The Truth about Lucifer
The True Identify of Lucifer
“How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the
morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the
nations!” (Isaiah
14:12).
The Terrible Reality of Evil
It is often difficult for people to come to grips with the question
of evil. Its existence is a stark, ugly, undeniable fact. Yet most of
us naturally shrink from that which presents embarrassing problems,
beyond our ability to solve.
Evil has been present from the very beginning of history. The
relentless struggle between the “Forces of good and evil” —
however the term may be understood — continues today with increasing
strength! The very violence of today’s society, the rising crime
rate, the constant story of bloodshed, are evidences of this fact.
But the question still remains to be answered: What is the real
source of evil? Is there some external force over which we have no
control, exercising an unhealthy influence over us? Is there a
supernatural “devil” such as has been the foundation of church
teaching for centuries? If this is so, how is it that we ourselves are
conscious of doing wrong, or feel uncomfortable when guilty — this
being the case even with young children?
Most importantly: who or what causes us to do wrong? Or are we
totally to blame for our own wrongdoing?
The History of the Struggle for Good and Evil From early times,
almost every culture has held some kind of belief in an eternal
struggle between the forces of ‘good and evil.’ A pagan world
devised philosophies of supernatural beings which involved demons and
devils with frightening powers and exercising a fearful influence over
mankind. As there was always a “good” chief god believed to enjoy
himself somewhere in the upper regions of the atmosphere, so there was
the necessity of a gloomy chief god of the “underworld,” to guard
the spirits of the dead in the dark shadows of a mysterious area deep
below the earth’s surface.
Human Inventiveness
Out of these ancient superstitions the inventive mind of man
fabricated the fanciful church-notion of a superhuman monster, called Devil,
the absolute personification of every form of evil and iniquity; a
power to be reckoned with; a creature virtually as powerful as God
Himself.
In this way, orthodox Christianity superimposed the pagan beliefs
and superstitions of both civilised and barbaric peoples upon the
teachings of the Bible to gain control over them, and found a
scapegoat for wickedness, someone who was the originator and
instigator of all that is evil and ungodly. Someone upon whom man
could shift his own responsibility for doing wrong with the blame: “He
made me do it!”
This fabrication gave rise to the introduction of further errors
into the teaching of the Church, for the supposed Devil and his
“evil angels” must have their victims! Since dead bodies do not
mysteriously disappear, but corrupt, so obviously the Devil had to get
its clutches into the departed “souls” of those dead who, being
evil, are not accepted into heaven. Consequently, it was reasoned that
man must possess “an immortal soul” — a teaching not found at
all in the Bible! Since wicked souls cannot to to heaven, they are
sent on the opposite way — to a place called hell, under the
earth!
Of course, these arguments collapse when it is realised that man
does not possess an immortal soul. Search the Scriptures from
beginning to end, and you will never find the expression “immortal
soul.” These two words never occur together — nor in the same
verse — in the entire Bible!
The Beginning of Life and the True Meaning of “Soul”
The Bible speaks clearly concerning the origin of man and his soul.
“The LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed
into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul”
(Genesis
2:7). This statement is uncomplicated, and easy to
understand. The elements used for the forming and creation of the
first human body were taken from the earth. Those who doubt this
reject the very words of Jesus Christ himself for he clearly endorsed
this account of man’s creation: “He which made them at the
beginning, made them male and female” (Matthew
19:4). If Jesus Christ, the Son of God, did not know what
was true concerning the origin of man, who would? Either we believe
Christ’s endorsement of the Genesis account, or we reject the entire
teaching of the Bible. There is no middle ground.
Having made the first man, God then “breathed into his nostrils
the breath of life.” The Bible does not say that God breathed into
his nostrils the “breath of eternal life” — or “ever-living
life.” Simply, “the breath of life.”
The creature to be known as “man” was now alive: “And man
became a living soul.” Again, note the simplicity and directness of
the wording. The word rendered “living” is from a Hebrew word,
chay, from chaya, meaning “life” or “living.” Look carefully
at the way in which this word is used in Genesis 1:20, 21, 24, 28, 30.
Note, too, its application to all the animals of creation, in Genesis
2:19.
The word “soul” seems to strike an enigmatic chord with many,
as though it implies in itself that man is immortal. Not so. Rendered
from the Hebrew word nephesh, it simply means “a living, breathing
creature; a person; an animal.” The word is never used in the Bible
in relation to immortality.
True Significance of the Word “Soul”
The Bible applies the word nephesh in various ways, showing
absolutely that the word emphasizes the mortality of humankind and all
animal life. For example, we learn that:
a “soul” is born: (Genesis
46:18); a “soul” can eat: (Exodus
12:15); a “soul” can be eaten: (Leviticus
22:11); a “soul” can be saved from death: (Psalm
56:13); a “soul” can die: (Joshua
11:11); even a sinless soul died: (Isaiah
53:12).
The word nephesh occurs 754 times in the Old Testament. In 326
places the “soul” is said to be subject to death; in 203 places it
is said to be in danger of death; and in 123 places it is said to be
delivered from death, thus implying its liability to death.
In the New Testament the equivalent Greek word is psuche, which
occurs 106 times. In 45 places it is said to be subject to death; in
29 places it is said to be in danger of death; and in 16 places it is
said to be delivered from death. Never is the “soul” described as
being immortal. Nor can it be applied to represent something within
mankind that continues to live on, after death. There are, then, no
immortal souls to be wafted away, either upward to heaven or downward
to hell. On the contrary, the Bible clearly teaches that man is wholly
mortal, and that at death he entirely ceases to exist.
After Adam and Eve had broken God’s command, God pronounced the
sentence of death upon them: “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou
eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast
thou taken; for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”
God made no mention of a “soul” being separated from the body at
the cessation of life. Instead He said, “Behold, the man is become
as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth
his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for
ever: therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the Garden of
Eden... So He drove out the man...” (Genesis
3:22-24).
At Death, Man Ceases to Exist
The creation account shows that man was created a living creature.
Nothing more than this is stated or implied.
There is also copious evidence, set forth in clear, easily
understood terms, which confirms that, at death, human life ceases to
exist. After “the breath of life” has left the body, no other
“life” remains. The Word of God declares:
- “In death there is no remembrance of Thee [God]: in the grave,
who shall give thee thanks?” (Psalm
6:5).
- “Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom
there is no help. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his
earth; in that very day his thoughts perish” (Psalm
146:3-4).
- “For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know
not anything… their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is
now perished…” Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with
thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor
wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest” (Ecclesiastes
9:5,6,10).
- “The grave cannot praise Thee, death cannot celebrate Thee;
They that go down into the pit cannot hope for Thy truth” (Isaiah
38:18).
- “There [in the grave] the wicked cease from troubling, and the
weary be at rest” (Job
3:17).
- “David is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre [i.e., the
evidence of his death] is with us to this day… For David, after
he had served his own generation, fell on sleep, and was laid unto
his fathers, and saw corruption” (Acts
2:29;13:36).
- “Lazarus sleepeth…Lazarus is dead…” (John
11:11,14).
Heaven, Hell, or the Grave?
In view of the foregoing biblical evidence, commonly held beliefs
concerning the origin of evil and the reward of the righteous are
clearly shown to be wrong.
Much theological error revolves around the fallacy of the
immortality of the soul. This teaching necessitates that “souls”
must go “somewhere” at the moment of death. It is claimed that the
righteous (or “good” people), go to heaven. This means that
someone must be in charge ‘Up There.’ A picture is often portrayed
of “souls” soaring off to astonishing heights to meet “St
Peter,” who stands guard at “the Pearly Gates” with the keys in
his hand, to determine whether to grant entrance or not. If the
decision is in the negative and entry is denied, the “soul” must
again embark on its journey, this time heading downwards, where it
must cringe before the malevolent presence of the “Devil.” There,
deep in the earth (so we are told) it is unbelievably hot, so that a
newly arrived “soul” is greeted by fearful screams and
blood-curdling shrieks of the “souls” who are in endless torture
and torment throughout eternity. Loathsome demons prance around amidst
the sulphurous, roaring flames, brandishing pitchforks and vexing
“roasting souls” with endless cruelties.
A Travesty of Truth
The concept of a supernatural “monster” causing mankind to
commit sin is not merely biblically wrong. It causes two major
violations against divine truth and every form of logic.
Firstly, such a doctrine is God-dishonouring; for it argues that,
whilst God does everything possible to lead mankind in the ways of
goodness and righteousness, one of His own angels can with impunity
openly rebel against the omnipotence of a holy and righteous God,
triumphantly subjecting men and women to every form of wickedness and
ungodliness that he can conceive.
Secondly, if such an evil creature existed — with a power as
great, or greater, than that of God — it would remove all
responsibility from mankind for the sins and the evil they commit; for
they could quite rightly blame the wicked influence of the “Devil”
for their wrongdoing, whilst they remain blameless. Why are the
prisons then filled with people, whilst the real “criminal,” the
Devil, goes free?
Would a wise and loving God, whose sole desire for mankind is that
men and women might attain to eternal salvation, permit the human race
to be dominated by a perverted, utterly depraved “fallen angel?”
The very suggestion is irrational! Such an appalling state of
affairs could only exist in the world if God were powerless to
destroy this evil creature — which certainly must be the case, if
such a creature existed, in view of the frightfully degenerate and
morally corrupt state of today’s world!
It is difficult to conceive that such specious concepts of “life
after death” could be taught as part of the christian religion.
However, all the nonsensical theology described in the above paragraph
is based upon the doctrine of the immortality of the soul. Once it is
established from the pages of the Bible, that man is wholly mortal,
that all existence ceases at death, and that “the immortality of the
soul” is a fallacious doctrine and the figment of man’s
philosophical imagination, our thinking upon these matters undergoes a
remarkable change. There is no immortal soul.
Therefore, no one goes to heaven or hell at death. And there is no
supernatural “Devil.”
Who, Then, is Lucifer?
Many dictionaries, somewhat lacking in areas of biblical knowledge,
claim that “Lucifer is a name for the Devil.” This is the popular
view, and is widely believed.
Perhaps part of the myth and mysticism surrounding the word Lucifer
comes from the fact that its Latin meaning is “light-bearing” —
similar to the meaning of the Hebrew word from which it has been
rendered. Gesenius, a notable Hebrew scholar, states that the original
Hebrew word means “bright star” or “morning star.” The name
occurs only once in Authorised Version of the Bible, but is generally
omitted from modern versions of Scripture.
In the A.V., this word is only found in the prophecy of Isaiah: “How
art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!” (Isaiah
14:12). Other, more correct, renderings of this Hebrew
expression, should be noted. The Revised Version has: “How art thou
fallen from heaven, day star, son of the morning.” The Revised
Standard Version has: “How are you fallen from heaven, O Day Star,
son of Dawn.” The New English Bible has: “How you have fallen from
heaven, bright morning star, felled to the earth.”
The Hebrew word for “Lucifer” is heylel, derived from a
root word, halal, meaning “to be clear, and hence to shine.” The
word is particularly identified with celestial bodies.
But who was the “bright star” that “fell” from “heaven”
as mentioned in Isaiah 14:12? It is always unwise to take a verse or
two of Scripture out of context, and therefore it is important to read
the background verses of this chapter. Even a cursory reading of
Isaiah 14, will make the identity of the individual quite clear. It
was Belshazzar, king of Babylon who lived about BC600, at the time
this prophecy was declared. So Isaiah is commanded: “Take up this
proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the
oppressor ceased! The golden city ceased!” (Isaiah
14:4).
The chapter has nothing to do with the circumstances of the
creation of the earth, nor with what happened in the Garden of Eden.
Right through to the end of this prophetic section, the power of
Babylon remains the central point of the prophecy. “I will rise up
against them, saith the LORD of Hosts, and cut off from Babylon, the
name, and remnant, and son, and nephew, saith the LORD.” (Isaiah
14:22-23).
Biblical Symbology And Fulfilled Prophecy
The chapter in which Isaiah mentions “Lucifer” is a
continuation of the prophetic utterances recorded in the previous
chapter, which begins with the words: “The burden of Babylon,
which Isaiah the son of Amoz did see…” The prophet continues:
“The stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give
their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the
moon shall not cause her light to shine” (note the celestial terms
which are markedly similar to the language of chapter 14:12-13,
wherein it is stated that, in his proud and extravagant boasting, the
king of Babylon determined to “ascend into heaven” and “exalt
his throne above the stars of God”). Thus: “Babylon, the glory of
kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees’ excellency, shall be as when
God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah” (Isaiah
13:10, 19). Therefore, the “Lucifer” of Isaiah chapter
14 is none other than the king of Babylon.
Some may wonder at the use of heavenly language to describe earthly
kingdoms, with their risings and fallings. This is not uncommon in
Scripture. Isaiah provides a further explanation of this symbology in
the opening words of his prophecy: “Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O
earth!” (Isaiah
1:2). One cannot imagine the prophet raising his voice to
the clouds, addressing them as though they would be capable of hearing
and responding; nor is it reasonable to conceive of him bending over a
clod of earth and speaking similarly, hoping to be heard by the soil.
He explains: “Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers... give
ear unto the law of our God, ye people” (v. 10).
In Biblical symbology, the “heavens” (and such orbs as the sun,
moon and stars) represent ruling powers; whereas the
“earth” is representative of the society of a kingdom (Deuteronomy
32:1; Leviticus 26:19; Isaiah 49:13; Isaiah 51:6; Jeremiah 2:12; II
Peter 3:13). In fulfilment of these prophecies — which
were quite remarkable, considering that Babylon was, at that time, the
most powerful kingdom on earth — the Medes and Persians overran and
conquered the Babylonian Empire by seizing control of the great city
overnight.
Thus the king who thought himself all-powerful and able to
“ascend” to the greatest heights of the political “heavens,”
was brought “down to earth” through divine intervention in the
affairs of men. And not only so, but the prophet added: “Hell from
beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming” (Isaiah
14:9). This statement may rekindle fantasies of everlasting
fire and the unending screams of the wicked, roasting through all
eternity. But do not be misled; let the Bible speak for itself, as we
shall now do:
What is Hell, and Where is it?
We have established from Bible teaching that humans do not possess
an immortal soul, and that at death humankind totally cease to exist.
Therefore there are no “souls” to either waft off to heaven above,
or be dragged screaming into eternal hell-fire. What then, are we to
make of this “hell” which is “beneath?”
The English word hell is derived from an old Anglo-Saxon word
“helan” which simply means “to cover” or applies to any
“covered place.” In Old Norse, the word was “hel”; the
equivalent in Gothic was “halja”; in Old High German it was “hella.”
In all these languages the meaning was the same.
In the O.T., as seen in this verse from Isaiah, the word “hell”
has been rendered from the Hebrew sheol, which has a similar meaning
to its counterpart in English. Although the A.V. renders the word as
“hell” thirty times, it renders the same Hebrew word as “the
grave” thirty-one times, and as “pit” three times. Some versions
render it as sheol, leaving it in its Hebrew form. The New
International Version uses “grave” with a footnote “sheol.”
The word simply means “a covered-over place.”
If “hell” is defined as the place of eternal torment for wicked
“souls” it creates insurmountable problems, not merely on the
grounds already presented in this article, but because “hell” is
the place to which both wicked and righteous are consigned. For
example, Jacob, one of the great patriarchs, went there (Genesis
37:35); it was also the final resting place of the
rebellious priests of Israel: Korah, Dathan and Abiram and their
wicked associates (Numbers
16:30).
Psalm 16:10 prophesies that the Son of God, Jesus Christ would be
in “hell”: “For Thou [God] wilt not leave my soul in
hell.” Peter quotes this verse in Acts 2:31, using the past tense,
following Christ’s resurrection from the grave: “his soul
was not left in hell,” adding: “This Jesus hath God raised
up, whereof we are all witnesses” (Acts
2:31-32). Paul later used the Psalm to prove the same point
— that Christ had died, been laid in the grave, and then raised from
the dead by his Father’s power (Acts
13:35).
A further passage from the O.T. using the word sheol, is
quoted in the N.T. to prove that God’s faithful servants will be
raised from the grave to receive the gift of divine nature
(compare Hosea 13:14 with 1Corinthians 15:55). This passage provides
Paul’s proof that Jesus Christ himself had risen from the grave —
not that he had been consigned to the raging flames of a “hell,”
to be unjustifiably maltreated by the “Devil.” Hell, then,
is not a place of eternal torment. Such a concept is based upon
mythology, and not Bible teaching. In biblical terminology hell is
simply “the grave;” a “covered place” where human bodies are
placed after death. In the case of God’s true and faithful servants,
it is merely their resting place until the time of Christ’s return,
when they will be raised to appear before him.
The Devil and Satan
Many are convinced that a supernatural evil monster exists, merely
because the words “devil” and “satan” appear in the Bible.
How, they wonder, could these words ever refer to anyone other than
Lucifer? In fact, neither of these words are proper names, as
we have demonstrated in regard to the word rendered “Lucifer.”
The word “devil,” in the singular, does not appear at all in
the Old Testament. It occurs only four times in the plural, and has
been translated from two different Hebrew words. One of these has also
been rendered “satyr” (once) and “satyrs” (once). The first
reference to “devils” is in Leviticus 17:7, which was written
about 2,500 years after creation.
If this referred to the supernatural monster of popular theology,
it is remarkable that it should take some 2,500 years of human history
before he even got a mention in the Bible! However, this Hebrew word
has been rendered “goat” 19 times, and “kid” or “kids” [of
goats] 27 times, and its basic meaning is “hairy.” It has been
rendered “devils” only twice. Perhaps from this meaning developed
the image of a hairy, cloven-footed, long-tailed creature, waving a
pitch fork!
The other word occurs only twice. One authority writes concerning
this word shed or shedim: “When the gods of the
[pagan] nations are called shedim it is not meant that they are
evil spirits, but that they are insubstantial shades, ‘no-gods,’
with neither divine nor demoniac functions.” There is no hint in
either of these Hebrew words that they represent a supernatural
monster. If they did so, we would wonder why neither word was
introduced early in the Genesis narrative at the time “the Devil”
is alleged to have caused sin to come into the world.
In the New Testament, the word “devil” has been rendered from
two Greek words. The first, and most commonly quoted to suggest the
existence of a supernatural monster, is diabolos. It is derived
from the prefix dia, meaning “through,” and ballo,
“to hurl, thrust, or throw.” Diabolos means “false
accuser, slanderer,” and can relate to any who oppose the truth of
God’s Word, by speaking slanderously or falsely against it. Like all
other words rendered “devil” or “satan,” diabolos is not a
name; it defines a particular type of character or condition, and is
always used of those who violate or oppose the will or Word of God.
For example, it is used to describe sin (Hebrews
2:14); civil authorities who persecuted the people
of God (Ephesians
6:11; Revelation 2:10); those who were false accusers
(II
Timothy 3:3); Judas Iscariot, who was a
flesh-and-blood human being (John
6:70); women who slandered others (I
Timothy 3:11).
The other Greek word rendered “devil” is daimon, which
is generally used to describe certain illnesses. In the times of
Christ it was commonly believed that certain types of illnesses were
caused by evil spirits. This was especially so with afflictions such
as epilepsy and mental afflictions. During an attack, the unfortunate
victim would froth at the mouth and wildly throw himself around on the
ground as though under the control of some powerful, invisible force.
Because neither the sickness nor its effect was understood,
superstitious minds of the day thought that only spirit-possession
could cause such a condition.
Biblical language adopted the terminology of the times, but did not
teach pagan doctrines. Jesus Christ was told by his adversaries:
“You have a devil!” (John
7:20). This was the equivalent of saying: “You are
mad!” Certainly, the Son of God, perfect in character, was never
possessed by a supernatural “devil.”
“Satan” is a Hebrew word found in the Greek as: satan
or satanas. The meaning is the same in both languages: “to be
an adversary” or “an opponent.” Like diabolos, the word
satan is not a name but is descriptive of a type of person or group of
people. It has been rendered “resist,” “adversary,”
“withstand,” and “satan.” It has been used in various ways
which indicate that it is not “another name for the Devil,” as
some suggest. For example, it is used of God when He became an
“opponent” to Israel (I
Chronicles 21:1). An “angel of the LORD” is also
described as a “satan” (Numbers
22:22, 32). The Lord Jesus Christ described the apostle
Peter as a “satan” because he “opposed” the Lord when Christ
moved towards Jerusalem and his crucifixion (Matthew
16:23). Religious communities which proclaim a false gospel
are also termed “satan” (Revelation
2:9). In the Old Testament the word satan occurs only five
times outside the book of Job.
What, then, of the satan in the book of Job? He is described as
“going up and down in the earth,” but never spoken of as flying
through the skies, or descending to a fiery domain beneath the earth.
He is said to have gathered with “the sons of God,” but this is a
term used of mortal believers, among whom Job himself was numbered (I
John 3:2). Moreover, it was not “satan” who brought
such suffering upon Job but God himself (Job
2:3; 19:21; 42:11). There is no evidence to associate the
satan of the book of Job with a superhuman monster. Thus the words
rendered “devil” and “satan,” understood in accordance with
the various original words, do not represent a supernatural monster
who causes people to sin.
The Origin of Sin
Whilst there is certainly the hope of a resurrection to eternal
life for all who serve God as “true worshippers ... in spirit
and in ruth” (John
4:23-24; Acts 4:19-20; I Corinthians 15), the reality of
sin and its effects must still be faced, for “the wages of sin is
death” (Romans
6:23).
Therefore unless we find the means whereby we may overcome sin,
nullifying its power in our lives, we will “remain in the
congregation of the dead” (Proverbs
21:16).
Where, then, should we find the source of sin? The answer to that
question will help us to break free from the erroneous and specious
doctrines which are the hallmark of popular “christianity,” but
which blind people to the true message of God’s Word so long as they
remain under their influence. The Lord Jesus Christ answers: “From within,
out of the heart of man, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries,
fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit,
lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All
these evil things come from within, and defile the man” (Mark
7:21-23).
Who are we to blame for our wrong doing? Only ourselves. We can
hold no one else accountable. By nature, we all have a proneness to
sin. “The imagination of man’s heart is evil from his
youth” (Genesis
8:21). To this testimony, the prophet Jeremiah adds: “The
heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately
wicked” (Jeremiah
17:9). How did this happen to the human race? How did sin
enter the world? We will answer these vital questions after we have
defined “sin.” God tells us that “sin is lawlessness” (I
John 3:4), R.V. God has set before mankind certain
commandments and statutes to which He requires the human race to
conform. This is for their own benefit as well as fulfilling God’s
will in their lives. When men and women decide that they do not care
for God’s will or purpose, or they repudiate His Word, they live a
way of life that is outside His law. Thus they become
“outlaws” because they live “outside” the “law” and ways
of God. This situation came about because of an incident that occurred
in the very beginning of time.
Eve and the Serpent
Of all the creatures of creation, only man was made in the
“image” [form or shape] and “after the likeness” [mental
capacity; ability to moralize] of God, thereby becoming morally
and spiritually answerable to Him. It was God’s purpose that mankind
should “have dominion” over all the earth, as God’s
representatives, reflecting His righteousness and holiness (Genesis
1:26). This purpose was temporarily interrupted when sin
entered the world as the direct result of the false teaching of the
serpent. But it is a purpose that will be fulfilled in the future.
In the Garden in Eden, Adam and Eve were subjected to a law so that
God could test their fidelity and loyalty: “Of every tree of the
garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of
good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that
thou eatest thereof, dying thou shalt die” (Genesis
2:16-17); see A.V. margin).
When the entire work of creation had been completed, God pronounced
everything He had made as being “very good” (Genesis
1:31). Adam and Eve were placed in the beautiful garden to
tend it and care for it.
The serpent then appeared on the scene.
This creature is described as a “serpent,” and nothing more. It
is not presented as a supernatural monster in the form of a serpent.
Nor does the Bible teach that the “Devil” was hiding somewhere in
the garden, using the serpent as an instrument for the perpetration of
evil.
If the former had been the case, mankind would have nothing to fear
any more from this “devil” because God “cursed it above all
cattle, and above every beast of the field” and He told the serpent:
“Upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days
of thy life” — thus it was condemned to become an abject creature
of the earth with a limited lifespan (Genesis
3:14).
If the “Devil” was hiding somewhere in the garden and had
prompted the serpent to perpetrate the first lie, surely the serpent,
when confronted by God, would have blamed the devil. But the
serpent had no one to blame!
Later, the apostle Paul endorsed that which is stated in Genesis:
“I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through
his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted…” (II
Corinthians 11:3). He does not mention any immortal
“devil.”
The Bible reveals three things about the serpent. The first is that
it “was more subtil than any beast of the field” (Genesis
3:1), which simply means that it had a higher intelligence
than any other creature among the lower order of animals. However,
since it had not been created with the ability to moralize upon
divine principles, it possessed only an animal, or carnal, mind. The
only thoughts it could express were the product of a natural, or
ungodly mind.
Secondly, it had the power of speech, for it was able to converse
with the woman (Genesis
3:2-5). Balaam’s ass was given this same power (Numbers
22:28-30; II 2Peter 2:16).
Thirdly, it is evident that the serpent was created as an upright
creature. If this serpent had possessed the same form as a serpent
does today, there would have been no point in God sentencing it:
“upon thy belly shalt thou go.”
Sin and Death — God Intervened
God had warned the man and the woman that if they disobeyed His law
(Genesis
2:16-17), they would die. But the serpent persuaded the
woman: “Ye shall not surely die.” Foolishly and tragically,
the woman heeded the false teaching of the serpent who had simply
spoken according to its limited, animal mind, without any
compre-hension of the spiritual and moral implications of what
he told her, and therefore she and her husband sinned against God, and
their sin resulted in death “passing through” to all the human
race.
This fact is supported by the teachings of Paul: “As by one man
[Adam] sin entered the world, and death through sin; and so death
passed through to all men” (Romans
5:12), A.V. and Greek text. This agrees with that which he
wrote to the Corinthians: “The sting of death is sin” (I
Corinthians 15:56). And to the Romans: “The wages of sin
is death” (Romans
6:23).
Thus death came upon the human race as the result of sin — a
sentence which was pronounced against Adam and Eve in Eden, and which
passed on to all their descendants. Obviously sin originates from
within mankind and does not operate through the influence of an
external, supernatural “Devil.”
This situation would have left the humanity in a hopeless
condition, if God had not intervened. The grace and mercy of God had
to be revealed to provide a hope of redemption for mankind. God
promised that One would come who would be “the seed of the woman,”
to “crush” the “head” of the serpent (which had become a
symbol for the source and existence of sin).
The only way in which the effects of sin could be defeated, whilst
at the same time not impinging upon the righteousness and justice of
Almighty God, was through one of Adam’s condemned race to overcome
sin as a representative of sinners. He must live a life of perfect
obedience to God, to totally overcome the power of sin in himself, and
then willingly offer his life as a sacrifice to God. By this he would
utterly deny the evil propensities and inclinations of his nature and,
in his death, show that all righteousness comes only from God and not
of the flesh.
As the promised “seed of the woman” it was necessary that the
Lord Jesus Christ should be “made of a woman” (Galatians
4:4), bearing the same weak, sin prone and mortal nature
which resulted from God’s condemnation of sin in the Garden of Eden.
“Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he
[Christ] also himself likewise took part of the same, that through
death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the
devil [the diabolos, fallen human nature, with its evil
propensities] .. that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest
in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of
the people” (Hebrews
2:14,17).
How to Gain the Victory through Christ
Christ succeeded in destroying “the devil,” the effect of sin
in the flesh (Romans
8:3) which held the power of death. Until the Lord’s
triumph over the weakness of his human nature, death had exercised
“dominion” over all (Romans
6:9). After Christ rose from the grave, he received divine
nature — the same nature that God possesses; a nature that can never
die, and in which the Lord Jesus would never again experience the
weaknesses of the flesh (Hebrews
5:7-8). His sacrificial death demonstrates the way in which
we can gain the victory over “the devil.” Because we are still
mortal, erring creatures, we sin through the weakness of our nature
and need forgiveness. God has made provision for this necessity for
all who worship Him “in spirit (the correct disposition) and
in truth” (in accord with the true teaching of His Word — (John
4:23-24)). John taught: “If we confess our sins, He is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness” (I
John 1:9). Because of this wonderful provision of divine
grace, Peter taught: “Repent and be baptised every one of you, in
the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins” (Acts
2:38).
When this is done we can look forward to the fulfilment of God’s
purpose to refashion this world into a place of joy and peace. This
requires the return of Jesus Christ to subdue all nations and unite
them in a world empire, and “to be glorified in his saints” (Acts
1:9-11; 17:31; Daniel 2:44; Revelation 11:15; 2Thessalonians 1:7-10).
Christ will then reign upon the earth, as king over God’s kingdom (Hebrews
2:5-13; Matthew 19:28; Luke 1:31-33; Psalm 2).
The hope of living and reigning with Christ and of gaining the
immeasurable gift of divine nature, is offered to all who will heed
the message of God’s Word, and strive earnestly to obey it. Those
who gain the gift of immortality will “reign” with him as “kings
and priests” on the earth (Revelation
5:9-10). What grander hope could we ever entertain? Could
there be any greater hope than to live for all eternity, manifesting
the glory of our Creator in the true spirit of holiness and
righteousness? This hope can be ours, for Christ taught: “He that believeth
[the one true gospel] and is baptised shall be saved!” (Mark
16:15-16).
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Summary of Bible Teaching:
The Devil & Satan
The word “Devil” is the English
translation of two different Hebrew words: Diabolos and
Daimonion.
DIABOLOS signifies “false accuser,”
“calumniator,” “slanderer,” etc. It has been rendered
“slanderers” in 1 Tim. 3:11, and “false accusers” in 2
Tim. 3:3; Titus 2:3. In no place is it used of a superhuman
being tempting mankind to sin. It is translated “devil” in
the following passages: Mat. 4:1, 5, 8, 11; 13:39; 25:41. Lk.
4:2, 3, 5, 6, 13; 8:12; John 6:70; 8:44; 13:2; Acts 10:38;
13:10; Eph. 4:27; 6:11; 1Tim. 3:6,7; 2Tim. 2:26; Heb. 2:14;
James 4:7; 1Pet. 5:8; 1John 3:8,10; Jude 9; Rev. 2:10; 12:9,
12; 20:2,10. In all other places where the words “devil”
or “devils” appear, the word in the original is daimonion.
DIABOLOS is used to describe a person
(Jn. 6:70); slanderous women (1Tim. 3:11); false accusers
(2Tim. 3:3); sin (Heb. 2:14); the flesh (Acts
13:10); the antagonistic world (Ephesians
4:27); persecuting civil authorities (Ephesians
6:11; Revelation 2:10).
DAIMONION is the word used to describe
certain diseases attributed by superstition to the malignant
influence of so-called spirits of dead heroes inhabiting a
person. The Bible accommodates the language of the times,
without endorsing this false pagan teaching. “Casting out
devils” merely signifies curing a disease.
SATAN is a Hebrew word, signifying
“to oppose,” “to be an adversary.” The word is
translated “adversary,” “resist,” “withstand,” and
is also transliterated as “satan.” It appears as
“adversary” or “adversaries” in the following places:
Num. 22:22; 1Sam. 29:4; 2Sam. 19:22; 1Kgs. 5:4; 11:14, 23, 25;
Psalm 38:20; 71:13; 109:4, 20, 29. It is translated
“withstand” in Num. 22:32; “resist” in Zech. 3:1;
“satan” in 1Chr. 21:1; Job 1:6, 7, 8, 9, 12; 2:1, 2, 3, 4,
6, 7; Psa. 109:6; Zech. 3:1, 2; Mat. 4:10; 12:26; 16:23; Mark
1:13; 3:23, 26; 4:15; 8:33; Lk. 4:8; 10:18; 11:18; 13:16;
22:3, 31; Jn. 13:27; Acts 5:3; 26:18; Rom. 16:20; 1Cor. 5:5;
7:5; 2Cor. 2:11; 11:14; 12:7; 1Thes. 2:18; 2Thes. 2:9; 1Tim.
1:20; 5:15; Rev. 2:9, 13, 24; 3:9; 12:9; 20:2, 7.
From the above it will be found that the term
has been used to describe God when revealed as an opponent to
Israel (I Chr. 21:10), an “angel of the Lord” (Num. 22:22,
32), good and evil men (I Sam. 29:4; II Sam. 19:22; Psa.
38:20), an apostle (Mat. 16:23; Mk. 8:33), adverse religious
communities (Rev. 2:90), sickness (Lk. 13:16), evil thoughts
(Lk. 22:3; Jn. 13:27; Acts 5:3), the flesh (Acts
26:18), the world as adverse to God (1Cor. 5:5;
1Tim. 1:20), governments (Rev. 12:9; Lk. 10:18).
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