Satan asks Jesus, in Matthew 4:9, to “. . . fall down and do me homage,” wanting Jesus to worship him and not God, further suggesting his opposition and this the first mention of the worship of Satan. Then in 1Timothy 5:15, it is stated, “For there have in fact been some who have taken the wrong turning and have gone over to Satan.” This proves that people had begun viewing Satan as a type of god, and some had even begun worshipping him.

In Luke 10:18, “[Jesus] said to them ‘ . . . And if it is Satan who drives out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then can his kingdom stand?’” This verse states that Satan has his own kingdom, which suggests the great power of Satan, much more at least than when he needed God’s permission to interfere with Job’s life.

In Acts 26:18, there is another mention of a kingdom of Satan: “You are to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, from the dominion of Satan to God.” Then in Revelation 2:13, the phrase, “where Satan is enthroned” is written.

Throughout the Bible, the name of Satan transforms from a name meaning simply “accuser” into the name of an evil force in his own kingdom outside the kingdom of God; a being that interferes with and tempts the lives of people of his own free will.

Whether this transformation is an accurate development of the being, or whether man’s understanding of Satan changed is up for debate. One thing is clear – the symbol of evil that is Satan is a complex one.