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Satan, the devil, the demon, the evil one-all these connote to one being to whom people have different ideas and perspectives as to who he is. Some stories about him are mythical while others are traceable facts. Almost all religions and cultures have different perspectives of who the devil is.

This may be attributed to the many writings and other media sources and the varying renditions that have led to inconsistency, and misconception regarding the Prince of Darkness. Here is a list of the 10 things everyone gets wrong about Satan:

Cited in the Book of Revelation as written by John, this number is associated with the Antichrist. However the story behind this association is not quite clear even in the Bible. This number has been featured many times in heavy metals and bad tattoos.

The concept of affiliating Satan with the number 666 is not new. In fact, archaeologists have a lot of nearly scrawled scripts from historic dump sites in Egypt that date to the third or fourth century. With improved technology, researchers use photographic imaging techniques as a means to translate the writings. One of the Scripts read has the number assigned to the proverbial beast as 616 and not 666. This controversial number is said to have been derived from the name of the person who, at the time, was thought to be the earthly incarnation of the Devil, Nero. Among the many theories of its origin, one states that the earlier text has a Latin base.

He does not have the same characteristics as God. Therefore, much to people’s belief that Satan too knows everything about us-it is false. Only God knows everything. He on the other hand may be viewed as cunning or smart that he can figure out a lot of things. If indeed Satan knew everything and was aware of the past, present, and future, it would be illogical of him to go against God and deal with all of the hatred associated with him. Satan does not know everything!

While Christians believe that nobody is yet in hell since the day of judgement has not yet come, it may be almost correct to say that he lives amongst us. According to the Book of Revelation 2:12, the ancient ‘Turkish City of Pergamum” has been mentioned as the ‘The Seat of Satan’.

Satanism is the worship of Satan. There are many images depicting the Church of Satan where peculiar rites of the dark are performed. According to Satanists, worshipping him isn’t what they’re about at all. They in fact don’t believe in a literal Satan. Rather, Satan is used as a metaphor to represent their belief in the power of fantasy, which they claim to share with many other religions. They therefore use Satan as an opposition to the fiction and the fantasy of the presence of an ethereal, divine figure—like Christ.

There is no reference in the Bible which speaks of Satan as originally being known as Lucifer yet it is what we have been led to believe. The only time Lucifer is mentioned is from a relatively new translation, and it’s also a misinterpretation. This is in Isaiah 14:12. Also, going back to the original Hebrew text, there is a story about the Babylonian king who metaphorically fell from his throne when he started persecuting Israelites and not a story of a fallen angel.

You have probably seen the inverted crucifix in a number of movies as well as read about it in fiction stories that try to denote a demonic aspect. Well, its relation to Satanism is an assumption based on the notion that it is a mockery of Christ’s crucifixion. However, that’s not true. The upside-down cross is by tradition seen as not only a Christian symbol, but as one of humility From the writings of early Christian writers, Peter from the Bible was crucified in Rome. However, not wanting to disrespect the crucifixion of the Son of God, Peter requested that he be crucified upside- down. This then became a symbol of humility, worn by those who, in the same spirit of Peter, wish to pay respect to the sacrifice made by Christ.

Further, it is also depicted as so on the back of the Pope’s chair. This is because he is acting as St. Peter or rather following in his footsteps hence the symbol of the cross has also been passed down.

Many times Satan has been regarded as the source of all evil, the reason why bad things happen. We sometimes even blame Satan for natural disasters and life-changing events that are horrendous. It’s not always Satan behind these experiences. As stated earlier, he is not all knowing. Therefore claiming that all bad things are the work of Satan is giving him omnipresence and all-knowing power. The next time a bad thing comes your way, try to have an open mind and don’t blame Satan for it.

Another misconception about Satan is that he knows the thoughts of all people. He however cannot penetrate our consciousness and control our minds. It is therefore illogic to put blame on him by stating that he led you to do something wrong.

The Pentagram has been depicted to have the image of a goat at its center point to connote the devil’s presence. Shockingly, early references to the design attribute the five points of the star to the five wounds suffered by Christ during His crucifixion. It was only in the founding of the Church of Satan that the pentagram was used in reference to a goat’s horns, ears, and beard. Historians of the Church have traced the goat’s head pentagram back to a French occultist named Eliphas Levi who wrote about the evil connotations between the pentagram and a goat-headed figure.

It is believed that Satan is the counterclaim of Jesus, always working against what God intends. He was created by God and was created in goodness. Remember that Satan was initially a good angel. As an angel, he could never have the kind of power that God wields.