Читать книгу Satan: The Defeated Foe - Kenneth B. Alexander BSL JD Deacon - Страница 17

The meaning of the Hebrew word Satan, when used as a proper name, is “the adversary” (Job 1:6–12; 2:1–7). In the New Testament it is used as interchangeable with Diabolos, or the devil, and is so used more than thirty times. He is also called “the dragon,” “the old serpent” (Rev. 12:9; 20:2); “the prince of this world” (John 12:31; 14:30); “the prince of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2); “the god of this world” (2 Cor. 4:4); “the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience” (Eph. 2:2). He has been called by his angelic name Lucifer (lo̅o̅ʹsi-fuhr), the English translation in the KJV (Isa. 14:12) of the Hebrew word meaning ‘light bringer’ or ‘shining one,’. Sometimes he is called “the morning (or day) star, that is, the Sun or some say Venus; the brightest object in the morning sky. The English word ‘Lucifer’ comes from the Latin for ‘light bearer’ and these probably denote his appearance in Heaven as the brightest creature of the angelic realm.

The origin of Satan is a difficult subject, as is the subject of the fall of Satan to earth. Satan was created as an angelic being, apparently with a free will as described in Ezekiel 28:12-19 and Isaiah 14. Satan was perfect, absolutely beautiful, and full of wisdom as described in Ezekiel 28:12-19; Isaiah 14:12-19. He held the supreme position of the cherub closest to God’s throne (Ez 28:14). So we find the most magnificent being of God’s creation in the highest position a created being can fill. That was Lucifer’s original state. His function was to convey God’s orders to angels and to radiate God’s glory (which is what all the gems of v. 13 depict). Some say he was also in charge of the heavenly music. But when he fell to earth he perverted the music like everything else he touched.

On earth the Old testament term “Satan” or “accuser” can relate to three separate groups:

1. human accusers (I Sam. 29:4; II Sam. 19:22; I Kgs. 11:14, 20, 29; Ps. 109:6)

2. angelic accusers (Num. 22:22–23; Job 1–2; Zech. 3:1)

3. demonic accusers (I Chr. 21:2; I Kgs. 22:21; Zech. 13:2).

The OT does not reveal Satan as an arch enemy to good, but a servant of YHWH who tests the Sons of Light; who offers mankind an alternative to righteousness and accuses mankind of unrighteousness. There is a progressive revelation in the NT as to the personification of evil as Satan seems to work more in the open. A good example of this difference is the “war in heaven” (see below). The fall of Satan became a logical necessity, but the specifics are not given. Even what is given is veiled in apocalyptic genre (cf. Rev. 12:4, 7, 12–13). Although Satan is defeated by Jesus and exiled to earth, he still functions as a servant of YHWH (cf. Matt. 4:1; Luke 22:31–32; I Cor. 5:5; I Tim. 1:20).

At some point Satan was removed from heaven (the spiritual realm of God) and “thrown” to earth. Revelation 12:7-9 describes: “And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him”. Most commentators agree that this occurred at the time of Christ’s resurrection. But that doesn’t mean that Satan was not on the earth at a much earlier time in Biblical history. However, until the coming of Christ, Satan had access to God in heaven as well as to the earth. At the time of Christ, however, he was completely denied any access to the spiritual realm and was thrown down to earth where he then became exclusively “the god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4).

That he had access to God before being banished to earth is apparent from Rev 12:10): “Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night”. Formerly Satan, the accuser of the brethren, had accused the Saints “before God” day and night. Easton's Bible Dictionary explains: Satan is styled the “accuser of the brethren” (Rev. 12:10. Comp. Job 1:6; Zech. 3:1), as seeking to uphold his influence among men by bringing false charges against Christians, with the view of weakening their influence and injuring the cause with which they are identified. He was regarded by the Jews as the accuser of men before God, laying to their charge the violations of the law of which they were guilty, and demanding their punishment. The same Greek word, rendered “accuser,” is found in John 8:10; Acts 23:30, 35; 24:8; 25:16, 18, and in each case it is used in the context of one bringing a charge against another.

The Book of Job is a perfect example of how he operated when he had access to God in heaven: “Now there was a day when the  sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan [“the accuser”] also came among them…. The Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.” Then Satan answered the Lord, “Does Job fear God for nothing? “Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. “But put forth Your hand now and  touch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face” [an accusation] (Job 1:6, 8-11). Note that Satan could not operate independent of God as he had to seek permission from God to harass Job. We know the end of that story. Job remained faithful no matter what Satan did to him and he was given a double portion of blessing.

Our first introduction to Satan came in Genesis 3 in connection with the fall of man. Genesis 3:1 says: “Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made”. The serpent was actually Satan disguised. Revelation confirms this: “And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him”. The “serpent of old” is referring to the serpent in the garden who deceived Eve and Adam, causing the fall of mankind from Paradise. Being Satan he was much wiser than the humans who had only been recently created and were babes with respect to many spiritual things. They were like recently saved Christians who, although saved, were only at the start of the unfolding of the salvation experience. Satan already knew both the things of heaven and the earth, having been the wisest angel in heaven and the closest to God. Just as in the expanding knowledge of salvation, Adam and Eve would have been taught by God many things such as knowledge of evil when they became mature enough to handle the knowledge. They were protected by a wise God from knowledge that might cause them to stumble and to be defeated by evil. However Satan was able to play on their immaturity and deceive them.

How the serpent (Satan) appeared in the Garden is not explained in the scriptures but he was there to test the first divine humans. He craftily deceived Eve by lying to her and speaking against God’s instructions with respect to the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (also called the “Tree of Knowledge”). Satan told the woman: “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” [a lie]. And the woman said [correctly] to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, lest you die.’” And the serpent said to the woman, “You surely shall not die! [2nd lie]. Satan knew of course that “the wages of sin was death” (Rom 6:23). But Satan said: “For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil [3rd lie]” (Gen 3:1-5). It is the inner desire of every human to be “like God”, in the inner circle of those who are perceived to be the most knowledgeable and the “elite”. Satan himself wanted to be worshipped like God (Matthew 4:9).

So the woman gave the forbidden fruit to Adam and he ate also. They were immediately cast out of the garden into the world of futility. Whether or not God had to build a new creation of futility or there was already an existing such world is not known. We do know that after God’s creation (Genesis 1-2) He looked at all He had done and: “God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good” (Gen 1:31). In other words there was no futility, sin or defect in creation. When Adam and Eve fell, immediately there was toil, hardship and death, none of which existed in the world originally created by God. He said to Adam of the world to which he was banished:

“Cursed is the ground because of you;

 In toil [sorrow] you will eat of it

All the days of your life.

both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you;

And you will eat the plants of the field;

By the sweat of your face

You will eat bread,

Till you return to the ground,

Because from it you were taken;

For you are dust, And to dust you shall return” (Gen 3:17-19). This was the introduction of death into the world.

“To the woman He said, “I will greatly multiply Your pain in childbirth, In pain you will bring forth children; Yet your desire will be for your husband, And he will rule over you” (Gen 3:16). Evidently before the fall the female had no pain in childbirth. Also, by implication, man and women were equal in the garden but in the banished world the husband was superior to the wife and he ruled over her.

It was to the serpent (Satan) that the harshest words were spoken by God. However those words offer mankind the greatest hope that the world of futility to which mankind was banished will not last forever. God said to the serpent of old: “Because you have done this, Cursed are you more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you will go, And dust you will eat All the days of your life” (Gen 3:14). The serpent is punished as a serpent for allowing itself to be possessed by Satan and used by him to defeat God’s plan. God has more words for the serpent but they appear to be directed to Satan, as opposed to the woman only.

God said: “And I will put enmity Between you [Satan] and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He [seed of the woman-Christ] shall bruise [crush] you [Satan] on the head, And you [Satan] shall bruise him on the heel” (Gen 3:15). The hope of mankind rests on this very scripture. The seed of the woman (Mary or Israel) Jesus Christ shall crush the head of Satan killing him. Satan will put up a fight and will bruise Christ and those that are His on the heel but it is not a fatal blow. It is because of this hope that Paul is able to say: “For the creation was SUBJECTED TO FUTILITY, NOT WILLINGLY, BUT BECAUSE OF HIM who subjected it, in hope that the CREATION ITSELF ALSO WILL BE SET FREE from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God” (Romans 8:20-21). It is Christ and His Sons who will set creation free from its God imposed curse. This was what God intended all along after the fall.

It is the Sons (plural) that will free creation from futility. Paul says: “For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the SONS OF GOD”… For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves  groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body” (Rom 8:19, 22-23). The Lord intends to bring forth many Sons like unto Himself who will release creation from the curse of futility. We know this from Romans 8:29-30: “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become CONFORMED TO THE IMAGE OF HIS SON, so that He [Jesus] would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also  called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also  glorified [with Christ’s glory]” (Rom 8:29-30).

We become adopted Sons but with His nature. Paul said: “For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves  groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our ADOPTION AS SONS, the redemption of our body” (Rom 8:22-23). Paul goes on: “For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “ABBA"! FATHER!” The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him” (Rom 8:15-17). “ABBA! FATHER!” is the dominant image used to refer to God in the language of familial intimacy. Jesus undoubtedly had a unique experience of God as his Abba (meaning Father). He addressed God with this intimate appellation, normally reserved for an earthly father (e.g., Mark 14:36). In Rom. 8:15 and Gal. 4:6 Paul also uses this intimate form ‘Abba, father’, as an intimation that God has sent the Spirit of his Son into the hearts of believers in Christ when they pray, ‘Abba, Father’. If Christ used this familial term then His Sons created in His image also use it when referring to their Father.

The Sons created to be “like Christ” are adopted Sons. Adoption is a NT term that functions in the context of specialized salvation language, usually translated ‘sonship.’ It draws meaning from the theological realities of belonging, connectedness, relationship, and inheritance established by God’s promise to human beings. The frame of reference is that of the family and foundational membership; its affirmations are derived from the ‘sonship’ of Christ, and its scope is inclusive of both men and women. Adopted relationships among humans are found in the OT (e.g., Gen. 15:1-3; Exod. 2:10; Esther 2:7, 15; cf. also the system of levirate marriage, Deut. 25:5-10) and elsewhere in Semitic cultures, but the focal point upon which the NT builds is the declared ‘adoption-sonship’ (‘election’) relationship between God and Israel and Spiritual Israel of the end-time (e.g., Hos. 11:1; Exod. 4:22). In the nt, Jesus himself is not adopted by virtue of already being the Son from eternity. People become (engrafted) heirs in ‘sonship’ through faith and are thus enabled to utter ‘Abba, Father’ (Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:6; cf. Eph. 1:5; Mark 14:36; Luke 11:2; Matt. 6:9).

Several other references in scripture also mention this point of many Sons, like Christ, being brought to birth through God’s choosing (election). Hebrews 2:10-11 says: “For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing MANY SONS TO GLORY, to perfect the author of their salvation [Jesus] through sufferings. For both He who  sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren,”. The Sons being brought forth through adoption are in no means inferior to Christ in that they are brought forth to complete the sufferings of their Lord. The Lord Jesus remains the author or leader of their faith and head of the Body of Christ as is altogether fitting for the first fruits or elder brother.

1 John 3:2 also emphasizes that principle: “Beloved, now we are  children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He  appears, we will be LIKE HIM, because we will see Him just as He is”. Also: “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known” (1 Corinthians 13:12, KJV). Also John 1:12-13: “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God”. He’ll have that flesh and blood in a glorified body throughout eternal ages. He limited Himself to become human so He could bring many sons to glory, to walk in His deity. That’s how much He loves you!

It is a fine line, and could be considered heresy because some false religions talk about the deity that is in us. The statement could be made: “We will never partake of Deity. We will never be a part of the exalted Christ. He will always be the preeminent one.” But this does not take into account what God is doing. God does not want to have fellowship with an inferior creature. He is invading us and filling us to bring us into deity. We must not deny that. But as many as received him, to them gave He the power to become the sons of God… John 1:12. Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature” (II Peter 1:4a). “We are heirs of God and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ” (Romans 8:17). “If we suffer with Him, we shall also reign with Him” (II Timothy 2:12). Hebrews says that both the sanctified and the sanctifier are all of one Father; therefore, He is not ashamed to call them brethren; He is bringing many sons to glory (Hebrews 2:10, 11). To me this is not sacrilegious; it is the most humbling truth ever spoken. If He came down and experienced the dregs of our humanity, it was so that we could partake of the glory of what He is, and He is God.

Do you see how Satan twisted that truth to Adam and Eve? He told them that the day they ate the fruit, the day they disobeyed God, they would be just like God (Genesis 3:5). Adam and Eve bit on that, and they fell. But God is saying, “If you will obey Me, if you will be submissive to Me, you will be one with Me” (Stevens, John Robert: This Week, Volume VI (1975). North Hollywood, CA. : Living Word Publications, 1983, S. 346; This Week, Volume II (1971), S. 429.

So we have seen the first beginnings of Satan at least as he appeared on earth. There is much more detail to come as he influences man throughout the course of Biblical history. There is one thing to know about Satan. He manifests himself in many disguises and his appearance and influence are not always apparent as he does his work in secret. In the next chapters we will attempt to unveil him and the deception he works on mankind.