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Making of a Doctrine
LUCIFER
Making of a Doctrine
LUCIFER
(Part 1 of 2)
3For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. (2Tim 4:)
Everything on this earth has a beginning.
Meet Reverend Jack and his new apprentice pastor, William.
Reverend Jack is about to lay out his sermon for the upcoming Sunday. This Sunday is a very special one for the good Reverend in that several dignitaries of the mother church will be present. Not wanting to disappoint such important personages, and desiring to impress them with his understanding of the Word, Reverend Jack is putting forth every effort to make this sermon one of his finest. Of course, in order to present an exceptional sermon, he must have an equally exceptional subject upon which to preach.
The Reverend had considered God as his topic. But God had been the subject of so many of his sermons that he thought the subject of God too commonplace for this special occasion. He deliberated other subjects such as Jesus, and the Apostles, and even church history. But again, these subjects were set aside as too mundane.
Reverend Jack needed a topic that would cause his audience to sit up and pay close heed. What would be a sure-fire topic to preach on that everyone would be interested in? After searching the newspapers, the TV guide, and the school curriculum to see what most interested people, the Reverend decided that the subject most appealing to everyone was that of witchcraft and the devil. So be it, the Reverend thought; that would be his subject.
"Today, William, we are going to write a sermon that is sure to wow the congregation. It will be a sermon that they will be talking about for many days to come."
"That sounds exciting already, Reverend Jack. What are you going to talk on?"
"I am going to tell them about the devil, Satan."
"Satan? I guess that's an interesting subject alright. But what can you say about Satan other than he is a nasty fellow?"
"Don't you worry. By the time I get through with this sermon, there will be plenty to talk about."
"Sounds ok to me. So where do we start?"
"Well, I would say the best place to begin is at the beginning."
"You mean the Garden of Eden?"
"That sounds like a good place to open. I'll tell them about how Satan started the downfall of man by tempting Adam and Eve."
"Satan caused them to sin? I thought it was the serpent who tempted them."
"Satan and the serpent are the same thing, William. Didn't they teach you this at seminary?"
"I suppose they did. But when I read the Bible, I can't see how Satan was a serpent. The Bible says that the serpent was a 'beast of the field,' doesn't it?"
"Well, the Bible does say so, but we all know that it was Satan who was behind the serpent, making it talk."
"That makes sense alright. But where does it say that in the Bible?"
"The Bible doesn't come right out and say that, but it is suggested in a few places. Besides, we all know it's true. Some things we just have to take on faith."
"Faith? Faith in what? If the Bible doesn't clearly say something, then what are we having faith in?"
"You're making things too difficult. William. Just assume I know what I'm talking about and let's move on, shall we?"
"I guess so. I don't suppose it's that important anyway. So the serpent was Satan, or something like that anyway. Where do we go from here? So far we haven't come up with anything people don't already know."
"That's true, but we will."
"How about if we tell them how Satan began. I mean, we know he didn't start out as a serpent in the Garden, because a snake on the ground couldn't have all the power Satan has. And besides, that wouldn't explain his place in hell and all the demons he has working for him. Maybe if we looked into Satan's origin."
"That's a good point, William. We'll start out from when Satan was a beautiful angel...."
"A beautiful angel? I never saw that in the Bible. In fact, if I remember correctly, in the eighth chapter of John, Jesus said that Satan was a liar and a murderer from the beginning."
"Jesus did say that, but He was referring to a different beginning. Not the beginning of Satan."
"Another beginning? Not the beginning of the world? I thought Adam and Eve were the beginning."
"You're confusing the issue again. Take my word for it, Jesus was talking about another beginning, not the beginning of Satan."
"Ok, I guess you know something I hadn't heard of. I'll just sit back and learn."
"Good for you, my boy. The Bible says to obey them that have the rule over you and not to give them grief. And if there was ever a time not to give me grief, it is now."
"Of course you're right. So now we have Satan as a beautiful angel. But we're going to have to give some explanation for saying this. I mean, the congregation will believe whatever you tell them and not question it. Most of them have no idea what the Bible says anyway, and I think they really don't care. But those visitors you're going to have in the church Sunday are going to know the Bible plenty well. You had better have a good explanation for what you say to them."
"You are so right, William. And you can be sure they will fully accept what I tell them."
"Good. Now what? How did Satan get to be a beautiful angel?"
"Satan was not only a beautiful angel, my boy, but he was the choir leader in Heaven, ahead of all the other angels."
"He was! It's amazing how much I've missed all the times I've studied the Bible. This is getting exciting. Tell me more."
"I told you I would wow them, didn't I? Not only was Satan a beautiful and powerful angel, but he was called the Morning Star and Light Bearer."
"He was!? I thought Jesus was the Morning Star."
"Jesus is the Morning Star, William. But there are other Morning stars as well. And originally Satan was one of them before he fell."
"Satan fell? You mean like Adam and Eve fell? Where is that in the Bible?"
"Right here in Luke chapter ten. Let me show you."
Luke 10: 17And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. 18And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. 19Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.
"You mean, Reverend Jack, that Jesus was talking about something that happened a long time ago? I always thought He was referring to the demons that the disciples were casting out of people. You know, like kicking Satan out of the church kind of like. Isn't it rather strange that Jesus would suddenly jump to something that happened a long time ago, and then back again with no explanation?"
"That's one way to view this verse, but every scholar knows that Jesus was referring to Revelation twelve where Satan was ejected from Heaven."
"Revelation twelve? But isn't Revelation a book talking about the end times? I mean, isn't John talking about what he was shown about the future?"
"Yes, mostly the book of Revelation is about the future. But there are exceptions. Here, let me show you."
Revelation 12: 1And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: 2And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. 3And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. 4And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. 5And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. 6And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days. 7And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. 10And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. 11And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
12Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. (Rev 12:)
"Do you see here where Satan is cast down to earth after a war in Heaven? This is proof that Satan was once a glorious angel that tried to take over God's position because he disagreed with God's plan of Salvation."
"Reverend Jack, you mean to tell me that you got all that from this chapter? But didn't you say that Satan was cast out of Heaven a long time before Adam and Eve? Then who is this woman? I thought the woman in white was the Church? And who are the inhabitants of the earth that had better beware of Satan if people haven't been created yet. And here in verse ten it says:"
'10And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. 11And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.'
"How did Jesus, that is the Christ get before Adam? And isn't it talking here about Salvation coming? And isn't the child the woman is to give birth to the hundred and forty four thousand? And look, the dragon has seven heads and ten horns. That's what the Beast has. I always thought this was referring to the Beast turning on the church and trying to kill them, and the stars that fell were preachers and other church leaders who followed after the Beast or something. I've got to say, Reverend Jack, that I am totally confused."
"You are confusing yourself, William. To understand the Bible and God's purposes you have to let your rational mind go. You can't question every little thing. Besides, this is not the only place in the Bible that speaks of the fall of Satan. Here, let me show you in the book of Isaiah."
Isaiah 14: 12How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. 15Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. 16They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; 17That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?
"You see, William, there is plenty of evidence for established doctrine if you only open your mind and look for it. Like Isaiah said: Line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little. Just look at the very beginning of this Scripture. Here Satan is called 'Lucifer.' which is the Latin term for Morning Star or Light Bearer. This is very strong evidence that Satan was once a holy angel, perhaps even equal to Jesus Himself. In fact some believe, and I tend to concur, that Jesus, Satan and Michael the Archangel were related, perhaps even brothers. "
"That's a heavy statement! Reverend Jack. I hadn't heard of that before! Satan and Jesus brothers. Hmmm. The Bible sure is a lot more complicated than I had ever imagined. I guess it takes a lot of years and a great infilling of the Holy Spirit to discern all these things. Maybe someday I will be blessed with such wisdom as has been given to you. But here where you showed me about Satan. It says: 'Is this the man.' Does that mean before Satan fell he was a man?"
"That word 'man' is not the same as Adam. It's just a word that means an individual, like a person."
"Oh. Well how about here where it says: 'That made the world as a wilderness.' I thought it was because of Adam that the world became a wilderness. And here: 'destroyed the cities thereof.' And here where it starts off: 'That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon." It sounds like God is talking to the king of Babylon and that there are already cities here on earth. Does that mean before Adam and Eve fell there were already cities on this planet? And the cities were called the same as they are now? And here, it looks to me like this entire part of Isaiah is talking to rulers of kingdoms that are giving Israel trouble, and that God is saying all these things will be in the future, not before Adam and Eve. Is it like in Matthew and Revelation where God has apparently taken a verse or two from past history he never told us about and stuck them in the far future?"
"William, you are being obstinate. You have to trust God's Word and not question it. There are things about God that we are not to understand. We are just to accept them on faith. Besides, people with a great deal more insight and knowledge of the Word than we have has established these doctrines. There are going to be things about the Bible we will never understand. But these theologians have had a close communication with God and have had these things explained to them, just as did Daniel and John on Patmos. We should just count ourselves fortunate to be living in this day and age when these mysteries are being revealed. Just think of all the thousands of years they were hidden from even God's elect, perhaps even the Apostles themselves. Besides, this is not the only place Satan is said to have been a mighty angel before the fall, not by a long shot."
"I suppose you're right. We are lucky at that. I'm not trying to be obstinate or cause trouble. But if you're going to impress those dignitaries that are coming, you will need to have all your ducks in a row. If I have trouble following your reasoning with my limited education, imagine what they will think if they don't see what you see in the Bible."
"You have a point there, William. But try to keep you're questions on the subject instead of wandering off in space like you've been doing."
"I'll try. But what is the other evidence you have that Satan was a holy angel?"
"Well, for one we have this from Ezekiel:"
Ezekiel 28: 12Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. 13Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. 14Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. 15Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
"Do you see? Here we have Satan perfect, and a cherub, which is a mighty angel. This is proof positive that Satan was special in God's eyes. And since Satan is no longer a beautiful angel, he must have fallen."
"Ummm. I guess so, if you say so. But here we have God talking to the king of Tyre all through this chapter, and none of the rest of it sounds like it's about Satan or before the fall. And here: 'Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God.' I thought we decided that Satan wasn't the serpent. And if Satan wasn't the serpent, where is he in the Garden of Eden? And all those stones covering him. That sounds to me like the High Priest who had to be completely pure before he could enter the Temple, and wore the breastplate with all those stones on it. And here: 'Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.' That sounds exactly like what happened with Adam. And here where it starts out:"
'Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God: 3Behold, thou art wiser than Daniel; there is no secret that they can hide from thee: 4With thy wisdom and with thine understanding thou hast gotten thee riches, and hast gotten gold and silver into thy treasures: 5By thy great wisdom and by thy traffic hast thou increased thy riches, and thine heart is lifted up because of thy riches: 6Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast set thine heart as the heart of God; 7Behold, therefore I will bring strangers upon thee, the terrible of the nations:
"Here he has all these riches. Does Satan have any need of silver and gold? And here it says that God is going to bring all these nations on him. Again, this sounds like the future and like God is going to bring enemies on a nation instead of bringing down Satan. And here: 'and thou shalt die the deaths of them that are slain.' Can Satan die? Or here: 'Wilt thou yet say before him that slayeth thee, I am God? but thou shalt be a man, and no God, in the hand of him that slayeth thee. 10Thou shalt die the deaths of the uncircumcised by the hand of strangers: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.' 'Die the death of the uncircumcised'? Satan? And there's that word 'man' again. If I remember my Hebrew correctly, that 'man' is the identical word used for 'Adam.' and down here in the very same passage we have: 'therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.' This sounds like he is going to be burned up. And where it says this king wants to be like God. Isn't that what the serpent told Eve, that she could be like God? And last week you preached on how the humanistic world thinks they are gods, and how so many religions believe their adherents strive to reach perfection life after life until they become gods. When I read Isaiah I always thought he was talking about Mankind in general, I mean like how the New Testament talks about the flesh being the 'First Adam.' It sounds to me like....."
"William, I think I should warn you that you are in deep heresy and coming very close to blaspheming the Holy Spirit. I would suggest that you mind your tongue and have more respect for the Word and for those who have been so blessed as to have been given an understanding of the Word. In the future, I want you to refrain from commenting unless you have something absolutely pertinent to the subject at hand. Your mind tends to drift off into areas that have no practical application to what we are trying to accomplish. Keep in mind, that it is a sermon we are writing and not a dissertation on the validity of established and proven doctrine."
"I'll try harder, Reverend Jack. Thank you for being so patient with me."
"You are welcome. And I'm glad you have the maturity and the wisdom to recognize and acknowledge the error of your ways. Let us proceed. You know that God is perfect, is He not? Then if God is perfect, then everything He creates must be perfect as well. Does that follow?"
"I suppose so, but...."
"No buts, William. Just hear me out. Everything that God creates is good. But Satan and one third of the angels that God created before He created man turned out to be bad. And because these angels were bad, they were cast down to earth. Do you have any objection to that so far?"
"Well, I...."
"Good! We are in agreement then. God's first creation was bad, and God would have nothing that was not perfect continue. Because God wants a perfect creation, He had to begin over again. Doesn't that make sense?"
"Another creation? You mean there was another world created before this one? I mean, the Genesis account was not the first?"
"You are catching on quickly, my boy. That is correct. There was indeed another creation before Adam and Eve, and it wasn't way up there on another planet, but right here were you and I are standing at this moment. That creation was millions, perhaps even billions of years before Adam was created. During that time many things happened that help explain the recent scientific findings, such as dinosaurs and primitive man that obviously existed long before humans as we know them were around. It also explains the vast geological changes that had to have occurred millions of years ago and taken eons to complete. During this prehistoric era Satan and the angels were created. And during this time Satan fell and took with him one third of the angels, which are now called demons and inhabit many unsaved people who are doomed for hell. At this time also God caused another flood and an ice age that wiped out His entire creation because it was not only corrupt, but it was inferior to His desired purpose. Having learned from His first mistakes, God began again with Adam and Eve. Does this help clarify God's plan and how Satan came to be as he is?"
"That's amazing! How did I ever miss that in the Bible? Doesn't the first part of Genesis say: 'In the beginning? Doesn't that mean in the beginning of the Adam and Eve account? Where does the Bible talk about another creation?"
"Yes, for the most part the Bible does say that the Genesis account was the beginning of God's creation. But what it is referring to is this creation that effects you and me. God had no cause to explain His first creation that we have no reason to understand or know about. You must realize that there are mysteries in the Bible that only a select few people are able to decipher."
"But don't you preach on the 'Simplicity of the Bible' and that it is easy for everyone to understand?"
"Yes I do, William. And that still stands true. The Bible is easy to understand, and at the same time there are mysteries that only the most brilliant of minds can detect."
"That's amazing. I wish I had a brilliant mind like yours that can see through this stuff."
"My boy, someday you just might, if you pay close attention to what I tell you and not contradict me as you have been doing."
"I'll try real hard to follow you, Sir. But I do have a question at this point, if I may be so bold as to ask it."
"Go ahead. Questions are fine as long as they stay on the subject and are not argumentative."
"Well, you said that God had to make the world all over again because the first one was bad. I was just wondering what verses of Scripture you use to support that view, I mean, that God only creates good things. He created cave men who were hardly more than apes, and He created Satan and the evil angels that He apparently can't destroy, but rather are now trying to destroy Him and us didn't He? He created Adam and Eve, and all the bad people since then, didn't He? Why isn't He starting all over again like He did before? Why did He let His only Son die such a horrible death, and all His good people suffer like they do instead of just starting all over again like He did the first time?"
"God did start over again. Remember Noah's flood? And He will start over again, after the tribulation at the end of days. Keep that in mind and it will help you muddle through the intricacies of Scripture."
"I see, Sir. But isn't the Millennium and thereafter dependent on Jesus dying? I mean, everything since the flood is directed toward, and dependent on the cross, isn't it?"
"You're doing is again William. You're confusing reason with faith, and that does not produce anything but heresy. Keep your mind on what we are discussing and things will eventually make sense to you."
"Sorry, Sir."
"Now, you asked where in the Bible it says God only creates perfection. Here are the references. I suggest you write them down and study them at your leisure."
"I will do just that. What are the verses?"
"I will give you three of the best. I'm sure they will take away all doubts from your mind. Here they are:"
Deut 32: 4He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.
Isaiah 45: 18For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.
John 1: 5And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
"So, my boy, with this conclusive evidence I'm sure a straight thinking person such as yourself will certainly acknowledge that there is no doubt but that God would have had to recreate the earth since the first creation was not perfect. Nothing that God does is less than perfect. Here in Genesis we have been shown that the earth was 'void' and 'darkness was upon the earth':
Genesis 1: 1In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
"This is a clear indication that what the Holy Spirit was doing in the second verse of Genesis was renewing the failed first creation. Doesn't that make sense to you? "
"Ummm, ok, I guess. I can see from what you've shown me that God might have had a reason to recreate the earth, kinda, sorta, I guess. But where is there any Scripture that says He did recreate the earth?
"I'm glad you asked. Here again we have very strong evidence of a new creation. Check these verses out:"
Psalm 104: 30Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.
Job 38: 4Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. 5Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? 6Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; 7When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
John 8: 44Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
"As you can plainly see by these verses, there had to be a previous creation. David speaks of 'renewing the face of the earth,' and in Job God says plainly that the angels had already been created when He laid the foundation of the earth. And even Jesus confirmed the fact that Satan must have been created before the fall of Man. There is no way around it, son, there had to be two creations."
"Well, ok, I guess, Reverend Jack. But if you hadn't told me that these verses meant two creations, I would have never known that God was saying some angels had already fallen. I only hear Him saying that there were angels singing. And I never thought of angels being a part of earth's creation anyway since they were never mentioned in the Genesis account except the cherub at the gate of the Garden of Eden. And where David is talking about recreating the earth, I sure would have thought he was talking about how God refreshes the earth all the time, especially in the Spring time. But I guess you know the Bible a lot better than I do."
"That's good thinking, William. Now that we have it well established that God had to recreate the world, we will move on to His first creation. First, we have to remember that Satan fell from Grace long before the world was created. We know this without a shadow of a doubt because Satan was in a fallen condition when he tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden. Are you following me here, William?"
"I guess I am. Only, I thought it was the serpent that tempted....."
"Ok, we're on the same track then. Since we know that Satan had to have fallen before the fall of Man, then all we have to do is find in the Scriptures where Satan fell. And fortunately, we have been given a clear picture of this event."
"A clear picture? I wonder how I missed that!?"
"I don't know, because it's as plain as the nose on your face when you know Hebrew, and if you know where to look. We already know that Satan had fallen "in the beginning." We know this because of Job 38 where it says the angels sang at the creation. We also know this because of what we read about Lucifer, which is Satan, in the fourteenth chapter of Isaiah and the twenty eighth chapter of Ezekiel. Since we have this fact firmly established, we must needs find the place where this fall occurred. And if you look closely in the second verse of Geneses, lo and behold, there is your second creation, just as plain as if it had been a chapter all it's own."
"The second verse of Genesis? You mean right here where it says:"
Genesis 1: 1In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
"I'm sorry, Sir, but this one escapes me completely. I can't see where the Bible is talking about a second creation. Please point it out for me."
"The reason you can't see it, my boy, is because you are not acquainted with Hebrew syntax. Do you see the word 'was'? What the Bible is actually saying is the earth 'became' without form and void. This is a clear indication that the world was not being created as is often believed, but the world was being re created."
"That's a big fish to swallow, Reverend Jack. It sounds like you're telling me that between a yodh and a tittle a span of millions of years and another entire creation took place. May I check out your concordance for a minute? I would like to research that a bit if you don't mind."
"Not at all, son. I want you to be settled in your mind where the truth of the Word is concerned. Take your time and study the word thoroughly."
"Well, I see what you mean, the word could be interpreted to mean 'Became,' and it has been several times in the Old Testament...."
"There, you see? Are you convinced that I know what I'm talking about?"
"Um, Reverend Jack? I've listed a few of the times that same word having the same tense has been used in Genesis. I can see what you mean, that the word has been interpreted as 'became' a few times. But there are hundreds of times it has been interpreted as other forms of the verb 'to be' where a person would be hard pressed to make it come out 'became.' It would appear to me if there was only one time the word had to be viewed as 'was,' then it would lend much credence to the present creation being the one and only, rather than a recreation. Don't you think so, Reverend Jack?"
"There has to be an error in your calculations, William. Let me see that list of yours."
"Here it is, Sir. But I've checked and double-checked it and it always comes out the same."
WAS (H1961) ha^ya^h haw-yaw' A primitive root (compare H1933); to exist, that is, be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary): - beacon, X altogether, be (-come, accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), continue, do, faint, fall, + follow, happen, X have, last, pertain, quit (one-) self, require, X use.
Genesis 1: 1In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2And the earth was 1961 without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
Gen 1:3 And God said, Let there be 1961 light: and there was 1961 light
Gen 1:5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were 1961 the first day.
Gen 1:7 And God made the firmament and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was 1961 so.
Gen 1:9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was 1961 so.
Gen 1:14 And God said, Let there be 1961 lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be 1961 for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
Gen 1:19 And the evening and the morning were 1961 the fourth day.
Gen 1:23 And the evening and the morning were 1961 the fifth day.
Gen 2:5 And every plant of the field before it was 1961 in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.
Gen 2:18 And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be 1961 alone; I will make him a help meet for him.
Gen 3:1 Now the serpent was 1961 more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
Gen 5:4 And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were 1961 eight hundred7 years: and he begot sons and daughters:
Gen 5:5 And all the days that Adam lived were 1961 nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.
Gen 6:9 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was 1961 a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.
Gen 6:19 And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be 1961 male and female.
Gen 7:12 And the rain was 1961 upon the earth forty days7 and forty nights.
Gen 7:17 And the flood was 1961 forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bore up the ark, and it was lifted up above the earth.
Gen 9:18 And the sons of Noah, that went forth of0 the ark, were 1961 Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father1 of Canaan.
Gen 10:19 And the border of the Canaanites was 1961 from Sidon, as thou comest to Gerar, unto Gaza; as thou goest, unto Sodom, and Gomorrah, and Admah, and Zeboim, even unto Lasha.
Gen 11:30 But Sarai was 1961 barren; she had no child.
Gen 18:12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have 1961 pleasure, my lord being old also?
Gen 25:3 And Jokshan begot Sheba, and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were 1961 Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim.
"Um, uh. I must admit that it looks like you have something here. But, uh, that's only because you, ah, don't fully understand the dynamics of, uh, the syntax of the, uh, Hebrew language. If you, uh, consider the origin of the word, that it stems from the Chaldean culture through the, uh, Aramaic derivative of the form 'to be,' then you would, uh, realize that there is no other way for the word to be interpreted but, uh, as a progressive form of action, that is, it must be interpreted as 'became.' Do you understand what I am saying, William, my boy? Have I made it clear enough for you? It's a very complicated issue I know."
"I'm afraid I don't have a grasp of the languages like you do, Reverend Jack. I will just have to accept that I'm wrong in my findings, and that the word is 'became' and move on from there."
"Good boy, William. That's a very wise conclusion. I am now going to take you to the undisputable evidence that fully proves Satan's pre-existence as a mighty angel. Hold on to your hat, because this is going to be exciting."
"I'm all ears, Sir."
"Well, first we have this verse of scripture that is very pointed in its reference to Satan and the reason for his fall. Take a look at it."
"Ok. But isn't this a Catholic Bible, Sir? I thought you were strictly a King James man."
"That's ok, son. Sometimes we need to look beyond our preferences in order to find what we are looking for. For instance, look at how many times I must study the newspaper and magazines for subject matter. It's all part of the process. Now, take a look at the verse I've marked."
"Ok. It says:"
24 But by the envy of the devil, death entered the world, and they who are in his possession experience it. (Book of Wisdom 2:24)
"Um, Reverend Jack. I'm a bit confused. This is from a book that our church doesn't accept as valid for doctrine, and besides, it says Satan brought death into the world. I thought it was Adam and Eve who brought death into the world for their disobedience. Am I missing something?"
"Yes you are, my boy. Combine this verse with the twentieth chapter of Revelation where Satan was thrown out of Heaven, and the verses in Isaiah and Ezekiel we looked at earlier, and it all forms a perfect picture of Satan."
"A perfect picture, Sir? I guess I'm rather blind to what you see because I still haven't seen anything that refers to there being another creation. I mean, you showed me a place where a word could be reinterpreted that by doing so would make a kind of space for such a creation. But I haven't seen anything telling about that creation as yet."
"That, my boy, is coming up right here. Read this and see if it doesn't dispel all your doubts."
"It says here: 'Slavonic Enoch or The Secrets of Enoch.' Is that in the Bible? I've never heard of the book of Enoch before. Is it foreign or something? What does Slavonic mean?"
"It's a very old manuscript they found that has been preserved in Slavonic. That's why the name. It's believed the book dates from even before Christ, so therefore it carries a great deal of credibility. Go ahead and read it, my boy. It will give you much insight into the origin of Satan."
"Enoch lived a long ways before Jesus, ok. I'll read it now:"
2 Enoch XXIX.
Then it became evening, and then again morning, and it was the second day. [Monday is the first day.] The fiery Essence.
AND for all the heavenly troops I imaged the image and essence of fire, and my eye looked at the very hard, firm rock, and from the gleam of my eye the lightning received its wonderful nature, which is both fire in water and water in fire, and one does not put out the other, nor does the one dry up the other, therefore the lightning is brighter than the sun, softer than water and firmer than hard rock.
2 And from the rock I cut off a great fire, and from the fire I created the orders of the incorporeal ten troops of angels, and their weapons are fiery and their raiment a burning flame, and I commanded that each one should stand in his order.
Here Satanail with his angels was thrown down from the height.
3 And one from out the order of angels, having turned away with the order that was under him, conceived an impossible thought, to place his throne higher than the clouds above the earth, that he might become equal in rank to my power.
4 And I threw him out from the height with his angels, and he was flying in the air continuously above the bottomless.
2 Enoch XXXI.
God gives over paradise to Adam, and gives him a command to see the heavens opened, and that he should see the angels singing the song of victory.
ADAM has life on earth, and I created a garden in Eden in the east, that he should observe the testament and keep the command.
2 I made the heavens open to him, that he should see the angels singing the song of victory, and the gloomless light.
3 And he was continuously in paradise, and the devil understood that I wanted to create another world, because Adam was lord on earth, to rule and control it.
4 The devil is the evil spirit of the lower places, as a fugitive he made Sotona from the heavens as his name was Satanail, thus he became different from the angels, but his nature did not change his intelligence as far as his understanding of righteous and sinful things.
5 And he understood his condemnation and the sin which he had sinned before, therefore he conceived thought against Adam, in such form he entered and seduced Eva, but did not touch Adam.
6 But I cursed ignorance, but what I had blessed previously, those I did not curse, I cursed not man, nor the earth, nor other creatures, but man's evil fruit, and his works.
"That's quite a story alright, Reverend Jack. I see here that this fellow has quite a lot to say about himself. I mean, it looks like God the Father is talking to him like an old buddy, and has even given him power above everything else. Do you really think Enoch wrote this?"
"That's hard to say, William. But it really doesn't matter if he did or not. The age of the manuscript gives it validity, and the fact that it supports the Bible's view that Satan was once an angel and fell is what is most important."
"Isn't that kind of like circular reasoning, Reverend Jack? I mean, the way I understand what you just said is that this book that sounds like a bunch of fairy tales and isn't accepted by anyone is true because it supports a slender possibility in the Bible. I mean, this book proves the Bible and the Bible proves the book. Isn't that kind of like saying: 'I know I'm alive because I think; and I know I think because I am alive?"
"William, I'm beginning to think you are incorrigible. If you don't stop playing psychological games with the Word of God I'm afraid I am going to have to get me a new assistant Pastor. If you remember, our purpose here is not to prove or disprove a doctrine. That has been done long ago by experts in the field of Biblical exegesis. You and I are merely attempting to put together a sermon to present to the congregation this Sunday. Keep this in mind, and I hope I do not have to remind you again."
"Sorry. I guess I did it again. I just don't know what's a matter with me today."
"That's ok, William. Your lack of understanding of the subject can be fairly well expected since it's such a complicated subject. Besides, you have not been presented with all the evidence as yet. For instance, it is a historical fact that the fall of Satan and his angels has been documented and recorded in Babylonian history. He has also been spoken about in such books as the Apocalypse of Abraham, the book of Tobit, and the book of Adam and Eve, and many more. I just showed you these two books because they are better known than the others I just mentioned. And besides these books, we have even higher support from such respected theologians as J.N. Darby and C.I. Scofield who reported such findings in his highly respected reference Bible. On top of this, just about every preacher, commentator and denominational doctrine holding any Biblical truth supports the view that Satan was once a beautiful angel above the others and fell from grace because of pride and envy. Do you think all these people would accept and expound such a doctrine if they were not absolutely sure of their position and had thoroughly investigated it? Of course not. But in spite of all their hard effort, some upstart like yourself with no knowledge of the subject whatever, could easily lead some poor, unsuspecting soul astray, and even cause them to fall from grace and lose their soul to the devil. Would you want that to happen?"
"Well, no, of course not. I was just trying to help. You always said you didn't like Darby and Scofield because they promoted the Pre-trib Rapture that you said was leading people into the pit by not preparing them for the trials to come. And I was just trying to understand what you were saying. But I can see that what you say is true, that by sounding like I don't fully support your doctrine that I could confuse someone and cause them to backslide. I'll watch that in the future, and I thank you for your patience with me, Reverend Jack."
See part 2 for a commentary on this subject
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