A Brief Study of Angels
Where does Satan dwell?
As we have previously observed, since Satan is actually a fallen angel, many of the things we have already seen apply to him. This certainly applies to his sphere of existence. Holy angels probably dwell primarily in the “second heaven,” what we refer to as space where the stars, planets and other heavenly bodies are. They also have some degree of access to the third heaven, where the throne of God is (perhaps only as needed or when summoned). They commonly operate in the sphere of the “first heaven” (our atmosphere and world) to accomplish God’s will by carrying out His commands.
Fallen angels may also primarily abide in the starry expanse (though not likely in the company of the holy angels) but it seems that they are also very active in our realm as well. In fact, some speculate that fallen angels dwell mainly on the earth these days since it is the center of their operations against mankind. (Shortly we will see some verses that may support this view.) With the exception of Satan himself (Job 1,2), it also seems likely that fallen angels have little or no access to the third heaven and the presence of God. Since Satan is the leader of the demons it is logical that the things we assign to them would also generally be true of him.
The first thing that we should be reminded of is that the devil does not live and/or reign in hell, the place of torment, as popular culture depicts in literature and visual media. Hell is not a pleasant place for anyone, even these wicked beings. Though some may think that Satan and his henchmen are there to increase the sufferings of evil men by tormenting them, this is not true. Matthew 25:41makes it clear that the “everlasting fire” was prepared with “the devil and his angels” in mind as the place where they, too, will suffer.
In the Bible we see Satan in various places--Eden (Gen. 3); before the Lord (Job 1,2); in the wilderness tempting Christ (Matt. 4, Luke 4); in heaven fighting with Michael (Rev. 12; The Moody Handbook of Theology asserts that this probably refers to the stellar heaven)--which tells us that he can obviously get to where he needs to be and makes it hard to pinpoint a specific dwelling place. But two passages make it clear that his main area of interest is the earth. In Job 1:7, 2:2 to answer God’s queries Satan says both times that he had come “from going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.” This is followed up with a warning from Peter who tells that Satan “walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour” (I Peter 5:8). Both these indicate that Satan spends a lot of
time on the earth trying to advance his cause. They would also seem to suggest that Satan has no use for a permanent home but is continually on the move.
But another interesting verse which may support a different view of Satan’s practice with regard to dwelling places is Revelation 2:13. I use the word “may” because there are different ideas about the interpretation. Theplain meaning would be that Satan has (or did) set up his “throne” and “dwells” (or dwelt) in Pergamos. Whether or not it was permanent is beyond our knowledge. Regarding this, an argument could be made either way that Satan, like a king, has set up his own stronghold and residence or, like a military commander, he moves around as the needs of the campaign dictate. Since the city is now destroyed with only a small village named Bergama near the ruins, it seems hard to believe that the devil would stay there (assuming he wants to be where the action is). Anyway, if the meaning of that phrase means that Satan headquartered there, it must have been quite a startling revelation to the believers of that church that Satan had set up his base of operations in their city.
The other view of this verse is that it is decribing the city of Pergamos as a hotbed of satanic activity. John Walvoord calls it “an important religious center where the pagan cults of Athena, Asclepius, Dionysius and Zeus were prominent” (The Revelation of Jesus Christ, p. 65). Noteworthy was the great altar of Zeus which was eventually moved and is currenty displayed in Berlin (Walvoord, p. 66). But the major center of paganism was the temple to Asclepius (or Esculapius) whose idol was in the form of a serpent. Some view the reference to “Satan’s throne” to be referring to this temple (or perhaps the one for Zeus) specifically, while others see it as an expression of the tremendous sway that the devil had in this city through the various outlets of heathen worship and all the wickedness in general.
Whether Satan has a permanent dwelling place/stronghold or whether he simply roams all the time is beyond what the Bible reveals for certain. It is apparently not all that important that we know for sure. What is important to know is that Satan does have a influential presence in our world and if we are not on guard we, too, can be affected by the philosophies he promotes.