Q.
118
Are Lucifer, the Adversary, Satan, the Beast,
and the Antichrist all the same? If so, why
use so many names? If not, what are their
different roles, and who is in charge?
David J. Lose
A.
The writers of scripture used a number of different names to
describe the forces pitted against God’s loving and good intentions
for creation. The differences refl ect the culture, time period, and
context of the writers and their communities. “Satan,” for instance, derived
from Arabic and Persian words among the cultures surrounding Israel, means
“the adversary,” and is used to describe various beings that sometimes tempt,
sometimes test, and sometimes torment human beings.
While each of these names may have had specifi c meaning for the com-
munities for which various books of the Bible were written, in our own time
the terms have often been lumped together, and what we “know” about them
comes more from extrabiblical sources ranging from Jewish and Christian
folklore to Dante’s Inferno and the more recent Left Behind series.
While there may be some small comfort found in recognizing that there
is no single and all-powerful demonic being waiting to jump out at us, we
shouldn’t kid ourselves: The biblical authors are keenly aware of the strong
impulse to sunder our relationship with God, creation, and each other, and the
devastating consequences of giving in to that impulse. Little wonder that the
Apostle Paul says “the whole creation” groans in anticipation of the redemp-
tion and victory over evil that Christ’s return represents.
In light of this, Christians can both set themselves against any and all
forces that run contrary to God’s goodwill for creation—whatever name or
guise those forces might take—and faithfully keep on their lips the prayer that
closes Revelation: “Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev. 22:20).Jason Boyett
A.
No, they’re not the same, though in today’s religious culture you’d
be forgiven for thinking they were just different names for the pri-
mary enemy of God.
The “adversary” is an English translation of ha-satan, a Hebrew word
describing the biblical entity who seems to act as a prosecutor in God’s court
(see Zech. 3:1–7). In New Testament writings, however, this adversary evolves
into Satan or the devil, God’s primary opposition.