Thread: Satan in Zechariah 3 and Job

Can Satan approach the throne of God now? It looks like he did in the OT.

What can we draw out of Zech 3 about Satan's person and work? Are there any similarites or contrasts between Zech 3 and Job in the satan accounts?

Any links to commentaries or quotes?

I'm not sure about most of your questions, so I'll just step in briefly and then be done.

Revelation (chapter 12, I believe) says that Satan accuses the brethren day and night before God. So I would think that he has some sort of access to the throne of God. Just my guess, though.

Rev. 12 comes to mind for me also, but I believe the point, there, is that the accuser was cast down through the death and victorious resurrection/ascension of Christ.

Wouldn't the answer to that question hinge on the prior question, "When did Satan fall from heaven?"

Yes, when did he fall from heaven...during the earthly ministry of Christ?

He accused the believers in front of God before Christ's day, and now he does so on earth? i.e. his roaming space is being limited?

It's during Christ's earthly ministry that He says that He saw Satan fall from heaven as lightning. Revelation 12 might make it seem like it was in connection with the ascension of Christ. Colossians 2 would incline you to say it was in connection with the crucifixion. Perhaps the safest thing is to say that it was in connection with Christ's accomplishment of redemption.

I heard a sermon just 2 days ago on Revelation 12, which took the same line Ruben is taking. Satan no longer has access to the throne of God, since Christ's ascension, as there is no longer place for him and his angels in heaven. The partial preterist in me wants to link Satan's fall to earth with the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, and the woman fleeing to the desert, Rev 12:6.

When was Satan cast out of Heaven? When did he rebel? It was before the incident in the Garden.

In Luke 10:18 Jesus says "I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven." This was after the 70 returned and reported that the devils were subject to them.

I heard a sermon which stated Jesus was talking about His pre-incarnate existence, and in aeons past saw the devil ejected from heaven. It was at His behest he was so ejected.

In Job 1 and 2 Satan is summoned to appear before the LORD, along with the sons of God (angels), and when asked, tells the LORD he has been walking in the earth. The Sovereign uses him to subject His chosen saint to a fiery trial, but he remains on a short leash.

Satan had long maintained that humans were subject to him since they chose him over God, and were now fallen out of God and into Satan's realm (because of sin he was now their father and owner, and they were legally his, he said). His accusation was, they are unfit for heaven and God's favor because of sin.

This was the stance of Satan in Zechariah 3. Satan would say, They are covered in sin, they belong to me. The LORD, looking ahead at the Lamb slain for sinners, said, No, I have redeemed them, and they are legally Mine.

Satan would persist as Accuser.

When Jesus shed His blood, this was the ransom price for God's people, the satisfying of outraged Justice. The sins of God's people had now been dealt with, paid for. They were cleansed and united once again to their God.

In Revelation 12, after the man child was caught up to God's throne, is when there was war in heaven and satan and his brood were finally and utterly cast out, because the blood changed his status. He had no more right to accuse the saints before God. Rev 12:7-13:

And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,

And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.

And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.

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Herman Hoeksema, in his commentary on Revelation, Behold He Cometh, does a good job of making this clear.