Satan is an angelic being that was created by God. Although we don’t know much about his original purpose or function, the Bible tells us that Satan rebelled against God and through a serpent tempted Eve to eat the forbidden fruit in the garden of Eden. According to Ezekiel 28:14-15, Satan was an anointed guardian cherub who was blameless in his ways until unrighteousness was found in him. The Hebrew word that is translated unrighteousness, ʻevel (ehˊ-vel) means evil (H5766) and is derived from the word ʻaval (aw-valˊ) which means “to distort, to deviate from the moral standard” (H5765). The fact that he was an anointed guardian cherub and was in the garden of Eden (Ezekiel 28:13) indicates that Satan took advantage of his special privileges to turn Adam and Eve away from God. Satan’s goal was to make Adam and Eve like him, evil.

The prophecies of Ezekiel and Isaiah make it clear that Satan will be destroyed by God at some point in the future. Satan’s eventual demise is linked to his desire to replace God as the ruler over his creation. Quoting the LORD, Isaiah stated:

“How you are fallen from heaven,
    O Day Star, son of Dawn!
How you are cut down to the ground,
    you who laid the nations low!
You said in your heart,
    ‘I will ascend to heaven;
above the stars of God
    I will set my throne on high;
I will sit on the mount of assembly
    in the far reaches of the north;
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
    I will make myself like the Most High.’” (Isaiah 14:12-14)

Satan’s desire to usurp God’s authority is evident in the way he twists God’s words to achieve his own purposes. When he tempted Jesus in the wilderness, Satan indicated that all the kingdoms of the world were under his control and also implied that he could give that control to someone else if he wanted to (Matthew 4:8-9). In reality, Satan can only act with God’s permission and must “submit himself to whatever God chooses to do” (note on Job 1:6-12).

Ezekiel’s prophecy of Satan’s destruction focuses on the complete annihilation of evil. Ezekiel identified Satan as a sinner that had corrupted the entire world. Ezekiel said:

In the abundance of your trade
    you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned;
so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God,
    and I destroyed you, O guardian cherub,
    from the midst of the stones of fire.
Your heart was proud because of your beauty;
    you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor.
I cast you to the ground;
    I exposed you before kings,
    to feast their eyes on you.
By the multitude of your iniquities,
    in the unrighteousness of your trade
    you profaned your sanctuaries;
so I brought fire out from your midst;
    it consumed you,
and I turned you to ashes on the earth
    in the sight of all who saw you.
All who know you among the peoples
    are appalled at you;
you have come to a dreadful end
    and shall be no more forever.” (Ezekiel 28:16-19)

Revelation tells us that Satan’s defeat will take place at the end of Jesus’ millennial reign on earth (Revelation 20:7-10). At that time, fire will come down from heaven and consume everyone who follows the devil in a battle against Jesus. The devil will then be thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur and “will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Revelation 20:10).