CHAPTER 3 SATAN: FALLEN ANGEL OR CREATED DESTROYER
With but few exceptions I believe that we have all been taught that satan was at one time the number one angel, or possibly number two, second only to Michael. Some teachers have even said that satan was the chief musician and choir director in heaven until he became prideful and thought that he could become equal to, or even higher than God. As the story goes, he convinced a third of the angels to go along with him in his rebellion, but was overcome and cast down to the earth along with those who followed him. We are then told that he and his rebellious band of angels are now attempting to destroy the church and prevent the Gospel from being preached throughout the world.
When I first accepted Christ as my Savior I had no difficulty believing this. After all, I remember being taught the same thing when I attended Sunday school as a child. However, when I started to search the Scriptures for verification of this concept I began to question its veracity because I found no direct confirmation of it. Whereas, I did find several verses which were in direct conflict with such a view of satan's origin.
Allow me to show you what I mean. Traditional teaching would have us believe that those angels who followed satan in his revolt against God are the evil spirits that harass us today. Yet Jude 6 and II Pe.2:4 clearly tell us that those angels who threw in with him are currently bound with chains and held in gloomy dungeons where they are awaiting judgment. Therefore, they cannot be the evil spirits which compose the powers of this dark world and the spiritual forces of evil which are arrayed against us as recorded in Eph.6:11. (Note: while I will not discuss it here, there is no Scriptural, grammatical, or logical foundation to what has become known as the Gap Theory. This theory says that the demons of today are the disembodied spirits of some previous earth creatures who were destroyed by God prior to earth's re-creation in Genesis 1:2. For a more detailed discussion of this topic see Chapter 1 of my book entitled Evolution: Guilty As Charged.)
Since satan does not have the same creation power as does God, is it possible that satan's henchmen were actually created by God to serve in their present capacity? Isaiah 45:7 certainly indicates this possibility when it says: "... I am the Lord and there is none else, I form the light and create darkness: I make peace, and I CREATE EVIL: I the Lord do all these things." (KJV emphasis added). The Hebrew word for 'create' used in that verse is the same word used in Gen. 1:1 wherein we see that God 'created' the heaven and the earth; namely, bah rah. (# 1254 in Strong's Concordance - see also Gen.5:1 and Gen.1:27). The Hebrew word for 'evil' in Isaiah 45:7 is rag (#7451 in Strong's Concordance) and is the same word translated as 'evil' in Gen.2:9 to identify the tree of knowledge of good and evil. It is also the same word translated as 'wicked' in Gen.13:13 to describe the life style which was prevalent in Sodom.
The prophet Amos recognized something which many teachers today refuse to even mention, or even worse, totally ignore because it does not fit into their theology. In Amos 3:6 KJV we read: "... shall there be evil in a city and the Lord hath not done it?" The prophet Micah makes a similar statement in chapter 1 verse 12, and gives us a specific example when he says, "Those who live in Maroth (bitterness) writhe in pain, waiting for relief, because disaster has come from the Lord, even to the gate of Jerusalem." parenthesis added). II Chron.15:5-6 tells us that things got so bad at times that travel from city to city was extremely dangerous for "one nation was being crushed by another and one city by another because God was troubling them with every kind of distress" (emphasis added). You are probably asking yourself "How can that be? Why would God actually create evil?" Again, let's confine our search to the Bible, because this area, perhaps more than any other we have discussed this far has the potential for giving way to emotionalism, and I wish to eliminate as many sources of criticism as possible before they arise.
Isaiah 54:16 says, " it is I who created the blacksmith who fans the coals into flame and forges a weapon fit for its work, and it is I who have created the destroyer to work havoc." (emphasis added) We know from John 10:10 that satan has come only to "kill, steal, and DESTROY" (emphasis added), and as we just saw, it is God who created the blacksmith to make things hot enough to forge weapons. When metal passes through a forge it is heated, and the impurities are beaten from it. It is thereby strengthen and honed for battle.
Notice what Job said in Job 23:10, "...when He (God) has tested me, I will come forth as gold."(parenthesis added) Yet, we know that it was satan who was doing those things to Job (Job 1:12 & 2:6). Heb.2:10&18 tells us that even Jesus was tested. And from Mk.1:12 we see that this testing was accomplished when He was sent into the wilderness to be tempted by satan. In fact Matt.4:1 tells us that the Holy Spirit actually led Jesus into the desert for the very purpose of being tested. That is why Ja.1:2 tells us to consider it joy when we are tested by trials, because the testing must take place if we are to ever reach maturity (see Chapter 1).
satan is the blacksmith who fans the coals, thereby making things hot and extremely uncomfortable at times. He has as his unwitting purpose the testing by fire of God's people so that they may emerge from the furnace of affliction as finely crafted weapons. Regardless of what some people teach about Job and his `negative confessions', we should not lose sight of God's comments regarding his character. Job 1:1 tells us that he was "blameless and upright" (see also Job 1:8 and 2:3). Furthermore, God includes Job along with Daniel and Noah in Ez.14:14 as examples of truly righteous men, and we know that Daniel and Noah were mighty men of God. Getting back to the point at hand we should notice that it was God who called satan's attention to Job in the first place. You see, Job was blameless, but he had not yet been tested. Now, as we know from Ja.1:2, it is temptation which tests us, and God cannot tempt. Ja.1:12). Hence satan, the tempter, is needed on the scene. In a very real sense then he was merely reporting for duty when we see him in Job 1:6.
David realized that there was a purpose for the afflictions he underwent In Ps.119:67 he said, "Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey Your Word." "I know O Lord that Your laws are righteous, and in faithfulness YOU HAVE AFFLICTED ME." (Ps.119:75 emphasis added). "It was good for me to be afflicted SO THAT I MIGHT LEARN YOUR DECREES." (vs 71). Don't get me wrong, God is not sitting back joyfully waiting to dump on us. Lam.3:33 tells us that He does not willingly bring afflictions or grief to the children of men, but He brings us through a furnace of affliction in order to refine us. (Ps.66:10-12). If we would keep our way pure by obeying the Word of the Lord (Ps.119:9 & I Pe.1:22) we would save ourselves a great deal of grief. Our time of tempting could be limited to testing, and not testing plus purifying. Be glad though and rejoice in the fact that God will not allow us to be tempted or refined beyond our ability to endure (I Cor.10:13). Do not forget that He sets limits beyond which satan could not go in regards to Job, but the process is still not pleasant (Job 1:12 & 2:6).
The angels were created perfect, but even they had to be tested. Some of them failed the test and chose the way of satan. We are shown in I Pe.4:12 & I Cor3:13 that we also will be tested by fire. Heb.2:10 shows us that going through sufferings (temptations) brings us into maturity and teaches us obedience (Heb.5:8). Look at what Paul says in I Cor.5:5 concerning the immoral brother, "... hand this man over to satan so that the sinful nature may be destroyed..." (emphasis added). Paul was saying that the destroyer had a function, and that function is to burn away the nature we inherited from Adam. (see also I Tim.1:20)
Our Adamic nature must be destroyed, it must be put to death. Our old self must be crucified (Ro.6:6). I believe that is why Jesus said that we must take up our cross, deny ourselves, and follow Him (Lk.14:27 & Mk.8:34). If that young man in first Corinthians had been walking according to the Word, he would not have been handed over to satan, for the destruction of his sinful nature. He would, by the power of Christ within him, have already begun the process of taking up his cross and crucifying his Adamic nature. That which must be denied is the old nature, or soul, which before we accepted Christ was at odds with everything Jesus stands for (Col.1:21). That doesn't mean that the young man under discussion would therefore not have had to deal with satan, but he would not have to suffer the destruction of his sinful nature at the hands of satan. He would be tested, but not destroyed.
Peter tells us that sufferings and trials have come to refine our faith (I Pe.1:7) Isaiah 48:10 clearly says that testing will come about in the furnace of affliction. God's priests will be refined (Mal.3:2) because only that which is spotless and without wrinkle will stand before Him (Eph.5:27). Notice satan's function is still the same today as it was in Job's time. In Lk.22:31 Jesus told Peter that satan has asked permission to "sift you as wheat." Now notice two things about that verse. First, the Greek word for 'you' is plural, not singular: ie. more than just Peter alone is going to be sifted. Secondly, Jesus didn't say that he denied satan's request. Rather, He prayed that Peter's faith would not fail him during this testing process.
Some might say that that was before Jesus died and destroyed the power of satan. As such, things are different today. In response to that I ask that you turn to Rev.2:10. This was after Jesus' crucification and resurrection, but the message is clear enough. "Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the DEVIL will put some of you in PRISON TO TEST YOU." (emphasis added). The Amplified Bible's translation of Eph.1:11 makes it quite clear that all things are included in God's plan for us when it says, "... for we have been foreordained (chosen and appointed beforehand) in accordance with His purpose, who works out EVERYTHING in agreement with the COUNSEL AND DESIGN OF HIS (OWN) WILL." (emphasis added). That includes being imprisoned in order to be tested.
While this may be hard for some people to accept, it doesn't alter the fact that it is included in Scripture. Furthermore, look at I Pe.4:12 wherein the Holy Spirit says through Peter, "Dear friends, do not be suprised at the painful trial you are suffering as though something strange was happening to you...". Now look further on to verse 19 wherein we read, "...THOSE WHO SUFFER ACCORDING TO GOD'S WILL should commit themselves to their faithful Creator." (emphasis added) Since we know that suffering comes about with temptation (Heb.2:18), and there appears to be a time and place for suffering according to God's will, we have further verification for the statement of Eph.1:11 that EVERYTHING is working out for us according to God's plan and design.
SIMPLY PUT, SATAN'S PURPOSE IS TO BRING TO THE SURFACE THAT PART OF OUR ADAMIC NATURE WHICH HAS NOT YET BEEN DESTROYED SO THAT LIKE THE DROSS WHICH RISES TO THE TOP OF MOLTEN SILVER, IT MAY BE RECOGNIZED FOR WHAT IT IS, AND REMOVED. Only after that nature is thoroughly purged will we be a vessel fit for the silversmith (Prov.25:4). Think about this for a moment. Why is it that satan is released for a short period after the 1,000-year period mentioned in Rev. 20:7? Those born during the millennial period will also have to be tested. This does not mean that we have no authority over satan, for we know that Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil (I John 3:8). However, we will still be tested. Even though Paul had had a direct revelation from Jesus, and had been used by Him in mighty ways, he still had to go through many trials in order to be further purified and to learn to rely totally upon the Lord (II Cor.1:9-10 & Acts 9:16).
So far we have seen satan as a tool for testing, and a tool for purification. There is one other way in which satan would appear to be used by God. God told the Israelites in Deut.28:27 that He would afflict them with disease as a curse if they were disobedient to His commands. II Chron. 26:20 tells us that it was the Lord who afflicted Uzziah with leprosy when he attempted to act as a priest in defiance of the law of Moses. Also, it was the Lord who afflicted Jehoram with an incurable bowl disease "... and he died in great pain, " because he "...walked in the ways of the Kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done." (II Chron.21:18 & 6). So also was it the Lord who afflicted Pharaoh with serious diseases when Abraham turned Sarah over to the Egyptians in Gen.12:17. In I Ki.22:21 we see that it was God who put a lying spirit in the mouths of Ahab's prophets; and Judges 9:23 tells us that it was God who sent an evil spirit to cause division between Abimelech and his subjects. I Sam.16:14&23 and 18:10 tell us that the evil spirit which came upon Saul was from God. And God Himself, while speaking directly to Solomon warned all Israel that if she turned away from His ways, trouble would come upon them. And everyone would know that their failure to adhere to God's directive "... is why HE BROUGHT all this disaster on them" (II Chron.7:22).
Now, while it is true that these are all Old Testament examples, II Thes.2:11 gives us a New Testament example of God doing the same sort of thing after Jesus had died and risen again. In that verse God says that He will send a powerful delusion in order to deceive those who in the end times refuse to believe the truth of the Gospel. The Greek word for 'delusion' found in that verse is plane, which is translated "deceive" in the KJV (Eph.4:14). According to Thayer's Greek English Lexicon of the New Testament this word means "... a wandering ... whereby one led astray from the right way roams hither and thither." These verses are not in conflict with Deut.32:4 which says that there is no iniquity in God. You see, the iniquity is in the tool, not in the craftsman who uses the tool.
In Ps.38:3 David says "because of your wrath there is no health in my body." In Nu.12:9-10 the anger of the Lord is also directly linked to the leprosy which came upon Miriam when she and Aaron challenged Moses' authority. Jer.44:2-4 tells us that Jerusalem and the towns of Judah were destroyed because they provoked God's anger with their idolatry. And Eph.5:6 tells us that similar activity on man's part will again bring God's wrath upon those members of this generation who are disobedient. We are told in Ps.78: 50 that God's anger burned against the Egyptians, destroying their firstborn Verse 49 tells us He did this by releasing a band of "destroying angels." However, the Hebrew word translated as `destroying' is rag which, as we saw before, means "evil." Ex.12:23 tells us that God would not allow the DESTROYER to enter the homes of the Israelites. The Hebrew word for 'destroyer is the same word used in Isaiah 54:17 which told us that it was God who created the destroyer (shah gath) to work havoc. By comparing Ps.78:49-50 and Ex.12:23 we see that the "evil angels" and the "destroyer" are the same. God created both (Isaiah 45:7 & 54:16) and clearly uses them to accomplish His purposes.
The point is, there is a relationship between the anger of the Lord - the expression of that anger - and satan. That relationship is more clearly shown in II Sam.24:1. Notice what it says, "Again, the anger of the Lord burned against Israel and He incited David against them saying, 'Go and count Israel and Judah'" (emphasis added). Carefully note two things. First, the anger of the Lord is referred to by the personal pronoun 'He'. Secondly, the anger of the Lord is cited as the agent which incited David to count his fighting men. Now turn to I Chron. 21:1 and read the parallel account of this event. "Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel." (emphasis is added). There can be no question that satan is the agent, or tool whom God used to carry out the expression of His anger.
Yes, satan is the prince of the air (Eph.2:2) and the leader of the powers of this dark world (Eph.6:12), but Col.1:16 tells us that by Jesus ALL things were created. ""Things in heaven and on earth, visible and INVISIBLE, whether thrones or POWERS or RULERS or AUTHORITIES: all things were created by HIM, for HIM." (emphasis added). Remember, satan's army is not composed of fallen angels, for they are being held in darkness awaiting judgment. His army is composed of created beings who are fulfilling the purposes for which they were created. The Amplified Bible tells us in Ro.11:36, "for from Him and through Him and to Him are ALL THINGS. FOR ALL THINGS ORIGINATE WITH HIM, and COME FROM HIM. ALL THINGS LIVE THROUGH HIM, and all things center in and tend to consummate and to end in Him..." (emphasis added). We are shown in Prov.16:4 that the "Lord works out EVERYTHING for His own ends - even the wicked for a day of disaster." (emphasis added). Not some things, but all things!
John 1:3 also carries this same message when it says; "Through Him all things were made: without Him NOTHING was made that has been made." (emphasis added). Evil is an invisible spirit, and Isaiah 45:7 told us that God created it. As we have already seen, it is the testing and purification agent He uses to destroy our Adamic nature when we do not voluntarily crucify it. In addition to this however, it is the method by which He vents His anger. Regardless of what or who satan is, he is not something which just happened to slip into God's creation to foul things up. Our God is greater than that. I do not feel that anything, anytime, anywhere has ever slipped in on God.
If in fact satan were evil from the beginning, having been created as the destroyer to work havoc, then there should be some Scripture which would clearly show this. I John 3:8 says, "... the devil has been sinning from the beginning," and John 8:44 says, "He (the devil) was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for he is a liar and the father of lies" (parenthesis added). Some people would have us believe that the 'beginning' referred to in this verse is the beginning of man in the Garden of Eden, or shortly before. They insist that by that time satan had already sinned and had been cast down from heaven. However, a careful look at the Greek word arkee, which is translated `beginning' quickly, dispels that notion.
Arkee means "from the inception or existence" or "from the origin." Therefore, satan was a liar from his inception, not just from the time of Adam and Eve. John 8:44 says that lying was his native language. Now, if satan had at one time been an angel, his native language would have been angelic, not one of lies. The Moffatt translation of the Bible brings this out when it says, "When he lies, he is expressing his own nature." (see also NAS). Dr. Robert Young's translation renders it this way, "... in the truth he hath not stood," and the Jerusalem Bible translation says "... he was NEVER grounded in the truth." (emphasis added). If satan was angelic in nature at his inception then he would have stood in the truth at one time - but that is not what it says (see also the Rotherham translation for a similar rendering).
The Greek word translated as 'stood' is histeemi (#2476 in Strong's Concordance) which means to "stand" or "abide in". To not have stood or not have abided in the truth is about as self-explanatory a statement as can be made. Satan does not now, nor has he ever, stood in the truth. The clearest and most revealing translation of John 8:44 is J.B. Phillips translation which lays to rest any question as to satan's original language. "He was always a murder and had NEVER dealt with the truth since the truth will have nothing to do with him. Whenever he lies he speaks in character, for he is a liar and the father of lies." (emphasis added).
Some would say this simply couldn't be, for we are told in Hab.1:13 that God is so pure that He cannot even look upon evil. How then could He actually create it, or purposefully use it? First of all, we cannot forget Isaiah 45:7 which specifically said that God did in fact create it. That should answer the question. However, when we look at the word translated as "look" in Hab.1:13, what at first glance appears to be a problem is cleared up. The Hebrew word used therein is nah vat(#5027 in Strong's Concordance) and it means to "regard with pleasure." Since there can be no doubt that God does not regard evil with pleasure, it would therefore appear obvious why Hab.1:13 says that God could not nah vat evil.
On the other hand, if we look at II Chron.24:22; Gen.11:5; 18:21 & 6:5 we will see that God does look at evil. In this case however we are merely being told that God is simply glancing at, or noticing the evil which is present. The word used in those verses is rah ah, and that word comes closer to matching modern day usage for the word 'look' than does nah vat. Keeping this distinction in mind, we can better understand the sin of Lot's wife when she "looked" at Sodom and was turned into a pillar of salt. She did not merely rah ah what was happening, ie. glance over her shoulder to see the fire, she nah vat, or looked with a yearning upon that which was being destroyed. Merely taking a passing glance (rah ah) at what was happening would not have been a violation of the angel's command in Gen.19:17 ("Don't look [nah vat] back..."). Apparently, when she looked back she looked back in sorrow because she didn't want it destroyed. It was this longing for that which Sodom stood for that marked her transgression. God does not "look with pleasure" upon evil, but temptation is a necessary tool in our testing process and God does use the tempter according to His purposes.
What about the traditional teaching which says that satan was a perfect angel who fell from heaven? Where does it come from? To be perfectly honest with you, it is the proponents of the fallen angel story who have to go outside the Scripture in order to find the origins for their theory. The fallen angel tradition can be found in the book The Secrets of Enoch, chapter 29 verses 3&4. That's right, the only book which specifically states that satan was, at one time, a perfect angel who tried to set himself above God, and thereby lost his place of honor by being kicked out of heaven, is not found in the Bible. For purposes of information, that account reads as follows:
And one from out of the order of angels, having turned away with the order that was under him, conceived an impossible thought, to place his throne higher than the clouds above the earth, that he might become equal in rank to my power. And I threw him out from the height with his angels and he was flying in the air continually above the bottomless.
Who then is, or was Lucifer? That name is found in the KJV of Isaiah 14:12-14. Notice two things concerning these verses. First, the King James Version is the only translation of the Bible which uses the name 'Lucifer,' which is a Latin word which means `shining one.' Secondly, according to vs. 13, Lucifer says that he will ascend to heaven to make his place higher than that of the Most High. Now, if satan was already an angelic being of high rank, why did he say in his heart, "I will ASCEND TO HEAVEN."? (emphasis added) Was he not already there? Concerning the association of the name Lucifer with satan, I would ask you to consider the fact that many students of Scripture feel that it is erroneous to make that association, particularly since it was not done until the 3rd century AD (see footnote `N' to Isa.14:12 in the Amplified Bible). Furthermore, such an association is also dependent upon the assumption that Lk.10:18 is an explanation of Isaiah 14:12, which likewise is an assumption that many conservative theologians are no longer willing to accept. Satan's fall from heaven mentioned in Lk.10:18 can just as easily be a reference to the fact that he no longer has free access to heaven as he did at the time of Job (Rev.12:10 and Col.1:22). Besides, there is no rendition of Lk.10:18 which even remotely indicates that satan was at one time a perfect angel.
That part of the fallen angel story is dependent upon taking Ez.28:12-17 to mean that the one being talked about is satan. However, vs.13 clearly says that every precious stone adorned this perfect creation WHEN he was in the Garden of Eden - and that was Adam, not the serpent. There is no way the serpent can be viewed as being adorned with anything precious while in the garden. Furthermore, verse 14 does not require us to believe that the one being discussed in this verse was angelic in nature, only that he was appointed to be a guardian of the garden LIKE the cherub guardian.
If you think I am stretching a point by interpreting verse 14 like this, let us take a look at the Moffat rendition which reads, "On the day you were created I placed you BESIDE the kherubs on the sacred hill of God..."(emphasis added). The New English Bible says, "I set you WITH a towering cherub" (emphasis added), and the Jerusalem Bible translates it as "I had provided you WITH a guardian cherub." (emphasis added). There is absolutely no requirement in Hebrew grammar which requires us to believe that the one being referred to in verse 14 is a cherub.
Verse 15 says, "... you were blameless in your ways from the day you were created..." To state that this is satan puts us in direct conflict with John 8:44 and I John 3:8. We have the obligation to interpret Scripture in such a way so as to eliminate conflicts, not create them. John 8:44 and I John 3:8 specifically refer to satan by name; whereas, much conjecture is needed to view Ez.28:15 as referring to satan. Even then it can be done only by ignoring the clear meaning of the words used in John 8:44 and I John 3:8.
Finally, verse 16 which says, "So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you o guardian cherub," can just as accurately be translated (as does Moffatt), "I have expelled you as a profane thing from the hill of God, and the kerub has driven you to your ruin..." Again, so that I am not accused of taking some far out position on this verse please see the same verse in the New English Bible which says, "So I brought you down in disgrace from the mountain of God and the guardian cherub banished you...", or the Jerusalem Bible which translates it this way, "I have thrown you from the mountain of God and the guardian cherub has destroyed you from amid the coals."
Where then did the idea that satan was the chief musician come from. Again, the problem arises when we rely upon 17th century English. According to the KJV, Ez.28:13 reads in part: "... every precious stone was thy covering... the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created." (emphasis added) By really stretching, some believers have taken the word "pipes" to mean musical instruments. Therefore, according to their reasoning, since the Lucifer of Isaiah 14:12-14 is the same entity as the King of Tyre in Ez.28:13, and they are both satan, then satan must have played the pipes, and since he was the number one or two angel, he must have been the choir director. However, the Hebrew word translated as 'pipes' in the KJV is not a musical term. Rather, it is a technical term associated with jewelers which describes the place where stones are set. It has nothing whatsoever to do with music. As such, there is absolutely no Scriptural foundation to the chief musician portion of the fallen angel story either.
In reality, the more these verses are read the more they refer to Adam, or the spirit of Adam. It was the Adamic nature which causes us to think we can set ourselves up as God. Furthermore, it is this very nature which could lead to our destruction if it is not itself destroyed. I am not saying that the King of Tyre listed in Ex.28:12 was a reincarnation of Adam any more then John the Baptist was a reincarnation of Elijah the prophet. Yet, just as John came in the spirit of Elijah (Matt.17:11 and 11:14), so also have there been men who have had the spirit of Adam about them. Not Adam's actual spirit, but that same desire to become like the Most High God which caused Adam and Eve to fall from grace (Gen.3:5). Like Adam, it has led to their destruction.
The point is, satan is not now, nor has he ever been an angelic being who fell from grace because of pride. He is and always was a destroyer created to work havoc. He is the fire in the furnace of affliction which produces enough heat in our lives to cause the dross to rise to the top so that it can be skimmed off till one day Jesus will look into the crucible of silver and see His pure reflection. Then we will be like Jesus (Col.3:4). In John 14:30 Jesus said that the prince of this world had no hold on Him. Jesus had no Adamic nature which satan could lay claim to. When our Adamic nature has been destroyed, then and only then will satan have absolutely no hold on us also. Until then he still has a function to perform and God will continue to allow him to fulfill it.
In regards to the role which satan is still playing, please turn to Gen.3:14 and notice part of the curse which God placed upon him: "You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust..." (emphasis added). Now in the natural realm, how many snakes do you know of which subsist on a diet of dust? None. Therefore, let's examine this curse from a spiritual perspective. satan was cursed to eat dust. But what kind of dust?
Part of the answer to that question is found in Gen.3:19 which records the curse God put upon man for his part in the fall. This verse tells us that "... for dust you are, and to dust you will return." But what part of spiritual man is satan to eat? I Cor.14:45 & 49 gives us the answer to that question:
"The first man was from out of earth, made of dust, earth minded. The second man is the Lord from out of heaven. Now those who are made of the dust are like him who was first made from the dust - earth minded; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven - heaven minded. And just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, so shall we and so let us also bear the image of the man of heaven." (Amplified Bible, emphasis added).
Our old sinful nature, our old Adamic nature, ie. our old way of thinking must be consumed. That's why Gal.5:24 tells us that "Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires". When Jesus told us in Matt.16:24-25 that we must lose our soul in order to find it, He was not telling us that we had to physically die. Rather, He was telling us that our old mind (psyche), our old Adamic nature, ie. our old soul must be consumed and replaced with His nature, His way of thinking.
satan's job is to feed off of our old mind. That is the dust he is to eat. When he does, that part of our being is highlighted, ie. brought to the surface that it may be dealt with. When that nature is thoroughly crucified then he will have no hold on us, for there will be nothing for him to eat. That is why Jesus told the disciples to shake the dust of any unbelieving town from their feet (Matt.10:14). Remember, He had told them that they must have clean feet, free from dust (John 13:8). The overcomers will see satan crushed under their feet (Heb.10:13 & Ro.16:20, and those feet, which are free of all dust, will be glorified (Isa.60:13 & John 12:3).
Do not make the mistake of thinking that this lesson is in any way a modification of what has been said previously in other lessons concerning God's will for us to be prosperous, healthy, or victorious. The point is, knowledge of who and what satan is may very well help us 'clean up our act' so that the manifestation of some material promise God has made to us through His Word will not cause us to stumble later on. satan is still our enemy. However, his attacks are not random shots, but rather part of an organized attack which has a purpose. In addition to drawing near to God and resisting the devil (Ja.4:7-8), and putting on the whole armor of God that we may stand against evil (Eph.6:11&13), we should seek to understand what part of our Adamic nature is being revealed or highlighted by each attack. Then we must seek to crucify that portion of our old man, thereby removing that much more of the dross/dust which remains.
If you see no method or plan behind these attacks, it is likely that you will not make any attempt to learn from the experience, and may therefore have to go through the fire again and again. Whereas, if we understand that God is sovereign in every area of this universe, and that He is working out every detail of our life in agreement with His will (Eph.1:11), then we can, through Christ who strengthens us, move one step closer towards the goal of being that pure vessel which can be used by the Most High God (Prov.25:4)