SUBJECT: Satan
QUESTION: Was Satan the offspring of Eve?
ANSWER:
No, Eve did not give birth to Satan. Bible does not support
this in any way. What your sister heard was personal, human
opinion which is clearly not supported by scripture.
Regardless of the source, including me, each person must
prove what they hear preached.
1 Thessalonians 5:21
Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
Here are some things to prove using your Bible:
1) No where does it say that Eve gave birth to Satan or any
name he goes by. (Read all
of Genesis)
2) Flesh cannot give birth to Spirit. Humans cannot give
birth to Spirit Beings. (Read
Genesis 2 and you will see that Eve was made of flesh.)
Genesis 3:20
And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the
mother of all living.
Note: Clearly
the mother of all humans. She was not the mother of plants,
animals, God, Christ or any angel including Satan. The
verse is clearly stating that Eve was the mother of all
humans who have ever lived.
3) Read the family record of Jesus beginning in Matthew 1.
It begins with Abraham and ends at Christ and shows how
Christ is in the line of both David and Abraham. Clearly
Eve is in the same line. We are all in the line of Eve as
stated in 2) above. Therefore, we cannot have Satan and
Christ in the same line.
4) Satan was around long before Eve. Read both Isaiah 14
and Ezekiel 28 which describe the fall of Satan. In Ezekiel
28 and verse 15 it states that Satan was CREATED.
Ezekiel 28:15
Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast
created, till iniquity was found in thee.
Now notice these two scriptures:
Job 38:1-7---God
speaking to Job
38:1 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and
said,
2 Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without
knowledge?
3 Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of
thee, and answer thou me.
4 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth?
declare, if thou hast understanding.
5 Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or
who hath stretched the line upon it?
6 Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who
laid the corner stone thereof;
7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of
God shouted for joy?
Note: The
"morning stars" singing together are the angels. They were
singing when the earth was made many billions of years
before the creation of man. Remember that there are
billions of years between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2. (See
below in Questions from Genesis)
Hebrews 2:7-8
7 Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou
crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over
the works of thy hands:
8 Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For
in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing
that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things
put under him.
Note: Speaking
of the creation of man, the scripture states that man was
made a little lower than the angels giving the distinct
impression that they were already in existence.
5) Read Genesis 3
In Genesis 2:22, Eve is created and in verse 25 it states
that they were both naked and not ashamed. So, Eve is just
newly made a human being and what happens next? The next
verse in the record is Genesis 3:1
Genesis 3:1
Now the serpent was 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 eat of every tree of the
garden?
Clearly this is Satan. Read any commentary. Notice how it
says that the serpent was CREATED BY GOD!!. Also, this
comes right after Eve was made. Nothing about a birth
here. It is not until Genesis 4 that we see Eve having
kids. Notice the clarity in which we see the birth of Cain
and Abel and Seth (verse 25). By the way, where do we read
about Satan being referred to as a serpent?
Revelation 12:9
And 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.
6) Read these three questions and answers from Genesis:
QUESTION: It is my understanding that verses 1 and 2
of Genesis, chapter 1, explain the creation of the
earth. Yet, you say these verses describe events which
happened before the seven day "creation week." Can
you prove your belief from the Bible?
ANSWER: Yes, we can! The Hebrew words for "without
form and void" (Genesis 1:2) are tohu and bohu. Translated
into English they mean chaotic, in confusion, waste, empty.
Why would God create the earth in disorder and then have to
straighten it out? That wouldn't make sense! The Hebrew word
for "created" used in Genesis 1:1 implies that the creation
was a perfected work. It implies order and system, not chaos
or confusion! In 1 Corinthians 14:33 we read that "God is
not the author of confusion." God is the author of peace. He
is the author of law and order. God told Job that the angels
shouted for joy when the earth was created (Job 38:7). This
is further indication that when God created the earth, He
created it useful and beautiful. Conclusive proof is found
in Isaiah 45:18. Notice: "For thus saith the Eternal that
created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and
made it; he hath established it, he created it not in
vain..."
"In vain" is an inappropriate translation. The original
Hebrew word is tohu. This is the same identical Hebrew word
used in Genesis 1:2 meaning "confusion" or "emptiness" or
"waste"-a result of disorder, a result of violation of law.
Thus, this verse is a plain statement that when God created
the earth it was not tohu-in a state of confusion and
disorder. It became that way long before the seven day
"creation week," which actually begins in verse 3.
An added point of evidence is verse 2 of Genesis 1. Here the
English word translated "was" is from the Hebrew word hayah.
This word is translated "became" in Genesis 2:7, 9:15 and
19:26. In the first three chapters of the Bible, and many
other places where you find the Hebrew word hayah, it
denotes a condition that was different from a former
condition. In other words, the earth "became" chaotic. It
had not always been that way. What caused it to become
chaotic? See the next question.
QUESTION: In one of your publications I read that
the earth was originally inhabited by angels. Please
explain.
ANSWER: Consider John 1:1: "In the beginning was the
Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." That
is the very earliest prehistoric record.
It could have been millions or thousands of millions of
years ago. The two eternally living Spirit Personages, who
together constituted the ONE God family, were ALONE in empty
space. There was no physical universe-Yet!
But, even as man thinks, and designs and plans before
making-so did God conceive the plan and design to create
angels-immortal spirit beings, composed wholly of spirit.
God created angels before creating the earth. We know they
had been created prior to the earth because they sang
together and shouted for joy at earth's creation (Job
38:4-7).
Angels were the first thinking, reasoning, separate entities
created by God. They were created with minds-ability to
know, reason, make choices. But their creation could not be
a finished creation until CHARACTER-either good or evil-was
developed in them. God initially INSTRUCTED them in HIS
WAY-that of righteous character. It was THE WAY of God's
spiritual law-the basis of God's GOVERNMENT.
Apparently God placed a third of the angels He had created
on earth. They were given opportunity to share in God's
creating activities by FINISHING the earth-working in and
with its many elements, improving, beautifying, completing
it. Instead of improving, beautifying and completing the
earth, however, the angels rebelled and brought it to
desolation and ruin (Genesis 1:2).
QUESTION: Where did the devil and his demons come
from?
ANSWER: The third of the angels (Revelation 12:4)
inhabiting the earth before man (see
previous question) sinned (2 Peter 2:4). Their
leader, the super-archangel Lucifer (Isaiah 14:12-14), had
been perfect in all his ways from the day of his initial
creation, till iniquity-lawlessness-was found in him. "Thus
saith the Lord God; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom,
and perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in Eden the garden of
God; every precious stone was thy covering... in the day
that thou wast created.
Thou 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. Thou
wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast
created, till iniquity was found in thee" (Ezekiel
28:12-15).
Lucifer was not satisfied with rule over only the one
planet-as the testing ground to prepare him for all planets.
He wanted to rule all at once. He said, ". ..I will exalt my
throne above the stars of God..." (Isaiah 14:13). He had
been created with exceeding beauty, which "lifted up his
heart" in vanity (Ezekiel 28:17). He became lustful, jealous
and envious of God, decided on a WAR of invasion, attempting
to overthrow God on the heavenly throne of the universe. He
led his angels into rebellion. These angels "kept not their
first estate, but left their own habitation"-meaning this
earth (Jude 6) But Lucifer and his angels were cast back to
earth (Revelation 12:4). Lucifer's name was changed to Satan
the devil. His angels became demons. Their minds had become
perverted for eternity.
7) Read this article, "Did God Create a Devil?” It will
show that God did NOT create a devil but rather the angelic
being who became Satan by his own choice.
Did God Create a Devil?
The Bible pictures the whole world under the sway of an
invisible devil. Where did he come from? Did God create a
devil to tempt us and to lead us astray? Here are the
answers from God's Word!
IS THERE a devil? Many people talk about the devil and
Satan. Others scoff and say it's just superstition and
imagination.
But is there a devil? According to most Christians the Bible
is supposed to teach that the devil is "the god of this
world."
Did God create a devil? What
does the Bible actually teach?
To find out, let's look back to the very beginning. Open
your Bible to Genesis 1:1. "In the beginning God. . . ." God
was before all. The next word in the King James version is
"created." "God created." He created the heaven and the
earth.
But the very next verse says this: "The earth was without
form, and void." The Hebrew words for "without form, and
void" are tohu and bohu. Translated into English they mean
chaotic, in confusion, waste, and empty.
When God created the heaven and the earth, did He create
this earth originally in a state of confusion? Did He create
it all topsy-turvy and chaotic?
World NOT Created in Chaos
We read in 1 Corinthians 14:33 that God is NOT the author of
confusion." God is the author of peace. God is the author of
order and of law.
Why would He create it in disorder and then have to
straighten it out? That doesn't make sense! One scholar
points out that the Hebrew word for "created," bara, used in
Genesis 1:1, “implies that the creation was a perfect work."
That very word "created" implies a perfect and a beautiful
order and system, not chaos or confusion!
The book of Job shows God talking with Job about the
creation. God is saying to Job: "Where wast thou when I laid
the foundations of the earth?" There is the implication here
that Job had directed the building of some very great
ediface -- such as the great pyramid of Giza in Egypt. Job
was righteous and somewhat proud of his accomplishments. God
was whittling him down to humility by a comparison of
accomplishments.
God continues, "Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou
knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon
are the foundations thereof fastened [margin,
"sunk"]? or who laid the corner stone thereof;
When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of
God shouted for joy?" (Job 38:4-7)
It is significant that the great pyramid is a building where
the corner stone is not laid in the foundation, but the
final stone to be laid -- at the pinnacle. The "morning
stars" are light- (truth-)
bringing angels and archangels, according to biblical
interpretation of symbols. As creations of God, they also
are referred to as "all the sons of God." So this, too,
implies a perfect and glorious creation of the earth.
Then how did it become
chaotic?
In Genesis 19:26, the same Hebrew word hayah is used which
is translated "was" in Genesis 1:2. (See
also Genesis 2:7 and 9:15) And there it is
translated into the English word "became." In the first
three chapters of the Bible, and many other places where you
find the word hayah, in almost every case it denotes a
condition that was different from a former condition. In
other words, the earth "BECAME" chaotic. It had not always
been that way.
The Earth BECAME Chaotic
Plainly the word "was" (hayah)
here has the meaning of "became." The Rotherham translation
of Genesis 1:2, out of the original Hebrew language, is
this: "Now the earth HAD BECOME waste and empty." It hadn't
always been that way.
In Jeremiah 4:23, Isaiah 34:11, and in other places in the
Bible, you find the same words, tohu and bohu, meaning
"chaotic" and "in confusion." In every case that condition
is a result of sin.
No Chaos Originally
Notice Isaiah 45:18. "Thus saith the Eternal that created
the heavens, God himself that formed the earth and made it,
he hath established it, he created it not in vain." "In
vain" is an inappropriate translation. In your Bible, if you
have the marginal references, you will find in the margin a
preferable translation, "waste."
The original Hebrew word there is TOHU. This Hebrew word is
the identical word used in Genesis 1:2, meaning "confusion,"
or "emptiness," or "waste" -- a result of disorder, a result
of violation of law. In Isaiah 45:18 we have the plain
statement that God created the earth NOT tohu, that is, not
in confusion, not in disorder. But in Genesis 1:2, the earth
was (because it had become)
chaotic and in confusion!
Then it became that way after it was created. Now, what
could have caused that confusion -- that disorder? What sin
could have wrecked the earth and brought it into the
condition in which it was found in Genesis 1:2?
Life Before Adam?
Now, what was the sin then that caused this physical
destruction to the earth? It was not a sin caused by
humanity, because there had been no man on the earth until
the sixth day of that re-creation or that remaking. So it
was not a sin of man. Adam was the first man. We find over
in 1 Corinthians 15:45 that Adam is called the first man on
this earth. In Genesis, Eve is called the mother of all
living human beings. There was no other race prior to Adam
and Eve.
So the sin which brought chaos was not caused by man. And
yet life must have populated the earth because a sin had
occurred on the earth that brought it into a condition of
chaos and confusion by breaking the laws of God.
What kind of life could it have been? It wasn't human life.
Then what kind of life had populated the earth prior to the
week called "creation week"?
Next, let's turn to 2 Peter 2:4: ''For if God spared not the
angels that sinned. . . .'' Here is the sin of angels
mentioned.
Sin of Angels
Now read the next verse, "And spared not the old world,"
between Adam and Noah, ''but saved Noah the eighth person, a
preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the
world of the ungodly." There it mentions the sins from Adam
to Noah, and it mentions the physical destruction to the
earth as a result of the flood, a chaotic, physical
condition brought about on the earth by the sins of those
men.
Was there a chaotic condition brought about on the earth as
a result of the sins of angels? The sin of the angels is
mentioned first, and it occurred first! There was a devil
already there in existence by the time Adam was created. So
the sin of the angels happened before the creation of man.
Now read 2 Peter 2:6. ''Turning the cities of Sodom and
Gomorrah into ashes [God]
condemned them with an overthrow, making them an example to
those that afterward should live ungodly."
Universal sin was in those two Canaanite cities. Physical
destruction came to the entire part of the surface of the
earth which those people occupied as a result of that sin.
Then didn't such destruction come to the earth as a result
of the sins of the angels which occurred before Adam?
Now quickly turn over to Jude. In the sixth verse, you read
this: "And the angels which kept not their first estate, but
left their own habitation [they
had a place where they lived, a habitation, an estate, and
they left it], God hath reserved in everlasting
chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day."
Notice! It is the sinning angels who are reserved in those
chains under darkness, restrained from light, restrained
from truth until the judgment of the great
day.
Angels Possess the Earth!
How plain! They had an estate which they didn't keep. In
Hebrews 2:5 we read this: ''For unto the angels hath God not
put in subjection the world to come of which we speak." In
other words, the World Tomorrow, the Kingdom of God, will
not be under subjection to angels. The present one is under
subjection of fallen angels. The demons, and the devil that
is their head, rule this present earth and sway its
inhabitants. The Bible everywhere indicates and affirms that
very fact.
How did they obtain their dominion? How did they acquire
their power? How did they maintain their control? Where did
the devil get the power to control and to lead and to rule
this world?
The devil is the leader of fallen angels, as you will find
in a number of places (John 12:31, Matthew 12:26; 25:41;
Revelation 12:9). In 2 Corinthians 4:4 the devil is called
"the god of this world." He is the king or the prince of the
evil world that we live in today. Let's see something about
the origin of the devil.
Turn to Isaiah 14, beginning with verse 4, "'Thou shalt take
up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How
hath the oppressor ceased the golden city ceased!"
Here is a king of Babylon.
This account continues to tell how he had disrupted the
earth. He was an invader, a conqueror. He was a war monger,
trying to take away from others and trying to acquire all he
could. He had just the opposite philosophy from that of God.
In other words, he had the philosophy of the devil.
He represented the devil. The king of Babylon was the
devil's instrument and tool.
Rebellion of Lucifer
This "king of Babylon" is the future ruler over the
prophesied "United States of Europe" – the coming
resurrected "Holy Roman Empire," described in prophecies of
Revelation 17 and 18. It is a system described in Revelation
13 which was given its power and seat by Satan.
Then in verse 12, the type -- this human of Babylon -- lifts
to the arch-antitype, Satan. Satan is to be removed and
bound after the Messiah's coming. Ezekiel's prophecy, to be
described later, reveals that he is the former archangel
cherub, Lucifer
So continue, verse 12.
"How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the
morning! how art thou cut down to the ground which didst
weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, 'I
will ascend into heaven. I will exalt my throne above the
stars of God. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds.
I will be like the most High" (Isaiah 14:12-14). The 15th
verse returns to the human king.
Notice, this former archangel had been placed as ruler over
the angels that sinned. He had a throne. He said he would
exalt his throne above the stars (angels)
of God. It already was exalted above the angels of earth --
the angels that sinned with him. Now he was going to exalt
it over GOD'S ANGELS in heaven. He was going to invade God's
heaven, knock God off the throne of the universe, and rule
the whole universe!
We learn much more about this cherub who became Satan in
Ezekiel 28. Here, beginning verse 1, the human prince of
Tyre is referred to, wealthy (chapter 27), surrounded by
perfect beauty, said in his vain heart, "I am a God," -- "I
sit in the seat of God" (verse 2) -- compare with 2
Thessalonians 2:3-4.
Compare also Ezekiel 27:7 with Revelation 18:16. All these
refer to the same system. However, Ezekiel 26 refers to the
ancient Tyre, as a forerunner or type of the present and yet
future system. Then, as in Isaiah 14, the human type lifts
to the satanic antitype in Ezekiel 28:12:
"Son of man, take up a lamentation [dirge]
upon the king of Tyrus [Tyre].
. . ." The whole prophecy of chapters 27 and 28 refers, not
to the ruler of the ancient city of Tyre (as
does chapter 26), but to an important personage,
in Satan's hand, of our time -- and immediate future -- just
before the coming of the Messiah to remove Satan and bring
in world peace. Therefore the prophecy points to the END of
this great personage ruling spiritually over nations -- as
well as to Satan's removal from swaying mankind on earth.
Now, beginning with verse 12, and on to the middle of verse
17, it speaks of Satan himself.
So, continue: ". . . And say unto him, Thus saith the Lord
Eternal. Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and
perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in Eden, the garden of
God; every precious stone was thy covering . . . the
workmanship of thy tabrets and thy pipes [music]
was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created."
A Created Being
Notice, this is not speaking of a human, but a CREATED
being. God would never say of a human that he seals up the
sum total of wisdom, perfection and beauty. Then who was
this great created being, originally?
"Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set
thee so," answers God. In Exodus 25:17-20, you will find the
description of the very throne of God in heaven, from which
He rules the entire vast limitless universe. On this throne
are two cherubim -- super archangels -- whose wings spread
out and cover the throne. This personage, then, is the
former Lucifer, who was at the very throne of the universe,
thoroughly experienced in the Government of God over the
universe. But he had been, formerly, at the very throne of
God, as the next words plainly say:
". . . Thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast
walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou
wast perfect in thy ways from the day thou wast created,
till iniquity [lawlessness]
wast found in thee."
Then God attributes to him violence, sin, corruption of
wisdom, perversion, saying he became proud -- his heart
lifted up because of his beauty. Then, in verse 17, the
immortal spirit antitype descends again to the human type,
who will be a chief instrument in Satan's hands in the
tremendous world events just prior to, and leading to the
coming of the Messiah to establish the GOVERNMENT OF GOD
over all earth's nations.
This human personage, claiming to be God, sitting in his
sanctuary (verse 18) showing that he is God (2 Thessalonians
2:3-4), is to be destroyed by FIRE, brought to ashes (verse
18). Compare with Revelation 19:20. In the latter, two
human personages, instruments of Satan, are pictured -- one
a civil ruler over ten kings and their nations, the other
called a great "False Prophet" (Revelation 19:20). The
prophecy of Isaiah 14 pictures the king of Babylon as the
civil ruler.
Lucifer Becomes the Devil
So, now, let's recapitulate thus far. The earth was a
perfect creation. The angels shouted for joy. From creation,
it was populated by angels.
There was a throne, on which sat Lucifer, a super archangel,
a cherub. He had been thoroughly experienced in the
administration of the Government of God, having been at the
very throne of God in heaven. God had placed Lucifer on the
throne on earth to administer THE GOVERNMENT OF GOD over
earth's angels.
There was happiness, peace, joy on earth. Of Lucifer, the
Moffatt translation reads: "From the day you were created,
you lived a perfect life, till you were discovered doing
wrong" (Ezekiel 28:15). GOD DID NOT CREATE A DEVIL, but a
beautiful, perfect superangel. But God did give to His
angels free moral agency -- minds that were free to think
and reason -- the right of free choice.
Lucifer had allowed his beauty and perfection to fill him
with vanity -- with SELF-glory, SELF-desire. He became
envious of God's power, resented authority over him. he
plotted with his angels to marshal them into an invading
army, to invade the heaven of God, to knock God off the
throne of the Universe.
Lucifer was going to BE God. It is his deceptive sway over
the "Prince of Tyre" that will yet cause this personage to
claim that HE, a man, is God.
So Lucifer was no longer "LIGHT-Bringer" but now an
ADVERSARY -- an aggressor, a competitor, an enemy. the name
Satan means "Adversary." His angels now became DEMONS.
How the Earth Became Chaotic
A third of the angels united with Satan in the rebellion.
That is what caused the chaos of this earth. The sin of
angels reached into the heavens and brought chaos on earth.
What the geologists and astronomers see is not an evolving
universe, but the wreckage of a titanic battle waged by
spirits throughout space -- a battle fought before man's
creation.
The earth was created perfect. Then it BECAME chaotic as a
result of rebellion. And in six days, God re-made the earth,
reshaped, re-fashioned it, and created human beings upon it
(Psalm 104:30).
He gave Adam a chance to take the place of Satan the devil,
sit on earth's throne, and restore the Government of God on
earth. Adam rejected the tremendous opportunity, yielded to
Satan who to this day remains on earth's throne as the god
of this world. Christ, the second Adam, will soon come to
sit on that throne and restore the Government of God (Acts
3:19-21). Remember, Lucifer had been placed in rulership.
God placed the great cherub, Lucifer, to carry out His
government on the earth, but Lucifer refused to carry out
God's will, God's commands, God's government. He wanted to
substitute his own. So he disqualified himself.
Adam had the chance to supplant him. In the contest to see
if Adam would conquer, if he would obey God, he failed. He
obeyed the devil instead, and man became the property of the
devil, and the whole human race was sold down the river to
the devil ever since.
Jesus Christ came 4000 years later and He entered the great
contest -- the contest of the temptation on the Mount. He
REFUSED to obey the devil. He quoted scripture correctly. He
obeyed God.
Finally, He turned to the devil, and He gave Satan a
command. He said, "Get away from me," and the devil obeyed!
From that time on, the successor of Satan has been qualified
to take over the rule of the earth. But Jesus went to
heaven for 1900 years. He is soon coming again, and when He
does, the devil will be DISPLACED. Christ will rule the
earth; God's laws will be restored. Order and peace will
come at last!
So God did NOT create a devil. He created a cherub, Lucifer
-- perfect in his ways, but with the power of free choice --
and Lucifer transformed himself into a devil by rebellion
against the Government of God!
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