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Who Is Satan?Who Are Demons?Where Do They "Live" Today?What Are They Doing Today?Can I Be Possessed?Can Demons Live in Someone?Can Demons Be Thrown out of Someone?
One final conclusion from all of this:
I don't mean by that, that their behavior is the same. Oh, contraire! The differences in their behavior is what caused some
of God's angels to become demons in the first place. Are They Organized? What Are They Called?An understanding of the organization of demons, and what inspiration calls them should help our understanding. So, let's go a beginning place with some very basic questions: Who is Satan? Where did he originate? What is his "job"? (What does he "do"?) In Ephesians 6, Paul speaks of "the rulers . . . the powers . . . the world forces of this darkness . . . the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places". These are the forces of the enemy against whom we should be using all of our spiritual armor. But, just who are these rulers, powers, world forces of "this darkness", the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places (actually - the "heavenlies")? Where are they? (For now, let's hold off on a definition of "the heavenlies" for later.) First, some words of comfort for all of us, also from Paul, in Romans 8 - For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities (arche), nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers (dunamis), nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38, 39) In many times and places in our bibles, an evil force -- of whatever nature -- is spoken of as the "prince" of this or that realm, or the "king" of this or that realm. Prince = King = Ruler A prince (sometimes "king of . . .") has a "dominion", a "sphere", a "realm", a place where his power and influence are exercised. Each has and has had (past tense) his own area or sphere of influence. These areas can be visualized in a way that I call both "vertical" and "horizontal", as in a corporate or a military organization chart. In the military, an officer has his / her own "domain" -- their "dominion" -- both horizontal and vertical. For example, a colonel (it could be any rank) has both his own area of responsibility, personnel which he supervises to carry out those duties, equipment and other resources, and the power, delegated from somewhere above him in the organization, to command those under his supervision to carry out specific duties, fulfilling their mission. That colonel has no responsibilities for the duties of any other colonel in his own, or in any other branch of the military. If one were to move in to the area (dominion) of another colonel and begin giving orders within that organization, he would have breached his responsibilities. He would have rebelled against the authority which put him in place and empowers him, and he would have overstepped his bounds, and have been disobedient or rebellious against his commander. Each officer has his / her own domain, and for things to work properly, each must discharge their own responsibilities wholly within that framework. Things break down if they try to usurp the power and position of one above them or "beside" them in the organization. This kind of organization is not man's idea. It is was
our God who structured things this same way among his "hosts"
(angels). Satan's Origin, Nature, Sin, FallWith this background in mind, go to Ezekiel 28. God is instructing the prophet to deliver messages to different powers, authorities, or "princes". In this chapter, he addresses the "prince of Tyre" (the first 10 verses), and the "king of Tyre" beginning in verse 11. It seems by the context that the prince of the first 10 verses was the physical human ruler of Tyre at the time (verse 2 - ". . . yet you are a man and not God . . ."). At verse 11, there is a clear shift in the personage about whom the Lord is commanding Ezekiel. The "king of Tyre" is an angel. Later, I think we'll find evidence that his name was Lucifer. I urge you also to remember that "prophetic language" is often highly poetic, using dramatic symbols to convey ideas. Again the word of the Lord came to me saying, "Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre and say to him, 'Thus says the Lord God, "You had the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering: the ruby, the topaz and the diamond; the beryl, the onyx and the jasper; the lapis lazuli, the turquoise and the emerald; and the gold, the workmanship of your settings and sockets, was in you. On the day that you were created they were prepared. You were the anointed cherub who covers, and I placed you there. You were on the holy mountain of God; you walked in the midst of the stones of fire. "You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created until unrighteousness was found in you. By the abundance of your trade you were internally filled with violence, and you sinned; therefore I have cast you as profane from the mountain of God. And I have destroyed you, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I put you before kings, that they may see you. By the multitude of your iniquities, in the unrighteousness of your trade you profaned your sanctuaries. Therefore I have brought fire from the midst of you; it has consumed you, and I have turned you to ashes on the earth in the eyes of all who see you. All who know you among the peoples are appalled at you; you have become terrified and you will cease to be forever."'" (KJV) (Ezekiel 28:11-19) Some comment: I believe that in obviously prophetic language, each individual word may or may not have "prophetic significance". Some specific words obviously do. Others are necessary to fill out a picture God is painting through the prophet. As in a physical painting on canvas, some brush strokes are highly significant, and would leave an incomplete picture if left out. Other brush strokes are for filling in areas, simply to make a complete picture, but do not contribute anything specific to the subject, or story, of the painting. Does that make sense? I cannot explain every word -- or even every sentence -- of most of the longer prophecies, as this one is. If they do have specific significance, I don't know anyone who knows the meaning of all of each one. They're like any other figure of speech. It fits the subject being talked about. I believe the recipients of the messages could understand it all -- simply because it was addressed to them, and fit within the context of their lives. We have trouble connecting all those dots, simply because we don't live in the same context -- a different time, place, and culture. However, within limited, yet reasonable bounds, it is sometimes safe to speculate about the unclear brush strokes. That said . . . Again the word of the Lord came to me saying, "Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre and say to him, 'Thus says the Lord God, "You had the seal of perfection, (11, 12) Seems to be that he was "complete", nothing missing, no flaws in his being nor in his spirit or personality. Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. Seems that this "beauty" is a key idea. "You were in Eden, the garden of God; (13) I believe this to be a major clue to his identity. F'rinstance, who were the beings in Eden of whom we have been informed? Name them: Adam, Eve, God (and this obviously was not one of those three), and the Serpent. So, it seems that the activities described below took place some time before the fall of mankind. Was it before or after the creation of man? I don't see any clues to the answer for that in this context, but I do have an opinion that my be appropriate to share later. Every precious stone was your covering: the ruby, the topaz and the diamond; the beryl, the onyx and the jasper; the lapis lazuli, the turquoise and the emerald; and the gold, the workmanship of your settings and sockets, was in you. On the day that you were created they were prepared. (13, 14) Not only was this being a "perfect" being, but he wore very costly and beautiful garments. Below is evidence that his personal beauty and perfection, as well as his clothing were sources of great pride for him. "You were the anointed . . . (14) I find this statement to be extremely interesting. Anointed is from the Hebrew root mashach (Strong's # H4886). The same term used to describe the anointing of Israel's kings and high priests, and in the anointing of God's own Son. The Greek equivalent is chrio (Strong's # G5548). Does this have a familiar ring yet? This word is the same root from which comes the Hebrew messiah, the Greek christos, and the English Christ. What I believe this means is -- not that this person in any sense was Jesus, the Anointed (Messiah, Christ), Son of God, but that this being was particularly created, and was specifically chosen and anointed -- not by men, but by God himself -- for the next purpose stated. ". . . cherub who covers, and I placed you there." Cherub. One of two known "classes" of angels of God. Seraphs, or the Hebrew, seraphim (plural), is the other. I believe the bible reveals more to us about cherubim than seraphim. That would not have been accidental. We know very little about the seraphim, but it does seem that at least a part of what they do is to surround the throne of God, praising him constantly. There are few references to them. However, cherubs are mentioned frequently, as well as the general category -- angels. Cherubim were placed at the entrance of Eden when Adam and Eve were expelled. They also were given a number of other interesting assignments. Their mission is appears to be primarily "man-oriented." It seems the "guardian" angels about which we hear so much are of the cherub class. (Hebrews 1:14, among others - though the specific term there is the generic - aggelos, not cherub.) Also, notice below "covering cherub". "Covering cherub" is a sheltering, or protecting angel. "You were on the holy mountain of God;" . . . in the presence, close (in some way) to the exact place where God is / was / lives. Don't forget this is poetic, not literal language. Since God is indeed omnipresent, in reality, how could he be confined to some particular place, such as a mountain top. What I understand this to be is that this being was close to God in power and influence, or dominion, territory (realm) for which he was responsible. Based on this and other things which will follow, I believe him to have been "second-in-command" to God himself. You walked in the midst of the stones of fire. . . . Stars? You were blameless in your ways . . . (15) . . . Without sin. From the day you were created . . . a created being. Until unrighteousness was found in you. This was a being with freedom of choice, as also human beings are. This being was sinless, but chose to sin. By the abundance of your trade . . . (16) . . . right now, I'm not sure. This may be one of those "fill in things", a brush stroke to help complete the picture. It also may have some meaning that, in human bodies, we are not capable of comprehending, or it may clear up for us later. I have not overlooked the possibility, also, that I may be the only person who doesn't know what this means. You were internally filled with violence, and you sinned; therefore I have cast you as profane from the mountain of God. And I have destroyed you, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. . . . Literal rebellion. The consequence of this rebellion against the authority of God was to be thrown down from the lofty place, next to God in authority, and thrown down from the "highest" heavens, where he had walked among the stars. He also lost his place of being "in charge" of protecting mankind on behalf of God. "Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor. (17) Pride was his first sin. Pride was also the cause of his additional sins. Pride because of where he was, and because of the apparel he wore. And I believe that is also poetic, but I cannot comprehend exactly what it might mean. But, it is somehow adequately descriptive of the breathtakingly beautiful adornment which a purely spiritual being might wear. This being was so taken with his own attractiveness and good looks that it even corrupted his judgment -- his wisdom in making decisions. Now, I don't think that was physical appearance. I'm not sure what it would be specifically, but this is the kind of language human beings can understand. I cast you to the ground; Jesus later referred to Satan as "the prince of this world" John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11; And in Ephesians 2:2, Paul referred to him as the "prince of the power (exusia - realm) of the air." So after the time that he rebelled, he was cast the "the ground" -- it appears that he was confined to the earth, or near earth. Does that give any clearer meaning to the concept that Satan is "bound"? (Revelation 20:2) Here's a place where he is called both "the devil" and "Satan" all within the same thought. There's more about this when we get into thinking about "the heavenlies". I put you before kings, That they may see you . . . This angel was previously in a high, powerful, and exalted position. But now, he has been humiliated before "kings." I believe this to be spiritual, also. Spiritual "kings" or "princes" of other dominions -- angels who were his former peers. "By the multitude of your iniquities, In the unrighteousness of your trade You profaned your sanctuaries. (18) A modern expression that may be equivalent or close to an equivalent would be that "he fouled his own nest." His sanctuary would have been his "holy" place; a place, a responsibility, a realm, given him directly by God himself. He had "blown it" with the attitude of his heart and by his appalling behavior. "Therefore I have brought fire from the midst of you; it has consumed you, and I have turned you to ashes on the earth in the eyes of all who see you. All who know you among the peoples are appalled at you; you have become terrified [could be "extremely troubled"] and you will cease to be forever."' (18, 19) Satan's current self-inflicted predicament and his
future. (Revelation 20:10) Please consider all these things for yourselves. I may be correct, or totally off base, but these things seem to fit well, especially when we consider concepts and some insights from several other places. I know that for those who are earnestly following this study, this can be some quite heavy thinking. I believe that's normal for a seemingly complex spiritual subject. Once the whole picture comes together, though, it's quite simple: Satan was the most responsible angel among God's hosts; he sinned; he was thrown out; he's being punished (Jesus triumphed over him); he's trying to steal the crown jewel of God's creation -- the apple of his eye; he's going to be destroyed. End of story. But, between here and there, there need to be some paradigm shifts in our thinking. Most of us have not grown up with this understanding. I grew up (perhaps I grew up!) with very little, perhaps no understanding of who Satan is and where he came from. We have a wily old adversary. He's been at this a long time and he's gotten good at what he does. One of his best tricks is to make us think that he's harmless or that he doesn't exist. If he does that, he takes us right out of the battle. That's much better from his point of view than doing battle with a well-armored soldier, don't you think? Some of our current and former military strategists will confirm that the quickest and the least costly way of taking an enemy out of the battle is the best way. In other words, if you can make him think the war's over -- you've won! and you don't have to fight him and risk being defeated. Give these things some prayerful meditation. Most of it is new to some, I know. Please read all the scriptures in their entire context
-- before saying either "no, it ain't so!"; or "Yes, that must be
right!"; or anything in between. Pray for understanding as you do. Satan - More About Who He IsThis next, is to establish how Satan came to be what and where he is. After these, I suggest we talk more specifically about what he is doing today. The first is from Isaiah 14:12-23 - Please notice how similar this is to our passage from Ezekiel, and Isaiah "names names". "How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! (12) Lucifer -- his name while still an obedient angel. But, because of his sin, notice that he was "banished" to earth, or in my opinion, his dominion was drastically reduced from "walking among the stars" to realm of earth only. Banished from "walking among the stars", to walking about on one small planet of one of the dimmer stars! This thought will evoke some thinking about "the heavenlies" later. For you have said in your heart: "I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High." (13,14) A pretty explicit explanation of his rebellion. He was going to take over God's "job", God's position and authority. In fact, I believe that I see in this his plan to make himself greater than God had ever been. I'd say that's a pretty extreme case of pride! "Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit. To the unseen place [Sheol (Hebrew), hades (Greek)] Those who see you will gaze at you, and consider you, saying: 'Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms, who made the world as a wilderness and destroyed its cities, who did not open the house of his prisoners?'" (15-17) Because of his pride and the nature of his sin, God chose as a part of his punishment to humiliate Lucifer (now Satan) totally, and in plain view of all his former peers. "All the kings of the nations . . . (18) These were his peers, other angels who had their own realms of responsibility . . . (18 continued) All of them, sleep in glory, everyone in his own house; but you are cast out of your grave like an abominable branch, like the garment of those who are slain, thrust through with a sword, who go down to the stones of the pit, like a corpse trodden underfoot. (18, 19) He was made to become nothing from the greatness and beauty he had before he rebelled. Where his peers would be honored for their lives, he would be totally and completely disgraced. I don't believe they literally would die, but honoring the dead was a figure of speech, to speak of the honor they would have "earned" during their lives. "You will not be joined with them in burial, because you have destroyed your land and slain your people. The brood of evildoers shall never be named." (20) The ultimate humiliation, to be refused burial with one's peers. And to make it even worse, mention of their names would be totally blotted out. "Prepare slaughter for his children because of the iniquity of their fathers, lest they rise up and possess the land, and fill the face of the world with cities. For I will rise up against them," says the Lord of hosts . . . (21, 22) "Lord of hosts. . ." The Lord, the master, the commander of a huge army of angels. (21 continued) "And cut off from Babylon the name and remnant, and offspring and posterity," says the Lord. I will also make it a possession for the porcupine, and marshes of muddy water; I will sweep it with the broom of destruction," says the Lord of hosts. (21-23) The place where Lucifer / Satan's throne had been will
be made into a deserted place, inhabited only by the desert and marsh animals.
Totally destroyed. A Disguised, Fallen AngelThen, the second one is from Job chapters 1 and 2. This is a glimpse into the relationship between God, Satan and faithful angels of God. From Job 1 . . . Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. (6) However it is that angels "walk" or "travel", and wherever their realm is, Satan moves freely in the same ways and in the same places -- even to the very presence of God. And apparently he moves among them as a peer. It is noteworthy that apparently none of the other angels recognized Satan. God did. Or, perhaps, if they did recognize him, they paid no attention, for whatever reasons they might have (keeping their attention on their own responsibilities, perhaps, and not meddling into someone else's domain as Lucifer had done? Of course, I don't know, but I do think its interesting to ponder.) Also consider 2 Corinthians 11:14 "No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light." Apparently, Satan is good enough at disguising himself, that even other angels don't recognized him when he's among them. To me, it is comforting to know that he doesn't fool God with his devices, however. There are some other implications here also that we need to meditate about: for example, how often do angels "present themselves before the Lord", and for what purposes? To give an account of their specific stewardships? I really don't know that our bibles answer those questions, but I do think they are worthy of some additional thought. The Lord said to Satan, "From where do you come?" Then Satan answered the Lord and said, "From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it." (7) . . . on the earth . . . Satan's realm, his domain. Apparently he was empowered to have access to, and knowledge of, all of earth, because of God's question to him which follows. 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." (8) I don't understand why God chided Satan like this about this upright man, except that God indeed is sovereign and powerful above all and everything. But, in God's question to Satan, I think I hear echoes of the reason that Lucifer / Satan rebelled in the first place. Satan was still trying to take away the "crown jewel" of God's creation -- mankind -- and to "become God" himself in doing so. In other words, Satan's rebellious acts continue, even though he had already been banished from his lofty place. He was / is still trying to subvert God's plan and to take over God's place in creation. But, God's faithful servant Job was a landmark example of Satan's failure, and God pointed it out to him. Also, in Luke 4, when Satan was tempting Jesus . . . And the devil said to Him, "I will give you all this domain and its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore if you worship before me, it shall all be yours. (Luke 4:6) Satan and Jesus both knew whose realm, domain, kingdom, earth is. By this time, Satan had also figured out why Jesus was now in his realm -- to take it back from Satan. (This opens another area for some study . . . "handed over to me . . .") 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. (9, 10) Apparently, God does this. Should we be praying for the God to build hedges around us to protect us from Satan's activities? If we do pray for that, would God do it? If God does build hedges around us against Satan, what would be the visible / actual result in our own lives? But put forth your hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse you to your face." (11) Who actually "touched" Job's possessions? Was it indeed Satan? Or was it God who did it at the prompting of Satan? (If you haven't decided the answer to that, wait for Job, chapter 2.) For all practical purposes, does it matter in our lives? Then the Lord said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him." So Satan departed from the presence of the Lord. (12) It appears that among other things here, God exercises his power to curb Satan's power. But, notice, he does not stop Satan from doing what Satan does . . . God just places limits on it. In 1 Peter 5:8, 9 -- Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. I don't pretend to understand everything I know about these curbs on Satan, but apparently one way God does it is through our "resisting" him. I think that's important for us to remember. There are others, though, who say that the following from Revelation 20 teaches us that Satan is now bound - Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time. (Revelation 20:1-3) That may or may not be the meaning of this Revelation passage, however, and I don't want to sidetrack into a discussion of pre-, a-, post- present-millennial ideas and doctrines here. I personally believe that Satan's activities are indeed limited, but that this Revelation 20 passage is not necessarily the one where we learn that. Perhaps Jude 6 and following . . . Now, continuing in Job - 2: Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord. The Lord said to Satan, "Where have you come from?" Then Satan answered the Lord and said, "From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it." (Echoes of 1 Peter 5:8?) 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. And he still holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to ruin him without cause." (Job 2:1-3) Who actually did the things to destroy Job's possessions and his family? Satan answered the Lord and said, "Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. However, put forth your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh; he will curse you to your face." So the Lord said to Satan, "Behold, he is in your power, only spare his life." Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. (4-7) Again, Satan appears before God as all the other angels do. Also, he appeared to the other angels as one of themselves -- an "angel of light". If other angels have the problem of recognizing Satan, would we? Some Of Satan's Power And InfluenceNow, assuming that it is actually Satan and not God who personally "touched" Job's life, just look at what Satan had the power to "touch". Now on the day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house, a messenger came to Job and said, "The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, and the Sabeans attacked and took them. They also slew the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you." (Job 1:13-15) In some way, Satan influenced the Sabeans to attack and destroy Job's oxen and donkeys and his servants . . . While he was still speaking, another also came and said, "The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you." (16) Satan also controlled the elements of the heavens to fall and consume the sheep and the servants (the survivors, or the ones the Sabeans had already killed?) . . . Was the "fire of God . . . from heaven" lightning, or was it "brimstone" from some volcano. While he was still speaking, another also came and said, "The Chaldeans formed three bands and made a raid on the camels and took them and slew the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you." (17) Again, he directed or at least influenced the activities of another nation or group of people . . . While he was still speaking, another also came and said, "Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house, and behold, a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people and they died, and I alone have escaped to tell you." (18, 19) . . . and Satan controlled the storms . . . Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped. He said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord." Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God. (20-22) And, finally from Job 2 - Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. And he took a potsherd to scrape himself while he was sitting among the ashes. (7, 8) Satan controls disease, or physical affliction. Is all disease directly from Satan? This passage
doesn't say. Some New Testament passages tell of disease or
"conditions" specifically given by Satan, but are they all? I doubt
it. However, illness, disease, and "conditions" all are here because
Adam and Eve gave in to the temptations of Satan in the garden. So, my
conclusion is that all disease and illness is from Satan. Some (and it could be
all) of it is specifically directed by Satan to specific individuals. Where Is Satan Now? What Does He Do?Where is Satan's realm? (basileia: Strong's - G932) Since Satan gave up his former realm in the rebellion, and was cast down to earth, where is he now? Where is he? Of what is he in charge? In Ephesians 6:12, Paul makes it clear that, as Christians, we're involved in a life and death struggle with beings in a highly organized realm populated by evil, rebellious spirit beings, and that the headquarters of this kingdom is in the heavenly realm (the "heavenlies"). The phrase "the heavenly realm," usually brings with it a particular problem in the minds of most of us. If Satan was cast out of heaven long ago, how then could he still occupy a place in the heavenly realm? In seeking the answer, first, let's look into some passages that describe events that took place some time after the initial rebellion and casting down of Satan by God. These passages all indicate that Satan still had access to the presence of God in His heaven at that time. We've already looked at the ones in Job in some detail, but let's take a brief peek, again. Job 1:6, 7: One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them. The Lord said to Satan, "Where you come from?" Satan answered the Lord, "From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it." Then, in Job 2:1, 2: On another day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them to present himself before him. And the Lord said to Satan, "Where have you come from?" Satan answered the Lord, "From roaming through the earth and going back in forth and it." So then, during the lifetime of Job, Satan still had direct access to the presence of the Lord, in the same way "good" angels also had access. When God's angels came to present themselves and report to the Lord, Satan was there among them. Apparently, the other angels either did not notice, or they could not identify Satan. In 2 Corinthians 11:14, Paul says that Satan is transformed as "an angel of light." What I believe is that the only one who could identify Satan was the Lord. Apparently, he could appear in the presence of God mingling with the other angels and not be detected by the others. His "appearance" must have been the same as their own. The Lord said to him, "Where do you come from, Satan?" In other words, "What are you doing here?" The Lord did not immediately banish Satan from his presence, but actually had a conversation with him. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now I have come to salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down." (Revelation 12:10) The "accuser of our brothers" is Satan. Notice that, still, during the time being considered in Revelation, he is still accusing God's people before God day and night. I believe that these situations and relationships still exist in our time, regardless of the "fulfillment time" of the book itself. Revelation 12:11, 12 continues: "They overcame him [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the Devil has gone down to you! He's filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short." That indicates that Satan still has access to the
presence of God, and uses his access to accuse God's people in the presence of
God. Clearly, all the above passages refer to periods long after the original
rebellion of Satan. "The Heavenlies"So what is our answer? I believe that the answer can only be: There is more than one heaven. I believe this is clearly indicated all through scripture. For instance, in the first verse of the Bible, in Genesis 1:1, Moses, the historian, says, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." And verse 8 (in part) says, "God called the expanse heavens." The Hebrew word for heavens is shamayim. "Im" is a plural ending in Hebrew. The first time heaven is introduced to us, it is introduced as plural "heavens". In 2 Chronicles 2:6, when Solomon was dedicating the temple he had built for the Lord, he prayed, "But who is able to build a temple for him [the Lord], since the heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain him?" Where the translation says, "the highest heavens," the Hebrew says, literally, "the heaven of heavens." Either translation clearly indicates there is more than one heaven. The word "heaven" of the phrase "heaven of heavens" suggests a heaven that is as high above heaven as heaven is above earth. In fact, if you'd like to really dissect the sentence, there are at least three "heavens" mentioned by Solomon. The "heaven" which is first mentioned (in Hebrew) is one. Then, that "heaven" is called the "heaven of heavens". Since the latter is plural, meaning "at least two", then, a minimum would be three heavens. In 2 Corinthians 12:2-4, Paul is even more specific: I know a man in Christ who 14 years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know - God knows. And I know that this man - whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows - was caught up to Paradise. He heard inexpressible things, things that a man is not permitted to tell. An acquaintance of mine, speaking on this subject, once said, "Before I became a preacher, I was a logician and sometimes I cannot get away from logic. Logic convinces me that if there is a third heaven, there must be a first and a second. So there are at least three heavens. Apparently, the third heaven is where Paradise, the place of rest of the departed righteous, is now located. It is also where God himself dwells." It seems clear to me that there are at least three "heavens". Whether Paradise is equivalent to the third heaven is not as clear to me as it seems to be to my acquaintance. Also, I believe that "paradise" is also called "Abraham's bosom", and it MAY BE the place where God himself lives, but, I am not as sure about that. Perhaps that's fodder for a different discussion. That is, just exactly how many heavens are there, is paradise one of them, and is any of those where God actually lives? In any case, it seems there are at least three heavens, without much room for disagreement. Ephesians 4:10 speaks about the death and resurrection of Jesus: He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe. Notice that phrase "all the heavens." The word "all" can only be correctly used of at least three. The same acquaintance I mentioned above, also said, "When I was teaching English to African students in Kenya, a student once said to me, 'All my parents have come to see me.' I said, 'You can't say "all my parents", because no one has more than two parents. If you only have two you can't say "all."'" The same applies to the phrase 'all of the heavens.' There must be at least three. I think that is clearly indicated by the whole tenor of scripture. That leads us to the answer of the problem on how Satan's kingdom is still in the heavenly realm." (As an aside, we sometimes use the phrase "seventh heaven" to describe a condition of great euphoria. That is not a biblical expression. That phrase was actually taken from the Koran, the sacred book of Islam. In my opinion, "seventh" is not an accurate count.) That there are three or more heavens is my firm opinion and I feel that conclusion is a proper extrapolation from several biblical statements. It fits all the facts of scripture I can find. What then, are the three heavens? The first heaven is the visible and natural heaven with the sun, the moon, and the stars which we see with our eyes. It can be measured physically, because it is a physical place. The man I was quoting above, believes that the third heaven, mentioned in 2 Corinthians 12, is the place where God lives; and that it is also known as Paradise, the place of rest of the departed righteous. I don't know that we can conclude exactly that, but it is apparent that it is the place in which the man was caught up and heard words being spoken (spoken by God?), which it was "unlawful" (which is a literal translation), or I believe, "impossible" to be spoken in human language. So what's left is the second heaven. I believe that it is between the first and the third heavens. I understand it to be an intermediate heaven between the heaven where God lives, and the physical, visible heaven that we can see. I also believe this "second" heaven, in between the other two which are identified for us, is where Satan's headquarters is located. This is the realm in which Satan reigns, operates, and to a large degree controls. This might explain why we sometimes find ourselves in an intense wrestling match when we pray. Sometimes it seems hard to "break through" to
God. Sometimes we pray something that we know to be within the will of God; we
believe God hears it; and yet the answer does not come quickly. There can be
more than one explanation for that, of course, but one reason for experiences of
this kind in the life of sincere committed believers is that we are involved in
a warfare and that the realm of Satan is located between the visible heaven and
the heaven of God's dwelling. I suggest you read and ponder Daniel 10, but
especially, verses 8 through 13. A Picture Of The WarThe book of Daniel has a vivid narrative about the spiritual war, giving us further insight into the location of Satan's kingdom. In fact it describes a battle of angels. In chapter 10, Daniel describes how he determined to pray and to seek God for a revelation about the future of his people Israel. With a special intensity, for three weeks Daniel devoted himself to prayer and waiting on God. At the end of the three weeks, an angel from heaven came to Daniel with the answer to his prayer. The angel was so glorious and so very powerful that all those with Daniel were scattered and he was the only one who remained to receive the revelation. Daniel 10:2-6: In those days I, Daniel, had been mourning for three entire weeks. I did not eat any tasty food, nor did meat or wine enter my mouth, nor did I use any ointment at all, until the entire three weeks were completed. And on the 24th day of the first month, while I was by the bank of the great River, that is, the Tigris, I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, there was a certain man dressed in linen, whose waist was girded with a belt of pure gold of Uphaz. His body also was like beryl, his face had the appearance of lightning, his eyes were like flaming torches, his arms and feet like the gleam of polished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a tumult. As mentioned above, Daniel's companions could not stand this glorious appearance and just disappeared. Then the angel began speaking to Daniel, and the part to which we should pay particular attention, is verses 12-13: Then he said to me, "Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and, humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words." Please notice that on the first day Daniel started his praying, his prayer was heard and the angel was dispatched with the answer. Interesting? However, the angel did not arrive on earth to appear to Daniel with God's response "for three entire weeks," or 21 days. What could have delayed the angel for three weeks on this trip? He was opposed by Satan's angels. Somewhere in the journey from the heaven of God to earth, the angel was required to go through Satan's kingdom in "the heavenlies". There he was opposed by evil angels who tried to prevent him from getting through with a message to Daniel. Verse 13 continues: . . . but the prince of the kingdom of Persia was withstanding me for 21 days; [the angel took 21 days because he had resistance and opposition in the heavenlies. This "prince" was not human.] Then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes [or archangels], came to help me, for I had been left there with the king of Persia. All this struggle took place in the heavenly realm. The leader of Satan's angels in these events is called "the Prince of the kingdom of Persia" -- the chief ruler over Persia. Related to him and apparently under him, were various "kings" or lesser angels. Then, on God's side, the angel that came to help the original angel was the archangel Michael. And in Daniel 12:1, we read this about Michael: Now that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise." The words "great prince" should be translated "archangel." This particular archangel, Michael, stands guard over the sons of Daniel's people -- the children of Israel. In some special way that I believe it is difficult (impossible?) for human beings to comprehend fully, Michael is the angel to whom God has given the responsibility of watching over the interests of, and protecting Israel. My opinion (as mentioned before) is that Michael replaced Lucifer, after the latter's rebellion, as the chief (arch) cherub who guards God's special creation -- human beings. Persons. Us. Because this whole revelation centered around the future of the physical, historic, nation of Israel, it was very much in the interests of Israel that the messenger should get through. So when the first angel was delayed in his trip, the archangel Michael came to help him and they battled there with the satanic angels for 21 days. The satanic angels were represented by one who was known as the prince of the kingdom of Persia (the supreme ruler) and under him various kings or subordinate rulers who had various areas of authority. For instance, there might be one king over each major city of the Persian Empire, one over each major ethnic group, perhaps one also over each of the various religious and pagan cults of the Persian empire. We get a picture of a highly organized, structured kingdom with various areas and ascending levels of authority with headquarters in the heavenlies and which is a kingdom of rebellious, fallen spirit beings. This idea of structure is not conjecture -- in fact, it is the very meaning of "principalities, dominions, and powers." The angel again speaks about this conflict in Daniel 10:20: ". . . do you understand why I came to you? But I shall now return to fight against the Prince of Persia..." In other words, the battle against this evil satanic angel that dominated the empire of Persia was not over. There would be further war in the heavens just to accomplish an answer to what Daniel prayed. The angel continues: ". . . I am going forth, and behold the Prince of Greece is about to come." In other words, once victory has been gained over the evil angel that rules the empire of Persia, the next empire that will rise will be the Empire of Greece and that also will have its own specific evil angel that is the ruler, or prince, of Greece. In verse 21, the angel, still speaking to Daniel says: "Yet there is no one who stands firmly with me against these forces except Michael your prince." So we see again that the archangel Michael is specifically associated with protecting and watching over the interest of God's people, Israel. We also see that it took the united strength of the first angel and Michael to overcome the satanic ruling angels in Satan's kingdom that were opposing the working of God's purpose for the future of Israel. You might wonder at the reference to Persia and Greece. As a reminder, there were four major Gentile empires that successively dominated Israel and the city of Jerusalem from about the fifth century BC until some time after the death and resurrection of Jesus. They were Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome. Persia and Greece were significant because, at that time, they were the two dominant Gentile empires. We see from these passages in Daniel that the battle centers around God's people and God's purposes. I believe that is still true in our time. Wherever God's people are and God's purposes are being worked out, that is where the spiritual battle will be most intense. Many believe today, that the center of the conflict is once again over Israel and the city of Jerusalem. Those are they who believe that Israel, Jerusalem, and the temple must be restored before Jesus returns. I personally believe Israel and Jerusalem themselves have little to do with it, but that the battle is thickest and the opposition strongest where ever the cause of Jesus is being extended among unbelievers. It is also thickest when someone is trying to make others aware that the war is still on. In my opinion, there is not much spiritual opposition in most modern churches and / or denominations, because, apparently, they do not pose much of a threat to Satan. Satan is a shrewd general in this war. He does not waste his time nor resources on territory and minds he has already taken and secured. Also, he does not bother much with individuals who are not actively involved in the conflict. Does that thought surprise or disturb you, at all? The effect of Daniel's prayers is somewhat staggering. When Daniel started to pray on earth it set all heaven in motion, both the angels of God and the angels of Satan. In other words, when Daniel prayed, all heaven broke loose. That should give us a terrific insight into what prayer causes God to do. I also get the distinct impression that Daniel's
prayers empowered God's angels to get through the demonic opposition and to
accomplish their mission. That also gives us insight into the effectiveness of
prayer. Don't you think? Dominion Over CreationWe are now at a critical point of this study. And, before we go further, we need to "back up" in time to deepen our historical setting. Once we have done that, I believe we can move on rather quickly to some conclusions. Just what was Adam's sin? The answer to that question is critical to our total understanding of what we are doing here, what mankind's purpose is, the nature of sin itself, as well as warfare in "the heavenlies." From Genesis 1 . . . Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth." Then God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food"; and it was so. (Genesis 1:26-30) You may wonder why it is important to repeat this well-known passage. You probably memorized it as a child. I know I did. My problem was that I didn't even come close to comprehending its significance. Generally, it was couched in the obsolete-isms of the King James Version which I learned and memorized from in my early years. That's one reason the above is from the New American Standard Version. Even it does not do justice to the original Hebrew of the passage. Please keep in mind what had been happening in the heavenlies either just before or just about this time. Lucifer had been next to God in power, authority, and realm over which he had dominion. He had rebelled, God had thrown Lucifer out of the throne room and down to earth. Lucifer had taken approximately one-third of the angels with him in his aborted rebellion. We must presume that he was now roaming the earth, as his own domain. Into this setting, God(s) [elohim] bring order out of chaos. God creates things in which there is life, and causes them to begin growing -- vegetation, fishes and sea creatures, then land animals. The picture I see is, that once all these things were established and the earth system was stabilized, God created man -- the crowning glory of all creation -- and placed him into it. This, up to now had been Satan's realm. Now, God's newest creation was put on earth, created in the very image of God's own being, and given dominion over all of it. Get it? Get the significance now? This had been Satan's domain, now God created a new being and gave him the position of ruler over all the earth and every living thing on it! Can you picture Satan's reaction? He had already been thrown out of his position next to God and had been banished to the desolate and barren earth. God had then made earth into a veritable paradise. Then gave total dominion and authority over it and all in it, to this new creature -- man. Satan wanted it back! To get revenge against God. To show God that he was capable and powerful enough to be God himself. Look at it again . . . "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule [Strong's 7287. radah - to subjugate; to come to, or to make to have dominion, prevail against, reign, to rule over] over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." (v. 26) . . . and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue [Strong's 3533. kabash - to tread down; to disregard; to possess; to conquer, to subjugate; bring into bondage, force, keep under, subdue, bring into subjection.] it; and rule [Strong's 7287. radah again] over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth." (v. 27) God created man for that specific purpose - to reign, to rule over, to have dominion over his new creation - earth, and every living thing that would ever live in or on it. Not just the animals in the Garden. We don't know that Adam was in the garden yet. Then, something I find quite intriguing . . . God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth." (v. 28) I was taught (and I suspect that you may have been also), that "Be fruitful and multiply" had to do with filling the earth with the children to whom they would give birth in the future. Actually, the "be fruitful" part may mean just that. However, "and multiply" means something different, entirely. Rabah (Strong's 7235), translated "multiply" in probably all English translations, means "to increase (in whatever respect), but particularly to be in authority, to enlarge, to excel exceedingly, to be full of." What God was telling man was to multiply or to increase to the greatest degree, his power, dominion, his authority over earth and everything in it. Is that a foreign thought to you? Ask the Lord for understanding. I find him to be a "great help". :-) So, God created man to rule over all earth. And God told man that what he had given him was only a beginning place. He instructed Adam to increase that power and authority to the greatest degree possible. Incidentally, when God said that every plant, fish, and animal would be "meat" for Adam, he meant that not just as a food to be consumed for sustenance, but that it would be at Adam's disposal for whatever purposes he chose. Also, as an aside, God called all the animals he had created to pass before Adam, looking for a mate. They both saw that none was a "suitable helper", a "completer" for Adam. He was not to have sexual relations with any of them, but he could use them for whatever other purposes he chose, because he was given authority and position to reign over them. Then, as you are familiar with the old story, he placed Adam into the garden and gave him a "completer" -- one whose existence and companionship would make Adam a complete person Together they would become "one flesh". This opens up another subject that you may want to delve into at another time and place, but it is worth at least a brief comment in its context. Notice that among all animals, there was not one designed to be sexually compatible with man. And when God did design a sexual companion for man, it was the woman -- a female version of man -- whom God designed. It was not another male. Neither did he design females to be sexual companions for other females. God designed man and woman for each other and intended that man and woman become one flesh in the sexual union. Any other arrangement is not a choice of "lifestyle", but a flagrant violation of God's intention and design, just as and for the same reasons that bestiality also is. Because they are violations of God's intentions and his design. Another acquaintance of mine drew the following picture of this relationship. It doesn't fit in all respects, but it's very close. There is a legal term for what Adam became in his relationships with God and the new creation. Adam was God's viceroy on earth. Adam was not the supreme ruler. God was both creator and supreme ruler. But, God did delegate to Adam the dominion over the earth realm, in his (God's) place. Adam had no authority of his own, he simply was placed here to reign for and on behalf of God. Compare this to European royalty of previous (and in a few cases, current) generations ago. In my lifetime, England was literally, an empire. Though during my own lifetime, the British monarch has been for the most part a ceremonial "figurehead", and the country ruled by Parliament, some vestiges of the empire remained. For example, Canada, India, and South Africa (among several others) were all colonies of England, as the United States once had been. To some of those countries, the reigning monarch (king or queen) sent viceroys to represent the crown. High Treason During Wartime . . .The viceroy was empowered with all the power and authority of the crowned monarch, and whatever the viceroy did or said bound the monarch to enforce. If the king or queen who reigned were ever to be displeased with the actions of the viceroy, the viceroy would simply be removed -- perhaps banished from the kingdom if the infraction were to be great enough. But, the kingdom would have been bound to enforce whatever ruling the viceroy made. With that picture in mind, move into the garden, where God's viceroy -- Adam -- had been placed as God's representative to reign with all God's authority and power behind him to enforce the viceroy's actions. The earth was Adam's realm. His dominion. The earth along with everything God had created and placed within it were Adams to "have dominion" over. Satan tempted him. Adam gave away the realm! Adam's sin in eating of the forbidden tree, was a sin of disobedience -- for sure. But, it was much more than that. Adam exchanged submission to will of the God of all who had created him, to the will of the "god of this world" who wanted to tear Adam's allegiance away from the creator to himself, also one of the created.. This, Adam handed over the "rulership" of the earth realm to God's strongest enemy -- Satan. Adam committed high treason when he gave away that which God had given him as a sacred trust. Do you say, "That just cannot be!"? If so, then please consider the dialogue between Jesus and Satan during "the temptation". Satan offered Jesus all the kingdoms of the world, if Jesus would bow down to him, acknowledging that Satan was the "god of this world". (Matthew 4; Mark 4, and compare Revelation 11:15). Both Satan and Jesus knew that Satan was indeed the ruler over all earth, and there was no argument between them about whether or not Satan possessed the authority to give those kingdoms to Jesus. Was there? Adam had given away the sacred realm. Jesus came to take it back. Considering all that, does Adam's punishment make more sense now than it did before? Does it make sense that the punishment for Adam's treason should be handed down to all his descendants? That he was barred from the Tree of Life for the remainder of his life? That his descendants would be barred also from that tree? Does the letter to the Romans make more sense now? Let's delve a little bit into Romans . . . In chapter 5, we see both comparisons, and a contrast between the "two Adam's". The original Adam in the garden -- "son of God" (Luke 3:38) -- and the second "son of God", Jesus. Continuing and lengthening the picture Paul used in 1 Corinthians 15:22 . . . For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. In Romans, Paul tells us that . . .
And,
Why? Because Adam handed over to Satan God's priceless realm . . . all creation. Satan had been created as "Lucifer" to be the "guardian cherub" of man -- the epitome of God's creation. The assignment then was also the epitome of God's trust placed in the "guardian cherub". He must have been created with a special understanding of man's needs, wants, and desires. Understanding the way man thinks. Understanding what's important to him -- what tempts -- what blesses. Lucifer was created for this special mission. But, Satan had rebelled against God's place and God's authority, and had attempted to take over God's entire realm. For this high treason and betrayal, God had banished Satan to earth. Using his special knowledge of the nature of mankind which he had been given to protect and guard man, Satan's cunningly devised plot to thwart God's plan was to sneak up on Adam and convince him to hand over the realm (kingdom) and its keys to him. Satan reached Adam through his most vulnerable place -- through the woman who was his "completer". Adam gave up all authority, rule, dominion, and power over creation to God's greatest enemy. To angels who were spectators, did it appear as though Satan had won the war? Paul also gives the other side of the picture.
Paul says that through this second Adam . . .
And these are just the blessings through Jesus that Paul lists in 1 Corinthians 15 and Romans 5. There are even more. But, is the point clear? Adam gave away the precious, priceless realm over which God had placed him. He turned it over to the enemy of God, who came to take it away. God sent his only son, Jesus, to wrest away from Satan the very thing that Adam had given away in the moment of his weakness. Jesus took it away from Satan and returned it to that special group of Adam's descendants who come to Jesus through faith . . . In Colossians 2 . . . . . . having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him (vss.14, 15). Through Jesus, also, we have regained access to the tree of life from which we had been barred since Adam's treason. There's much more, but with this background, I suggest that, as you re-read your bible, this whole new perspective will open up. Having been shown this, I now see our relationship with God, the world, Satan, each other, and the entire creation in an entirely new light. I believe that you will also (that is, if you're not already there, waiting for me to catch up! :-) ). (This study is still in draft form and not yet complete. More later . . .) Art Thompson |
