Is Satan an Angel?

Does Isaiah 14:12 and Revelation 9:11 Imply the Devil was an Angel?

How do the passages Isaiah 14:12 and Revelation 9:11 affect the answer you gave about Satan being a fallen angel? Please explain what Isaiah 14:12-17 is referring to. What does verse 12 mean when it says, “O, Lucifer, son of the morning?”

Isaiah 14:12 reads in the King James Version, “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!” Many have taken the word “Lucifer” to refer to Satan. In fact, our modern culture accepts this word as being synonymous with Satan. Modern culture, however, should not be our standard for applying definitions to the Bible. If one were to look in a dictionary regarding the word “baptism” a number of things would show up. No doubt among those things would be sprinkling and pouring of water onto someone’s head. Should we accept this modern definition for baptism and insert it into the Biblical text? Absolutely not. We find by studying the Bible that baptism is a burial (Romans 6:4) and that therefore we must be immersed in water to be properly baptized. The same is true here. Just because modern society accepts the word Lucifer to refer to Satan does not necessarily mean that this passage is referring to Satan. In contrast to the KJV, the American Standard Version reads, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O day-star, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, that didst lay low the nations!” You may have noticed that in the ASV the same word that is translated “Lucifer” in the KJV, is translated “day-star.” This is the better translation of the Hebrew word and you will find that most modern day translations use this same phrase to translate the word.

You may be wondering where the idea of Lucifer as Satan first got started. Well, according to Smith’s Bible dictionary, Jerome first taught this. Jerome lived from 331 A.D. to about 420 A.D. He was best known for his work in translating the Old and New Testaments from Greek and Hebrew into Latin. This became known as the Latin Vulgate. It was completed in 405 A.D. The Latin Vulgate was the predominant translation used from this time well into the second millennium. It was not until the reformation when the Bible was translated into other languages (such as English and German) that the Latin Vulgate lost its popularity. But the Latin Vulgate was still influential in these translations. The King James Version was not immune to its influence and the King James translators chose to use the Latin word here for their translation. This reflected the doctrine that Jerome taught regarding Satan. That is how we got the word “Lucifer” in the King James Version of the Bible. But was Jerome’s understanding of this verse correct?

There is really no indication in the context of this verse that Isaiah is speaking historically about anyone except about whom he specifically identifies. Notice in Isaiah 14:3, 4. “And it shall come to pass in the day that the LORD shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve, that thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased!” Isaiah specifically says that this passage is referring to the eventual destruction of the King of Babylon. In other words, this is a prophesy regarding the fall of the King of Babylon. The prophecy is couched in proverbial language (as Isaiah specifically says). This is language that is figurative in nature. Why should we take it to refer to anything else other than this man? Considering that the person about whom it is speaking is specifically mentioned and considering that this passage is full of figurative language, there is no compelling reason to believe that Isaiah was speaking about anyone except the King of Babylon. Now, this certainly does not mean that Satan does not share these same attitudes. In fact, there is no doubt that when sin is involved Satan is behind it. However, that is quite a different thing from saying that this passage refers to the history of Satan and his aboriginal relationship with God.

The word “Lucifer” merely means in this passage, “morning star” or “day-star.” This was a common name given to ancient kings to honor their position of power in the world. History records that this appellation was used not only in the Babylonian kingdom as Isaiah records here, but also in reference to other ancient kings as well. It would have been consistent, in his historical setting, for Isaiah to use this term to refer to the king of Babylon, as others would clearly understand to whom he was referring.

The second passage that the question poses is Revelation 9:11. This verse reads, “And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.” The Hebrew word Abaddon and the Greek word Apollyon both mean “the destroyer.” The king of this passage is in reference to the king of locusts that were released at the sounding of the trumpet of the fifth angel in 9:1. In this verse we read, “And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.” Is this “star” that fell the same one as the king of the locusts? Well, I will admit that it is possible, but the context is so highly figurative that it is difficult to come to any specific conclusions about which individual this specifically is and to what all these locusts are referring. The Bible says that many angels fell due to sin (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6). What would make us think that this king is not one of them? Is it possible that this passage could be talking about Satan? I will admit that it is possible. However, the question that we need to ask is: “Is it conclusive?” I just don’t think that it is conclusive.

So I don’t think that these passages change my answer in regard to what I said about the Bible teaching that Satan was once an angel. No Bible passage conclusively says that Satan was once an angel. Was Satan a created being? Yes, he was. Was he fallen from grace? Yes, he fell from grace. Was he specifically an angel that had fallen from grace? The Bible just does not specifically say whether he was an angel or not. I will readily admit the possibility of that being true. But for us to dogmatically say that this is the case is to go beyond the evidence that is presented within the text.

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Personal Savior?

Do You Know the Lord…?

There is a phrase, most often used in a question form, to describe one’s relationship to the Lord and one’s salvation. It is not uncommon for individuals to ask others, “Do you know the Lord as your personal Savior?” There is nothing wrong with this phrase, but it can so easily be used in a way vastly different from the way the Bible uses it.

The concept of a personal savior does not reside in emotion, but in obedience to the Truth.

The concept of a personal savior does not reside in emotion, but in obedience to the Truth.

The correct answer to this question is not to be found by looking internally and then telling others about the emotional ties we have to Jesus. Such an approach is clothed in subjectivity. Take the most radical aspect of “Christianity” in our land and ask a devotee to that religion if he feels a closeness to Jesus. Ask him if he “knows the Lord as a personal Savior.” Because of the teaching he has found in what might be called radical “Christendom” his affirmative answer would be quickly rejected by many.

So, how do you decide if you know the Lord? The apostle John answers this in one brief sentence. “He who says I know Him and does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1 John 2:4). The question, “Do you know the Lord,” is not answered by looking inwardly and then verbalizing a subjective feeling which comes from one’s personal religious background. It comes by looking at the Bible and then at how devoted one is to obeying the Lord. The God-given answer is not found on one’s lips, but in one’s life.

What is amazing is how much “political incorrectness” God then uses in this verse. The Holy Spirit of God makes it so clear. That individual who minimizes obedience to God while at the same time claiming that he knows the Lord as his personal Savior is a liar. God said that man is a liar!

How does all of this confusion come about in our day? Consider the preaching of Peter on Pentecost. He told the Jews, “…God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36). There are two aspects of deity in this verse. Jesus is both Lord and Christ.

Many today readily “accept Jesus as a personal Savior” but very few “accept Jesus as a personal Lord.” The acceptance of Jesus as Lord results in obedience to all that He asks of us. Those who asked what they should do because they had crucified the Son of God were told to repent and be baptized in the name of the Jesus Christ. The expression “in the name of Jesus” means by His authority. It is not enough to want Jesus to be our Savior, we must also make Him our Savior.

Do you know Jesus as your personal Savior? Do not answer this just with words. The real answer is not found in your lips, but in your life! Let Him be Lord of all of your life!

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Competitive Spirit

Do You WANT My Marriage and Children to Fail?

We have all heard the news within our church families—someone’s marriage is on the rocks. Or maybe a Christian couple’s child got addicted to drugs or pornography. It has been said that, “bad news travels fast.” Not only does it travel fast, but it often gets repeated over and over, as Christians share the shocking news with one another. The phone rings and the person on the other end of the line quietly says, “So, I guess you heard about….”

We should not be competitive with our brother, but our former self.

We should not be competitive with our brother, but our former self.

Most Christians know what the Bible says about gossip (Ephesians 4:29; Proverbs 16:28; James 4:11). And yet, the news continues to be passed along by Christians who justify their actions as “truth telling” or just conveying news. In our competitive world it feels as though there may be something else that is subtly being said when the bad news is delivered: “I’m so thankful it was them and not me.” It’s almost like some relish in the bad news—pridefully sticking their chest out all the while looking down their nose at those whose lives have been turned upside down.

When did we start viewing Christianity as a competition? Stop and think about it a moment—do we view getting into heaven a competition with other Christians? When did we start silently wanting other’s children to fail so that our own children would look more righteous? When did we start secretly hoping others would stumble in their Christian race so that we could emerge the victor? When did we decide that our righteousness was based on other men rather than Christ?

There are multiple problems with what’s going on, but allow me to focus your attention on three specific problems:

  1. This competitive mindset is feeding the concept of “works righteousness.” Deep down many people lean towards “works righteousness”—the idea that they play a role in their own salvation. They think as long as they do more or appear better than others, then their salvation is safe. Friends, if you could accomplish the righteousness that God requires in-and-of yourself, you would have been the one hanging on the cross, not Jesus.
  2. This competitive spirit is not what we find among First Century Christians. In Acts 2:44-47 Luke wrote, “Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.” These were individuals who were looking out for one another—not competing against them.
  3. This competitive spirit often means those who hurting never get the help they truly need. A marriage rocked by an affair is talked about—but not nurtured back to the covenant they made before God. A teen addicted to drugs is looked down on, but rarely helped by other members of the church. We have stopped offering help, and instead we offer judgment. Maybe this explains why Christians are reluctant to come forward and ask for prayers. Jesus said, “Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12).

This competitive spirit may also explain why New Testament Christians are not as eager to reach out to the lost. After all—we view everyone else trying to get to heaven as competition. Thus, if we convert others then that may jeopardize our “spot” in heaven. And so, instead of rolling up our sleeves and getting our hands dirty, we just gather on Sunday morning and compare our sins against the sins of others, secretly hoping their sins are worse.

Ask yourself honestly:

  1. Do you take pleasure when you hear of someone else’s marriage being troubled? Are you quick to pass along the “bad news”?
  2. Do you inwardly relish when you discover other people’s children have fallen off the narrow path? Are you quick to pass judgment?
  3. Do you gain some satisfaction when someone’s “secret sin” becomes public knowledge? Do you find yourself thinking you are better than them, and your sins are not as “big” as theirs?

Friends, it should not be this way. Paul admonished, “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:1-3). They body of Christ should not be competing with one another.

I’ve seen this in congregations who act as though they are superior to other congregations. I’ve seen it in preachers who silently believe they are competing with other preachers. I’ve even seen it with “works” of the church who believe they are competing with other “works”—taking shots at one another through articles or social media. Rather than viewing one another as separate lighthouses—both providing light to a dark world—these competitive works view outreach as a competitive ground where one should be eliminated, castigated, or not funded.

My fear is that rather than having Jesus and His Word in our hearts we have replaced it with a competitive worldly spirit. I fear there really are individuals who would like to see my marriage fail or my children fall away—simply so they could feed their prideful spirits and tell themselves they are better “candidates” for heaven. Jesus’ disciples had a competitive spirit, and they were rebuked for it: “Then He came to Capernaum. And when He was in the house He asked them, ‘What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?’ But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest. And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, ‘If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all’” (Mark 9:33-35).

When Jesus was asked who was the greatest He took a little child and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3-4). Jesus is more worried about our character rather than our competition. It is my prayer that we can put away the competitions and truly encourage one another. The next time you receive a call and someone says, ““So, I guess you heard about…” I hope you will use that opportunity to say, “I wonder what Jesus would have us do to help them heal?” Isn’t it time we unify His body? Isn’t it time we helped one another. Isn’t it time we demonstrated God’s love?

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The Zeal of Phinehas

The Zeal of Phinehas

The New Testament, the law of God which applies to us today (Heb. 8:7-13), tells us that the Old Testament still has much value for the Christian.  The accounts of what happened to the Israelites provide instruction, admonition, encouragement, hope, and an example to us today (Rom. 15:4; 1 Cor. 10:1-11).  Therefore, it is proper for modern seekers of God to study the Old Testament, because through it we can find out a lot about how our Creator looks at things.

Do we have the zeal of Phinehas in our life?

Do we have the zeal of Phinehas in our life?

For example, consider Phinehas (Num. 25:6-13), a little known man in the Old Testament who lived during the time of Moses.  While the Jews were wandering in the wilderness, one of them brought a foreign woman into the camp in front of everyone, presumably either to marry her or to fornicate with her.  While the idea of marrying a foreigner may seem trivial to us today – possibly due to the New Testament giving no prohibition between races (Gal. 3:28) – it was a sin under Old Testament law (Ex. 34:11-16; Deut. 7:3-4).  Phinehas apparently recognized this and was very upset that one of his Jewish brothers would so blatantly disobey his God, and so he picked up a spear, went into the man’s chamber, and killed both him and the woman.  As a result, God took away the plague he had thrown upon Israel, and even praised the actions of Phinehas.

What lessons can we learn from this?  First, let me make it clear that I am not advocating killing someone whom you see blatantly disobeying God’s Word.  While the Old Testament allowed that (Josh. 7) due to being the lawbook of a singular theocratic nation, the New Testament – the lawbook of Christians of all nations – tells us to deal with sinners among our brethren in a firm but non-violent way (Matt. 18:15-17; Rom. 16:17-18; 1 Cor. 5; Eph. 5:11; 2 Thess. 3:6, 14-15; 2 John 9-11).  Under the New Testament, only the various secular governments have the authority from God to use capital punishment to punish evildoers (Rom. 13:1-4), and anyone – including Christians – who would purposely take a man’s life outside of governmental parameters would be guilty of sin (Gal. 5:19-21).

That said, what I would like us to consider is the zeal Phinehas must have possessed in order to do such a thing as take a man’s life because that man was sinning against God.  We need to remember that Phinehas was putting his own life in danger by going into that man’s tent and attacking him.  The man could have defended himself and maybe even taken Phinehas’ own life.  Yet, Phinehas cared so much about God’s Word being obeyed that he would not allow sin to be in his presence for one minute…and God praised him for that attitude.

Do we have that attitude?  Do we hate sin that much?  When someone tells a dirty joke or uses foul language in your presence, do you have enough zeal for God to politely ask them to stop?  If your friends are involved in fornication, do you care enough about God and them to tell them that what they are doing is wrong?  Or do you look the other way and maybe even join in so that they won’t think you’re weird?  If that’s the case, where’s your zeal for God?  More importantly, where is God’s approval for you?

I hope we all can have Phinehas’ zeal for standing up for what is right in the sight of God.  It’s something to think about, and a goal for us to have.

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Funerals

Funerals

Funerals. Memorial Services. Call them whatever you’d like. Since my wife and I arrived in the sleepy, rural little town of Cleveland, Oklahoma, in the spring of 2009 to serve the Lord’s people as the preacher and his wife, I have been called upon to conduct some 19 of them, with countless others occurring in and amongst the lives of the congregation members, their family, and friends. Everyone from former preachers, to faithful members, to those who have never set soul in services have passed over that period – young and old, male and female, saint and sinner alike – many have passed on. Some died suddenly and unexpectedly, while others suffered long and unbelievably.

What will they say about you during your funeral?

What will they say about you during your funeral?

One thing that they all had in common was an obituary; a very short biographical sketch of the individual and how they had spent their brief time of life on earth before passing to the next phase of their eternal existence. Often included in such, were where they were born, attended school, and chose to live; whom they married, a record of their relatives, and the activities they enjoyed. Many other elements and decisions they made during their earthly lives might also be brought to remembrance in their obituaries, such as possible time spent in the armed forces, pursuit and acquisition of higher education, their preferred or performed occupation, and/or many other possible and potentially life-altering earthly choices – perhaps even what led to their departure from this plane of their personal existence in the first place.

But then, at the end of the memorial service, what usually becomes of those funeral flyers with that person’s entire record of their life-long likes, pursuits, and priorities printed on them? Ultimately, even though they may in some cases be saved for a day or two, they will eventually and inevitably get thrown into the trash – some sooner, some later, but they will all surely suffer the same fate. The printed record of every priority that person had, pursued, and/or held dear as treasured and precious during their brief time here, will join their entire stash of gathered possessions that the family will be forced to filter through and for the most part, discard out of hand. While this might sound cold and harsh to some – and while I do not mean to alienate or offend – it is the cold, hard, harsh, life and death reality of this entire, and yet fleeting, earthly existence. You really “can’t take it with you when you go.” And we know that. But then, knowing that, why do so many people, waste so much of their very brief but precious earthly time, pursuing so many pointless things which simply cannot, do not, and will not profit them when their last breath is taken and their own obituary is written? Jesus told the story of just such one individual in Lk. 12:15-21:

And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ‘But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

 Numbers don’t lie. To determine what are actually the top and most precious priorities in your present earthly existence, simply add up the amount of time, energy, effort and resources you are devoting to the acquisition of, or involvement in, them. And then ask yourself, “Do these numbers truly reflect that I love the Lord my God with ALL my heart, and with ALL my soul, and with ALL my strength, and with ALL my might; and that in my earthly life, Christ has the absolute and top priority and pre-eminence in and over everything else (Mk. 12:30; Lk. 10:27; Col. 1:15-23) …or not?”

Because you see, when the day comes that you take your last earthly breath and your own obituary is written, the one person in the entire universe which all of those life-long earthly pursuits, pleasures, priorities and elements – other than seeking and spending time with the Lord your God that is – contained in that obituary are going to mean the absolute least to – are going to mean far less to than even the people that arbitrarily discard that funeral flyer before they ever leave the building – is YOU. That’s right – YOU! The person who spent – yea wasted if I may be so bold – their entire earthly life in pursuit of things that do not, cannot, and did not profit, and who must now face the almighty and all-knowing God whom they neglected to get to know and develop the deepest and most personal, intimate spiritual relationship possible with; and Whom they minimized, marginalized, disobeyed, disavowed, and sought to distance themselves from by pursuing earthly pleasure and treasure with every breath He so lovingly gave them, while discarding the heavenly gift of eternal life He died to give them at the cross!!!

How will your obituary read? What will it reveal about you? It really doesn’t matter; nor will it to you whatsoever when it is read – that part and portion of your life will be through. And so, the better question by far is the only one that WILL Matter: Will God really find and read your name, on that final day, in His family album, known as the “Book of Life” (Gal. 3:26-27; Rev. 2:10, 20:10-15) …or will your eternal soul wind up as duly discarded as an earthly funeral flyer, only in a lake of eternally burning fire? That depends on what you do with each day of the life He gave you here, doesn’t it?

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