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The Blue Letter Bible

Don Stewart :: Where Does Satan Presently Live?

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Don Stewart
There are those who believe that Satan is presently bound in the pit. The Bible does say that he will be there some day.

And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, the old serpent, which is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and cast him into the abyss, and shut it, and sealed it over him, that he should deceive the nations no more, until the thousand years should be finished: after this he must be loosed for a little time (Revelation 20:1-3).

Some Bible students think this binding of Satan happened some time in the past.

Imprisoned In Hell?

A common belief is to think that Satan and his angels are presently imprisoned in hell. However the Bible does not teach this at all.

Has Access To God

Satan presently has access to God.

Now it came to pass on the day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, that Satan also came among them (Job 1:6).

This access does not seem to be anything abnormal.

Lives In The Heavenly Realm

The abode of Satan is in the heavenly realm.

For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12).

Active Upon The Earth

Scripture says that Satan is also active upon the earth.

The LORD said to Satan, "Where have you come from?" Satan answered the LORD, "From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it" (Job 1:7).

We are warned that he now roams the earth.

Be sober, be watchful: your adversary the Devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8).

From all of the above, we find that Satan is not presently restricted to one place.

Cast Out Of God's Presence At His Fall?

The fact that Satan will eventually be thrown down to the earth brings up a question. The casting of Satan out of heaven, that is recorded in the Book of Revelation, can mean one of two things: either Satan will be thrown out of God's presence only at this particular point in history - which is still future - or that he had previously been thrown out of God's presence, but still had access to the stellar heavens. Some feel that he was cast out of God' presence the moment he sinned and now only has temporary access to the Lord. Others feel that he was not banished from God's presence when he sinned but rather will be only at this point that the Book of Revelation records (Revelation 12).

Summary

Satan presently dwells in the heavenly realm. The Bible teaches that he does have access to the LORD. Whether he has already been thrown out of heaven or whether this judgment is still future is an area in which Bible students disagree.
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The Blue Letter Bible ministry and the BLB Institute hold to the historical, conservative Christian faith, which includes a firm belief in the inerrancy of Scripture. Since the text and audio content provided by BLB represent a range of evangelical traditions, all of the ideas and principles conveyed in the resource materials are not necessarily affirmed, in total, by this ministry.