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| From a 1915 Postcard The Serpent (Ourobouros) Encircling His Prey |
- And that, knowing the time that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now our salvation is nearer than when we believed.
Rom. 13:11
As seen in the above verses, it is our responsibility to be aware of our enemy and his methods. If there ever was a time for the church to be wide awake, it is now.
The serpent first appears in scripture in Genesis 3:1. The Hebrew word is nachash, and is very old. The oldest interpretations of the word found means serpent in Hebrew, but ancient implications of the word include “multi-colored, shining, brilliant”. This connection of bright, beautiful and colorful will remain with the serpent through history. This serpent is the one who first brought the curse upon all mankind by tempting Adam and Eve to disobey the Lord in Gen. 3:1-7.
In Rev. 12:9 the Lord reveals that this serpent is also known as “the great dragon”, the “Devil” (accuser, slanderer), and “Satan” (the adversary). He is also described here as the one who “deceives the whole world”.
This serpent is often identified today as “Lucifer”, from Is. 14:12. The name Lucifer means “light-bearer”, and is also identified as “the morning star”. The name Lucifer only appears in this one passage in the Bible, and is in relation to a prophecy in Is. 14 relating to the King of Babylon. However, the descriptions of this King clearly refer to a being greater than any earthly king. In verses 13 and 14 of this chapter, this king seeks to “be like the most High” (El Elyon), always a title for God Himself, meaning the Possessor of Heaven and Earth.
The devil is also described in Ezek. 28:12-19. Here we read that he is “full of wisdom” and “perfect in beauty” (vs. 12). His identity is fully revealed when we read that he was “in Eden” (vs. 13). He was the “anointed cherub that covereth” (vs. 14), presumably, the very throne of God. We note that on the Mercy Seat that covers the Ark of the Covenant, there are two cherubim that cover the Seat. The Seat is symbolic of God’s throne, and is the place His Shekinah glory dwelt above in the Tabernacle. Satan it would seem is one of the two chosen cherubs that covered the Throne of God in time past. Cherubim are described as angels having “four faces” (Ezek. 10:14). One of a man, one of an eagle, one of a lion and one of a bull. Verse 14 tells us the face of the bull is the cherub’s identifying face. Cherubs are always noted in connection to the throne of God. Speaking of Satan, he was also “perfect in thy ways, from the day thou wast created, until inquity was found in thee” (Ezek. 28: 15). It’s revealed that he fell from his special position because his “heart was lifted up because of thy beauty”, and his wisdom was corrupted by reason of his brightness or splendor (vs. 17). In other words, pride was at the heart of Satan’s fall.
This is a very brief overview of Satan. We know from his names like Devil, meaning accuser, that he lives to stand before the Lord and accuse the brethren (Rev. 12:10). Thankfully, we have Jesus Christ as our Advocate, (1 Jo. 2:1) for those times when we do stumble. We know from the name Satan, meaning adversary, that he stands to oppose the Lord and His church in all things. We see him using deception as the greatest of weapons against mankind (Gen. 3, Rev. 12). He used temptation and subtlety to lead Adam and Eve into sin (Gen.3) and tried the same attack against Jesus (Matt. 4:1-11), but was defeated by Jesus knowledge of the word, especially scripture from Deut. 6.
Peter describes his character when he says that he is like a “roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Pet. 5:8). He strongly influenced Peter to speak against Jesus pending sacrifice in Matt. 16:23. In 2 Co. 11:4 we are told that Satan is “transformed into an angel of light”. A messenger from Satan “buffeted” or struck Paul three times in 2 Co. 12:7. He was able to hinder Paul in his work in 1 Th. 2:18.
Satan has the ability to appear before the Lord with the other “sons of God” (bene Elohim in Hebrew) referring to the angels as seen in Job 1:6. We also see in Job that he has the ability to cause one group to attack another (Job 1:15), to bring down fire from heaven (Job 1:16), and to bring about a great wind that would destroy a house and kill the people within (Job 1:19). Later, in Job 2:7, Satan strikes Job with severe boils over his entire body. In Luke 13:16 Jesus states that Satan had bound a woman for eighteen years before Jesus loosed her from a spirit of infirmity. He “entered into” Judas in Luke 22:3, and sought to “sift” Peter like wheat in Luke 22:31. 2 Co. 4:4 calls Satan the “god of this world” and states that he has “blinded the minds of those that believe not”. Eph. 2:2 calls him the “prince of the power of the air”, the spirit that works in those that disbelieve. This title connects directly to the kosmokratores or “spiritual wickedness in high places mentioned in Eph. 6:12. It also says in the first part of the verse in Eph. 2:2 that those who don’t know Jesus Christ as Savior are under the sway of this prince that controls the “course” (Greek aeon, or age) of this world. He was a “murderer from the beginning” and the father of lies. (Jo.8:44) Jesus Christ stripped Satan of his authority. It should also be noted that it appears there is a difference between angels, even fallen ones, and demons. Demons usually desire a body to inhabit (Matt. 9:32, 12:22, 15P:22, etc.), while angels don’t, although they are capable of this (Lk. 22:3).
His coming as manifested through the anti-Christ will be with great power, signs and lying wonders in 2 Th. 2:9. Speaking of this coming, Rev. 12:7-12 speaks of his being cast down from Heaven by Michael and the angels serving under him, and warns those that dwell on the earth of the coming wrath of Satan, because he has but a short time left.
THE SYNAGOGUE OF SATAN
Satan has his own places of worship and his own followers. Jesus called them the “Synagogue of Satan” in Rev. 2:9, 3:9. According to the testimony of Jesus Christ, these are their characteristics.
- They call themselves Jews, but they are not. One may be a Jew by birth (family line) or become one by conversion.
- Satan’s seat, or throne was once in Pergamos (Rev. 2:13). That seat today rests in Berlin, Germany. It is famous as it was worshipped in ancient times as the throne of Zeus. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pergamon_Altar)
- They bear false witness (lying) about Who Jesus Is. (Jo. 8:13)
- They claim that Jesus was fathered out of wedlock by a gentile. (Jo. 8:19, 41)
- They accuse Him of being a Samaritan (half-Jewish). (Jo. 8:48)
- They accuse Him of being possessed by a devil. (Jo. 8:48, 52)
Jesus for His part states in John 8 that these Jews in particular don’t know Him (vs. 19), shall die in their sins (vs. 21), will eventually kill Him (vs. 28), and that they are of their father, the devil (vs.44). These same teachings are held today in the religious book known as the Talmud.
The Talmud is a book of “oral law”, or commentaries on the Old Testament laws written between the 3rd and 6th centuries A.D. With the fall of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 A.D., those Jews who rejected Jesus as the Messiah needed to reinterpret the scriptures in order to continue as an organized religion. Copies of sample verses from the Talmud with examples of the blasphemous teachings are available upon request. Let me make this clear. Not all who study or follow the Talmud accept these teachings, and in fact many may be unaware of the verses. The Talmud is very expensive to purchase, and most copies that are available are in Hebrew. Yet these ungodly teachings are in the Talmud and there are those who strongly believe it.
WE WRESTLE NOT AGAINST FLESH AND BLOOD
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (Eph. 6:12)
The serpent has a very organized hierarchy of evil spirits in his service. In Eph. 6:12 we read of “principalities” (the greek arche, meaning first, beginning, or chief), “powers” (exousia), “rulers of the darkness” (kosmokratores skotos), and “spiritual wickedness in high places” (pneumatikos poneiria). Principalities are “princes”, the rulers of the spiritually wicked kingdom of Satan. The Bible mentions Michael, the archangel who is in charge of God’s angels (Rev. 12:7), the Prince of Persia (Dan. 10:13, 20), and the Prince of Greece (Dan. 10:20). Other spirits that are likely principalities or powers include Death and Hades/Hell (Is. 28:15, Rev. 6:8).
Other evil spirits mentioned in the scriptures include:
- Abaddon/Apollyon (Rev. 9:11), meaning the destroyer or angel of the bottomless pit. This may be the same as Hades/Sheol/Hell. Also equated by some with Apollo.
- Azazel (Lev. 16:8) possibly Satan, considered to be Lord of the demons.
- Lilith, a female demon of the night. (Is. 34:14)
- Satyr meaning He-goats, or half-man, half-goats. (Is. 13:21, 34:14)
- Leviathan, possibly Satan or a sea demon. (Ps. 74:14, 104:26, Job 3:8, Is. 27:1)
- Rahab a sea monster spirit associated with Leviathan and Egypt. (Ps. 89:10, Is. 51:9)
- Mystery Babylon, a female spirit known as the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth. (Rev. 17:5) Associated with worship of the “Queen of Heaven” in Jer. 7:18. Also known by the title, “Mother of God”.
- Baal the Caananite lord, equated with Apollo in Greece, Hermes in Rome and Thor in Scandanavia. (Num. 22:41, Hos. 13:1)
- Legion a multitude of spirits possessing one man (Mk. 5:9)
- various spirits including jealousy (Num. 5:14), a lying spirit (1 Ki. 22:22-23), infirmity (Lk. 13:11), divination (python spirit, Acts 16:16), perverse spirit (Is. 19:14), dumb spirit (Mk. 9:17), an unclean spirit (Mk. 1:23), and a familiar spirit, (1 Sam. 28:8-15). This is only a small sample size of the subject.
