Truth Magazine

By Larry Ray Hafley

Some thought so (Matt. 16:14). Why? Jeremiah taught the people of Judah, Jerusalem and Josiah that external reforms were worthless without internal repentance. Josiah’s reformation led to a transformation of national life, but Jehovah sent Jeremiah to say, “Trust not in lying words, saying, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord are these” (Jer. 7:4). “What meaneth this?”

As we learn from the chronicles of the kings in Kings and Chronicles, the law, the sabbath, and the temple were restored. The “order” and the “courses” of divine service were “according to the pattern.” Remnants of Israel and Judah rejoiced. They exulted in anticipation of national exaltation, brought on, as they supposed, by their ritual restoration.

“Not so fast,” Jeremiah said in effect. First, “amend your ways and your doings, and, secondly, I will cause you to dwell in this place” (Jer. 7:3). “If you thoroughly amend your ways and your doings . . . Then (and only then) will I cause you to dwell in this place” (Jer. 7:5-7). You cannot, God said, have one without the other  “If . . . then.”

The people saw the new panels. They smelled the sweet aroma of new wood. They were dazzled by the beauty of ornate craftsmanship. In these things they fancied that they saw victory and smelled success. However, Jeremiah thundered, Do not trust in these things; “amend your ways and your doings.” The flesh, blinded by the splendor, was deaf to the spiritual. National ruin, bondage, destruction, and captivity were assured. Their religion, hence, their reformation, was of the eye, not of the mind. In the few, where it was in the conscience, it was not in the hand, not in their deeds and doings.

Jesus so spoke.

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye are like unto whited sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

Though this section appears later than the events of Matthew 16:14, who can doubt that this was a consistent refrain from the mouth of the Messiah during his minis-try? Thus, Jesus was seen as “Jeremiah.” Again, “What meaneth this”? What application may we make?

Briefly, this: We may have restored “the ancient order of things.” We may have made “all things according to the pattern,” but if our ways and doings are not amended, our worship is void and vain, dead on arrival. The restored public temple meant nothing while the private temple housed murder, theft, and adultery (Jer. 7:3-11). So, trust ye not in lying words, saying, “The church of Christ, The church of Christ, the church of Christ,” while your daily life is full of hypocrisy and iniquity. As temple service in structured order availed nothing apart from repentance and renewal, so “church service” in “that form of doctrine” means nothing apart from walking in newness of life. The faith of the humbled heart must match the activity of the harmless, helpful hand (Titus 2:11-14; James 1:26, 27).

Guardian of Truth XL: 10 p. 9
May 16, 1996

 

It made some question the reality of religion.

It made some think I was a pretender.

It made some think that I regarded my spiritual welfare as a matter of small concern.

It weakened the effect of our worship service.

It made it harder for the preacher to deliver his message.

It discouraged the brethren, and thereby, robbed them of a blessing.

It caused others to stay away from church.

It made it harder for me to meet the daily temptations of the devil.

It gave the devil more power over lost souls.

It encouraged the habit of my non-church going.

Forsaking the assembling does much harm to the cause of Christ.

 

(Reprinted from Truth, Dallas Ave. Church of Christ, Lancaster, Texas.)

Guardian of Truth XL: 10 p. 8
May 16, 1996

By David McClister

In a very significant sense, it does not matter where Satan came from. The emphasis in the Bible is instead on what he does. It is not how he came to exist that is of concern. It is the fact that he exists that concerns us. He continues to work against us in his attempt to master humanity, and to us Jesus left the continuation of the war.

In the previous part of this study we noted two Old Testament texts, Isaiah 14:12-14 and Ezekiel 28:12-16, that are commonly thought to be ac-counts of the origin of Satan. Neither of those texts are about Satan’s origin, however, as a study of the contexts revealed. In this part of the study we will examine two New Testament texts that are also commonly put forward as explanations of Satan’s origin, and we will also attempt some conclusions on the matter.

Luke 10:18

In Luke 18:10 Jesus says, “I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning.” Those who think that Satan is a rebellious, fallen angel believe that this verse settles the matter convincingly. However, again, we must look at this statement in its context.

In Luke 10:1ff Jesus had sent out seventy disciples on a preaching mission. Actually, it was more than just a preaching mission, for Jesus also sent them out to heal and cast out demons (vv. 9, 17). It is important to under-stand exactly what these seventy disciples accomplished and what Jesus himself accomplished in his ministry. While Jesus was on this earth, he waged war against the kingdom of Satan. Before he could establish his kingdom (the kingdom of God), he had to invade the territory of the enemy, conquer it, and render the enemy (Satan) helpless and weak. This he did by preaching the gospel and visibly demonstrating its power. The healing miracles, and especially the casting out of demons, were not random acts of kindness; they were instead direct assaults on the kingdom of Satan. By proclaiming “the release of the captives” in the gospel (cf. Luke 4:18), Jesus was pro-claiming the defeat of Satan’s power over man. Through the gospel man no longer needed to be the slave of Satan and of sin. Jesus came to free man from Satan’s dominion, a dominion epitomized in sin and death.

It is in the context of this spiritual warfare that we must understand the miracles associated with the ministry of Jesus and, later, of the apostles. The miracles were physical, visible demonstrations, examples, or illustrations of what Jesus can do for men spiritually. Nowhere is this clearer than in the casting out of demons. Demon possession was an obvious manifestation of Satan’s dominion over people. What more control over a per-son could Satan have than to invade his body, through a demon, and control his actions? When Jesus cast out demons he was freeing people from Satan’s grip, he was destroying Satan’s hold on them. It was an especially clear demonstration, on the physical level, of the power of the gospel, and it was an illustration of how Jesus could free men from the kingdom of Satan and put them under the reign of God.

The same is true also of the healing miracles of Christ. Sickness and death were manifestations of Satan’s power over man. By healing the sick, Jesus was releasing people from the power of death wielded by Satan, thus defeating him. Note what Jesus said about the woman who “had a sickness caused by a spirit” in Luke 13:16: “And this woman, a daughter of Abraham as she is, whom Satan has bound for eighteen long years, should she not have been released from this bond on the Sabbath day?” Jesus was demonstrating his power over Satan in his healing miracles, his power to free men from Satan’s mastery. The healing was an illustration of what Jesus can do for us spiritually through his gospel. Thus it is no mere coincidence that Matthew links the activities of preaching the gospel and healing the sick in Matthew 4:23: “And Jesus was going about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people.” These two activities went together quite naturally.

When the seventy disciples re-turned they reported their great success to Jesus. They were overjoyed that “even the demons are subject to us in Your name” (v. 17). Jesus had sent them out like an army to invade Satan’s territory and to wage war. Their campaign had been tremendously successful. Satan suffered a defeat with each demon they cast out. Jesus responded with an acknowledgment: “And He said to them, `I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning. Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall injure you (vv. 18-19). Notice Jesus’ mention of “over all the power of the enemy.” Satan was being defeated in the ministry of Jesus. The seventy disciples had shared in that ministry, and it would culminate in the greatest de-feat over Satan: the death and resurrection of Christ that decisively defeated Satan’s power of sin and death respectively. So when Jesus says, “I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning,” he was de-scribing how greatly his ministry was defeating the power of Satan over men. No longer would Satan’s power be unchallenged and absolute. In his work, Christ was destroying the seemingly invincible power of sin and death. In language reminiscent of Isaiah 14:12-14, Jesus compares the former power of Satan to a star, and that star has now fallen. Revelation 9:12 and Matthew 24:29 also uses the imagery of a falling star to describe the defeat of power.

So again, this so-called “proof text” is not about the origin of Satan at all. It is only by bringing such an idea into the text that it can do service for this doctrine.

Revelation 12:7-9

Perhaps the most popular origin of-Satan passage is this one, Revelation 12:7-9. It reads: “And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. And the dragon and his angels waged war, and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.”

Anyone who has ever looked at John’s Revelation knows that it abounds in strange symbols. It is only by the violence of treating symbolic language literally, and by ignoring the context, that we can get a story of the origin of Satan out of this text.

Revelation 12 is a symbolic description of the spiritual circumstances that led up to, and caused, the persecution that John’s readers faced. John wrote Revelation to give its first readers an insight into their suffering, to see it in a larger context. They were caught up in a tremendous struggle between God and Satan. Satan was trying to destroy the church using Rome as his agent. John thus was giving his readers a perspective on their situation that would help them to endure. As a figurative and symbolic description we certainly must not read it literally, nor should we treat it as some kind of chronological historical narrative of what had happened.

Revelation 12 is admittedly a difficult passage, but students of Revelation who view the book from the standpoint of its historical context generally agree that it is about the victory of God’s people and the defeat of their enemy, Satan. The first part of the chapter (vv. 1-6) lays before us a story of the birth of a male child who becomes the ruler of the nations. This imagery represents Christ (the allusion to the Messianic Psalm 2 in Revelation 12:5 confirms this). How-ever, a great dragon (Satan) immediately challenges his appearing. The appearance of Jesus unleashed a great spiritual war (v. 7). Satan’s dominion over the human situation had, until now, gone unchallenged. When Christ appears, Satan’s power over man is effectively destroyed, and Satan suffers a crushing defeat (v. 9). The basic story John presents here in verse 7ff is that Satan has lost his bid for dominion over humanity. He and his forces are no match for God and his forces. He cannot defeat God and his Son. In a great destruction Satan is cast down, symbolizing his ruin.

That Satan is cast down to earth is, I think, significant. It is a change in the battle front. Since Satan could not defeat God in the spiritual realm, he then turns his attention to the physical realm where he hopes to be victorious. It is the same battle for spiritual mastery over man, but now it is a spiritual battle fought out on earth. This time instead of trying to destroy the Son of God (which at-tempt failed), he now tries to destroy the people of God who live on the earth. Satan floods the earth with his lies, deceptions, temptations, etc. in his effort to destroy God’s people, but this too fails (vv. 11, 17).

Revelation 12:7-9 is about how Satan received a crushing defeat by the appearing and work of Jesus. John wrote this to encourage his readers who were suffering because of Satan’s attack on them through the agency of a wicked world power, Rome. They could endure if they knew that the victory was theirs. Knowing the origin of Satan would have done nothing to encourage them to persevere under severe trials.

So Where Did Satan Come From?

If none of the passages that are so commonly cited as accounts of the origin of Satan are truly about his origin, then where did he come from? Well, I am not sure the Bible exactly tells us. We may have a curiosity about the subject, but we must not allow such curiosity to prompt us to find answers that are not there.

The best we can do, I think, is to infer a few things about Satan. First, only God (the Godhead) is uncreated. Every-thing and everyone else in the universe is created. Hence Satan is a created being. The Bible nowhere says that he is an eternal being like God. Second, the Bible attributes omnipotence only to God (the Godhead). Hence Satan is not an omnipotent being. Although he has great powers, God limits his use of them (cf. 1 Cor 10:13; Job 1-2).

Third, there are beings who were made and who exist above the human level. We may call them spiritual beings for lack of a better term. Among these spiritual beings are angels, but these apparently are not the only kinds of spiritual beings (cf. Eph. 6:12; Rev. 4-5). Concerning this order of beings we know more about angels than any others. The picture we get from God’s word is that spiritual beings are very much interested in, and sometimes involved in, the affairs of earth. For example, angels mediated the Law of Moses (Gal. 3:19), angels announced the resurrection of Christ (Matt. 28:5), and angels desired to see the fulfillment of God’s plan of salvation (1 Pet. 1:12). While it may be stepping out on a limb, it also appears that spiritual beings, while they are created, nevertheless are not bound in their existence by the restraints of time or age.

The Bible nowhere identifies Satan as a human being. He is obviously one of the spiritual beings of which we read in the Bible. This is not to say that Satan is an angel. In fact, it would have been so easy, in any number of con-texts, for any of the Bible writers to say plainly that Satan was an angel, but they never did. He is, nevertheless, a spiritual being and the Bible describes him as, among other things, “the prince of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2). We first see Satan in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3), at the very beginning of human history, and he has existed continually since then.

Fifth, spiritual beings, like human beings, have freedom of will. Jude describes the punishment of rebellious angels in v. 6 of his epistle, and Peter speaks of angels sinning in 2 Pet. 2:4. Hence Satan stands opposed to God because he chooses to do so. God certainly did not create him for evil or as an evil being, for the Bible tells us plainly that there is no evil associated with God (James 1:13; 1 John 1:5).

It seems that the most we could say about Satan’s origin is that he is a created, but spiritual being who has chosen to oppose God, and he recruits other spiritual beings and human beings in his efforts. Much more than this is only speculation.

Conclusion

In a very significant sense, it does not matter where Satan came from. The emphasis in the Bible is instead on what he does. It is not how he came to exist that is of concern. It is the fact that he exists that concerns us. He continues to work against us in his attempt to master humanity, and to us Jesus left the continuation of the war. “Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Eph. 6:10-12)

Guardian of Truth XL: 10 p. 6-8
May 16, 1996

By Connie W. Adams

Jesus did not come into the world to stay physically. When he offered his blood as a sacrifice for sins, once and for all, his divine mission in the world was finished. In the shadow of the cross, Jesus said in prayer to the Father, “I have finished the work which thou gayest me to do” (John 17:4). Then he added in verse 11, “And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee.” Notice that statement “but these are in the world.” Jesus had chosen twelve ordinary men to train to do his work when he would no longer be in the world. He had chosen Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James (son of Alphaeus), Thaddeus, Simon, and Judas. Judas later betrayed him and in a moment of remorse, committed suicide. Matthias was chosen to replace him. A few years later, Paul was chosen, out of due season, to serve as an apostle to the Gentiles.

Jesus sent them on a limited commission “to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matt. 10:6). This anticipated a much larger task to which they were sent later. In the prayer of Jesus in John 17, our Lord said, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou host sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world” (John 17:17-18). After his resurrection Jesus said to them, “As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you” (John 20:21). That brings us to the very meaning of the word “apostle.” An apostle is one sent. He is one who goes on the business of the one who sends him. The relation of the apostles to divine authority is seen from several vantage points.

Binding and Loosing

Jesus said to all of the apostles, “Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matt. 18:18). The New American Standard Version translates the tense of the verbs with great accuracy as follows: “shall have been bound in heaven” and “shall have been loosed in heaven.” This conforms to Psalms 119:89: “Forever, 0 Lord, thy word is settled in heaven.” We cannot escape the force of this. The apostles would be involved in the work of making known the settled will of God in heaven. Their work was of the greatest importance and their word to be respected.

Guided by the Spirit

These men would not be left to their own devices in such an important work. “It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you” (John 16:7). Earlier Jesus had said “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” (John 14:26). Later Paul said “But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things yea, the deep things of God .. . Which things we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Spirit teacheth … But we have the mind of Christ” (1 Cor.2:9-16). What the apostles taught as they were guided by the Spirit was not human wisdom. It was the word of God “settled in heaven.”

Sins Remitted and Sins Retained

Jesus appeared in the gathering of his apostles who huddled behind closed doors in fear, his first appearance to all of them except Thomas since his resurrection earlier that day. After saying, “As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you”. . . he “breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Spirit: Whose sins ye remit they are remitted unto them; and whose sins ye retain, they are retained” (John 20:21-23). When Jesus “breathed on them” and said, “Receive ye the Holy Spirit,” he employed a fitting gesture to indicate what would occur when the Spirit would come upon them to lead and guide them into all truth. Inspiration means “God breathed.” Jesus “breathed on them.” I know he did not then and there impart the Spirit as their guide for later in Acts 1:8 he said, “Ye shall receive power after the Holy Spirit is come upon you.” It was not until Pentecost that they began to speak “as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:4). But what Jesus said to them is urgent. As they would go forth to speak under the direction of the Holy Spirit, they would present the terms on which God would remit sins. He charged them to go and preach the gospel to every creature and said, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved and he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:15-16). On Pentecost Peter said, “Re-pent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38). The terms of the Great Commission were to be preached in all the world until the end of the age. Upon obedient faith to that message delivered by them, lost men and women would have their sins remitted. But those who refused the message would have their sins retained. They would not be forgiven. What an awesome task these men had.

On Thrones-Judging

To these men Jesus said, “In the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Matt. 19:28). First, notice that the time of the “regeneration” is when the Son of man sits upon the throne of his glory. That time is now. Peter announced that he is seated at the right hand of God exalted (Acts 2:33). The “regeneration” is the time when people are being regenerated  born again. Jesus said all who enter the kingdom must be “born of water and the Spirit” (John 3:5). Paul called this “the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5). They would judge over the “twelve tribes of Israel,” the entirety of God people. In the Old Testament the tribes were divided and scattered. But the apostles would have power to declare the terms of divine pardon to the entirety of people who would serve God. Those who speak from thrones speak authoritatively and we ought to listen.

Ambassadors for Christ

Paul said, “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christs stead, be ye reconciled to God” (2 Cor. 5:20). In the same context, where Paul defends his apostolic work, he said that Christ had committed to “us the ministry of reconciliation” (v. 18) and “hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation” (v. 19). Those who had the work of reconciliation and who had the word of reconciliation (the service and the word by which lost people could have peace with God), were the same ones who were the “ambassadors for Christ.” An ambassador represents the power that sends him forth. He is equipped with the necessary credentials to establish his identity as an authorized representative of those who sent him. Their credentials were the miracles, wonders, and signs they were given to use. Paul said, “Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds” (2 Cor. 12:12). To refuse an ambassador is to insult the power that sent him. Indeed Jesus said, “He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me” (John 13:20). Refuse the apostles and you have refused Jesus Christ who sent them. Further, to refuse what they said by inspiration is to refuse the Holy Spirit who guided them to say it.

Treasure in Earthen Vessels

It is in this vein that we must consider what Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:7: “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.” Please notice the preceding verse. “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 4:6). The “earthen vessels” of this context were the apostles, those ordinary men whom Jesus chose for such extraordinary work. The “treasure” placed in those vessels, was the “light” of divine inspiration of verse 6. How did that light get into these vessels? God commanded it to shine out of darkness. The mystery of Old Testament times was finally to be illuminated. As prophecy was said to be a “light shining in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star appear in your hearts” (2 Pet. 1:19), even so now the divine light of inspiration was shined into the hearts of these vessels of earth to equip them for their work as the Lord’s ambassadors. This light was the light of the knowledge of Jesus Christ. It reflected the glory of God “in the face of Jesus Christ.” The excellency of the power was not of Paul nor the other apostles, for the light was divine. It was the message of heaven entrusted to these ambassadors.

What they taught by inspiration is just as much the will of Christ as what Jesus said in the sermon on the mount. Hear Paul one more time: “If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that write unto you are the commandments of the Lord” (1 Cor. 14:37). Let’s face it folks, if we “major in the gospels and minor in the epistles” we are going to minimize what the Lord Jesus gave his apostles to say through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We must not reject those whom our Lord sent.

Guardian of Truth XL: 10 p. 3-4
May 16, 1996