Today, we are looking at the third arc in the story of humanity—the Negative Flat Arc. This is, of course, Satan, the main antagonist. Though Man also works in opposition to God at times, Satan is the one who provides the most conflict.

The Negative Flat Arc is much like the Flat Arc (which we looked at a few weeks ago), except the character believes a Lie. They hold very firmly to this Lie until the very end, until it finally destroys them. This is not be confused with a regular Negative Arc (which we’ll look at next week) since that arc is more of a struggle between the Truth and the Lie (much like a Positive Change Arc).

While I don’t have a template, there are a few key things about Satan’s Negative Flat Arc that I wanted to point out (you may remember this from previous posts):

Background/Ghost: He used to serve God in Heaven, but became filled with his own pride. His rebellion against God ended up failing, and he was cast out along with the third of angels who followed him. He now preys on Man, using him to fulfill his purposes until he finally gets his chance to destroy God.

His Lie: He will prevail against God

His Want: To be like God

Throughout the story of humanity, Satan will hold fast to his Lie and pursue his Want. While he knows deep down that God will win in the end, his Lie has blinded him. For a time during the Tribulation, it might seem like he’s winning, but he will eventually be defeated by God Himself at the battle of Armageddon.

We will look more closely at the Negative Flat Arc in the future, during our Plots and Character Arcs series. But, for now, I hope this gave you a little bit clearer understand of Satan’s role in the story of humanity.

Comment below your thoughts and questions!