The name of Satan appears frequently in the first part of 3 Nephi. He is a very real, powerful figure who had was able to strongly influence the hearts of these people. These terrible events were more of a battle between Satan and Jesus than between the righteous and wicked on earth, as we can tell by the cosmic forces that were brought into play. Satan wanted to do what he could to stop Jesus from being successful. Satan was still furiously angry that he had not been chosen by the Father to be sent (Abraham 3:27–28). In his earthly life, Jesus stood up against Satan in the wilderness—he first had to drive Satan out so that he could do what he needed to do while on the earth. The same thing was happening here in 3 Nephi, where Satan ran even further amuck and had to be driven out.
The last time that Satan is named in this terrible era is in 3 Nephi 7:5. Once Satan has his field day, his influence dissipates. Later, the resurrected Jesus will mention Satan: “Satan desireth to have you, that he may sift you as wheat. Therefore, ye must always pray unto the Father in my name” (3 Nephi 18:18–19). But for the rest of 3 Nephi, the powers of the Adversary are held at bay. The whole society had undergone tragic, ugly destruction in order to purge them of Satan’s influence. After the destruction, there was silence and three days of darkness. The survivors were then able to come to the temple, ready to truly listen and to hear, when Jesus appeared to them in the newly-cleansed environment.