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Millions
joke about the devil. Famous comedian Flip Wilson's "The devil
made me do it" made his audiences laugh. We have "devil's
food cake"; "The devil's Punch Bowl," a geological
phenomenon; "The Red devils," a college sports team, and
a common expression, "Up jumped the devil." All of this
pre-supposes the existence of a devil. But is there a devil? If
so, where did he come from? Did God create a devil to tempt us?
Here is the truth about Satan; his origin, his present evil work,
and his ultimate fate.
"I
beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven," said Jesus Christ
(Luke 10:18). Did He really? Was there a time when Satan was in
heaven, but "fell" from his position of power? Was Jesus
Christ there to see it?
He
said so. Either He was there when Satan was cast down from
heaven, or you cannot believe Christ, or your Bible! Like so many
other enigmatic scriptures, this statement of Jesus Christ stands
or falls depending on the veracity of the Bible itself. Since the
Bible IS the divinely-inspired word of God, and since Christ Himself
is called the "Word" of God, or the "Spokesman"
who did the creating (John 1:1-14), this means that the One of the
Divine Family called Elohim who became Jesus Christ was THERE,
in person, at the moment when Satan was hurled down to this earth
from heaven! Not only does this prove the pre-human existence of
Jesus Christ, but it also proves there is a devil, called
"Satan," which means "adversary" alive on this
earth!
People
revel in all things devilish! Hallowe'en, with its demons, witches,
goblins, jack-o'-lanterns, black cats, skeletons, and themes of
demon possession and death are a yearly reminder of how millions
of otherwise nominal "Christians" love to pretend that
things connected to the devil are "cute," or "funny,"
or "scary, but fun!"
Hundreds
of television shows and motion pictures glorify evil. Films like
"The Exorcist" and many more of the same kind are huge
box office successes. Let Hollywood produce films showing chain
saw murders or blood-dripping vampires, and the millions flock to
pay their money. But movies about solid family values, or about
conversion and baptism? Such are not only virtually non-existent,
but would be a horrible flop financially.
Everyone
knows there is a devil. Always the great masquerader; the great
pretender, Satan has managed to deceive people into believing he
is merely a capricious imp dressed in a red body stocking, with
a barbed tail, little horns and a trident — not, instead, an evil
spirit who seeks the death and destruction of the human race and
the overthrow of God Himself!
Repeatedly,
your Bible warns about Satan the devil. Peter wrote, "Be sober,
be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring
lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
"Whom
resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions
are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world" (I
Peter 5:8, 9). God's people are not to joke, party, cavort, and
pretend that the devil is merely "fun." If you were in
the deepest part of the Serengeti wilderness in Africa, alone at
night, and heard a stalking, hungry lion roaring nearby, you would
hardly think it funny!
So thorough
are Satan's deceits he has hoodwinked millions of those who THINK
they are Christians, but who are, instead, very much a part of this
present world. Paul wrote, "...if our gospel be hid, it is
hid to them that are lost:
"In
whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them
which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ,
who is the image of God, should shine unto them" (II Corinthians
4:4). How shocking! Your Bible says the GOD OF THIS WORLD is NOT
the true God, but a false god who is Satan the devil!
It would
be astonishing to hundreds of millions of believers in hundreds
of different religions to discover they were not worshiping the
true God at all, but a counterfeit religion, inspired by
Satan! The most astonished among them all would be millions of professing
Christians who THINK they believe what is written in the Bible,
but who have been deceived into believing, in many cases, the exact
opposite of what the Bible actually says.
Not only
did Paul call the devil "the god of this world," he also
said he is "...the prince of the power of the air,
the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience"
(Ephesians 2:2). Satan is called the "accuser of the
brethren"; the deceiver of all nations; the tempter;
and is characterized by a serpent, a dragon, and the very embodiment
of all evil.
But if
God is LOVE, and if God wants all men to be saved, then WHY does
God allow the devil to deceive the world? WHY does God allow the
devil to tempt mankind? Did God place the devil here on earth?
The Perfect Original Creation
In
order to understand where the devil came from, when he had originally
been a brilliant, beautiful archangel, you must understand what
your Bible says about the time long before Adam; the time which
the Bible calls "the beginning." Most believe the place
to read about the "beginning" is found in Genesis, which
means "beginning." Open your Bible to its first page.
"In
the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
"And
the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the
face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the
waters.
"And
God said, Let there be light: and there was light" (Genesis
1:1-3).
Remember,
the Bible was not written in English. All the modern languages of
Europe; including French, German, Italian, Spanish, and the languages
of Scandinavia and of the United States and Britain gradually developed
over many centuries, long after the time of Christ.
The Old
Testament was written primarily in Hebrew. The original Hebrew word
for "God" is Elohim. Elohim is a PLURAL
word, meaning more than one. It is like the words "family,"
"group," or "assembly." Notice the proof in
Genesis: "And God said, Let us make man in our
image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over
the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the
cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that
creepeth upon the earth.
"So
God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he
him; male and female created he them" (Genesis 1:26, 27).
Notice
that when Elohim came down to view the earth, they saw that
it was "without form, and void," or, "vain, waste,
chaotic." The Hebrew words are tohu va bohu, which mean
vain, empty, and in confusion. The word "was" in the original
Hebrew should read became.
The same
word is used in Genesis 2:7; 4:3; 9:15, and in Exodus 32:1. It is
rendered became or "has become." The expression
"And the earth was without form, and void," should read
"And the earth BECAME without form, and void." Notice
the proof in your own Bible: "For thus saith the LORD [JHVH,
"The Eternal" in covenant relationship with Israel] that
created the heavens; God [Elohim, meaning more than one]
himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it,
he created it not in vain [Hebrew: tohu], he
formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else"
(Isaiah 45:18). Since He created it NOT tohu and yet the
creation account says it was tohu when God looked down upon
it, that means it BECAME tohu or empty, chaotic and waste
prior to the time of the recreation of the surface of the earth,
and the creation of life, revealed in Genesis 1.
There was
a much earlier, PERFECT creation! When you and I are ushered upon
the scene by the book of Genesis, we see a planet totally covered
with water; stygian blackness hid heaving seas. There were no continents
visible; no living creatures whatsoever. How did the earth come
to be in such confusion? Why was it empty of life, chaotic,
covered with thick clouds, with no light penetrating to the surface?
The Bible itself proves that God, called Elohim, began the
REcreation of the earth; commanding that the clouds be parted so
that sunlight could penetrate; commanding the continental land masses
to rise above the seas; the tectonic plates heaving and groaning,
mammoth forces gouging out great river gorges, creating bays and
estuaries, forming huge rivers, and creating thousands of islands.
Some have assumed that the earth is only about 6,000 years old.
Ignorant men, many hundreds of years ago, even assumed God had "tricked"
geologists by "planting" fake "evidence" of
fossil life in the rocks. Not knowing the truth revealed in the
Bible about a much earlier perfect creation, and ignorant
of how the devil came to be, they falsely assumed the earth to be
much younger than it really is.
One religious
denomination accepted this folly, alleging that the fossils (there
are billions of them, of thousands of species) were "created"
AS FOSSILS, and did not truly represent an earlier creation. This
has been rendered foolish by modern geology, and by radio carbon
dating. This earth could easily be four or five billion years old,
or even older.
The account
in Genesis of the creation of the great whales, all green trees
and herbs, and man himself, is an account of the reforming
of the earth after a much earlier perfect creation, and a
subsequent massive destruction! It is very possible that the age
of the dinosaurs actually predated mankind by millions or even billions
of years! Contrary to some opinions, the earth as we know it, with
its vast coal beds and oil deposits; its continents and oceans,
was not created by divine fiat only a mere six thousand years ago,
but was created many billions of years earlier.
Now, notice
an even earlier account of creation than Genesis, which can be found
in your Bible: "In the beginning was the Word [Greek: Logos,
meaning "Spokesman"], and the Word was with God [Greek:
Theos a plural word, synonymous with Elohim in the
Hebrew], and the Word was God [the Logos was Theos].
"The
same was in the beginning with God.
"All
things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made
that was made.
"In
him was life; and the life was the light of men.
"And
the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it
not.
"There
was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
"The
same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all
men through him might believe.
"He
was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
"That
was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the
world.
"He
was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the
world knew him not.
"He
came unto his own [the Jewish race], and his own received him not.
"But
as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons
of God, even to them that believe on his name" (John 1:1-12).
This obvious
reference to Jesus Christ of Nazareth proves that the One who became
Christ was the CREATOR of all that is. Not that He was SOLE creator,
but He was the Divine SPOKESMAN who said, "Let there be light
— let the dry land appear — let US make man in OUR image!"
Notice further proof: "God [Theos, meaning more than
one], who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past
unto the fathers by the prophets,
"Hath
in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed
heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
"Who
being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his
person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when
he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of
the Majesty on high" (Hebrews 1:1-3). The creating AGENT was
the Logos of Theos who became Jesus Christ, born of
the virgin Mary!
If the
churches of this world of nominal Christianity would admit just
this one wonderful truth, they would have to abandon many of their
most cherished doctrines! For an example, since Jesus Christ is
the Logos who WROTE THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, and since He says
"I change not," and since the Bible says, "Jesus
Christ the SAME yesterday, today, and forever" (Hebrews 13:8),
then obviously Christ did not come to do away with His laws!
As you
read in Isaiah 45:18, the original creation was NOT tohu
and bohu, or empty, chaotic, and vain! Instead, it was created
to be inhabited! And it WAS inhabited! But by WHOM?
Lucifer's Beautiful Kingdom
There are
only three archangels named in the Bible; Lucifer, Michael, and
Gabriel.
Each one
was given authority over one third of all the countless millions
of angels which have been created by God.
When the
earth was first created, perhaps five billion years ago, the archangel
Lucifer was given sole government over the earth. His name meant
"light bringer," or "shining star of the dawn."
The meaning of the name carries no connotation of evil, or of fire.
Yet, in the American frontier, matches were commonly called "Lucifers,"
because the name of Lucifer was connected to the fanciful (and pagan)
doctrine of an "ever-burning hell fire."
Notice
the description of Lucifer's kingdom: "...Thus saith the Lord
GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect
in beauty.
"Thou
hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy
covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx,
and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and
gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared
in thee in the day that thou wast created.
"Thou
art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou
wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down
in the midst of the stones of fire.
"Thou
wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created,
till iniquity [sin! lawlessness!] was found in thee.
"By
the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee
with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee
as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee,
O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.
"Thine
heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy
wisdom by reason of thy brightness..." (Ezekiel 28:12-17).
Here, the King of Tyre is a type of Satan the devil. The
expression "by the multitude of thy merchandise" means
"by the abundance of your merchandising, or trafficking,"
or going about as a "salesman," with a spiel of sedition
and rebellion. In the beginning, Lucifer was perfect in beauty;
brilliant of mind, a bright, shining, powerful archangel, with access
to the very throne of God.
When the
mercy seat of the ancient Ark of the Covenant was built, it was
to be overshadowed by two cherubim; powerful angelic creatures
who stand by the throne of God. Lucifer was called one of the "covering
cherubs" in Ezekiel's account.
Over perhaps
millions of years, Lucifer went about as a "salesman,"
trafficking in his arguments against God. As he wallowed in narcissistic
self-pity, lusting for all power; lusting after God's own throne,
and dissatisfied with his lesser, yet great role as world ruler,
Lucifer convinced all the millions of angels under his charge to
follow him in rebellion against God!
In this
passage is contained the KEY to understanding where the devil came
from! Obviously, God created this great archangel with FREE MORAL
AGENCY! He was not an "automaton," going about zombie-like
in mindless obedience to God. Instead, he was able to think, reason,
and plan. He had the power of volution; of conscience. He could
make daily choices, just as we can.
Notice
Isaiah's account of Lucifer's rebellion: "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!
"For
thou hast said in thine heart [his innermost being -- his private
thoughts], I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above
the stars [other angels] of God: I will sit also upon the mount
of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
"I
will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the
most High.
"Yet
thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit"
(Isaiah 14:12-15). Here, the thoughts of Lucifer's mind are revealed.
He had a secret agenda! He coveted God's throne! He became bitter,
angry, jealous; he desired it all! He began resenting God's position!
He told himself he was more beautiful, more gifted, more talented,
more deserving than God! Who knows how many thousands, or even millions
of years passed as Lucifer wheedled, whined, argued, reasoned, talked,
and sought to influence the minds of all the angels under him?
This whole
world was like a beautiful Garden of Eden! Most likely, it was populated
with billions of creatures — a pre-Adamic world of original beauty,
but one which became wholly corrupted!
Geologists
know there were mammoth catastrophes in the past; gargantuan upheavals
of the rocks, huge floods, glaciers, earthquakes, volcanic explosions,
and even meteors, impacting the earth. A current theory for the
sudden disappearance of the dinosaurs is that a huge meteor smashed
into the earth, so enshrouding it with dust and debris that the
sun was blotted out, and all life died suddenly.
For centuries,
geologists have puzzled over the "sudden die out" of the
dinosaurs and other creatures who walked this earth perhaps billions
of years ago. Our coal and oil deposits are "fossil fuel,"
proof of a lush, verdant, richly-inhabited world of long ago which
was BURIED by sudden catastrophes of unimaginable proportion!
Since Lucifer
was corrupting his angelic companions, did he also corrupt the animals
of the earth? Could he have caused the earth to become overrun with
huge carnivores, who were preying on other species? Why, since Lucifer
is pictured as a "serpent," and a "dragon" in
the Bible, were so many of the dinosaurs possessed of serpentine
heads, and dragon-like bodies?
Did God
endow Lucifer with limited creative powers? Probably not, but yet,
IF Lucifer's angels possessed animals, and if such possession caused
not only "selective breeding" among the dinosaurs, but
the increasing tendency for death and destruction (i.e., becoming
flesh eaters rather than herbivores), such a scenario would perhaps
answer a few questions.
Probably,
the answers to these and other like questions will not be given
until the Kingdom of God is established on this earth, and God reveals
to human minds the mysteries of the billions of years prior to Adam's
creation. However, certain clues give indications. For one thing,
God IS NOT THE AUTHOR OF CONFUSION (I Corinthians 14:33). Yet, the
world was in total confusion; the continents sunken beneath raging
seas; thick, impenetrable clouds blotting out the sun, when the
creation week, which was the REforming, the REcreation of the earth,
took place.
It is futile
to attempt to know the unknowable, so exactly how the dinosaurs
died, and, more importantly, WHY, may remain a mystery. One thing
is sure, that pre-Adamic creation, which may have existed on earth
for billions of years, was destroyed; BURIED, in some cases
suddenly, and forms the huge reservoirs of crude oil, and
the vast coal deposits which lie beneath the rocks today. For centuries,
mankind has utilized these fossil fuels for his machines.
The Original "STAR WARS"
Finally,
after a vast period of time, Lucifer was ready. Having now completely
convinced his angels that they should follow him in his war against
God, he attempted to mount up a huge angelic army, and overthrow
God!
Probably,
he convinced himself that Michael and Gabriel would also follow
him. He was doomed to bitter disappointment.
Notice,
"And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels
fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
"And
prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
"And
the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the devil,
and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into
the earth, and his angels were cast out with him" (Revelation
12:7-9). Actually, this prophecy concerns a yet FUTURE attempt by
Satan and his demons to conquer God! The time setting is after
the birth of Christ (Revelation 12:4), and at the time of the "Great
Tribulation" to come upon God's people, the House of Israel
and the House of Judah.
Remember,
Jesus Christ said, "I beheld Satan as lightning fall from
heaven!" (Luke 10:18). Christ was THERE, in His pre-human
state, even as He said to the Pharisees, "Before Abraham was,
I AM." Remember what you read in Isaiah 14:13, Satan's innermost
plan was, "I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne
above the stars [angels] of God."
In an earlier
"star wars," Lucifer attempted just that!
What IS
a "war in heaven"? Merely an exchanging of words? A clash
of wills? Look at the EVIDENCE in our universe, and in our own galaxy
and solar system. What do you see?
Look at
the lifeless, pockmarked, airless, waterless face of our moon. Even
a 10 power pair of binoculars shows many of the huge meteor craters,
some of them over one hundred miles across! Look at the poisonous
atmosphere of Jupiter, or the thick clouds obscuring Venus, or the
rings around Saturn. Look at the lifeless, rocky, empty face of
Mars.
Then, consider
the billions of pieces of space junk and debris. Every day, thousands
of these pieces come hurtling into the earth's atmosphere, the vast
majority of them burning up and turning to dust as friction destroys
them, others landing on earth as meteorites.
vConsider the many comets, including several which
have been discovered in fairly recent times, which are in a vast
orbit around our small dwarf star we call the sun.
Except
for our beautiful blue-green planet, the solar neighborhood testifies
to gigantic explosions, hurtling meteors, misshapen moons (as are
many of the moons around other planets), and shattered shards of
metallic remnants, sometimes blazing in light as they perish in
the thick mantle of air protecting our earth. We see wreckage —
debris — the evidence of titanic explosions and collisions in space!
Our earth
presents proof of such massive, destructive forces acting upon it
in the past.
vThe Bible itself begins with the earth completely
covered by a global flood! One must not assume tidal action was
suspended all during the indeterminate period when all the continents
were covered with water. Geologic evidence of island and mountain
building, both from coral polyps and from volcanic action, tend
to indicate that there may have been any number of emergences and
submergences of the tectonic plates over a vast period of time.
Consider
the Alps, the Rocky Mountains, the towering Andes — all contain
fossil shells which prove such lofty heights were once shallow sea
beds.
Once God
had recreated the surface of the planet, and created Adam and Eve,
what happened next? Where was Lucifer during all the interminable
years following his rebellion, and his abortive attempt to overthrow
God? He was here on this earth, together with his fallen
angels (demons), seeing not a single mountain top nor a single continent.
When Jesus cast out a demon, he warned that if the person thus relieved
of possession did not become converted, and become filled with God's
Holy Spirit, the demon, who would wander in "dry places, seeking
rest," would take seven more evil than himself, and, finding
the original person's mind "cleaned and swept," enter
in to him again, so that the man's last state would be worse then
his first.
During
the period from the destruction of the solar system, and the destruction
of all pre-Adamic life on earth by the flood which is revealed in
Genesis 1, Satan and his demons could see a harbinger of their ultimate
fate. Peter's second letter explains this, as we shall see later.
Satan, The "Whispering Enchanter"
From the
beginning of the Bible, God's word tells us of a devil who was here
on this earth; an "adversary" who attempted to destroy
mankind, and cause his death.
Here is
the biblical account: "Now the serpent [Hebrew: Nachash]was
more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made.
And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat
of every tree of the garden?
"And
the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the
trees of the garden:
"But
of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God
hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest
ye die.
"And
the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
"For
God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall
be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
"And
when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it
was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise,
she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her
husband with her; and he did eat.
"And
the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were
naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
"And
they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the
cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence
of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
"And
the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
"And
he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because
I was naked; and I hid myself.
"And
he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of
the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?
"And
the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave
me of the tree, and I did eat.
"And
the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done?
And the woman said, The serpent [Nachash] beguiled me, and
I did eat.
"And
the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this,
thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field;
upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days
of thy life:
"And
I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed
and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his
heel" (Genesis 3:1-15).
The Hebrew
word nachash does not connote a snake. Translators assumed,
since God said that the nashash was cursed to go upon his
belly from that day forth, that it was a snake which appeared to
Eve. Traditional pictures and myths show a serpent entwined around
a tree with the two progenitors of mankind standing there with an
apple.
But the
larynx of a man's throat is not really his "Adam's apple;"
there is no proof the forbidden fruit was an apple or any known
fruit today, and the "beast of the field" the nachash
which appeared to Eve was not a snake.
Remember,
Satan is called a "cherub"; a fallen archangel, who was
right next to God's throne! What is a cherub? How do they appear?
Traditional
church art displays little naked babies with tiny wings, like the
mythological "Cupid," as cherubic. A baby is said to have
"cherubic" cheeks and visage. Nothing could be further
from the truth.
Read the
entire first and tenth chapters of Ezekiel for a complete description
of cherubim. Here are the essential verses: "Also out of the
midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this
was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man.
"And
every one had four faces, and every one had four wings.
"And
their feet were straight feet [as hoofs]; and the sole of their
feet was like the sole of a calf's foot: and they sparkled like
the colour of burnished brass.
"And
they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides;
and they four had their faces and their wings.
"Their
wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went;
they went every one straight forward.
"As
for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a
man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they
four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also
had the face of an eagle" (Ezekiel 1:5-10).
Eve was
not startled or terrified when a creature looking like this — standing
upright, with four faces and four wings — spoke to her. She had
no previous frame of reference.
When God
drove Adam and Eve from the garden, He placed cherubim with
flaming swords to "keep the way to the tree of life."
In the ensuing years prior to the flood, there were no doubt any
number of human encounters with these creatures, who were tasked
with frightening away any who would assay to enter into the Garden
of Eden. The Bible says, "So he drove out the man; and he placed
at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword
which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life"
(Genesis 3:24).
One-sixth
of all human history passed prior to the flood of Noah's time; one
thousand years. Ancient civilizations are replete with various monuments,
sculptures and icons which represent the ancient's knowledge of
the different aspects of cherubim. The famous Sphinx of Egypt, guarding
the pyramids, features the head of a man and the body of a lion.
The "winged bulls of Bashan" as well as the huge man-headed,
winged oxen of Babylon's gates attest to the fact that ancient man
worshiped "the host of heaven."
A "winged
flying serpent" was universally worshiped, and was the principal
"god" of the Aztecs, who called him Quetzalcoatl,
Quetzal meaning bird, and coatl meaning serpent. The
serpent head festoons dozens of the major monuments of the Aztecs
in Mexico and central America.
It was
a large, awesome creature which approached Eve, not a little serpent
entwined around a tree. Nachash does not connote aspect,
but character. True to his "trafficking" in self-pity,
jealousy and resentment toward God, the "whispering enchanter"
who was more "subtle" than the other creatures, told Eve
the first great lie, which he has perpetuated ever since.
He told
her she would NOT "surely die," implying that she would
live forever! The doctrine of the "immortality of the soul"
finds its roots in this first big lie.
Prior to
Satan's lies, Adam and Eve were perfectly innocent. They were unaware
of any evil; anything "dirty" or "nasty" about
the human procreative organs, or nakedness. But since Satan enticed
them to know "good and evil" they now felt guilty
and ashamed! Suddenly, that which had been accepted as natural,
normal, and good, carried "evil" connotations!
They covered
themselves, and, ashamed, guilty and afraid, hid themselves from
God!
For centuries,
man has wondered why God "hides Himself;" why God is invisible;
why we cannot see Him! But when Moses went up into the mount to
receive the law, the people said, "Let not God speak to us,"
and fled far away! It is man who hides from God, just as did Adam
and Eve, not the other way around. Isaiah says, "Behold, the
LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear
heavy, that it cannot hear:
"But
your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your
sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear" (Isaiah
59:1, 2).
Human nature
is described as automatically rebellious against God's law.
Paul wrote, "Because the carnal mind is enmity against God:
for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be"
(Romans 8:7). Sin is the "transgression of the law"
(I John 3:4). Adam and Eve broke FOUR of the Ten Commandments
when they sinned. James, Christ's brother, said if we break one
point, we have broken them all! (James 2:10). Adam and Eve lusted
after the forbidden fruit, which is coveting, thus they broke the
tenth Commandment. They dishonored their only Parent, who was God.
They stole that which was not theirs! Your Bible says "covetousness
is idolatry," so they broke the second Commandment, as well!
Adam and
Eve had the power of decision-making. They could choose either
to obey God, or to disobey. They had volition; free moral
agency!
So did
Lucifer! As we read, Lucifer was perfect in his ways until INIQUITY
(lawlessness; rebellion against God) was "found in him."
We are not told how long it took for Lucifer to become embittered,
and to "traffic" among his cohorts; the angels under his
care, in order to corrupt them.
But eventually
he did so, and attempted to mount up and displace God! But Lucifer
and his angels were cast back down to this earth in the midst of
a mind-boggling, gargantuan "war in space" which resulted
in the wreckage we see in the heavens, and the destruction of this
earth described in Genesis 1.
How Christ Witnessed To The Fallen Angels
Believe
it or not, there are any number of the nominal Christian churches
which believe Jesus Christ was not really dead during His
three days and three nights in the tomb. They believe He was ALIVE,
but in "HELL" witnessing to; taunting, "departed
souls!"
Their terrible
error is based upon Peter's statement: "For Christ also hath
once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring
us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the
Spirit:
"By
which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
"Which
sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited
in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few,
that is, eight souls were saved by water.
"The
like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the
putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good
conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:
"Who
is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and
authorities and powers being made subject unto him" (I Peter
3:18-23). Who were these "spirits in prison"?
Where were
they? WHEN did Christ witness to them, and about what?
Read the
passage carefully. Christ, "by the Spirit" preached, witnessed,
testified to SPIRITS, who were fallen angels, kept "in prison"
on this earth.
WHEN did
Christ do this? "WHEN once the longsuffering of God waited
in the days of Noah while the ark was a preparing!"
As we have
read, Satan and his demons were hurled down to this earth — their
"place found no more in heaven." There is a Greek word,
Tartarus, used only once in the Bible, found in 2
Peter 2:4, which means "prison, or place of restraint."
It is used in the same context. Notice,
"For
if God spared not the angels that sinned [Lucifer's angels,
who followed him in his rebellion], but cast them down to hell [Greek:
Tartarus], and delivered them into chains of darkness, to
be reserved unto judgment;
"And
spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher
of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;
"And
turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them
with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after
should live ungodly;
"And
delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:
"(For
that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed
his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)
"The
Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to
reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished"
(2 Peter 2:4-9).
Peter was
saying to the church that they should take heart, and have faith
that every misdeed would be repaid. He said "IF God spared
not even sinning angels, then surely, since he delivered Lot, He
is able to deliver the godly out of temptations!"
The word
"hell" in the New Testament is nearly always from the
Greek word hades, which means, simply, "the grave."
Hades connotes no infernal regions; carried no remote connotation
of fire, or eternity, but means a grave, or a hole in the ground!
The second most common word translated "hell" comes from
"Gehenna," which derives from "Hinnom," the
name of a family who owned a parcel of land in a deep valley adjacent
to Jerusalem. In ancient times, a perpetual fire burned there, like
the unsanitary garbage dumps of many smaller cities, into which
refuse, and even the bodies of criminals or animals were thrown.
Because
of this practice, the valley of Hinnom, or Geena, called
Gehenna came to be used metaphorically for a BURNING "hell
fire" which would DESTROY the bodies of the wicked who were
thrown into it. Your Bible says, "For, behold, the day cometh,
that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea,
and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh
shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall
leave them neither root nor branch.
"But
unto you that fear my name shall the Son of righteousness arise
with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as
calves of the stall.
"And
ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under
the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith
the LORD of hosts" (Malachi 4:1-3). Of course! When bodies
were thrown into Gehenna, they were burnt up; they were reduced
to ashes, just as in a crematorium! Your Bible does not reveal an
ever-burning "hell fire" into which living "souls"
are cast, and which burns, and burns, and burns forever! Instead,
Christ said the wicked are to be DESTROYED in Gehenna fire — burnt
up — reduced to ashes!
As you
have read, the primordial battle between Lucifer and his angels
resulted in them being hurled back down to this earth! From that
time on, they have been forced, by the power of God, to remain in
this earth's atmosphere; in a condition of restraint! The Greek
word Tartarus indicates this restraining, and is rendered
"spirits in prison."
But a judgement
day is coming, even for Satan and his angels!
As Paul
wrote, "Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how
much more things that pertain to this life? (1 Corinthians 6:3).
Now, think
over what you have read. Since Christ witnessed to Satan and his
demons DURING THE TIME OF THE FLOOD, He must have chosen to do so
for a very important reason! That reason is revealed by Peter! Notice,
"Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days
scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
"And
saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers
fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning
of the creation [they argue that things continue in "cycles,"
without God's intervention],
"For
this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the
heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and
in the water:
"Whereby
the world that then was [populated by perhaps billions of human
beings and animals], being overflowed with water, perished [the
Noachian deluge destroyed the entire earth and all life upon it
with water]:
"But
the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept
in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment
and perdition of ungodly men.
"But,
beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with
the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
"The
Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness;
but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish,
but that all should come to repentance.
"But
the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which
the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements
shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that
are therein shall be burned up.
"Seeing
then that all these things shall be dissolved [by GEHENNA
FIRE!], what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation
and godliness,
"Looking
for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens
being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt
with fervent heat?" (2 Peter 3:3-12).
The flood
of Noah's time was a TYPE of the coming destruction of earth by
fire! Then, the tectonic plates of the earth were compressed just
enough to permit the waters of the oceans and subterranean rocks
(the "fountains of the deep") to overflow the continents,
drowning all of mankind save eight people, safe in the ark.
But in
the coming destruction by fire, God will not only utilize heavenly
fire, just as He did in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, but
will very likely cause vast magmatic extrusions to overflow the
continents — the molten, super-hot layer of melted rock beneath
the continents and oceans — thus completely destroying the seas,
and all land masses!
Even as
Lucifer and his angels were there when God brought the flood
upon a sinning, beastly, predatory, evil world, and even as Christ
Himself witnessed to them about an impending future destruction
by fire, so will Satan and his demons be present here on
this earth to see all they have labored, planned and fought for
burnt to ashes!
Now, notice
the truth about Satan's ultimate fate:
Satan's Fate
When Jesus
Christ comes back to this earth, the fires of Gehenna will
be reignited! They will begin to burn then, and will continue to
burn throughout the millennium! Notice the proof: "And I saw
the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered
together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against
his army.
"And
the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought
miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received
the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These
both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone"
(Revelation 19:19-20).
What HAPPENS
to them when they are cast alive into a lake of fire? They are BURNT
UP! So says your Bible, and so says science, common sense, and logic.
In the
types and antitypes of Satan found in Ezekiel 28 and Isaiah 14,
further light is shed on the fate of the modern "King of Babylon,"
who is the BEAST, in collusion with the great False Prophet, who
attempt to fight Christ (Revelation 17:12-14), and are cast into
Gehenna fire. Notice, "Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell
[Hebrew: Sheol the grave], to the sides of the pit.
"They
that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee,
saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did
shake kingdoms;
"That
made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof;
that opened not the house of his prisoners?
"All
the kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, every
one in his own house.
"But
thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and as
the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword,
that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcase trodden under
feet.
"Thou
shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed
thy land, and slain thy people: the seed of evildoers shall never
be renowned" (Isaiah 14:15-20).
Remember
what happened to the strutting, proud, arrogant dictator of Italy,
Mussolini?
When partisans
shot him, his body was hung from the parapet of a gas station in
public, where thousands of his former worshipers spat on it, stoned
it, pummeled it until hardly a bone in the body remained intact!
In like
fashion, the prophecies indicate that, like the bodies of criminals
in the past, the bodies of the Beast and the False Prophet may repose
for a time in the "sides of the pit" (Isaiah 14:15), breeding
maggots, before being finally consumed by the flames. Now, look
at Ezekiel 28 once more: "By the multitude of thy merchandise
they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast
sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain
of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst
of the stones of fire.
"Thine
heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy
wisdom by reason of thy brightness: [here the type of the Prince
of Tyre reverts from Satan to the human prince which is a type of
the Beast] I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before
kings, that they may behold thee.
"Thou
hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities,
by the iniquity of thy traffic; therefore will I bring forth a fire
from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will
bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them
that behold thee.
"All
they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee:
thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more" (Ezekiel
28:16-19).
WHEN are
the Beast and the false prophet thrown into Gehenna; the
valley next to Jerusalem, which will be ignited? By Christ Himself,
at His second coming!
As we read:
"And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that
wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had
received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image.
These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone"
(Revelation 19:20).
Now, notice
what happens to Satan and his demons during the one thousand year
reign of Christ on earth: "And I saw an angel come down from
heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in
his hand.
"And
he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the devil,
and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
"And
cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal
upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand
years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little
season" (Revelation 20:1-3).
Now, notice
what occurs when the devil is loosed following the thousand years:
"And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed
out of his prison,
"And
shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters
of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle:
the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
"And
they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp
of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from
God out of heaven, and devoured them.
"And
the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and
brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are [this word
is not in the original. The italicized word is added, and should
read "were cast"], and shall be tormented day and
night for ever and ever" (Revelation 20:8-10).
"Gog
and Magog" can read "Jaj and Majaj," and, while some
scholars believe Gog to be Russia, and Magog to be Mongolia and
China, it is more likely the names are used to describe the incorrigibly
wicked; human beings all over the earth, who, even after one thousand
years of Christ's rule, will follow Satan's deceptions, and attempt
once more to overthrow God.
Now, remember
WHEN the Beast and false prophet were cast into Gehenna fire!
They are to be cast in at the time of the second coming of Christ
(Revelation 19:11-21). And what HAPPENS to human beings who are
cast into a pit filled with fire? They are burned UP (Malachi 4:1-3).
They are reduced to ashes!
Now, remember
what you have learned about the ultimate fate of this planet! "...the
elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works
that are therein shall be burned up" (2 Peter 3:10).
Following
his final abortive attempt to conquer God, Satan and his demons
are to be cast into a lake of fire — the same Gehenna fire
where the Beast and the false prophet WERE CAST, one thousand years
earlier! But this time, following the Great White Throne Judgement
day, the earth itself will be consumed! "And I saw the dead,
small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and
another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead
were judged out of those things which were written in the books
[Greek: Biblos, meaning the books of the Bible], according
to their works.
"And
the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell [Hades,
the grave] delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were
judged every man according to their works.
"And
death and hell [hades, the grave] were cast into the lake
of fire. This is the second death.
"And
whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into
the lake of fire" (Revelation 20:12-15). Read the entire
twentieth chapter of Revelation, and continue on through the final
two chapters of the Bible. This destruction of the earth by fire
occurs AFTER the millennial reign of Christ; AFTER the Great White
Throne Judgement day, which ensues for an additional one hundred
years (Isaiah 65:20, 21).
Following
the very melting of the "elements with fervent heat";
the probable extrusion of the molten layer of magma beneath the
mantle of the earth, God says, "And I saw a new heaven and
a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed
away; and there was no more sea" (Revelation 21:1). Our oceans
are vitally important for the existence of human and animal life
on earth. Without them, no fleshly life; no fishes, no insects,
no air-breathing, food-eating, water-drinking creatures can live.
The NEW
earth will now become the headquarters of Christ AND God the Father!
Notice, "And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming
down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her
husband.
"And
I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle
of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall
be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their
God.
"And
God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be
no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be
any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
"And
he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new"
(Revelation 21:2-5).
Thus will
conclude the FIRST GREAT PHASE of God's plan, announced by the
Logos who became Christ, at the creation of Adam! They said,
"Let US make MAN IN OUR IMAGE!"
But creation
was not completed in the Garden of Eden — it was only begun!
First,
God made man in God's physical image. God is revealed as having
the form and shape of human kind! Moses was allowed to see His hind
parts (Exodus 33:18-23). Christ said "If you have seen me,
you have seen the Father." God is described as having eyes,
arms and legs. Christ is described in Revelation 1:12-16 from head
to foot.
Next, through
His wondrous plan of salvation, God planned to REDEEM man from sin;
save him from the clutches of Satan and his powerful temptations,
and through the process of spiritual growth and overcoming, create
in God's own image, SPIRITUALLY!
Man was
but a human, physical prototype. The "new Creature in Christ"
is to become a NEW SPIRIT BEING (I Corinthians 15:35-52).
The god
of this present God-rejecting, commandment-breaking evil world is
Satan the devil (II Corinthians 4:4). He is called the "Prince
of the power of the air" who works in rebellious, disobedient
people (Ephesians 2:2). When Christ was fasting for 40 days and
nights, Satan continually tempted him, trying to cause Christ to
fail in His mission. But finally, Christ gave a command, "GET
THEE HENCE, SATAN!" and the devil had to obey!
Satan is
pictured as the "Lord of the Dead," in Hallowe'en mythology;
Samhain, or the "Shaman" of the Druids and many
other religious cults. As the first great sinner; the first great
liar (John 8:44), Satan was the first cause of DEATH on this earth.
Christ
came for many reasons, among them to conquer the present evil world
ruler, thus conquering DEATH as well as conquering SIN! Christ "condemned
sin in the flesh" by proving that a human being, with God's
Holy Spirit, can OVERCOME SIN!
Presently,
Satan has been DISQUALIFIED, but not yet removed!
As Paul
wrote, "Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up
the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down
all rule and all authority and power.
"For
he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
"The
last enemy that shall be destroyed is death" (I Corinthians
15:24-26).
This is
why "death and the grave" are pictured as being "cast
into the lake of fire," metaphorically abolishing death and
the grave forever!
Since Christ
conquered Satan, He commands His people to "RESIST the devil,
and he will flee from you!" (James 4:7). John wrote, "Ye
are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater
is he that is in you [Christ!], than he that is in the world
[Satan].
What, then,
is Satan's ultimate fate? First, Satan will see Christ's prophecies
delivered during the flood — that the flood was a type of
a yet future destruction of the world by fire — come
true! Following his final futile attempt to conquer God, the great
Gehenna fire of the last day will envelope the whole world!
The "world
and the works therein" shall be BURNT UP!
But Satan
is impervious to fire. He and his demons are spirit beings;
a fallen archangel and fallen angels under his sway, who will see
everything they have worked for; every evil, twisted, perverted,
plan utterly destroyed!
Now, notice
carefully the wording of God's statement concerning Satan's final
fate: "And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake
of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet [were
cast].., and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever"
(Revelation 20:10).
This verse
is describing TWO THINGS happening. One: the devil is cast into
the same Gehenna fire where the Beast and the False Prophet
were cast over one thousand years earlier:
Two: Satan
will be "tormented day and night for ever and ever!"
Obviously
he is not tormented IN THE FIRE for ever, for the fire finally ceases
to burn when the surface of the earth has been changed; when there
"is no more sea," and when the "new heavens and new
earth" are created!
A powerful
clue to Satan's ultimate fate is contained in Jude's short letter,
as he describes the demon-influenced men who deliberately infiltrate
God's church; evil men of no conscience, who have the very nature
of Satan. Here is much of that short book, with commentary: "Beloved,
when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation,
it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye
should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered
unto the saints.
"For
there are certain men crept in unawares [they do so deliberately!],
who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men,
turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness ["license,"
permissiveness], and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus
Christ.
"I
will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this,
how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt,
afterward destroyed them that believed not.
"And
the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own
habitation [the demons who followed Satan in his rebellion], he
hath reserved in everlasting chains [Tartaroo, or "the
place of restraint"] under darkness unto the judgment of the
great day.
"Even
as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner,
giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh,
are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal
fire [fire from God: however, the fires are not still burning.
When Sodom and Gomorrha were destroyed, the fires having consumed
all combustible materials, they died out, as all fires do].
"Likewise
also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and
speak evil of dignities.
"Yet
Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed
about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation,
but said, The Lord rebuke thee.
"But
these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they
know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.
"Woe
unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily
after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying
of Core.
"These
are spots in your feasts of charity ["love feasts," usually
for the poor, but including God's Feasts] , when they feast with
you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water,
carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit,
twice dead, plucked up by the roots;
"Raging
waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars,
to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever"
(Jude 3-13).
Satan has
deceived the Christian-professing world into believing mankind possesses
an "immortal soul" which can never die, but which must
go either to heaven or an ever burning hell fire upon death! Yet,
Satan himself is an immortal spirit, who TRIED and will yet try,
to get to heaven, and who will, instead, be consigned to ETERNAL
PUNISHING!
The Bible
frequently uses stars as symbols for angels (Revelation 1:20). "Wandering
stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever,"
without doubt refers to Satan and his demons, whose false doctrines
will come to pass upon themselves!
Satan is
keenly, brilliantly intelligent! Yet, his intelligence is perverted
by rebellion against God! He has a keen MEMORY!
Satan and
his evil demons are to be cast far, far away into the universe —
perhaps in a "black hole" somewhere, without the possibility
of seeing even the tiniest pinprick of light — the light given off
by a distant star! There, they will "wander in the blackness
of darkness forever," bitterly accusing one another, arguing,
blaming, hating!
The HORROR
of such unrelenting mental torment is Satan's ultimate fate!
God Did Not Create A Devil
God did
not create a devil. Instead, He created a beautiful, powerful archangel,
Lucifer, and placed him upon this earth. Lucifer was WORLD RULER
long, long prior to the destruction of this earth before Adam's
time.
But he
became corrupted with a sense of personal beauty (narcissism) and
power, and began to envy God! He attempted to overthrow God, and
was himself overthrown, hurled back down to this earth!
He destroyed
the earth, and the solar neighborhood, if not more of the universe,
in the original "star wars," the evidence of which is
there to see today.
He was
THERE in the Garden of Eden to cause the first sin. He tried to
overthrow righteous Job, murdering his family and his servants.
He was there at the birth of Christ, causing Herod to murder thousands
of babies up to two years of age. He was there to try to overthrow
Christ in the temptation on the mount. He entered personally into
Judas, causing Christ to be killed. He has persecuted God's church,
and is called "the accuser of the brethren" who "accuses
them day and night" before God!
He will
personally enter into the great false prophet, who will murder tens
of thousands of God's people in the tribulation.
Like you
and I, Lucifer was created with FREE MORAL AGENCY! He was able to
CHOOSE which way he would go. He BECAME a devil; an adversary; an
opponent who is "ANTI-Christ" by continually making wrong
choices!
The
devil is self-made! He created himself!
By CHOOSING
to rebel against God and His government, Lucifer became, instead
of the beautiful "cherub that covereth," a hideous "dragon,"
as a perpetual adversary against God!
All who
CHOOSE to follow Satan and his ways — the ways of this evil world
— will be burnt up in Gehenna fire, as the devil himself and his
demons watch! Even as Satan left Judas once he had used him for
his evil purposes, and Judas, overcome with fear and self revulsion
committed suicide, so will all those who allow Satan to use them
find themselves betrayed by their evil mentor, and left to suffer
their own terrible fate!
Your
only protection from the present evil world ruler is by the power
and Spirit of God! Jesus cries out today, as He did when He first
came to our earth, "REPENT ye, and believe the good news."
If you have not yet read it, please write or call immediately for
our free booklet, "The GOSPEL, A Message For The Next Millennium!"
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