Q: In your book The Footsteps of the Messiah, you mentioned that Satan has the same power as God to resurrect the dead. This can be seen in Revelation 13:3-4, where Satan is described as resurrecting the Antichrist. Has he always had this power? Why does he not resurrect all his dead followers?
A: Although Satan does have various powers, including resurrecting someone from the dead, he can only use his powers within the permissive will of God. One example outside the book of Revelation is seen in the first two chapters of Job. In the first encounter between God and Satan, God allowed Satan to touch the family and wealth of Job but not Job himself. In the second encounter, God told Satan that he could touch Job but could not take Job’s life. This shows that Satan’s great powers are limited by the permissive will of God. God will enable Satan to raise the Antichrist back to life, and it appears that this is the only time he will be allowed to do so within the realm of Scripture. We should also mention Satan’s ability to create life. In Revelation 13, there is an image made of the Antichrist. This image is allowed to become alive and is given power to speak and to kill. Again, this ability to create life is limited to one situation and is subject to the permissive will of God.