God Did Not Create The Devil As We Know Him
When God created the world, we are told that God examined it and declared that it was good . This means that even the angelic world did not have evil angels or demons in it at that time. But by the time of Genesis chapter three, we find that Satan, in the form of a serpent, was tempting Eve to sin. Therefore, sometime between the events of Genesis chapter one and Genesis chapter three, there must have been a rebellion in the angelic world, with many angels turning against God and becoming evil. This rebellion was led by Satan himself.
Planet Venus Sumerian Folklore And Fall From Heaven Motif
The motif of a heavenly being striving for the highest seat of heaven only to be cast down to the underworld has its origins in the motions of the planet Venus, known as the morning star.
The Sumerian goddess Inanna is associated with the planet Venus, and Inanna’s actions in several of her myths, including Inanna and Shukaletuda and Inanna’s Descent into the Underworld appear to parallel the motion of Venus as it progresses through its synodic cycle.
A similar theme is present in the Babylonian myth of Etana. The Jewish Encyclopedia comments:
The brilliancy of the morning star, which eclipses all other stars, but is not seen during the night, may easily have given rise to a myth such as was told of Ethana and Zu: he was led by his pride to strive for the highest seat among the star-gods on the northern mountain of the gods … but was hurled down by the supreme ruler of the Babylonian Olympus.”
The Greek myth of Phaethon, a personification of the planet Jupiter, follows a similar pattern.
Roman Folklore And Etymology
In Roman folklore, Lucifer was the name of the planet Venus, though it was often personified as a male figure bearing a torch. The Greek name for this planet was variously Phosphoros or Heosphoros . Lucifer was said to be “the fabled son of Aurora and Cephalus, and father of Ceyx“. He was often presented in poetry as heralding the dawn.
The Latin word corresponding to Greek Phosphoros is Lucifer. It is used in its astronomical sense both in prose and poetry. Poets sometimes personify the star, placing it in a mythological context.
Lucifer’s mother Aurora is cognate to the Vedic goddess Ushas, Lithuanian goddess Aurin, and Greek Eos, all three of whom are also goddesses of the dawn. All four are considered derivatives of the Proto-Indo-European stem *hewss , “dawn”, a stem that also gave rise to Proto-Germanic*Austr, Old Germanic*stara and Old Englishostre / astre. This agreement leads to the reconstruction of a Proto-Indo-European dawn goddess.
The second-century Roman mythographer Pseudo-Hyginus said of the planet:
The Latin poet Ovid, in his first-century epic Metamorphoses, describes Lucifer as ordering the heavens:
- “Aurora, watchful in the reddening dawn, threw wide her crimson doors and rose-filled halls the Stellae took flight, in marshaled order set by Lucifer who left his station last.”
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The Devil In Modern Times
Religious translations are often controversial. Theres usually some degree of dissent on how to interpret early texts, and texts about the Devil are no exception.
Even so, throughout history, the Devils reputation as an evildoer hasnt changed much. Most Christians still believe hes literally transformed the world and is responsible for much of the worlds corruption and chaos.
Not all religions shun the Devil, though. People of the Church of Satan, known as Satanists, dont worship the Devil, but embrace him as a symbol of atheism, pride and liberty, among other things. Another type of Satanists, theistic Satanists, worship the Devil as a deity. They may practice Satanic rituals or even make Satanic pacts.
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Theres no shortage of Hollywood films featuring the Devil. Hes been played by some of Hollywoods elite such as Jack Nicholson, Vincent Price and Al Pacino. And after Mia Farrows character gave birth to Satans offspring in the horror-flick Rosemarys Baby, expectant mothers who saw the film wished they hadnt.
Given the draw of the battle between good and evil, its likely the Devils influence is here to stay, and he will continue to influence religion and pop culture.
The Devil In The Bible
Although the Devil is present in some form in many religions and can be compared to some mythological gods, hes arguably best known for his role in Christianity. In modern biblical translations, the Devil is the adversary of God and Gods people.
Its commonly thought that the Devil first showed up in the Bible in the book of Genesis as the serpent who convinced Evewho then convinced Adamto eat forbidden fruit from the tree of the knowledge in the Garden of Eden. As the story goes, after Eve fell for the Devils conniving ways, she and Adam were banished from the Garden of Eden and doomed to mortality.
Many Christians believe the Devil was once a beautiful angel named Lucifer who defied God and fell from grace. This assumption that he is a fallen angel is often based the book of Isaiah in the Bible which says, 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.
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What Will Become Of Satan
Satans days are numbered, and he will be condemned eternally.
Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woeto the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has comedown to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has ashort time .
And he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, andset a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more tillthe thousand years were finished. But after these things he must bereleased for a little while .
We should have no fear of Satan or his minions, since God has power overhim and has already decreed what his outcome will bea second deathaneternal punishment called hell.
Then He will also say to those on the left hand, Depart fromMe, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and hisangels .
The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire andbrimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will betormented day and night forever and ever .
The Origin And Fall Of The Devil
Where did the devil come from? To put it another way, how could a God of love create someone as horrible as the devil? This question is based on flawed reasoning since it assumes that we are in a position to critique God. Many who refuse to look into what the Bible says on the subject simply decide that God seriously erred in this area, so we should not put our trust in Him.
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Is The Word Heaven Mentioned In The Bible
There is almost no mention in the Hebrew Bible of Heaven as a possible afterlife destination for human beings, who are instead described as resting in Sheol . Other passages, such as 1 Kings 8:27 state that even the vastness of Heaven cannot contain Gods majesty.
When Were The Angels And Satan Created
The Bible doesnt give the exact timing of the creation of Satan and theangels however, we can make several deductions from Scripture concerning thetiming. Lets begin by examining Ezekiel 28:1119 NKJV:
In the sections prior to this, the word of the Lord was to Tyre itself and to the ruler of Tyre . Beginning in Ezekiel 28:11, alament is expressed to the kingof Tyre or more specifically, to the one influencing the king of Tyre. Note wellthat the king of Tyre was never a model of perfection , nor was he onthe mount of God , nor was he in the Garden of Eden .
God easily sees Satans influence and speaks directly to him. Elsewhere theLord spoke to the serpent in Genesis 3 is said to the serpent Genesis 3:15 is said to Satan who influenced the serpent. Jesus rebuked Peter andthen spoke to Satan . In Isaiah 14, the passage speaks to the king ofBabylon and some parts to Satan, who was influencing him.
In the Ezekiel passage we note that Satan was originally perfect from the day he was created until he sinned .Thus, we can deduce that Satan was created during creation week since he wasblameless, he was under Gods very good proclamation at theend of day 6.
In Job 38:47 NKJV, God spoke to Job:
If so, the creation of the angels was prior to day 3 during creation week.From Genesis 1, God created the foundations of the earth on either day 1 or day 3 . The logical inference is that theangels were created on either day 1 or at least by day 3.
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What The Devil Prince Of Darkness Is Misunderstood Says Ucla Professor
He’s not the enemy of God, his name really isn’t Lucifer and he isn’t even evil. And as far as leading Adam and Eve astray, that was a bad rap stemming from a case of mistaken identity.
“There’s little or no evidence in the Bible for most of the characteristics and deeds commonly attributed to Satan,” insists a UCLA professor with four decades in what he describes as “the devil business.”
In “Satan: A Biography” , Henry Ansgar Kelly puts forth the most comprehensive case ever made for sympathy for the devil, arguing that the Bible actually provides a kinder, gentler version of the infamous antagonist than typically thought.
“A strict reading of the Bible shows Satan to be less like Darth Vader and more and more like an overzealous prosecutor,” said Kelly, a UCLA professor emeritus of English and the former director of the university’s Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies. “He’s not so much the proud and angry figure who turns away from God as a Joseph McCarthy or J. Edgar Hoover. Satan’s basic intention is to uncover wrongdoing and treachery, however overzealous and unscrupulous the means. But he’s still part of God’s administration.”
The view runs in opposition to the beliefs held by many Christians and others about key religious concepts like original sin and the nature of good and evil.
“It was at that time that I started my campaign to rehabilitate the devil to deliver him from evil, as it were,” Kelly said.
Citation
The New Answers Book 2
People complain about The New Answers Book. They say that its so good at giving short, substantive answers that they want more. Well, we listened! In The New Answers Book 2 youll find 31 more great answers to big questions for the Christian life. Many view the original New Answers Book as an essential tool for modern discipleship. Both of these books answer such questions as: Can natural processes explain the origin of life? Can creationists be real scientists? Where did Cain get his wife? Is evolution a religion? and more!
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Are There Angels In Heaven
All angels originate from the human race, and there is not one angel in heaven who first did not live in a material body. Moreover, all children who die not only enter heaven but eventually become angels. The life of angels is that of usefulness, and their functions are so many that they cannot be enumerated.
The First Appearance Of Satan In The Bible
At the close of chapter 2 in Genesis, we see a picture of the world where everything is “very good.” No pain, no suffering, no disharmony, no struggle for survival, no sin, no death. However, if we look at the world today we see that this is not the situation. Things wear down and out animals and people age and die civilizations rise and fall people are more easily drawn to evil than to good.
This situation in the present world is vastly different than it was in Genesis 2. The problem of evil and death has been the subject of endless speculation by philosophers and theologians who have asked the question, “If God is omnipotent and holy, why does He permit such things? How could evil have entered a perfect world?”
There have been many theories given to try to answer this question throughout the years. Here are a few:
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Lucifer Wanted To Sit On God’s Throne
Q: My neighbors grandsons name is Lucifer. The mother says she chose it because of its beautiful meaning. Isnt Satans name Lucifer?
L.S.
A: Lucifer was an angel created to glorify God, but this was not the role he wanted. His hearts desire was to be the chief authority he wanted to sit on Gods throne and rule the universe.
The book of Isaiah records: 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! 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 .
When Lucifer asserted his desire to be more than God, a great revolution took place in the universe. Many angels joined with Lucifer and became his rebel army. This evil one Satan didnt lose any of his beguiling ways when he became the fallen prince. He took his charm, his subtleties and his clever plots to use on us. When he made his decision to battle God to the death, he took his band of rebel angels with him as his combat soldiers. The battlefield is known as Earth.
A Devil Dressed In Red
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The devil’s red tights actually originate in theatre productions. In 1859, composer Charles Gounod adopted the folktale “Faust,” which had also inspired Marlowe’s earlier play, “Dr. Faustus,” into an opera, in which the devilish character of Mephistopheles wears a Renaissance-era costume, including red tights, also known as hose.
In his book “A History of Opera: Milestones and Metamorphoses” , Burton Fisher wrote: “Marcel Journet sang Faust’s Mephistopheles over a thousand times, providing the stereotyped image of opera characters as devils in red tights.” Different interpretations of this theatrical clothing have endured and remain popular Halloween costumes today.
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The Lucifer Of The Luciferians
It is this concept of light-bringer that Luciferians embrace. For them, Lucifer is a being that brings out enlightenment in those who truly seek it. He is not external power that hands out knowledge so much as one who assists a seeker in bringing it out of himself.
Balance is also a significant component of the concept of Lucifer. He is both spiritual and carnal, as are humans, according to Luciferians. He is moderation over extremes. He is both the light and the darkness, as you cannot have one without the other, and there are lessons to be learned from both.
Some Luciferians consider Lucifer an actual being, while others consider him entirely symbolic. Many agree that ultimately it doesn’t actually matter since the focus is upon the principles of Lucifer, not submission to a supernatural intelligence.
Lucifer Served God As A Guardian Cherub
The Bible doesnt give us an exact timeline of Satans origin. Rather, what we know of Satans beginnings comes from passages written by the prophets Ezekiel and Isaiah, which passages Bible scholars believe detail the devils fall from heaven .
The prophets tell us that Satan was an angel known as the morning star, translated as Lucifer . As an angel, Lucifer walked on Gods holy mountain and was anointed to serve God as a member of the guardian cherubim, among the highest rank of angels in Gods holy host second only to the seraphim . That Lucifer was ordained a cherub was no small honor.
In heaven, the cherubim hold such a position of celestial prominence that God Himself sits enthroned between the cherubim .
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The Fall Of Lucifer In The Bible
What is the rationale for the conclusion that these latter verses refer to the fall of Lucifer? Whereas the first ten verses in this chapter speak about the ruler of Tyre , the discussion moves to the king of Tyre starting in verse 11. Many scholars believe that though there was a human ruler of Tyre, the real king of Tyre was Satan, for it was he who was ultimately at work in this anti-God city and it was he who worked through the human ruler of the city.
Some have suggested that these verses may actually be dealing with a human king of Tyre who was empowered by Satan. Perhaps the historic king of Tyre was a tool of Satan, possibly even indwelt by him. In describing this king, Ezekiel also gives us glimpses of the superhuman creature, Satan, who was using, if not indwelling, him.
Now, there are things that are true of this king thatat least ultimatelycan not be said to be true of human beings. For example, the king is portrayed as having a different nature from man he had a different position from man he was in a different realm from man he received a different judgment from man and the superlatives used to describe him dont seem to fit that of a normal human being .