Every now & again, I venture forth to the Skeptics Annotated Bible website just to see what I can see (yes, like that bear on the mountaintop). Glancing at their notes on Mark 1, I followed a link to a blog entry comparing Jesus Christ & Satan. Curious, I followed the link.
Four similarities were presented. And they are…
(1) They are both like a lion. – Revelation 5:5 vs. 1 Peter 5:8
Fair enough. However, don’t stop at such a surface-level comparison. Satan, like a lion, walks about looking for whom he may devour. That is quite different from Jesus, who instead is compared to a lion “because of his great strength, he being the mighty God, the able Saviour, and strong Redeemer, and protector of his church and people, and the avenger of their enemies; and because of his courage and intrepidity when he engaged with Satan, and his principalities and powers, when he bore the sins of his people, sustained his Father’s wrath, and the terrors of death set themselves in array against him; and because of the fierceness of his wrath, and fury against the wicked, and for his generosity and lenity towards those that stoop unto him, and obey him” (John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible).
(2) They are the morning star (Venus) – Revelation 22:16 vs. Isaiah 14:12
Two things. First, the citizens of Heaven are referred to as morning stars (Job 38:7), so that Jesus is lauded as “the bright and morning star” is no surprise.
Second, there is no evidence that Isaiah 14 refers to Satan. If I’m not mistaken, that notion arose in the Middle Ages or later and is complete nonsense. Rather, Isaiah 14 refers to the king of Babylon and his lofty ambitions. He is either referred to sarcastically as the morning star, or the title is use because as a king he shines above and beyond common man.
Either way, this comparison falls apart — Satan is not an angel or citizen of Heaven (and thus is never called a morning star), nor is Isaiah 14 even talking about him anyway.
(3) They existed before the universe was created. – John 1:1 vs. Job 38:4-7
Job 38:4-7 doesn’t have in view Satan. Again, he’s never explicitly described as being an angel (good or otherwise) at any point during his existence.
I don’t know when Satan was created; however, it can be deduced easily enough that he has not existed as long as Jesus Christ. As God, Jesus is eternal. As a creature, Satan had to have been created.
And logically, Creators precede creations.
(4) They are sons of God. – Mark 1:1 vs. Job 1:6; 2:1
Adam was a son of God. Christians are sons of God. Angels are sons of God. Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God.
Satan is not a son of God. Such a distinction is reserved for beings who, in their creation, are sinless. Christ is unique in that He has eternally been a Son, yet is begotten of the Father. Still, He remained sinless.
Christians, while they may still sin, are justified & regarded by God as without sin, for Christ’s righteousness has been imputed to them.
As best as I can understand the Scriptures, however, Satan was not created sinless but rather has always, since the moment of his creation, been the adversary of God & his people.
If, if it can be deduced from Scripture that Satan was at one point sinless, then yes, “son of God” would apply to him.
So really, Jesus & Satan aren’t that similar at all. Indeed, tomes could be written on their dissimilarities. Perhaps the most important similarity they really do share is that they both exist. I think sometimes even Christians need to be reminded of that.
Bit confused here. Do you believe satan and Jesus both exist? I thought atheists would at least deny Satan exists and then that Jesus was anything other than a man?
I have been an atheist for nearly two years. Prior to that, I was an earnest Christian. This post falls during that time in my life.