satan - adversary of man

8/6/2019 Satan - Adversary of Man

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All New - Updated Godhead Spirit Realm Prophecy Holy Days Commentary

SATAN, THE ADVERSARY OF MANKINDatan, also known as the devil, is mentioned frequently in the Bible. There are many popular ideas about this evil spirit being.Some think that Satan is not real, but is rather a personification of the wickedness that abides in the world. Others admit that

he devil exists, but presume that he is now confined in the fiery pits of an ever-burning hell. Still others believe that Satan is freend actively promoting sinfulness in our world today. What is the truth? What does the Bible tell us about this evil being?

God's Word clearly teaches the reality of Satan as a personal entity. He is presented as an evil being who affects humanity by hisctions. Many details about the devil are available in the Bible, but the facts have to be searched out. In this article, we will pieceogether what the Scriptures have to say about Satan and draw conclusions from the Bible and other available sources.

Although the Bible doesn't tell us explicitly, evidence suggests that the angelic realm was formed sometime during the first threeays of creation, before God brought forth the dry land on the earth. This understanding is supported by passages in Nehemiahnd Job:

NEHEMIAH 9:6 You alone are the LORD; You have made heaven, the heaven ofheavens, w ith all their host, the earth and everything on it, the seas and all that is inthem, and You preserve them all. The host of heaven worships You. (NKJV)

JOB 38:4 "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you haveunderstanding. 5 Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or whostretched the line upon it? 6 To what its foundations fastened? Or who laid itscornerstone, 7 when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shoutedfor joy? (NKJV)

The "host of heaven" mentioned in Nehemiah 9:6 is a reference to angels, as are the parallel terms "morning stars" and "sons ofGod" in Job 38:7. The passage in Job suggests that the angels were present when God "laid the foundations of thearth" (probably a reference to the separation of the dry land from the water on the third day of creation).

Now that we have an idea when the angels were originally formed, let's examine what the Bible reveals about the creation of Satan:

EZEKIEL 28:12 "Son of man, take up a lament concerning the king of Tyre and say tohim: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: "'You w ere the model of perfection,full of w isdom and perfect in beauty. 13 You were in Eden, the garden of God;every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz and emerald, chrysolite, onyx and jasper,sapphire, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold on theday you were created they were prepared. 14 You w ere anointed as a guardiancherub, for so I ordained you. You w ere on the holy mount of God; you walked

among the fiery stones. 15 You were blameless in your ways from the day you werecreated till wickedness was found in you. 16 Through your widespread trade you werefilled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount ofGod, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. 17 Your heartbecame proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because ofyour splendor. So I threw you to the earth I made a spectacle of you before kings. 18By your many sins and dishonest trade you have desecrated your sanctuaries . . ." (NIV)

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atan is never mentioned by name in this passage. However, there are some clues in Ezekiel 28 that identify the entities beingpoken of here. The chapter starts with God's proclamation against the "Prince of Tyre" (v. 2). This prince is proud and says, "Im a god, I sit in the seat of gods" (v. 2). These words mirror what Paul says about the "Man of Sin" (II The. 2:4). Ezekiel 28:1-0 is speaking figuratively of the coming Antichrist.

We see another message beginning in Ezekiel 28:11, this one addressed by God to the "King of Tyre." However, because of thehings said about this king, it is clear that God is not speaking to a mere man. This king is the one who will give his authority to the

Prince of Tyre at the end of the age (Rev. 13:2). This king is the ancient dragon, Satan.

The first thing to notice about this passage in Ezekiel is that the "king of Tyre" (Satan) was in the Garden of Eden and he was "theeal of perfection." When does the Bible show that the Garden of Eden was formed?

GENESIS 2:8 The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put theman whom He had formed. (NKJV)

Genesis 2:8 seems to indicate that the Garden of Eden was planted by God after He created man. Ezekiel 28:13 reveals that Satanwas in Eden before he sinned. Therefore, contrary to traditional understanding, Satan was in the Garden of Eden with Adam and

Eve before he fell.

This anointed guardian cherub was likely one of the two angels who covered the mercy seat with their wings (see Heb. 8:5; 9:5, 23-

4; Exo. 25:20; 37:9; I Kings 6:19-28; 8:6-7; I Chr. 28:18; II Chr.3:10-13; 5:7-8). However, because ofpride, this cherub'swisdom was corrupted, as I Timothy 3:6 implies:

I TIMOTHY 3:6 Not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the samecondemnation as the devil. (NKJV)

How did pride cause Satan to fall into condemnation? The Bible doesn't tell us directly, but there are enough clues to figure outhe answer to this question.

Genesis 1:26-28 shows that God made mankind in His "image":

GENESIS 1:26 Then God ['elohim] said, "Let us make man in our image, according to ourlikeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, andover the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."27 So God ['elohim] created man in His own image; in the image ofGod ['elohim] He

created him male and female He created them. 28 Then God ['elohim

] blessed them, andGod ['elohim] said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; havedominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thingthat moves on the earth." (NKJV)

There are several theories about what it means to be made "in the image of God." This passage makes it clear that being made inGod's image is what makes mankind (both men and women) different the rest of the physical creation.

Mankind is like 'elohim in some way because we are made in the image of'elohim, but how? Michael S. Heiser, an ancientHebrew language expert, gives the following explanation in answer to this question:

. . . This points to viewing the image in a FUNCTIONAL sense (i.e., we are to"image" God) as opposed to a QUALITATI VE sense (as though the image is somequality or ability given to us; i.e., the image is some possessed attribute).

. . . When Scripture speaks of mankind being created in the image of God, what is meant
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is that mankind has been created to represent God on earth.

. . . God deliberately created mankind to rule the earth, and to accomplish thispurpose, He created man as His own image - He made man his co-regent /representative ruler.

The image of God then, refers to our unique status as human beings, rulers in God'sstead, according to His own will. We are created AS His image - to function as He wouldwere He administering His own affairs directly. Our abilities - unequally given to us inthe providence of God are not THE image, but only a means to carrying out His expressedand often secret end. (pp. 8, 9, 10, 11, "The Image of God in Scripture")

This understanding of "the image of God" is supported by the immediate text, which shows that mankind's duties included havingominion over the earth and every living creature on it. This interpretation is also supported by a related passage of Scripture in

Psalm 8:

PSALM 8:4 What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visithim? 5 For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You havecrowned him with glory and honor. 6 You have made him to have dominion over

the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, 7 all sheep andoxen even the beasts of the field, 8 the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea thatpass through the paths of the seas. (NKJV)

Although this Scripture is a prophecy of the coming of the Messiah as a man (Heb. 2:6-9), it also shows the position of mankindn the earth and alludes to the reason for Satan's ultimate fall. Verse 5 tells us that humanity was made "a little lower than thengels." However, it was mankind, not angels, who were given rulership over the earth.

As Ezekiel 28:12 tells us, Satan was "the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty" when he was created. Yeteither he nor any of the other angels were given dominion over the earth initially. Rather, Adam (a being Satan surely considered

nferior to himself) was given this power. It's easy to see why Satan's pride led him to sin.

Ezekiel 28:16 tells us that Satan was filled with violence and sinned through his "widespread trade." The Hebrew word renderedtrade" in Ezekiel 28:16 isrekullatekha; it is a form of the nounrekulla, which means "merchandise" or "traffic." However,ekulla is derived from the root wordrakal, which means "to go about." A closely-related derivative,rakil, means "slanderer."

In the New Testament, Satan is often called the "devil," ordiabolos in Greek. Not coincidentally, the literal meaning ofdiabolos

nd its variations is also "slanderer."

The account of Satan in Ezekiel 28 probably involves aspects of both "merchandising" and "slander." The Scriptures imply thatatan, likely through peddling his slander, may have turned 1/3 of the angelic host against God (Rev. 12:3-4). It's not hard to

magine Satan going around to the angels, seeking to build support for his contention that they were far better qualified to run thearth than mankind. It was through this slanderous "merchandising" that Satan became filled with violence against humanity.

Eventually, Satan must have developed a plan that he felt would deliver to him the position he believed should have rightfully beenis from the beginning. He decided to deceive the humans in the Garden into disobeying God's direct command. After proving

mankind was unworthy of the rulership position God had placed them in, Satan, in his arrogant pride, must have thought Godwould see that he should be given authority over the world in their place.

t's in this context that we see Satan approach Eve in the Garden of Eden:

GENESIS 3:1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the

LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall noteat of every tree of the garden'?" 2 And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat thefruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of thegarden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.' " 4 Thenthe serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the dayyou eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the

eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave


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to her husband with her, and he ate. (NKJV)

The Bible elsewhere identifies Satan with the serpent in this story. In Revelation 12:9 and 20:2, he is called "that serpent of old,alled the Devil and Satan." Did he appear to Eve in the form of a talking snake? Probably not.

The Hebrew word translated "serpent" in the above passage is (nachash). In addition to "serpent," this Hebrew root word

as several other possible meanings. It can be used as a noun to mean "one who practices divination," or "shining brass."However,nachash can also be used as an adjective to mean "bright" or "brazen."

n Genesis 3, it is possible thatnachash is an adjective being used as a noun. If that is the case, the proper translation ofanachash in Genesis 3 would be "the bright one" or "the shining one." This understanding ofnachash fits in very well with

Paul's description of Satan appearing as an "angel of light" (II Cor. 11:14).

Notice Satan's tactics with Eve. He didn't lie to her outright, but instead he twisted the truth. He led Eve to doubt God's word.

GENESIS 3:7 Then the eyes of both of them opened, and they knew that they werenaked and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. 8 And theyheard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adamand his wife hid themselves the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

9 Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, "Where are you?" 10 So he said,"I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hidmyself." 11 And He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten the tree ofwhich I commanded you that you should not eat?" 12 Then the man said, "The womanwhom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate." 13 And the LORDGod said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpentdeceived me, and I ate." (NKJV)

Although Satan apparently believed that the downfall of mankind would benefit him, it actually turned out to be his undoing. Godwas not pleased with his role in man's disobedience, and he was cursed for his deviousness:

GENESIS 3:14 So the LORD God said to the serpent: "Because you have done this, youare cursed more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly youshall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life. 15 And I will put enmity betweenyou and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, andyou shall bruise His heel." (NKJV)

atan's plan to rectify the "mistake" God had made by putting humans in charge of the earth backfired. As well as revealing the

laws of man, Satan revealed his own shortcomings. His deception resulted in God placing an age-lasting animosity between himnd mankind. From that point forward, "the Shining one" became "the Adversary" (Heb.HaSatan) of humanity. The enmityetween man and Satan is alluded to by Paul in the conclusion of his letter to the Romans:

ROMANS 16:20 And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The graceof our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen. (NKJV)

atan's actions did achieve their desired aim God cast man out of the Garden of Eden for his sin (Gen. 3:24). In his fallen state,man was condemned to suffer death because of Adam's sin, as Paul tells us in his letter to the Romans:

ROMANS 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and deaththrough sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned . . . 14Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinnedaccording to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of him who was tocome. (NKJV)


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Because Satan enticed mankind to sin and bring death upon themselves, he is called a murderer:

JOHN 8:44 "You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of yourfather. He w as a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truthbecause there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks his own nature,for he is a liar and the father of lies. (NASU)

The beginning" spoken of by Yeshua refers to the beginning of God's plan, when mankind was in the Garden of Eden before the

all (Gen. 2). "The beginning" here is not referring to Satan's creation, because we know that originally he is said to have beenreated "blameless" (Eze. 28:15).

ohn also speaks of Satan being a sinner "the beginning":

I JOHN 3:8 The one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from thebeginning. . . . (NASU)

n one way, Satan's plan succeeded. Because Adam disqualified himself from rulership by his disobedience, God placed Satanver the world in his place. The devil's temptation of Yeshua in the wilderness shows this clearly:

LUKE 4:5 Then the devil, taking him up on a high mountain, showed him all thekingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said to him, "All thisauthority I will give you, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I giveit to whomever I wish." (NKJV)

atan tempted Yeshua for the same reason he had enticed Eve in the Garden. He knew that Yeshua was in the process ofegaining rulership over the earth and would replace him if successful. He thought that if he could get Yeshua to sin (as he had

Adam and Eve), he could thwart God's plan and remain the ruler of the world. However, where Adam had succumbed to Satan'smachinations and disqualified mankind from ruling the earth, Yeshua withstood the temptation and triumphed. This victory pavedhe way for him to become Adam's successor. Yeshua will reclaim rulership of the earth at his second coming.

ust before his crucifixion, Yeshua alluded to Satan's status as the current ruler of the world:

JOHN 14:30 "I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is

coming, and he has nothing in me." (NKJV)

Paul refers to Satan as "the god of this age" in his follow-up letter to the Corinthians:

II CORINTHIANS 4:3 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who areperishing, 4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest thelight of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.(NKJV)

n Mark's Gospel, Yeshua clearly states that Satan is the one God uses to blind those who can't see the good news of the Messiah:

MARK 4:14 "The sower sows the word. 15 And these are the ones by the wayside wherethe word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word


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that was sown in their hearts. (NKJV)

As the "god of this age," Satan rules over the other fallen angels and the demons:

MATTHEW 12:24 But when the Pharisees heard it they said, "It is only by Beelzebul, theprince of demons, that this man casts out demons." 25 Knowing their thoughts, he saidto them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house dividedagainst itself will stand; 26 and if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself;

how then will his kingdom stand?" (RSV)

Here Satan is called "Beelzebul," which literally means "Lord of the flies." He is identified as the "prince of demons." We alsoknow from the Scriptures that Satan is the ruler of the fallen angels (Matt. 25:41 Rev. 12:9). For an examination of the differenceetween fallen angels and demons, refer to my related article.

When demons bring sickness and ailments upon people, we find that Satan is blamed:

LUKE 13:11 And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteenyears, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. 12 But when Jesus sawher, he called her to him and said to her, "Woman, you are loosed your infirmity." 13And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorifiedGod. . . . 16 "So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hasbound think of it for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on theSabbath?" (NKJV)

ACTS 10:38 "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power,who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for

God was with him." (NKJV)

Contrary to popular opinion, the Bible clearly shows that Satan has not been restricted to a fiery hell after his fall. Indeed, the OldTestament shows that, before the first coming of Yeshua the Messiah, Satan continued to have access to the heavenly throne ofGod:

JOB 1:6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves beforethe LORD, and Satan also came among them. 7 And the LORD said to Satan, "From

where do you come?" So Satan answered the LORD and said, "From going to and fro onthe earth, and walking back and forth on it." (NKJV)

JOB 2:1 Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves beforethe LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD. 2And the LORD said to Satan, "From where do you come?" So Satan answered the LORDand said, "From going to and fro on the earth, and walking back and forth on it." (NKJV)

t appears that Satan served as some kind of celestial prosecutor for God before the divine council. In that role, Satan slanderednd accused God's people before the heavenly throne ofYHVH, as the story in Job shows. Zechariah also saw Satan in action ashe accuser in a vision:

ZECHARIAH 3:1 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel ofthe LORD, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him. 2 The LORD said toSatan, "The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you!
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Is not this man a burning stick snatched the fire?" (NIV)

ome time after Messiah Yeshua triumphantly returned to heaven after his crucifixion and resurrection (Rev. 12:5), Satan and hisngels were cast out and no longer had access to the throne:

REVELATION 12:7 Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against thedragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, 8 but they were defeated and there was nolonger any place for them in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that

ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world hewas thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. (RSV)

ome have incorrectly believed that this passage refers to Satan's initial fall. Yet the time sequence established in Revelation 12learly indicates that this ejection from heaven was after the Messiah returned from the earth and before his second coming at thend of this age.

Yeshua, just before his crucifixion, stated that his triumph on the cross would allow for Satan to be cast out of heaven:

JOHN 12:31 "Now is the judgment of this world, now shall the ruler of this world becast out; 32 and I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men tomyself." (RSV)

JOHN 16:11 "Concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged." (RSV)

Yeshua told his disciples that when he had gone back into heaven after his resurrection, the Father would send His Spirit to teachhem and help them remember all the things he had said to them (John 14:26). But in addition, he warned them of the coming ofatan to the earth after his departure.

n Revelation, John records an angel speaking from heaven who warns the earth about the coming of Satan:

REVELATION 12:10 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, "Now salvation, andstrength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for theaccuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, hasbeen cast down. 11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the wordof their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. 12 Therefore rejoice, O

heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea!For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he know s thathe has a short time." (NKJV)

atan now roams the earth looking for those whom he can prey upon:

I PETER 5:8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prow ls around like aroaring lion looking for someone to devour. (NIV)

Paul tells us how to avoid becoming the prey of Satan:

EPHESIANS 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of Hismight. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against thew iles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against


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principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, againstspiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the wholearmor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, tostand. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on thebreastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of thegospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able toquench all the fiery darts of the w icked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation,and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; (NKJV)

ames also gives believers advice on thwarting the devil's schemes:

JAMES 4:7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners andpurify your hearts, you double-minded. (NKJV)

Paul, in his final letter to Timothy, speaks of those who have been caught by the devil:

II TIMOTHY 2:24 And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able toteach, patient, 25 in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps willgrant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, 26 and that they may come totheir senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to dohis will. (NKJV)

Now that we've examined Satan's origin and activities, let's look at the final destiny of Satan. What do the Scriptures say will beis ultimate fate? Yeshua briefly mentioned this in his dissertation on the judgment in Matthew 25:

MATTHEW 25:41 "Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from me, youcursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: (NKJV)

Revelation 19 describes the battle between the forces of the Antichrist and Yeshua at the end of this age. After the defeat andestruction of "the beast" and "the false prophet," the Bible reveals that Satan himself will be captured and imprisoned for ahousand years:

REVELATION 20:1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to thebottomless pit [abussou, "Abyss"] and a great chain in his hand. 2 He laid hold of thedragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousandyears; 3 and he cast him into the bottomless pit [abusson, "Abyss"], and shut him up,and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousandyears were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while. (NKJV)

ISAIAH 24:21 So it will happen in that day, that the LORD will punish the host ofheaven on high, and the kings of the earth on earth. 22 They will be gatheredtogether like prisoners in the dungeon, and w ill be confined in prison; and after

many days they will be punished. (NASU)

REVELATION 20:7 And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be loosed from hisprison 8 and will come out to deceive the nations which are at the four corners of theearth, that is, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand ofthe sea. 9 And they marched up over the broad earth and surrounded the camp of the


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saints and the beloved city; but fire came down heaven and consumed them, 10 and thedevil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulphur wherethe beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night for everand ever. (RSV)

atan's final rebellion against YHVHwill be thwarted, and God will finally deal with the devil. Revelation 20:10 describes how

God handles Satan. Just what does this verse tell us about the fate of the Adversary?

The first part of the answer lies in the Greek word basanisthesontai, translated "tormented" here. Understanding the true meaning

fbasanisthesontai, which comes the verbbasanizo and the nounbasanos, is one of the major keys to accurately interpretingRevelation 20:10.

According toFriberg,basanisthesontai means "strictly, rub upon the touchstone(basanos), a Lydian stone used to test

he genuineness of metals; hence, test or make proof of anything. . ."

The history found in Kittel's Theological Dictionary of the New Testament of how the meaning of these words evolved over

ime is very helpful in correctly understanding this verse:

. . . The [basanos] originally belongs to the calling of the inspector of coins. It is linked with the

Heb. root ("to test") . . . is generally accepted to be a loan word . . . The testing of gold andsilver as media of exchange by the proving stone, was first developed by the Babylonians, then came tothe Aramaeans and Hebrews by way of Lydia . . . and them to the Gks. In non-biblical Gk. is acommercial expression, or is used in relation to government. It then acquires the meaning of thechecking of calculations, which develops naturally out of the basic sense of , [basanizein] . . . In the spiritual sphere it has the figur. sense, which is closely related to the original

concrete meaning, of a means of testing . . .

The word then undergoes a change in meaning. The original sense fades into thebackground:

now comes to denote "torture" or "the rack," espec. used with slaves . . . occurs in thesense of "torment" . . .

The change in meaning is best explained if we begin with the object of treatment. If we put men insteadof metal or a coin, the stone of testing become[s] torture or the rack. The metal which has survived thetesting stone is subjected to harsher treatment. Man is in the same position when severely tested bytorture. In the testing of metal an essential role was played by the thought oftesting and provinggenuineness. The rack is a means of showing the true state of affairs. In its proper sense it is ameans of testing and proving, though also of punishment. Finally, even this special meaning wasweakened and only the general element of torture remained (pp. 561, 562, vol. I, emphasis mine).

The meaning of Revelation 20:10 is that Satan (and implicitly, all those who haven't submitted to God by the end of theMillennium) will be cast into the lake of fire. There Satan and the wicked will be punished for their rebellion. In addition topunishing, the lake of fire will also test, prove, and refine those cast in it. However, this process is not "eternal" as we understandhe concept.

To verify this, let's look closely at the final phrase "forever and ever." Friberg says that this phrase, translated the Greekeis tous

ionas ton aionon, literally means "into the ages of the ages." The Greek nounsaionas andaionon are plural forms of theGreekaion, which simply means an "eon" or "age." This word refers to an indefinite period of time however, it does not conveyhe idea of eternity.

This Greek phrase is used numerous times in the Scriptures (see Gal. 1:5; Phi. 4:20; I Tim. 1:17; II Tim. 4:18; Heb. 13:21; I Pet.:11 Rev. 1:6, 18 4:9, 10 5:13, 14 7:12 10:6 11:15 15:7 19:3 22:5). Most people assume that this phrase means "eternity"owever, some scholars realize that this connotation was not present in the original Koine ("common") Greek of the New

Testament. In his work on the original meanings ofaion andaionios, Louis Abbott writes:

The Greek phrase eis tous aionas ton aionon, "for the eons of the eons," occurs abouttwenty times in the Greek New Testament in this combination. The ASV margin and some


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other versions, lexicons, dictionaries, and commentaries translate the phrase correctly.

Windet, in De Vita Functora Statu, of 1633 says (p. 170), "eis tous aionas ton aionon, ofthe New Testament meant a finite period."

At 1 Cor. 15:25, where the Greek text shows, dei gar auton basileuein achri hou thepantas tous echthrous hupo tous podas autou, "For He must be reigning until He shouldbe placing all His enemies under His feet." This clearly states that Christ's reigning islimited. There is no Scripture to contradict the statement when aion and aionios arecorrectly translated.

Dr. William Barclay concurs in his commentary (p. 166-169) on The Letters to theCorinthians. If the Greek words eis tous aionas ton aionon mean endless time, astranslated in the KJV, "forever and ever," we have a contradiction in Scripture, for Rev.11:15 says, in the same version: "The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdomsof our Lord and His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever." That contradicts 1 Cor.15:25, which says: "He must be reigning till . . ." If Rev. 11:15 is translated "eons ofthe eons," or "ages of the ages," there is no contradiction. The ASV says (1 Cor. 15:24-25), "Then cometh the end, when He shall deliver up the kingdom to God, even theFather When He shall have abolished all rule and all authority and power. For He mustreign till He hath put all His enemies under His feet;" consequently, the reigning of ChristJesus and the saints (Rev. 22:5) will be "for the eons of the eons" or "for the ages of the

ages." (ch. 5, An Analytical Study of Words)

A correct understanding of "into the ages of the ages" shows that Satan, as well as those who worship the "beast" (Rev. 14:11)

will be refined in the lake of fire for an indeterminate, probably lengthy, but still finite, amount of time. The use of the phrase "daynd night" in Revelation 20:10 also bears this out, since time as we understand it does not exist in eternity. For a more indeptheview of the biblical teaching on this topic, see my article Eternal Life vs. Everlasting Punishment.

One final point regarding Satan needs to be addressed. Some believe that YHVHthe Father created the angel that became Satan

with free will, and that this angel freely chose to rebel against God and set himself in opposition to His divine plan. But is that whathe Scriptures teach? Did the Almighty God who knows all things NOT know what this creature of His would ultimately do?

God Himself provides the answer to that question through the prophet Isaiah:

ISAIAH 45:7 "I form the light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil [vore'ra ']; I am the LORD, that doeth all these things." (JPS)

God clearly takes credit for having created evil in this pronouncement. Although He initially made Satan "blameless in hisways" (Eze. 28:15), God knew that the character He placed within Satan was prone to pride, and that this pride would cause

atan's future actions regarding mankind. Therefore God takes credit for creating this evil being, and all the evil that has comeorth him.

t was necessary that a being such as Satan exist in order for God's divine plan and purpose to be realized. We see this clearlyllustrated in the story of Job. It was God who first brought Job to Satan's attention, inciting him to slander Job's motives forbedience:

JOB 1:8 Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job? Thereis no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shunsevil." 9 "Does Job fear God for nothing?" Satan replied. 10 "Have You not put a

hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the workof his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. 11 But stretchout Your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse You to your face."12 The LORD said to Satan, "Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands,

but on the man himself do not lay a finger." Then Satan went out the presence ofthe LORD. (NIV)
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After his initial divinely-sanctioned attack on Job's family and material goods did not achieve the desired result (Job 1:13-22), Yah

baited Satan into attacking Job again. Once more, He gave him the approval to do so:

JOB 2:3 Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job? Thereis no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shunsevil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited Me against him to ruinhim without any reason." 4 "Skin for skin!" Satan replied. "A man will give all he has forhis own life. 5 But stretch out Your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and hew ill surely curse You to Your face." 6 The LORD said to Satan, "Very well, then, he

is in your hands; but you must spare h is life." 7 So Satan went out from thepresence of the LORD and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to thetop of his head. (NIV)

One important thing we must recognize from this story is that God set a limit on what Satan could do to Job. This shows thathere are boundaries to Satan's authority, and he cannot act outside of the will of God.

The rest of the book of Job goes on to show that although there often appears to be no reason why bad things happen to goodpeople, God truly is in control, He has a plan, and all things eventually work out for good (Rom. 8:28). After steadfastlymaintaining his innocence throughout his ordeal, Job finally realizes that sometimes one cannot understand why God does things in

he manner He does:

JOB 42:1 Then Job replied to the LORD: 2 "I know that You can do all things; no planof Yours can be thwarted. 3 You asked, 'Who is this that obscures my counsel withoutknowledge?' Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful forme to know." (NIV)

ob finally realized God's plan was a wonderful mystery that was beyond his limited human ability to understand.

Although Satan was the one who acted against Job, clearly the evil done to him was purposed by God Himself. Even thoughatan did these things out of hatred and malice, God intended good to come from them. So it is with all of the Adversary'sctions; he despises man and seeks to destroy him, but God uses Satan's evil to fulfill a specific purpose so that His plan forumanity might ultimately be completed. Although generally not recognized or accepted, the completion of God's plan is clearlytated by Paul in I Timothy 2:4:

I TIMOTHY 2:4 [God] who will have all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledgeof the truth. (RWB)

CONCLUSION

he Bible gives quite a bit of information about Satan. To understand the truth, all the information has to be pieced together.First and foremost, we must understand that Satan is accomplishing the will of God. Satan is currently the "god" of this

world he is the highest ranking evil spirit being. The devil has authority over the fallen angels and the demons. In the end,Messiah will return and subjugate all who won't submit to God's authority, including Satan and his angels. Their punishment wille age-lasting destruction and refinement within the lake of fire.

Bryan T. Huieuly 12, 1997

Revised: June 26, 2010

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