Chapter 7
Satan and the
Devil
Although
they won’t admit it, Judeo-Christian theologians teach a form of dualism. They don’t teach that two gods are competing
with each other but they do teach that Satan and God war against each
other, which is just a twist on the concept and Satan is made godlike because
of his power. This concept of warring
powers in the heavens has paganism as its origin. This doctrine also creates a perverted form
of “sovereignty” for God and leaves Him helpless to work out His plan. The only alternative would be to believe that
God allows Satan to do his work since God is also omniscient and knows
all things before they happen and doesn’t want to interfere with the “free
will” of man. So, Satan offers
man pleasure and tries to convince him he can do as he pleases while God pleads
for man to turn from his wicked ways. If
this were true, no one would be saved now or ever.
Paul
makes it very clear in his epistles that man is a slave to sin and as such
there is nothing he can do to free himself from its hold. And God makes it clear that no man has ever
sought after God of his own “free will.”
This leads me to conclude that there’s something wrong with this
picture.
One
of the first startling discoveries I made when I began studying this subject is
that the word, satan, is not
a proper noun and therefore should not be capitalized. I also discovered that lucifer
is not a proper noun. Lucifer is a transliteration from the Latin. Satan is a noun that means, adversary,
and a more accurate translation of the Hebrew noun for lucifer
would be phosphorus or brightly shining.
These are not proper names and should not have been translated as
such. I also discovered that the phrase,
the devil, never appears in the Old Testament. The plural, devils, appears 4 times and twice
it means a he goat and the other two times it refers to daemons. (whatever
that is) Was Satan a new
invention after 4,000 years of history?
I challenge anyone reading this to go to your Bible and cross out the
word Satan and replace it with, adversary. You’ll come away with a different
understanding of this concept. Satan
appears in 49 verses of Scripture and lucifer appears once.
Christians
do not use a concordance when they study Scripture and they miss a great deal
of understanding in not doing so. You
don’t have to be a scholar in Hebrew or Greek but it is immensely helpful to
look up definitions when studying God’s word.
Even some words used in many of the translations had a different meaning
than how we define those words today and that is especially true of the King
James translation. I use the King James
Bible because of its ease of checking words with Strong’s concordance, but it
was written in the 1500’s and some words now have a different meaning.
Two glaring
examples are the words Gentile and Jew.
Gentile is a word that should never have been used in the translation
because it is not a translation but a transliteration. It is from the Latin, gentilis, and since the
translators of the King James Bible were supposed to be translating from the
Greek and Hebrew, it was very improper of them to use a word from the Catholic
Latin Vulgate Bible instead of the original text. It should have been translated as,
nations. The word, Jew, can mean either
one who was a Judean or one who was born in the tribe of Judah and only the
context of the Scripture wherein it is used can clarify its translation.
It is also
improper to translate a word as a proper noun in one instance and then as a
common noun in another.
By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands;
everyone after his tongue, after their families, in their nations. Gen.
10:5
The same Hebrew
word is used in this verse for both Gentiles and nations. How is it possible to translate the Hebrew
word, goy, as a proper noun and then
change it to a common noun? The very
same thing is done with the word, satan.
And God’s anger was kindled
because he went: and the angel of the LORD stood in the way for an adversary against him ……….” Num. 22:22
The Hebrew word used in this verse for
adversary is satan but we
can’t have the Bible saying that the angel of the Lord is Satan. So, they translated it as adversary.
Another example
of how confusion is wrought by translating the same root word differently is
found in comparing 2 Sam. 24:1 to I Ch. 21:1.
In the verse in 2 Samuel, the Scripture says that God moved David to number the people. In the verse in I Chronicles, it says that Satan moved David to number the
people and it’s referring to the exact same incident. The Hebrew word used in I Chronicles is the
noun, satan.
If
Satan and Lucifer are not proper nouns, then what is the name of
this super-natural being with seemingly unlimited power to make war with
God? I don’t think anyone can deny that
the Judeo-Christian concept of Satan affords him with greater power to
destroy than Jesus’ power to save which is a direct contradiction of Scripture.
But not as the offence, so also
is the free gift. For if through the
offense of one many be dead, much more
the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath
abounded unto many. Rom.
5:15
The Scripture says the power of
grace is much more than the power of the offense and yet Satan is made
more powerful than God’s grace according to Judeo-Christian theology.
The
Hebrew word, satan,
pronounced, sawtawn, should have been translated as,
adversary, in all instances and it cannot be magically changed to a proper
noun. I’m aware that words like spring,
meaning the end of winter, could conceivably be used as a girl’s name and
thereby become a proper noun but once again we must look to the context. You cannot properly interchange, Spring and spring. In the
case of satan, there is no
instance that I have found that justifies changing it to someone’s name. Using satan
as a proper noun leaves it always to the discretion of the interpreter. The translation of satan as, an adversary, fits all cases of Scripture
and does not change the context, but making it a proper noun forces one to pick
and choose when and where it should be used as a name or a common noun and just
adds more ambiguity, inconsistency and confusion. (Babel) A good example that demonstrates how using a
proper noun form of a common noun is at the discretion of the translator is
found when Jesus rebukes Peter and calls him, Satan. Obviously the translators should have chosen
accuser instead of using the proper noun form of Satan. (See Matt. 16:23)
The
use of the word, Satan, in the New Testament is likewise a noun changed
to a proper noun. The Chaldean word, satanas, means,
the accuser and it is basically the same as adversary.
So,
who is this adversary? The easiest way
to understand the adversary is to stand in front of the mirror. The adversary is and always has been the
carnal nature of man. If you are a
Christian, it is your carnal nature that is your worst foe. The “serpent” in the Garden of Eden was nothing
more than the carnal nature of Adam and Eve speaking to their minds and
attempting to justify their actions.
Paul describes it well.
Which shew
the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing
witness, and their thoughts the meanwhile accusing or else excusing one
another; Rom.
2:15,
You
don’t have to worry about some external being tempting you. The temptation comes from your own
lusts. There is no need for a “tempter”
called Satan when we have all of the power of sin within us. Man does not want to admit that within himself is the very nature that is the adversary of
God. God personifies this nature by
referring to it as, the adversary. Satan is anyone who opposes God in any
way or fashion; by word, by deed or by thought.
The book of Job is a glaring example of
how God explains His thoughts and His ways by using parables to describe His
doings. The parable states,
Now
there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the
LORD, and Satan came also among them.
Job
1:6,
In Barnes Notes
concerning this verse he says,
(1) That it is no
more so than the parables of the Savior, who often supposes cases, and states
them as real occurrences, in order to illustrate some important truth. Yet no
one was ever led into error by this.
(2) It is in
accordance with the language in the Scripture everywhere to describe God as a
monarch seated on his throne, surrounded by his ministers, and sending them
forth to accomplish important purposes in different parts of his vast empire.
It is not absolutely
necessary, therefore, to regard this as designed to represent an actual
occurrence. It is one of the admissible ornaments of poetry; - as admissible as
any other poetic ornament. To represent God as a king is not improper; and if
so, it is not improper to represent him with the usual accompaniments of
royalty, - surrounded by ministers, and employing angels and messengers for
important purposes in his kingdom. This supposition being admitted, all that
follows is merely in “keeping,” and is designed to preserve the verisimilitude of
the conception. –
Surely
Christians realize that God does not literally sit on a throne and that such
expressions are used to describe His majesty and rulership.
It is also interesting to note that in the last chapter of Job it is stated
that God brought all of the evil upon Job.
Then came there unto
him all his brethren, and all his sisters, and all they that had been of his
acquaintance before, and did eat bread with him in his house: and they bemoaned
him, and comforted him over all the evil
that the LORD had brought upon him :… Job 42:11
I was taught it was Satan
that had brought all of the evil and plagues upon Job. To those who would say that this verse simply
implies that God allowed Satan to do his evil upon Job I would
reply; Does it make sense to think that
God needs some other being to do His work?
Does it make Christians feel better to think that God keeps His hands
clean by not doing evil deeds? In Isaiah
we are told,
I form the light, and
create darkness: I make peace and create evil: I the LORD do all these things. Isa. 45:7
And again in Amos it is said;
Shall a trumpet be
blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil
in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?
Amos
3:6
The
big mistake that most people make is to equate evil with sin and they are not
the same thing.
The Grecian empire had tremendous
impact on the entire civilized world nearly 400 years before Christ. Their legends, myths and stories permeated
every civilized nation on the face of the earth. As noted earlier, their concepts of the
underworld, demons and devils was pretty much believed by everyone. After Christ there may have been a tapering
off of this influence because of the Gospel that was increasing in acceptance
throughout the Middle East and Europe.
But this would only last for about 4-5 centuries and then the Catholic
Church would start its teachings of hellfire, demons, exorcism, devils, the
devil and Satan. For century
after century these beliefs were pounded into the average person’s mind and
soul. Even with the Reformation, the
Protestants did not dispel many of these teachings. But in these last days there are thousands of
Christian men and women who have immediate access to different versions of the
Bible and the many concordances and dictionaries of the ancient languages. The
result is that the truth of Scripture is being found out by more and more
people. It has a lot to do with
technology but God is simply using technology as a means to reveal Himself in a
way not seen for millennia. It is God
who brought the technology in order to awaken His people. Those Christians who will not take the
responsibility of studying and learning the truths of Scripture and who want
someone else to tell them what the Bible says will be left in their deceit.
Paul admonished us to press on to
the high calling of God in Christ Jesus and not be content with just a “feel
good” experience. God also holds us each
responsible to search out the truth in His word and not to rely on being told what
to believe by someone else. In his
second letter to Timothy, Paul described Satan and shows that it is you
and I.
[1] This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall
come. [2] For men shall be lovers of their own
selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents,
unthankful, unholy, [3] Without natural
affection, trucebreakers, false accusers,
incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, [4] Traitors, heady, highminded,
lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; [5] Having a form of godliness, but denying the
power thereof: from such turn away.
[6] For of this sort are they
which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away
with divers lusts, [7] Ever learning,
and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. [8] Now as Jannes
and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist
the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. 2 Tim. 3:1-8
Did
you notice how extensive the list was that Paul comprises? Man has no need to have some external force
influence him; he has enough evil in his own character to fill the earth.
Paul also tells us in the first
chapter of his epistle to the Romans that God excuses no man because God’s
presence and glory is seen everywhere throughout creation. God does not blame the horrible condition of
this sinful planet on demons or devils, He holds man responsible. I would be justified to stand in the presence
of God and say that, “the Devil made me do it” if that were the case, but that
is not the case. All of the ideas about
demons and devils causing people like Ted Bundy or Charles Manson to do the
things they did would be a justifiable argument if the Judeo-Christian concept
of Satan were true. If some
demonic spirit being were to enter into a person and force him to commit crimes
and sins, how could God hold that person responsible for his actions?
There is no need to believe in
demons and devils causing all of the chaos in the world. Man is sufficiently evil to have no need of
anyone coaxing him to follow his own lusts.
We’ve all heard of the man or woman who blames a “rough childhood” for
his or her unacceptable behavior. There
are certainly many people who become bitter or cruel because of things that
happened to them in their childhood but God says they are without excuse. There are too many examples of people who
rose above adversity and became overcomers.
It is our sinful nature and our own personal
sins that cause the suffering and horror that is in the world. A child who is abused or unloved is suffering
unnecessarily because of the sins of those who do such things, but for the
child to grow up and use his childhood abuse as an excuse to commit his own
sins is only adding fuel to the fire.
You cannot use other people’s vile acts as an excuse to do the same
thing. Jesus said it well in Matthew.
[19] For out of the
heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false
witness, blasphemies: [20] These are the things which defile a man :……Matt. 15:19, 20
It is not demon possession or the
Devil’s influence that causes men to sin, it is their
own carnal nature. Because God
personifies our adversarial nature into the devil in order for us to see how He
deals with it does not mean there is a “being” having all of our evil nature
incarnate. What would be the need? The “man of sin” expression used by Paul is
in reference to the same thing. That
“man of sin” is you and I when we exalt ourselves above all that is called
God. The son of perdition is the carnal
nature of man which Jesus shall reveal at His coming. The devil is the personification of evil and Satan
is the adversarial nature of man.
The world is rapidly approaching the
time of the unveiling of the sons of God and with that event shall also come
the unveiling of the man of sin and all things evil shall be exposed and dealt
with. There is nothing hidden that shall
not be brought to light. It is time for
Christians to grow up and stop believing in fairy tales and the bogey man and
accept responsibility for their actions and thoughts. Satan is not orchestrating what is
happening in the world, God is the conductor and is sovereign over all. He places whom He will in high places to do
his bidding and accomplish his purposes just as He said of Pharaoh,
And in very deed for
this cause have I raised thee up, for to shew in thee
my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth. Ex. 9:16.
God
sat Pharaoh on the throne just as he sits all others in places of authority and
it is to bring about His will that His name may be declared throughout the
earth.
Believing in a spirit being called Satan,
who wars against God and wins the bulk of humanity for destruction, creates
theological complications that are massive and unanswerable. The concept makes God helpless and weak and
shows that the plan of salvation is a complete failure. It isn’t some spirit being that is at war
with God, it is you and I. Even as
Christians, we still must struggle with our carnal nature (adversarial
nature.) The new man that Christ has
birthed in us will someday win this struggle when God gives us of His Holy
Spirit in full measure. Until then, we
must each continue to fight against our own demons and devils and rely
completely upon God and His mercy.
Note: I’ve underlined the first letter of Satan
and Lucifer when used as a proper noun to indicate they are improper
usages and should not be capitalized.
Suggested
reading, audio and video:
Pastor Dave Barley’s 8 part video series: “Satan and his
Kingdom”
Pastor Richard Kirsh 15 part video series:
http://ccbspokane.org/