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Devil,
Dark Angels,
&
Demons
in the bible
The Devil, Dark Angels, and Demons
PAM DEWEY
If you have questions or comments about any of the material in the articles in this
collection of Answers About Angels, you may write to: oasis7@gmail.com
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THE DEVIL,
DARK ANGELS,
& DEMONS
Mark 1:9-12
At once the Spirit sent him out into the desert, and he was in
the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan.
Satan He was with the
wild animals, and angels attended him.
The English word Satan is derived from the Greek term ho satanas,
which means “the adversary.” This may clarify just a bit the role of the
being called Satan in this passage. But it still tells us nothing about his
origins.
Matthew 4:1-4
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted
by the devil.
devil After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was
hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son
of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
The Greek term here translated “the devil” is ho diabolos. This term
means “the accuser,” and more specifically “the traducer” or “the
calumniator.” These latter two words refer to a very specific sort of
accuser:
Calumniator:
Calumniator one who utters false charges or
misrepresentations maliciously calculated to damage another's
reputation; a slanderer
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Traducer:
Traducer one who exposes another to shame or blame by
means of falsehood and misrepresentation
This may help us understand more clearly the role of Satan, the Devil.
But again it doesn’t clarify at all where he came from.
So the next logical approach may to be to look into the Old Testament
and see if we can learn about him from there. There is no reference in
the Old Testament to a being called by a Hebrew term directly related
to ho diabolos. But the Greek word translated Satan in the New
Testament is directly related to the Hebrew term ha satan, which is also
translated as Satan in the Old Testament in English Bibles. The term
ha satan means “the adversary.” The Greek term ho satanas and the
Hebrew term ha satan both seem to refer to the sort of person who
brings an accusation—in a legal sense—against someone in a court of
law.
Again, this may tell us a bit about the role of the being, but still reveals
nothing about where he came from. It doesn’t even tell us if the word
Satan was ever intended to specifically imply that it is a “given” name—
like Michael or Samuel—or just a descriptive term for that role. In the
English, Satan (and Devil) have definitely come to be accepted as
“names” for a specific being, the supernatural arch-enemy of God and
believers. But to this day Bible scholars can’t agree on the exact intent
of the Hebrew and Greek usages.
In the first chapter of Job, which many believe to be the oldest book in
the Bible, we see the first mention of Satan:
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Job 1:6
But even in the book of Job, he is introduced into the story with no
fanfare and no explanation of where he came from and why he is an
adversary.
The KJV also uses the name Satan in the following passage from one of
the Psalms of David:
Psalm 109:5-7
But in this passage, it is not even clear if this is meaning a human legal
adversary or “THE adversary” that is a specific supernatural being.
Most modern translations imply that it is a human.
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In 1 Chronicles 21, Satan is said to have “incited David”:
I Chronicles 21:1
But once again, the passage doesn’t give us a clue where this Satan came
from, and why and how he “incited” David. Did he speak to David
directly as he later spoke to Jesus in the desert? Did he appear in
physical form? Did he use supernatural powers to put a thought into
David’s mind? We are given no more information.
Zechariah 3:1-2
For the final time in the Old Testament, Satan is introduced into the
scene with absolutely no explanation.
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“accuser,” speaking clearly about what he does,
does but not about what he
is and where he came from.
This has not, however, prevented religious authors of the past 2000
years and more from speculating in great detail about these things.
Perhaps you have heard that once upon a time Satan’s name was
actually “Lucifer,” that he was the most beautiful archangel of heaven,
even the very favorite of God, given rule over a prehistoric Earth that
was a beautiful paradise, and that before the creation of Adam he led a
rebellion of one third of all the angels in an attempt to “take over” the
throne of God. But these details, as well as many other alternate
scenarios proposed by religious authors, are not clearly spelled out in
the Bible! For an overview of the biblical and extra-biblical basis offered
in support of such speculations, see “Devil in the Details” and "Where
Angels Fear to Tread."
Mark 1:32-34
That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the
sick and demon-
demon-possessed.
possessed The whole town gathered at the
door, and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also
drove out many demons,
demons but he would not let the demons
speak because they knew who he was.
Mark 1:21-28
“Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!” The evil
spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a
shriek.
The people were all so amazed that they asked each other,
“What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even
gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him.” News about him
spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.
We are given no information about what this evil spirit was, or where it
came from. Once again, Mark seemed to have made the assumption
that his readers knew all about evil spirits and/or demons.
In the 21st century, large numbers of people assume they know what
these beings are. But did they get their concepts directly from the Bible,
or from the speculations of extra-biblical writings? Just what can we
know about these strange entities if we rely only on the Bible for our
information?
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Once again we can first look at the Greek words that are translated by
the terms “evil spirit” and “demon.”
The English term evil spirit translates the Greek words poneros (evil or
malicious) and pneuma (breath or, by analogy, a supernatural “spirit”
being that has a conscious existence but seems to have no body of its
own).
The English term “demon” comes directly from the Greek word
daimon. Actually, the word demon doesn’t show up at all in the King
James Version of the Bible. For some reason, the KJV translators chose
to use the same term, devil, to translate daimon that they used to
translate ho diabolos, the Devil. In fact, they didn’t even choose to
capitalize the word Devil when it obviously refers to Satan. The word
with a lower case “d” is used for both demons and the Devil himself.
Almost all the newer translations, including the New King James
Version, use the term demon when the Greek has daimon.
In ancient pagan Greek writings, outside the Bible, daimon was a term
used to describe what were believed to be “inferior gods,” whether of a
malicious or of a harmless nature. In context in the New Testament,
the Bible appears to use the word solely to indicate supernatural beings
that caused harm to humans by “possessing” them—invading their
bodies and causing negative symptoms such as those resembling
insanity or some types of illness or infirmity.
Is there more information on this topic that we can glean from the Old
Testament?
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There is only one scenario in the Old Testament that resembles the
situation of “demon possession” that appears in the New Testament.
After King Saul fails to live up to God’s standards for his leadership, the
prophet Samuel anoints David to be the next king over Israel.
I Samuel 16:14-23
Now the Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, and an
evil spirit from the LORD tormented him. Saul's attendants
said to him, “See, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you.
Let our lord command his servants here to search for someone
who can play the harp. He will play when the evil spirit from
God comes upon you, and you will feel better.”
Then Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me your son
David, who is with the sheep.” So Jesse took a donkey loaded
with bread, a skin of wine and a young goat and sent them with
his son David to Saul.
David came to Saul and entered his service. Saul liked him very
much, and David became one of his armor-bearers. Then Saul
sent word to Jesse, saying, “Allow David to remain in my
service, for I am pleased with him.”
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Whenever the [evil] spirit from God came upon Saul, David
would take his harp and play. Then relief would come to Saul;
he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him.
him
Notice the one factor that makes this situation so different from the
New Testament examples. This “evil spirit” is mentioned six times in
the book of I Samuel. And each time, it is described as an “evil spirit
from God [Elohim]” or an “evil spirit from the Lord [Yahweh].” Yet
the phrase “evil spirit” is translated from Hebrew words that have the
same implication as the Greek words. Evil is from the Hebrew word
ra-ah, meaning bad or evil, and spirit is from ruach, which, just like
pneuma, means “breath,” or can imply by analogy a disembodied
being.
Leviticus 20:27
The NIV makes clear what someone with “a familiar spirit” does:
Acts 16:16-18
One common scenario offered is that demons were once angels of the
Lord who had spiritual bodies, and could manifest themselves to
humans under certain conditions. They participated in a rebellion led
by Satan the Devil, and God then cursed them, transforming each of
them into a type of being with no body of its own, requiring it to
“inhabit” or “possess” humans (or even animals) in order to interact
with the environment around them. Although an interesting
speculation … there is no Bible passage which states that this is where
demons came from.
And a third scenario offered by some is that demons (and those beings
called “evil spirits” and “familiar spirits”) are an entirely different order
of supernatural being from angels, created by God in the same way
horses or whales or humans were created. They have been on Earth
from the beginning of time, and their actions can be benevolent,
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neutral, or evil depending on circumstances. Some even speculate that
they are the source of legendary stories about such beings as
leprechauns, fairies, and trolls.
Should we assume that these accounts are reliable? Since they are about
events that didn’t occur in the “natural world,” and events that
happened before recorded history, the logical conclusion would be that
either God revealed to the authors of such writings the details which
they share—or those details came from their own speculations and/or
imaginations. Those Bible students who wish to derive their belief
about such topics carefully from the canonical books of the Bible would
do well to be cautious about embracing any of the scenarios painted so
vividly in a variety of extra-canonical books. For more details on such
sources (including definitions of the terms canonical and extra-
canonical), see “Where Angels Fear to Tread.”
Dark Angels?
The English word angel comes directly from the New Testament Greek
word aggelos. The term means “messenger.” The comparable word in
the Old Testament Hebrew is malak, a word that also means “someone
dispatched as a deputy or a messenger.” In both Testaments, English
translators use a word similar to messenger when translating either
word if it is obvious within the context that it is referring to a human
being, and the word angel if it is obvious that it is a supernatural being,
(For more details on the biblical definitions of malak and aggelos, see
“Biblical Angelology.”)
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Revelation 12:7-9
And there was war in the heaven: Michael and his angels went
to war with the dragon. And the dragon fought,
foug ht, and his
angels;
angels and he prevailed not, nor was their place found any
more in the heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, the
ancient serpent, he who is called Devil and Satan, he who
deceives the whole habitable world, he was cast out into the
earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
him
Revelation 12:10-12
Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But
woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down
to you!
you He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time
is short."
short
2 Corinthians 11:13-15
Does this literally mean that Satan has appeared to people in a bodily
form, looking like a glorious, luminous, dazzling angel of the Lord? Or
does it mean that he can in some way influence people in their minds
in a way that convinces them that they have received a communication
from God through a bonafide angel of God? Paul doesn’t clarify this for
us, either here or elsewhere. But the obvious implication is that there is
no reason to expect that, in whatever way humans can perceive his
actions, the Devil will “look” or “seem” like the evil adversary that he is.
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Religious artists of the past thousand years have often used a “visual
device” of showing “good angels” as being fair-skinned beings, robed in
bright clothing, and having beautiful bird-like, feathery wings. And
they contrast this with the artistic device of having Satan appear as a
dark being with leathery, batlike wings, such as in this typical Orthodox
Church religious icon depicting Michael the Archangel defeating Satan.
There is no description in the Bible that is the basis for this depiction of
Satan.
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Likewise, if “the devil's angels” actually do interact openly with humans
at times by manifesting themselves in some form, there is no reason to
think that they would appear as the sort of dark, grotesque beings
invented by
Medieval artists
for their religious
paintings, such as
in this depiction
of Dante’s version
of hell by
Botticelli from the
1400s.
The passage in 1
Corinthians above
is speaking of
human servants of
Satan (false apostles, deceitful workmen), masquerading—disguising
their true nature—so that they appear benevolent and good. But the
obvious implication is that any supernatural beings in his service would
likewise masquerade—disguise—themselves.
Because of the mythology and legends that have built up around the
Devil over the centuries, many people are fearful that some day they
might turn a corner on a dark night and actually meet this supernatural
being called Satan, who would manifest himself into fleshly form,
looking like a monstrous ogre, and threaten to devour them if they did
not pledge to serve him in his evil activities.
But that is not the picture painted by the Bible of this one who is called
the adversary and the accuser. Not only is he an adversary and an
accuser, he also appears in numerous passages in the role of a seducer, a
tempter, and a deceiver. He doesn’t terrify people into serving his
purposes … he most often uses his “wiles” to attempt to deceive,
seduce, or tempt them into doing those things that will further his
plans—doing “his works.” Bible examples of this include the deceptive
temptation offered to Eve in the garden, and the deceptive temptations
he presented to Jesus recorded in Matthew 4.
And at the End of Time he will still be using his powers of deception:
Revelation 20:7-8
When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from
his prison and will
will go out to deceive the nations in the four
corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—to gather them for
battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore.
Luke 22:3-4
Sometimes Satan and his associates can interfere with the activities of
the servants of God.
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2 Corinthians 12
1 Thessalonians 2:18
2 Thessalonians 2:9
Zechariah 3:1-2
Revelation 12:10
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Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
"Now have come the salvation and the power and the
kingdom of our God,
and the authority of his Christ.
For the accuser of our brothers,
brothers
who accuses them before our God day and night,
has been hurled down.
And at times, he and his supernatural associates can even cause physical
infirmities. (This does not, however, indicate that all sickness, injury,
handicaps, and infirmities are a result of Satan’s actions. The natural
creation, including both animals and humans, is always subject to “time
and chance,” including accidents, germs, congenital defects, and so on.)
Luke 13:10-16
2 Corinthians 11:13-15
1 Peter 5:8
Ephesians 6:12
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the
rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark
world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly
realms.
2 Thessalonians 2:9
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The New Testament also gives a number of very specific suggestions to
the believer on how he can resist and defeat the activities of the Devil.
Ephesians 4:26-27
"In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while
you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.
foothold
Ephesians 6:11
Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand
against the devil's schemes.
schemes
James 4:7
1 Peter 5:8
Be self-
self-controlled and alert.
alert Your enemy the devil prowls
around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
I Timothy 3:6-7
In Conclusion
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If we take our example from Christ when He was tempted by the Devil,
who was trying to deceive Him, we will realize that one of the best
defenses we can have against the wiles of the Devil is a deep
understanding, appreciation, and respect for the written Word of God.
Each time Satan tried to tempt Jesus, Jesus’ answer was “it is written…
” If you really know and understand from the Bible the promises of
God, the commandments of God, and the will of God, then the Devil
will be totally ineffective in trying to deceive you.
Matthew 4:3-4
The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God,
tell these stones to become bread."
But how can you “live on every word” if you’ve never even read every
word in the Scriptures? Thus one of your best defenses against the
works and wiles of Satan is to read through the whole Bible to begin
with, and then to continually study it throughout life to gain further
understanding of the things you have read. Of course, this will only be
of value if you truly live by what you have come to understand from
your studies, and yield to Jesus as Lord as He helps you live by God’s
counsel for your whole life and reject the works and wiles of the Devil.
For Jesus came to Earth for that very purpose:
I John 3:7-10
Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does
what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. He who does
what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning
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from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared
was to destroy the devil's work.
work No one who is born of God
will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he
cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. This is
how we know who the children of God are and who the
children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right
is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his
brother.
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The Devil in the
Details
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Some religious writers also mock, and rightly so, the notion that the
Devil is a red character with a forked tail, a Van Dyke beard, horns, a
trident, and a leering grin (such as seen in the Hallowe’en costume
shown here), and that he gleefully presides over a Hellish playground
where grotesque demons get their jollies tormenting the souls of the
lost.
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whole Earth for perhaps millions of years, and Earth under His
administration was a beautiful paradise.
After Satan was cast out of heaven, God created Adam and Eve
and placed them in the Garden of Eden. Realizing that these
humans were designed to replace him as rulers of the Earth,
Satan entered the Garden and lured them into disobeying God
so that they would be disqualified. From then on, he and his
associate demons have continued throughout all generations to
tempt people to sin. But ultimately, Jesus was destined to
provide redemption to sinful mankind, and they would join
him in rulership over the Millennial Kingdom to come, with
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Satan bound for a thousand years and unable to influence
mankind.
The primary purpose of this article is to clarify that almost all the
elements in this scenario are not established in the Bible. Some were
initially garbled interpretations of obscure passages, some are outright
error based on faulty exegesis, and others are rank speculation based on
nothing of substance at all. If one is limited to the testimony of
scripture about the history of Satan the Devil, then there are only
four passages that are used by religious authors to deal with the
specifics of that topic in any way. It is around these four passages that
the entire tale is spun, embellished by the contributions of Jewish
fables, Christian legends and myths, and grandiose speculations. This
article examines these four scripture passages, and evaluates what they
contribute toward the scenario described above.
The Bible is clear that there really is a great supernatural being who is
opposed to God. He has functioned throughout history as the
adversary, tempter, tormenter, and accuser of God’s servants. There
really are supernatural beings who are his associates, and who assist him
in his evil works. There really are such supernatural entities as demons
who are under his command.
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The word “Lucifer” is used only once in all of the KJV Bible, in Isaiah
14:12. In verse three of this chapter, the Lord tells of a “taunt” that the
nation of Israel will some day take up “against the king of Babylon”
when his power is destroyed. Most commentators are agreed that the
first eleven verses of the chapter are about that human king. But
beginning in verse 12, some have long speculated that God has here
inspired Isaiah to use the king of Babylon as a metaphor for Satan the
Devil, and to describe a time in pre-history when he was a “good
angel,” named Lucifer, and then “fell” (or was driven from) his position
in heaven and became The Adversary of God and mankind.
3 On the day the LORD gives you relief from suffering and
turmoil and cruel bondage,
4 you will take up this taunt [KJV: “proverb”] against the
king of Babylon:
Babylon:
How the oppressor has come to an end!
How his fury has ended!
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5 The LORD has broken the rod of the wicked,
the scepter of the rulers,
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12 How you have fallen from heaven,
O morning star [KJV: Lucifer], son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth,
you who once laid low the nations!
One other point about the term Lucifer: It is, as noted above, a specific
reference to the morning star, Venus. But the technical etymology of
the word itself does, indeed, mean “light bringer.” And the Hebrew
term heylel, which Jerome rendered as Lucifer, can be translated
“shining one” (also a reference to the morning star). Thus Bible
speculators who insist that it is actually a reference to Satan often do
some creative tale-spinning and suggest that this must mean that Satan
was originally the one who God intended to bring “light” to the Earth,
or even to mankind. And only when he rebelled was this purpose
thwarted, and he became an angel of darkness. While all of that makes
an elegant mythology, it is not at all present in the Bible. To try to spin
whole back-stories off the “root word” meaning of some Latin term, or
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a Hebrew word as presented in Strong’s Concordance, is considered
very poor theology by those who believe it best to use exegesis (the
effort to draw out the meaning intended by the author of a Bible
passage) rather than eisegesis (the effort to “read into” a passage a
meaning that one wants or expects to be there).
For many more details on the linguistic issues regarding the word
Lucifer, see:
http://www.kjvonly.org/doug/kutilek_notes_on_lucifer.htm
This is nonsense. Ancient rulers promoted themselves in this way all the
time, as recorded in both the Bible and secular history.
Nebuchadnezzar had a statue built to himself and condemned all who
would worship any other god. In Revelation, the false prophet causes all
to worship the Beast, and the Beast sits in the Temple of God
proclaiming himself as God. Emperors, Pharoahs, and all types of rulers
in societies all over the world have allowed themselves to be worshipped
as gods.
The other metaphorical Bible passage which has historically been linked
to the “pre-history” of the Devil is Ezekiel 28:1-14. (Bolding has been
added for emphasis of sections to be commented upon below)
12 "Son
Son of man, take up a lament concerning the king of
Tyre and say to him: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD
says:
43
" 'You were the model of perfection,
full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
44
Lucifer expelled from Heaven
Illustration by Gustave Dore’ for Milton’s 1665
Paradise Lost (1866 edition)
45
that many Bible teachers and commentators make the assumption that
a shift has been made, and Ezekiel is actually to address the Devil
himself, using the King of Tyre as a “type” of the ultimate evil Ruler.
Fine embroidered linen from Egypt was your sail and served as
your banner;
your awnings were of blue and purple from the coasts of
Elishah.
(Eze 26:2-7)
46
Thus it is certainly not outside the realm of possibility that the Ezekiel
27 passage was intended only as irony and the like. However, it is
understandable why some would still speculate it was intended to be
addressed to the Devil. After all, the references to “Eden” and the
“mount of God,” and to being “blameless in your ways from the day
you were created,” seem to go far beyond just admitting that a nation
or a king was beautiful or powerful or prideful.
And yet … by the end of this very short passage, statements are again
made that seem to have no proper application to the Devil. “So I made
a fire come out from you, and it consumed you, and I reduced you
to ashes on the ground in the sight of all a ll who were watching. All
the nations who knew you are appalled at you; you have come to a
horrible end and will be no more.” In fact, even among those who
assume this passage is a veiled reference to the Devil, the speculation is
that there is a subtle shift by the end back to physical references to a
physical king. Many claim that verse 17 is a veiled reference to the “fall”
of Satan, or his “casting out of heaven”:
And then they assume that suddenly the scene shifts back to the human
king.
If we would agree that verses 1-17 are about Satan, what can we make
of this passage in terms of learning about the pre-history of the Devil—
especially in terms of the elaborate scenario described at the beginning
of this article? There is nothing here about Satan being the ruler of a
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perfect pre-Adamic world. There is nothing here about a rebellion
leading a third of the angels in an attack on heaven. The reference to
“the anointed cherub that covereth” in the KJV doesn’t even really
address the role of this being. The term translated “covereth” is the
Hebrew sakak, which has varied meanings such as fence in, hedge
about, protect. It is said in Genesis 3:24 that God set cherubs at the
entrance of the Garden of Eden for a similar purpose
After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the
Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back
and forth to guard [KJV: keep] the way to the tree of life.
http://www.destinyimage.com/static/rebirth-of-music-the-
lamar-boschman_0914903802.html
Not only was lucifer a musician, but he was also the instrument
as well. Lucifer didn't sit down at a piano; he was a piano! And
he didn't carry a guitar around his neck; he was a guitar. Lucifer
possessed this talent and the ability to play instruments,
producing a sound in his service of worship to God.
http://www.av1611.org/crock/religious.html
While Satan may, indeed, influence musicians to use their gifts for
spiritually unhealthy or evil purposes, there is no reason to assume that
this is because he was the “master musician” speculated above. He can
influence anyone to use any natural gift for the wrong purposes.
http://www.present-truth.org/Bible-Rock.htm
Many people believe that the Bible has nothing to say on the
phenomenon of religious music. That music just wasn't way
back then. But you know we can go back to that time "When
the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God
shouted for joy." Job 38:7. What was that music like, in the
pure atmosphere of heaven. We can go back even further than
that, to the day when the greatest of all the skilled workers in
heaven, the most highly trained was created. We know that
there was one who was perfect, the highest of the created
beings. One in whom "the workmanship of thy tabrets and of
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thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast
created." Eze 28:13. One who had such a musical quality in his
voice that he directed the choirs in heaven. It was he who wrote
the songs, he was the most talented. We also know that tabrets
are a percussion instrument and so we know that his voice had a
special rhythmic quality.
Once again, all this elaborate scenario about Satan’s early career is built
upon the skimpiest of biblical evidence.
Whether or not the passages discussed above in Isaiah and Ezekiel are
actually about Satan’s history, there are two passages which seem to
address his “fall” (or expulsion from heaven) directly. What can we
learn from them? During His earthly ministry, at one point Jesus sent
out pairs of His disciples on an “evangelism tour” to preach and heal.
The seventy-two returned with joy and said, "Lord, even the
demons submit to us in your name." He replied, "II saw Satan
fall like lightning from heaven.
heaven I have given you authority to
trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power
of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice
that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are
written in heaven."
This single sentence is also spun out into elaborate scenarios. And yet
what information does it specifically provide? Is Jesus talking about an
event in the prehistoric past? We have no clue from the context, no
mention of Satan as originally the choir leader of heaven or one of
cherubs overshadowing the throne of God. There is no mention of a
heavenly rebellion, no mention of a third of the angels following the
lead of Satan. Some commentators even speculate that perhaps this is
just a poetic, metaphorical way that Jesus was responding to the report
of the disciples—their mission was so successful that it was as if Satan’s
efforts were given a huge blow. In the context of the passage, that
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makes as much sense as any other interpretation. If Jesus intended for
His disciples (and Bible readers to this day) to understand a more
complex reason for His comment, He made no effort to elaborate so
that it would be clear.
Revelation 12:1-
12:1-12
The “third of the angels” part of the Lucifer Scenario is entirely built
around the one sentence in this passage describing John’s vision of a
“dragon” (identified later in the passage as Satan the Devil) sweeping a
third of the stars from the sky and hurling them to the ground. The
assumption is that, since the term “star” can sometimes signify an
“angel” elsewhere in scripture, this means Satan drew with him a third
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of the angels. And a verse or two later it is made clear that Satan and
these angels engaged Michael and his angels in a battle and lost, and
they were thus “hurled down” from heaven. But when does this event
occur? The Earth and the sea are said to be in woe as a result of this
event because the devil “is filled with fury because he knows that his
time is short.” In other words … this isn’t some pre-historic event. It is
a future event close to the time of the Return of Christ.
This passage even notes that Satan accuses brethren “before our God
day and night.” This certainly seems to indicate that Satan had access to
heaven right up until this “war” with Michael and the angels. We see
this in the description of Satan appearing before God and accusing Job.
And this passage says that the Devil and his angels had a “place in
heaven” before the battle. Whatever we can ultimately deduce from this
information in Revelation, there is no question that it does not present
a clear description of events in the ancient past.
In Conclusion
To take these four passages, and try to mix enough of their separate
details together to construct a history of Satan is not “using scripture to
interpret scripture.” It is using vagueness to clarify vagueness. This also
is not careful biblical exegesis, and should be avoided by those who
wish to base their theological understandings squarely on the Bible
rather than extra-biblical embellishments.
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The "Fall of Lucifer":
The following four passages are the only biblical references offered by
writers for all the details ... some of them exceptionally elaborate ... that
they may build into their scenarios about the "fall of Lucifer/Satan."
See "The Devil In the Details" for discussion of the validity of applying
the Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 38 passages to Satan. See the same article for
an exploration of the interpretations commonly offered for the single
sentence, "I saw Satan like lightning fall from heaven" in Luke, and for
the highly metaphorical passage in Revelation 12.
Isaiah 14:1-23
On the day the LORD gives you relief from suffering and turmoil
and cruel bondage, you will take up this taunt against the king of
Babylon:
How the oppressor has come to an end!
How his fury has ended!
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They will all respond,
they will say to you,
"You also have become weak, as we are;
you have become like us."
I will
will ascend above the tops of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High."
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the man who made the world a desert,
who overthrew its cities
and would not let his captives go home?"
Ezekiel 38:11-19
The word of the LORD came to me: "Son of man, take up a lament
concerning the king of Tyre and say to him: 'This is what the Sovereign
LORD says:
" 'You were the model of perfection,
full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
The seventy-two returned with joy and said, "Lord, even the demons
submit to us in your name." He replied, "I saw Satan fall like lightning
from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and
scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will
harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but
rejoice that your names are written in heaven."
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Revelation 12:1-12
And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the
dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not
strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon
was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who
leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels
with him.
mseedwork@yahoo.com
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