my response.

"[My son] is 7 years old. Tonight he was asking about how Satan was made. And he asked if we could pray to Satan to ask him to lose. I was not sure how to answer. And I don't know where in the Bible it says how Satan was made. Can you give me any info or advice as to how I can answer these questions?"

The Bible does not explicitly state how and when Satan was made … of course, the Bible does not explicitly state how and when angels were made either. The Bible states frequently that God is the creator of everything and it is presumed that he created the angels and also Satan. The Bible states that God created man “a little lower than the angels” (Psalm 8:5; Hebrews 2:7). This suggests that God created angels as well as man.

Now Satan is generally considered to be some form of angelic being. He is present in heaven when other angelic beings come before God (Job 1:6; 2:1). Satan is said to transform himself into an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). Satan has his own angels (Rev. 12:9). Satan is said to inhabit “heavenly places” (Luke 10:18). He is also the ruler of the demons (Matthew 12:24; Luke 11:18), which are considered to be fallen angels. If Satan is an angelic being, then he was created by God.

Satan’s original purpose appears to be to accuse people of sin before God (Job 1:9; Zechariah 3:1). He appears to have eventually gone from accusing people of sinning to prompting them to sin.

Never pray to Satan. Always pray to God. God defeated Satan through Jesus on the cross (1 John 3:8). And while Satan is still active on earth and can still cause trouble (1 Corinthians 7:5; 2 Corinthians 2:11; 1 Thessalonians 2:18), he is not in good condition (Romans 16:20; Rev. 20:2).

A professor once told me that God keeps Satan on a very short leash. By that he meant that God keeps Satan within certain bounds for the present time. We do not have to be afraid of him.

However, I think it is perfectly fine to pray to God that Satan does not succeed in particular battles, even though he has lost the war (Luke 22:31-32).

I suggest that you encourage Matthew to pray to God that Satan does not tempt (1 Corinthians 7:5), have power over people (Acts 26:18), and that he does not hinder the Church (1 Thessalonians 2:18). And do this all within his sphere of influence (i.e., family, friends, church, etc.)

I hope this helps. If not, let me know what else I can do. Please feel free to ask me anything, anytime.