A special CPCC focus study on: "The Bad Guy."
New Testament Verses
Produced by TheMediaDesk, ©2025
Posted on CCPC's website 2025
The Bad Guy study, NT verses about the bad guy.
Compared to the OT, The Bad Guy is much more 'popular' in the NT. He appears early in the text in a key scene, and then comes back to initiate the climax of the action in the Gospels. And later, he is referenced in several of the Letters, and takes a central roll in the final act in The Apocalypse.
But even with that, several of his underlings come into sharp, albeit brief, focus in several scenes in both the Gospels and Acts, usually as they "exit stage left". Some even get a speaking part, but it only serves to highlight Who the play is about... See Matthew 8 for an example.
Along the way we define two of the most common terms for him from the Greek, and find out that they are not a proper noun.
NT verses
As with the OT list, this is, more or less, our raw notes, we probably missed some stuff, and all that. Enjoy, anyway.
- Matthew 4:1 "tou diabolou" ((singular) the devil / the accuser / the slanderer) From two words meaning 'thrown down'.
Matthew 4:8 "Again, the devil (singular) took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory,"
Matthew 4:10 "Satana" from a Hebrew / Chaldean word meaning 'adversary / accuser', here used as proper noun, without a definite article.
"Then Jesus said to him, 'Go, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.'"
Matthew 8 beginning verse 28 (Also see: Mark 5, Luke 8:26 ) casting "daimones" (demons / bad spirits (general / plural)) into pigs. (and thus enters the idea of 'demonic possession' into our discussion)
Matthew 10 : 25 and 12 : 24... "Beelzeboul" (various spellings) Chaldeen ?'dung fly god'?, also associated with Baal, known to the Philistines as well. See 2 Kings 1.
Matthew 16:23 "But He turned and said to Peter, 'Get behind Me, "Satana" (proper noun)! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on "Theou" (God's) interests, but man's.'" See Mark 8:33
Matthew 24:24 "For false Christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect."
(as we saw in the Revelation study, these are different from The Bad Guy, although they work for him, and in The End, suffer the same fate.)
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Mark 1 : 13 'tempted by Satan, and with wild beasts.....'
Mark 3 : 22- 23 Beelzebul ... "Satan cast out Satan?"
"archonti ton daimonion" (prince of demons, identifies singular ruler)
Mark 4 : 15 Satan takes away the word
- Luke 4 :2 diabolou (the devil / accuser / slanderer)
Luke 10:18 "ton Satanan" (the ......) Same word as from the Hebrew
"And He said to them, 'I was watching Satan (as proper noun) fall from heaven like lightning.'"
Luke 22: 3 "Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve." (The Bad Guy taking control of a person)
Luke 22:31 "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat;"
Evidently the scene from Job 1 where the bad guys talks to GOD still happens!
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John 8:44
"You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies."
John 13:27 "After the morsel, Satan then entered into him. Therefore Jesus said to him, 'What you do, do quickly.'" (same scene from Luke 22:3)
- Acts 5:3
"Then Peter said, 'Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?'"
Acts 26 : 18 "turn from power of Satana to Theon"
- Romans 1:25 "They worshiped the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever!"
Romans 12:21 "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."
"kakos/kakou/kakon" (evil, bad, wicked, harmful (includes idea of intent))
Romans 16:20 "The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you."
- 1 Corinthians 5:5 "I have decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus."
at some point, even the Apostle Paul gave up on an obstructionist
1 Corinthians 7:5 "Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
- 2 Corinthians 2: 9 - 11 "Another reason I wrote you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything. Anyone you forgive, I also forgive. And what I have forgiven - if there was anything to forgive - I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes."
2 Corinthians 10:4 "For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds."
(the bad guy still has power in this world, see Ephesians 6)
2 Corinthians 11:3 "But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ."
(as in Genesis, the snake is identified separately from the bad guy)
2 Corinthians 11:13 - 14 "For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light."
2 Corinthians 12:7 "angelos Satana" (messenger 'from' Satan)
"Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from exalting myself!"
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Ephesians 4:26 - 27 (anger) "and do not give "ho diabolo" (the devil) an opportunity."
Ephesians 6:11 - 13, 16
"Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.....
"in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one."
"ta ponerou / poneros" (the evil / wicked / bad / malice ('one' is implied))
- 1 Thessalonians 2:18 "For we wanted to come to you, I, Paul, more than once and yet Satan hindered us."
- 2 Thessalonians 2:9 "that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders,"
(we see this come to a spectacular head in The Apocalypse of John)
2 Thessalonians 3:3 "But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one." (same as before)
- 1 timothy 1 :20 Two "paradidomi" ('handed over to' / delivered to), see 1 Corinthians 5.
1 Timothy 5 : 15 For some are already turned aside after Satan. (the context is marriage and children)
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2 Timothy 2:26 "tou diabolou pagidos" (the devil's trap/snare)
"and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.
- Titus 2 : 3 "diabolos" (slanderers / false accusers (as a hobby, not a proper name!))
- Hebrews 6 : 1 - (begins with a warning, then explains why....)
6 Since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding Him up to contempt.
(We see in The Apocalypse that this results in: the Vengeance of GOD.)
- James 2 : 19 demons (plural, general).... believe and tremble
James 4:7 "Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you."
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1 Peter 5:8 "Be "nepho" (self controled / sensible), be on the alert. The adversary of you, "Diabolos", prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour."
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2 Peter 2:9 interesting juxtaposition, no?
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1 John 3:8 words used: "poion / poios" (work / commit / spend time / etc), "hamartia" (sin / offense to God), "tou diabolou" (the devil), "Huios tou Theou" (Son of GOD), "lyse luo" (break / destroy / dissolve)...
"Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil."
- Jude 9 Michael the archangel's only appearance in the NT.
(the other use of the word 'archangel' is in 1 Thessalonians 4 : 16)
- Revelation 2:9 "I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan."
Revelation 3:9 "Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you."
Revelation 12:9 "And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him."
Revelation 12:10 "For the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down."
Revelation 12:12 "For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time."
Revelation 20:7 "When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison,
Revelation 20:10 "And "ho diabolos" (the devil, as an individual) who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever."
Selected Resources used....
The Bible Hub Interlinear pages:
https://biblehub.com/interlinear/revelation/1.htm
the Geneva Bible downloadable https://archive.org/details/TheGenevaBible1560
the 1611 KJV
https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/1611-Bible/
NOTE: The Bible Study Lesson presented above is posted as a reference document to begin a conversation of the topic. And that's it. Please accept it at such.
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