5 Facts about Satan you may not know

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Can he predict the future? Move objects across the room?

by Philip Kosloski | Oct 29, 2017 | Excerpted from Aleteia.org

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Satan and his demon followers are mysterious figures of the spiritual realm. They torment us on a daily basis, though usually their actions are invisible to the eye.

Scripture has much to tell us about Satan and his minions, and over the centuries the Church has grown in its understanding of these malevolent spiritual beings.

Here are five facts that help shed more light on these dark creatures

What was Satan before his fall into darkness?

The Catechism of the Catholic Church affirms, “The Church teaches that Satan was at first a good angel, made by God” (CCC 391). He is traditionally named Lucifer, or “light bearer,” when he was a bright angel of light (cf. Isaiah 14:12-15).

Besides that, the Church has varying traditions as to what kind of angel Satan was. Saint Thomas Aquinas argues in his Summa that, “Cherubim is interpreted ‘fulness of knowledge,’ while ‘Seraphim’ means ‘those who are on fire,’ or ‘who set on fire.’ Consequently Cherubim is derived from knowledge; which is compatible with mortal sin; but Seraphim is derived from the heat of charity, which is incompatible with mortal sin. Therefore the first angel who sinned is called, not a Seraph, but a Cherub.”

However, there is no dogmatic declaration from the Church regarding whether Satan was a cherub or seraph. [1]

Can Satan (or any devil) predict the future?

The Catechism declares, “The power of Satan is, nonetheless, not infinite. He is only a creature, powerful from the fact that he is pure spirit, but still a creature” (CCC 395).

The short answer is no. Fallen angels (as well as good angels) do not have access to the future unless God reveals it to them. As Jesus says in the Gospel of Mark, “But of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Mark 13:32).

On the other hand, they can make predictions about the future based on observation. Demons by nature are extremely intelligent and can observe people and events very closely, having a sense of what will happen. Essentially they can “predict” the future with limited accuracy, not because they know something hidden, but because they are able to observe and give a general prediction like any smart human.

Continue reading at Aleteia.org

[1] References in this article reflect the position of the Roman Catholic Church and are not universally held throughout Christianity.