Bible Question:
• In the Intermediate State, will believers encounter Satan as he accuses the brethren before the Throne day and night?
Bible Answer:

Satan and His Demons Will Be Cast Out of Heaven
2 Corinthians 5:6-8 teaches that when we who believe in Christ die, we will go immediately to heaven to be with the Lord forever. But have you ever wondered who we will see in heaven? The most important person we will see in heaven is God. The Apostle John reveals in his vision of heaven in Revelation 4:2-11 that we will see God and angels. But have you ever wondered if we also see Satan and the evil angels in heaven? The answer is yes!
Evil Angels Visited Heaven In the Old Testament
In order to make this obvious, we are going to study some important Scriptures that reveal Satan and his evil angels have had, still have, and will continue to have access to heaven, at least for a while. The first passage we want to look at is 1 Kings 22:19-23. It reveals that Satan’s evil angels had access to heaven in the past. It says,
Micaiah said, “Therefore, hear the word of the LORD. I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by Him on His right and on His left. The LORD said, ‘Who will entice Ahab to go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said this while another said that. Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD and said, ‘I will entice him.’ The LORD said to him, ‘How?’ And he said, ‘I will go out and be a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ Then He said, ‘You are to entice him and also prevail. Go and do so.’ Now therefore, behold, the LORD has put a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; and the LORD has proclaimed disaster against you.” 1 Kings 22:19-23 (NASB)
Micaiah was a prophet of God. Verse 20 says that he was allowed to see God sitting on a throne in heaven with all of the hosts in heaven standing on His left and right side. So, who or what was included in the phrase “hosts in heaven”? Now watch the next verses.
Then 1 Kings 22:20 states that God asked, “Who will entice Ahab to go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?” Then an evil spirit “came forward and stood before the Lord” and volunteered to entice Ahab. The rest of the passage says that God gave this evil spirit permission to be a deceiving spirit in the mouths of the false prophets for the purpose of enticing Ahab. Then God promised that he would succeed. I believe that means God knew that the evil angel would succeed. It cannot mean that God caused Ahab to sin as we will discover later.
2 Chronicles 18:12-22 also records this event, adding some additional details. Both passages are amazing for they reveal that an evil spirit must have been included in the term “host of heaven.” We are not told the evil spirit entered heaven. Instead, we are told the evil spirit “came forward and stood before the LORD.” But if he was not part of the “host of heaven,” it is obvious that he was allowed into heaven during this discussion and the prophet of God, Micaiah, saw this evil angel along with God and the holy angels in heaven. Either way, this means evil spirits or evil angels had access to heaven in the Old Testament era. What happened to Micaiah also suggests that all of the residents of heaven could see the host of heaven and any evil spirits who came before the Lord too.
In addition, some Bible teachers believe that the evil spirit may have been Satan, but we are not told that. So, this passage reveals that the prophet Micaiah saw God and all of the hosts of heaven, which included at least one evil spirit.
Another important passage is the first two chapters of the book of Job. In these chapters (Job 1:6-9, 12; 2:1-7) we are told that Satan and some of his evil angels came before the Lord in heaven (Job 1:6; 2:1). Job 1:6 states,
Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. Job 1:6 (NASB)
So on some occasion in the past, Satan told God that he had been roaming around on the earth. That is what 1 Peter 5:8 says Satan does. He roams about seeking someone to destroy or to tempt. Then God asked Satan if he had considered Job. It is amazing that God directed Satan to think about Job.
But this does not mean that God is responsible for Job’s sin. Notice what James 1:13-14 says,
Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. James 1:13-14 (NASB)
So, God allows each person to be tested in the area of sin. He often wants us to be tempted to cause us to then become more holy as we resist the temptation. He allows tragic events into our lives to test our faith as well as to discipline us for our sins. But in order to inflict discipline (Pharaoh and Ahab), to cause growth (Job), and sometimes to cause a greater good (Joseph), He may use evil to accomplish His purposes. From the mere fact that He permitted sin to exist, we know that sin can be used to accomplish God’s purposes. Otherwise, He could have prevented it. However, this does not mean that He sins, or created sin, or causes us to sin.
Before I continue, I would like to add that these passages may seem unfair to us. You may be thinking, “Why does God use evil spirits to deceive and punish people? The answer is that God can and does use evil to accomplish His purposes. He is not the author of sin. He does not sin. But He has allowed evil to exist for a reason. He must allow evil to exist or no one would have been alive after Adam sinned.
If we continue reading Job 1-2, we discover that Satan and his evil angels visit God again after they caused Job tremendous suffering. But the main reason we are interested in this passage is that it reveals Satan and his army of evil angels had access to God in heaven in the Old Testament. So, Adam, Eve, Seth, Enoch, Abraham, Sarah, Jacob, Issac, Joseph, and others could have seen Satan and his evil angels in heaven. I believe all of those individuals are in heaven today.
Zechariah 3:1-2 is another example where we are told that Satan had access to God in heaven in the Old Testament. It says,
Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. The LORD said to Satan, “ The LORD rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?” Zechariah 3:1-2 (NASB)
Here we are told that Zechariah had a vision. The high priest of Israel was Joshua. He was standing before the angel of the Lord, which was a theophany. Satan was standing on Joshua’s right side, the traditional position for making an accusation (Psalm 109:6). So, Joshua, Satan, and Christ are together in this vision. This suggests that God does not have any problem mixing humans, evil angels, and a theophany together.
While this last passage may not have occurred in heaven, these Old Testament passages reveal at least three important facts. First, Satan and evil angels had access to heaven in the Old Testament era. Second, God did not have a problem with two prophets having a vision about evil angels and holy angels in heaven. Third, Satan and his evil angels do not permanently live in heaven. Their home is now on earth. They may visit heaven but they cannot stay or live there. We should remember that the book of Job indicates they made temporary visits to heaven.
Evil Angels Visited Heaven In the New Testament
A very important point that we need to consider is that Satan and his evil angels had access to heaven in the time of Christ in the New Testament era. Consider Luke 22:31 where we are told that Jesus said to Peter that Satan had asked to sift Peter as wheat. That is, Satan apparently made a visit to heaven to ask God the Father once again for permission to do something to someone. This time Satan wanted to test Peter. Remember that an evil spirit had to ask for permission from God to test Ahab. Also, Job 1:10 indicates God dropped a hedge or some kind of protection around Job before allowing Satan to test Job. That is, God establishes the rules or the boundaries of the testing that Satan and his evil angels are permitted to perform. Notice what Jesus said in Luke 22:31-32,
“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; 32 but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” Luke 22:31-32 (NASB)
Here Jesus reveals that Satan was allowed to test Peter when Jesus said that He would pray for him to not fail. Satan was given permission, but Jesus would protect Peter.
The same is true today. Satan must gain permission to test us. God establishes the boundaries for the test. When Jesus urges us to ask the Father to not lead us into temptation in Matthew 6:13, the message is that we should ask the Father to not put us into situations where we are tempted to sin.
And do not lead us into temptation but deliver us from evil. Matthew 6:13 (NASB)
That reveals God the Father permits or denies and sets the boundaries of our testing. God the Father allowed both wicked Ahab, and righteous Job, and Peter to be tempted. That is why we are told in 1 Corinthians 10:13,
No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NASB)
The Father has set the boundaries of our testing.
Evil Angels Will Visit Heaven In the Tribulation
Next, we are told in Revelation 12:7-10 that Satan will someday make war in heaven and then be defeated.
And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. 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. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. Revelation 12:7-10 (NASB)
So, at some time in the future Satan and his army of evil angels will enter heaven and attempt to defeat the holy angels and God Himself. This will be a last-ditch-effort to avoid the eternal fire of hell. Everyone in heaven will see this happen.
In summary, the Old Testament saints have been seeing Satan and his evil angels in heaven and the New Testament saints are and will also see them. While it is true that there are no specific verses that say that is true, Micaiah’s experience in 1 Kings 22:19-23 and 2 Chronicles 18:12-22 is the strongest supporting example. The second strong example is that of the high priest Joshua in Zechariah 3.
If that conclusion is accurate, then will believers witness Satan in heaven as he accuses the brethren before the throne day and night? The answer is yes! Satan and his evil angels still have the right to visit heaven but they cannot live there. The heaven that believers go to today is called the intermediate state since the eternal heaven is described in Revelation 21-22. At some future time, believers will be living in heaven with God and Satan and his army of evil angels will be in the lake of fire forever along with unbelievers.
Suggested Links:
Where did Satan come from? – Creation and Fall of SatanIs Satan a serpent, dragon, devil or a cherubim? — The Evil One
Satan In A Rage
Can Satan put thoughts in our minds?
Satan’s Power — What Power Does Satan Have?