|
Dear Lighthouse,
This week I’d like to return to our Myth-Busters/Bible-Busters
series and tackle another common misunderstanding stemming from Scripture. But
be sure to check out the Announcements section below because we’ve got a whale of an announcement for this coming Sunday!
Myth #2
– The Devil rules and will rule in Hell.
This one is a common belief reinforced by a lot
of popular images like the devil with a pitchfork standing in Hell prodding evil-doers sentenced to torment. Along with this idea is that the devil is the opposite force in the universe to God. The pitchfork-bearing guy is usually seen on one shoulder while a haloed angel is on the other. The idea in other religions – especially in Asia – is that Good is counterbalanced by Evil. The two forces are equal and opposite an always in conflict for dominion of the universe
and men’s souls. Even the Church has struggled with this concept. Statements like, “the devil made me do it” impute more power to this entity
than is warranted. Certainly the devil is the opposing enemy of God, but as we’ll
see, he is neither equal to nor eternal like the Almighty.
First of all, the devil is a created being. Therefore he is not eternal. God is the
Creator and has created all things (Col. 1:16). Under His rule are all things
subservient. So, if he’s created, what is he? Well, the best guess, and this comes from a variety of Scripture, is that the devil is an angel. At one time he was the highest archangel, in fact. Created
by God to be beautiful and very, very powerful, the devil, or Morning Star, (Isa. 14:12) seems to have been enamored by his
own strength and position. According to Ezekiel 28 he exercised his free will
and sinned against God. This rebellion was met head on by the Lord and the devil,
Satan, was cast out of Heaven. Now, Ezekiel 28 has been criticized in that it
literally is talking about “the king of Tyre”. But the prophet, writing
under the guide of the Holy Spirit, seems to be talking about more than this real government figure. Many things attributed to the literal king do not fit, such as “you
were in Eden, the garden of God” (Eze. 28:13) etc. By the context it
seems that the whole chapter is talking about another being, symbolic of the king of Tyre – and that would be the devil
himself. So, many scholars believe the devil was a created angel that fell away
and rebelled against God. We learn from II Peter 2:4 that angels can and do sin. So, what is the penalty of sin for these beings?
The Christmas story related to us in Revelation
12 seems to answer that question. The account shows the devil, characterized
as the Dragon, waiting for the virgin to give birth. He waits to destroy the
child and make war against Him. The reason he is there waiting is found a little
earlier in Rev. 12:7-12, “And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven.
The great dragon was hurled down – that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world
astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.” So once again we see that there seems to have been a rebellion at some point in the
past and the devil and other angels were banished only to find others of God’s creation – us – and make
war against us. “But woe to the
earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with
fury, because he knows that his time is short.” (Rev. 12:12)
It seems that the devil has made it his goal
to fight against what he cannot have – Godhood. Like a spoiler team in
the NFL as the playoffs approach, the devil knows he isn’t going to win, but he can at least take down someone else
who is trying. Scripture again makes it abundantly clear that he is evil and
sinful. “…the devil has been
sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy
the devil’s work.” (I John 3:7)
Jesus, in His accusation again false teachers declares, “You belong to
your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He
was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him.
When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44) He wants to be worshipped and put above God. He will even use his deceptive powers to make it look like a good choice. II Cor. 11:14 says, “…Satan himself masquerades as an
angel of light.” He wants to look good.
Again, this is a good reason not to fall prey to angel worship. For I
Peter 5:8 warns, “Be self-controlled and alert.
Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” Why is he our enemy? Because we are created in the image of
God and are a people of free will also. We have the ability to come into a saving
relationship with the Father by our choices. Since Jesus came to “destroy the devil’s work” we have the opportunity to be saved from death – and with death
the punishment of Hell. Therefore, the devil seeks to destroy us – especially
those of the household of God.
How he goes about achieving his goal is not fully
understood by most men. Ephesians declares “we
are not ignorant of the devil’s schemes”, but I, for one, am often unaware of the tactics he uses against
me at the time. His power should be respected and feared. Even the other “non-fallen” angels that act as his combatants respect it. There is reference of spiritual warfare between angels and demons (fallen angels) in the Old and New Testament
alike. (see above and Daniel 10) And Jude 1:9 states, “But even the archangel
Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against
him, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you!’” The passage goes
on to warn us not to “speak abusively” about things we do not fully
understand. Yet, despite his power and cunning, we need to remember his is still
subject to God. God allows the world to continue in hopes that more will be saved. Any doubt about God authority should be cleared up by reading the account found in
I Kings 18. This is literally a showdown between the prophets of Baal (a
false god that served as a mask for the devil) and the prophet of God at Carmel. Read
it. God impressively demonstrates who’s in charge.
So what will be the fate of this rebellious,
sinful angel – the devil? Well, again, we look to Scripture. The angst between Good and Evil in some religions will never be resolved.
There will be an eternal struggle for power or there will be a repeated cycle of events – sometimes Good is winning
and sometimes Evil. However, with God, the Sovereign King in charge, this is
never the case. Make no mistake, God is in control, has been in control, and
will remain in control of the fate of the universe. He isn’t wondering
what He’s going to do. His Son made reference to the ultimate fate in Matt.
25:41, “Then He (God) will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from me, you
who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’”
The final book of the Bible underscores the message. “And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false
prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” (Rev. 20:10) Get the picture? The devil will be “thrown” into Hell.
He will not go willingly. He does not want to be there. He will not rule in Hell. In fact, it is the last place in
the universe he’d like to be. For that will spell the final and unalterable
defeat of this being who raised himself up against God and has done so much to so many for so long in order to defeat Him
who is unassailable. Our God reigns – eternally.
Myth busted!
Standing firm with you,
Evan
|
