THAT OLD SERPENT CALLED THE DEVIL AND SATAN

by Barry.c.Hodson

"THE DEVIL" /"DEMONS" / "SPIRITUALISM" .

There are many references in the Bible to the devil and Satan, and they make it clear that a very real force is involved which tempts and induces people to think and act contrary to the will and way of God. No one claiming to be a Christian would doubt or question this.

What is questionable however, is the origin, nature and identity of the devil, and there is a need in many circles for an open and deeper investigation into this aspect of the subject.

For centuries the church has taught that the devil is a fallen angel, and therefore a supernatural being. On the basis of certain Scriptures, it is believed that his name is Lucifer or Beelzebub, and that he was originally perfect and of very high rank - an archangel. But, due to pride, he sinned by rebelling against God, resulting in being cast out of heaven to earth with one third of God’s angels who supported his rebellion. Since that time, these rebel angels have been roaming the earth using their power to influence people against God, commencing at the very beginning of human history by using a serpent to bring about the fall of man.

Unfortunately, a careful and more critical analysis of the foundation verses used to support this view, reveals they have been taken out of context and misapplied. There is, in fact, as shall be pointed out, no foundation for this particular concept of the devil.

This does not mean, of course, that there is no devil. No! All it means is that the origin, nature and identity of the devil is different from what has been thought. But, this difference does not alter or diminish the evil influence which proceeds from the enemy! In fact, it brings him closer to home and requires us to be more on guard against him!

In any warfare, it is important to know who the enemy is and be able to identify him. For this reason it is of fundamental importance to have a correct concept of the devil. The fundamental nature of the doctrine is particularly evident in the fact that the main mission of Christ’s sacrifice was to destroy the devil (Heb. 2:14). A false concept of the devil therefore, inevitably leads to false concepts on the nature and sacrifice of Christ.

In view of this, the doctrine of the devil is clearly not a trivial or unimportant matter, and an investigation of it could hardly be regarded as a fruitless academic exercise.

In presenting another view of the devil, it would be good to be able to launch straight into a positive explanation of it, without reference to the traditional view. However, those who hold to the traditional view will naturally react, saying, "What about the angels that sinned, Lucifer, the anointed cherub, the great red dragon, and the serpent etc.?" The ground therefore needs to be cleared first by addressing those issues. The first few chapters will therefore relate to those foundation verses upon which the traditional view has been based, showing how they have been taken out of context and misapplied.