Satan is: the enemy, the accuser, the "Father of Lies", the devil. He was also once the first angel, loved more than the others, he was called the "bright and morning star." We see the bible declare him as "the prince of the power of the air" or "the god of this world." In Genesis we see him coordinate the fall of man and the entrance of sin into God's "good" creation. Later in the book of Job, we see him still able to access the throne room where he and God argue over man.

He is the enemy of God. His jealousy for God's worship over his own led to his own fall and now he seeks to drag as many people down with him as he can. Isaiah 14 details how he wished to usurp God as the object of worship.

"13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. 15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. 16 They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms." - Isaiah 14:13-15

He is also in complete contrast with Jesus in that he longed for worship and manipulates people into following him and will never attain glory for it. Jesus however came and served people, gave hope to the broken, led captivity captive and set us free. Then gave Himself so that we might believe in Him. Thus earning the Glory of being seated at God's right hand.

Satan doesn't create in the sense of time, space, or matter; but he does create falsehoods. He is the "father of lies" you will never catch Satan off guard or without worldly knowledge. He's the definitive article of being "street-wise" so to speak. He also knows the scriptures. We see this when he tempted Christ.

"Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. 3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” 4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” 5 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’” 7 Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’” 8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’” 11 Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him." - Matthew 4:1-11

So can we stand against such a dominating enemy? Yes! Jesus showed us the way. David showed us another in battle against Goliath, and God has equipped us with everything we need in order to do battle against the devil and his minions. The Armor of God.

"10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints." -Ephesians 6:10-18

Remember in all things there is grace and in every temptation their is a way to overcome it. Jesus set us free from our bonds to sin and he who the Truth has set free is free indeeed.

God bless.

My pastor said something to the effect that the enemy/satan is a creator, similar to how God is. Question as at 3 May 2014

I'm not sure how this would fit in with your pastors statement about satan, but the sin of mankind did change/corrupt God's original creation. Bringing death, pain, and misery to people and animals; one could also possibly argue that God did not create plants with psychoactive properties, according to the nature of the behaviour the use of these substances accommodates. On the other hand, satan is also not the only enemy mentioned in Scripture, but so also is death, the last enemy to be defeated. I would then argue that the enemy has no creating power, but only corrupts what was created good.

Satan is first and foremost, a creation- NOT equal with the creator.

He is a fallen angel, and therefore is pure spiritual being with the powers of angels. This means in this material universe, his powers are vast... he can manipulate (but not create) matter, and time/distance is nothing to him.

He is the enemy of your soul, wishing you eternal separation from God.

This page from the Catholic Catechism has more information about the fall of Satan: On the Fall

Dualism? I think C.S. Lewis give us good reasons to reject the idea, let me quote him in Mere Christianity:

Reality, in fact, is usually something you could not have guessed. That is one of the reasons I believe Christianity. It is a religion you could not have guessed. If it offered us just the kind of universe we had always expected, I should feel we were making it up. But, in fact, it is not the sort of thing anyone would have made up. It has just that queer twist about it that real things have. So let us leave behind all these boys' philosophies—these over-simple answers. The problem is not simple and the answer is not going to be simpler either.

What is the problem? A universe that contains much that is obviously bad and apparently meaningless, but containing creatures like ourselves who know that it is bad and meaningless. There are only two views that face all the facts. One is the Christian view that this is a good world that has gone wrong, but still retains the memory of what it ought to have been. The other is the view called Dualism. Dualism means the belief that there are two equal and independent powers at the back of everything, one of them good and the other bad, and that this universe is the battlefield in which they fight out an endless war. I personally think that next to Christianity Dualism is the manliest and most sensible creed on the market. But it has a catch in it.

The two powers, or spirits, or gods—the good one and the bad one—are supposed to be quite independent. They both existed from all eternity. Neither of them made the other, neither of them has any more right than the other to call itself God. Each presumably thinks it is good and thinks the other bad. One of them likes hatred and cruelty, the other likes love and mercy, and each backs its own view. Now what do we mean when we call one of them the Good Power and the other the Bad Power? Either we are merely saying that we happen to prefer the one to the other—like preferring beer to cider—or else we are saying that, whatever the two powers think about it, and whichever we humans, at the moment, happen to like, one of them is actually wrong, actually mistaken, in regarding itself as good. Now if we mean merely that we happen to prefer the first, then we must give up talking about good and evil at all. For good means what you ought to prefer quite regardless of what you happen to like at any given moment. If "being good" meant simply joining the side you happened to fancy, for no real reason, then good would not deserve to be called good. So we must mean that one of the two powers is actually wrong and the other actually right.

But the moment you say that, you are putting into the universe a third thing in addition to the two Powers: some law or standard or rule of good which one of the powers conforms to and the other fails to conform to. But since the two powers are judged by this standard, then this standard, or the Being who made this standard, is farther back and higher up than either of them, and He will be the real God. In fact, what we meant by calling them good and bad turns out to be that one of them is in a right relation to the real ultimate God and the other in a wrong relation to Him.

Can the devil manipulate matter?

Someone asked in a comment reply to an answer: Yes, him and by extension all the angels can interact with physical world, how they do this since they are pure spirit? I don't know, but in somehow there is a way they can do these sort of things, mostly notable on possession for instance. Here is the book by Fr. José Antonio Fortea SVMMA DAEMONIACA which do not directly answer that question (I checked the index in my Spanish copy), but it will be very useful for those who want to know more about the matter.

Psalms 33;6

By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.

There is only one creator, God.

I Peter 5;8

Be sober, be vigilant; because your advesary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

In your own strength, you cannot defeat the devil. You must be born again as Nicodemus.

John 3;5

Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

Ephesians 6;11

Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

To what degree and what manner is the enemy a creator?

Ezekiel 28;15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.

The angel, Lucifer, is a creature and has no power to create.

How can we defeat him in this life?

I John 5;18 We know that whoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.

The enemy only has power over the unbeliever.

II Thessalonians 2;8,9,10

And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

It is impossible for man, on his own, to defeat the devil. Man must be born again.

John 12;31 Now is the judgement of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.

The devil does create things in attempting to be like God. He has been at this since the beginning.

Isa 14:13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: Isa 14:14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Isa 14:15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. Isa 14:16 They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;

Its fair to say he is creates mayhem, death and lies. The he also perverts many other things including signs and wonders.

Joh 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Joh 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

He also creates lying signs.

2Th 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

2Th 2:9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,

2Th 2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

I don't think any of these false signs would be healings because all healings destroy the works of the devil.

Act 10:38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

These false miracles will also not be casting out devils.

Mar 3:23 And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan?

Mar 3:24 And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.

Mar 3:25 And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.

Mar 3:26 And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end.

Mar 3:27 No man can enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house.

Mar 3:28 Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme:

This is what Henry says about the Devil's signs. He speaks well in identifying thier support of doctrines that do not magnify Christ.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

2:5-12 Something hindered or withheld the man of sin. It is supposed to be the power of the Roman empire, which the apostle did not mention more plainly at that time. Corruption of doctrine and worship came in by degrees, and the usurping of power was gradual; thus the mystery of iniquity prevailed. Superstition and idolatry were advanced by pretended devotion, and bigotry and persecution were promoted by pretended zeal for God and his glory. This mystery of iniquity was even then begun; while the apostles were yet living, persons pretended zeal for Christ, but really opposed him. The fall or ruin of the antichristian state is declared. The pure word of God, with the Spirit of God, will discover this mystery of iniquity, and in due time it shall be destroyed by the brightness of Christ's coming. Signs and wonders, visions and miracles, are pretended; but they are false signs to support false doctrines; and lying wonders, or only pretended miracles, to cheat the people; and the diabolical deceits with which the antichristian state has been supported, are notorious. The persons are described, who are his willing subjects. Their sin is this; They did not love the truth, and therefore did not believe it; and they were pleased with false notions. God leaves them to themselves, then sin will follow of course, and spiritual judgments here, and eternal punishments hereafter. These prophecies have, in a great measure, come to pass, and confirm the truth of the Scriptures. This passage exactly agrees with the system of popery, as it prevails in the Romish church, and under the Romish popes. But though the son of perdition has been revealed, though he has opposed and exalted himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; and has spoken and acted as if he were a god upon earth, and has proclaimed his insolent pride, and supported his delusions, by lying miracles and all kinds of frauds; still the Lord has not yet fully destroyed him with the brightness of his coming; that and other prophecies remain to be fulfilled before the end shall come.