Satan is a real personality, identified at the very beginning of the Bible (Genesis 3:1) and the very end (Revelation 20:10), with many references in between.

Jesus considered him to be a real personality and rebuked him with God's Word (Matthew 4:1-11).

Satan is a created being, he was not eternal with God in the beginning; but he is not human with a natural lifespan. He is a spiritual being without a body, as are the angels, and he can masquerade as an angel of light, to suit his dark purposes.

In the Old Testament the rulers of Babylon and Tyre were so wicked that they resembled Satan's character, and so in the prophecies against them (Isaiah 14:12-15 and Ezekiel 28:12-14) we can see the history of Satan, and the motivations for his rebellion against God. He became proud of his own beauty and status and rebelled against God.

Satan is a rebel: and his purpose is to get as many people as possible to rebel with him; to rob God of His rightful place as King, to ridicule His authority, power and kingdom, and to deface God's glory.

Satan is called the “accuser of the brothers” (Revelation 12:10), a tempter (Matthew 4:3;), and a deceiver (Genesis 3:13) and the father of lies (John 8:44). That is why it is important for Christians to prepare themselves to take their stand against the Devil’s schemes (Ephesians 6:10-18). So Christians must be on their guard. We must be quick to spot the Devil’s lies and hold to the truth. We must be aware that our enemy prowls around like a roaring lion and so we must keep watch.

We do not need to fear Satan because we know that His power is limited by God (Job 1:12) and that it is possible to stand against him (Ephesians 6:11. We also know that God will bring Satan to judgment at the end of time (Revelation 20:10) along with all who share in his rebellious ways.