What is Satan’s great ambition?
Satan’s great ambition is to be like God; which is of course impossible. In our culture today, we’ve all heard the phrase, “The student has become the teacher”. It’s one thing for the student to become the teacher, or to gain more knowledge than the teacher, but it’s another thing all together for the creature to become the Creator; it can’t be done.
In Ezekiel 28:13-19 we can see the story of Satan:
13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz and emerald,
chrysolite, onyx and jasper, sapphire, [b] turquoise and beryl. [c]Your settings and mountings [d] were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared.
14 You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God;
you walked among the fiery stones. 15 You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created
till wickedness was found in you. 16 Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence,
and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub,
from among the fiery stones. 17 Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings.
18 By your many sins and dishonest trade you have desecrated your sanctuaries. So I made a fire come out from you, and it consumed you, and I reduced you to ashes on the ground in the sight of all who were watching.
19 All the nations who knew you are appalled at you; you have come to a horrible end and will be no more.' "
God created Lucifer as one of the greatest creatures ever. As we read in our text, he may have actually been created to be Heaven’s prophet, priest, and king just under Jesus Christ. But that just wasn’t enough for Lucifer. He looked at himself and in pride decided it wasn’t good enough to serve under God, he wanted to be God; and so great was his power given to him by God, that not only he rebelled, but was able to take a third of the angels with him. He is so cunning and so deceitful that even though these angels served in the presence of Almighty God, he was able to persuade them to follow him instead. Amazing.
This ability he has to deceive should be a stark warning to us. If he was able to lead one third of the angels (which are innumerable) away from God, how much more should we be wary of him. True, through God’s word and through the power of the Holy Spirit, we do have a level of command over Satan, but lest we fall into the trap of pride and self-righteousness, we ought to be very careful when dealing with him.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
The Crucifixion of Jesus Christ
THE CRUCIFIXION OF JESUS CHRIST
Introduction
Over two thousand years ago, on one of the darkest, yet most glorious days in human history, Jesus Christ was sentenced to death. It wasn’t to be just any death; the sentence was for Christ to be crucified. While Jesus Christ was not the first, nor the last person to be crucified by the Romans, this crucifixion would mean more to humanity than all the others throughout history; for this was not just another person to be cruelly executed by the Romans, this was the Son of God.
As we explore Christ’s crucifixion, we’ll visit scriptures that prophesy as to the horrible death the Savior would experience hundreds of years in the future from the time they were written. We’ll take a look at the history of death by crucifixion; and we’ll also see what happens to the body while going through this time of horrible torture. What we’ll find is that Jesus Christ didn’t just die on a cross. He chose to step down from his rightful place in heaven as Creator of the universe, live as a man, and give His life as a sacrifice for many in one of the most horrific and terrifying forms of human torture and death ever devised by mankind.
Old Testament Prophecies of the Crucifixion
As we delve into Christ’s crucifixion, let’s begin by taking a look at some of the Old Testament prophecies concerning our Savior’s earthly fate. In Isaiah chapter 53, we see a clear prophecy of what would eventually take place on the cross.
“But He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth: He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He opens not His mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare His generation? For He was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of My people was He stricken. And He made His grave with the wicked, and with the rich in His death; because He had done no violence, neither was any deceit found in His mouth. Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him;”
(Isaiah 53:5-10a, KJV)
Here we see a picture of the Savior, who would die for the sins of the world; and Isaiah is prophesying of this very fact. But we also see a prophecy of the events taking place at Christ’s trial and crucifixion. When Isaiah states, “as a lamb to the slaughter”, and “He opens not His mouth”; these events are very clearly documented in the New Testament accounts of Christ. Being crucified between two thieves and buried in Joseph of Arimathea’s tomb clearly would account for, “made His grave with the wicked, and with the rich in His death”. One more prophecy in this passage alone would be, “because He had done no violence, neither was any deceit found in His mouth”. Pontius Pilate himself declared, “Why, what evil has he done?”; and just a few verses later, “he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see you to it” (Matthew 27:23,24b, KJV).
Isaiah was inspired by God to write the words of chapter 53 above approximately 714 BC. That is somewhere around 737 before this event took place. In his book, All the Messianic Prophecies of the Bible, Herbert Lockyer states:
Of all the Old Testament prophets who gave witness to the redemptive ministry of the coming Messiah, David and Isaiah are most conspicuous, as the following references show. Apart from the gospels, with their actual description of the cross, there is nothing in Calvary literature comparable to the climax of anguish David gave almost a thousand years before the cross; and then the portrait of archetypal sorrow minutely sketched by the hand of Isaiah some 700 years before Christ was born to die. Both psalmist and prophet, by the Holy Spirit, dealt with the deepest humiliations and woes as the prelude to an assured and glorious victory”. (Lockyer, 1973, p. 147)
As we see in the Psalms, David was also inspired by the Holy Spirit to write about the crucifixion of Christ. “1My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? 7All those who see me mock me; they hurl insults at me, shaking their heads. 8He trusts in the Lord, let the Lord rescue Him, Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him. 14I am poured out like water, all my bones are out of joint. My heart is turned to wax; it has melted away within me. 15My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death. 16Dogs have surrounded me, a band of evil men has surrounded me; they have pierced my hands and my feet. 17I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat at me. 18They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.” (Psalm 22:1,7-8,14-18 NIV)
David is clearly writing of a crucifixion here; but the most amazing part is this is centuries before the first crucifixion would ever happen; and while Psalm 22 is probably the most widely know Psalm to prophesy the crucifixion of Christ, it’s certainly not the only one to speak of it.
“False witnesses were suborned to witness against Him, to put Him to death, and He was tried at night, which was an illegal action. Words of reason and justice on the part of Pilate had no influence. In the Roman court, Pilate gave verdict that he could find no fault in Jesus, but the lying mob prevailed and the innocent prisoner was put to death. That trial was the most despicable miscarriage of justice in the annals of all history. Forecast: “False witness did rise up; they laid to my charge things I knew not” (Psalm 35:11).
“They have spoken against me with a lying tongue” (Psalm 109:2) Fulfillment: “The chief priests…sought false witness against Jesus” (Matt. 26:59).
(Lockyer, 1973, p. 149)
The references in the Old Testament to the illegal trial and brutal execution by crucifixion of Jesus are too many to list in one paper; but this gives clear indication that the Holy Spirit was very much at work in prophesying about the payment for sin our Savior would accomplish.
The History of Crucifixion
While throughout history, the Romans are most credited with crucifixion, they are by no means to the only ones to use it as a form of punishment. The Egyptians, Persians, Assyrians, Scythians, Indians, Germans, and the Greeks also used this process to deter crime. As far as the Romans were concerned, crucifixion was a punishment reserved for the worst type of criminals; in fact, Roman citizens were exempt from this form of punishment.
The process of crucifixion was horrible in and of itself. It would start with a scourging. The whip would have nails, glass or pieces of bone imbedded in it to produce more pain. Many died from the scourging and never made it to the cross. (http://www.allaboutjesuschrist.org/history-of-crucifixion-faq.htm)
Depending on who you speak to, some will say that Jesus was not crucified on a “cross”, but on a stake. Some believe that crosses were never used for crucifixions, but there is plenty of archeological evidence to prove otherwise. In fact, a minimal amount of research will show that both were used for crucifixions, depending on which culture was doing the crucifying.
A lot has been debated as well as to the location of the nails:
For the sake of expediency, the victim was probably affixed to the cross by ropes, nails, or some combination of the two. In popular depictions of crucifixion, possibly derived from a literal reading of the description in the Gospel of John, of Jesus' wounds being "in the hands", the victim is shown supported only by nails driven straight through the feet and the palms of the hands. However, the flesh of the hands cannot support a person's body weight, so some other means must have been used to support most of the weight, such as tying the wrists to the cross beam.
Another possibility, that does not require tying, is that the nails were inserted just above the wrist, between the two bones of the forearm (the radius and the ulna). The nails could also be driven through the wrist, in a space between four carpal bones which is the location shown in the Shroud of Turin. As some historians have suggested, the Gospel words that are translated as "hands" may have in fact included everything below the mid-forearm. Another possibility, suggested by Frederick Zugibe, is that the nails may have been driven in on an angle, entering in the palm in the crease that delineates the bulky region at the base of the thumb, and exiting in the wrist, passing through the carpal tunnel. (http://www.thenazareneway.com/details_history_of_crucifixion.htm)
It is also widely known that the victim of crucifixion usually died of asphyxiation. Crucifixion was designed to be a brutal deterrent to crime. The administers did not want their victims to die quickly. They wanted all onlookers to see exactly what was happening to their victim, so as to paint a picture in their mind of what they did not want to go through; therefore they would put a little “stand” under the feet of the victim, so they could push up and get a breath. Eventually, the person no longer had the strength to push up and would suffocate and expire. Sometimes this happened rather quickly depending on how bad the scourging was, coupled with the method of crucifixion. Sometimes it might take days for a person to die on their cross. In addition, if the administers needed their victims to die sooner rather than later, it was a common practice to break their knees, thereby eliminating their ability to push up and breath. Either way, the person was not coming down off of the cross until they were dead, so the ones who died quickly would have to be considered lucky.
One note here; as the bible teaches, Jesus did not die of asphyxiation on the cross, neither did they break His legs; He willingly gave up the ghost and died in our place when He determined “it is finished”: “The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the Sabbath Day, (for that Sabbath Day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. Then came the soldiers, and broke the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with Him. But when they came to Jesus, and saw that He was dead already, they broke not His legs.” (John 19:31-33, KJV)
The Jews approached Pilate and asked to break their legs so they could have them expire more quickly, and then get them down from their crosses before the Sabbath started. Ironically, they were worried more about keeping God’s law than they were about whom they were crucifying. Either way, the fact that Jesus “gave up the ghost”, and chose the timing of His death when all biblical prophecies had been accomplished has been both a mystery and a stumbling block for some.
“In sum, the death of Jesus will be examined in itself; in the interpretation of its significance by those who first reckoned it a religious mystery and later by scoffers at such an absurd conceit; in its theological and iconographic development; and in its pieties, impieties, and perplexities that have always attended it” (Sloyan, 1995 p.8)
Death on a Cross
We have only touched on certain aspects of the death of a person who is crucified, giving a general description of events as the process of crucifixion was developed through history. Dr. David A Ball, M D, in his book, The Crucifixion and Death of a Man Named Jesus: From the Eyes of a Physician, gives a detailed description of the march toward death of a person being crucified:
“First, let me say that I agree with most students of crucifixion-the primary cause of death was usually asphyxiation or suffocation. (The author will use asphyxiation and suffocation as synonyms.) This is a result of both wrists being fixed to the crosspiece so that when the victim slumps, his arms assume a raised position over his head. This movement elevates the rib cage and expands the chest so that a negative pressure is created in the lungs, resulting in a “passive” inhalation, which traps air in the lungs. The victim cannot effectively exhale in this position. In order to exhale so that fresh air can be inhaled, the victim must push himself up on the cross so that his arms are not over his head. With the arms in this “neutral” position, the victim and exhale and inhale at will. But he cannot sustain this elevated position for long because his thigh muscles simply fatigue and give out. He therefore slumps in order to relieve the leg muscles and immediately feels the fire shoot out into his hands as the median nerve is traumatized. When he can bear the pain no longer and has to have a fresh breath of air, he musters all the strength he can and pushes himself back up on the cross, exhales, and then takes a deep breath. The obvious problem with this process of lifting oneself up and down on the cross is that it requires a significant increase in energy expenditure just to breath; an impossibility by design” (Ball, 2009, pp. 104, 105)
We can clearly see here what a horrible death this would be for anyone to endure. Jesus,living in His day would have to know what this process would look like, as crucifixions were quite common. It’s no wonder that He would asked God, “Saying, Father, if You be willing, remove this cup from Me” (Luke 22:42a, KJV); but the good news for us was the next part of this verse, “nevertheless, not My will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42b, KJV)
Reverend John Wilkinson gives a bit of insight to the fact that Luke, being a physician,in his gospel account is a little more concerned with the manner in which Christ died.
“The gospel record summarized the physical aspect of the death of Christ in two short phrases. In Luke’s version these are, “they crucified Him” (23:33), and “He breathed His last” (23:46 RSV). The rest of the New Testament writers are concerned with the theological significance of His death. It is sufficient for them that He died, and apart from the humiliation implied in the way He was put to death, they are not interested in the physical details of His death. This has been true of Christian thinking since the early years of the Church, and in modern theology any book concerned with the death of Christ can be presumed to deal with its theological significance and not with its physical details. There have been attempts to deal with the physical details in the interest of Christian devotions, but these do not belong to the more healthy and orthodox Christian tradition” (Wilkinson, 1972, p. 104).
The manner in which Christ died on the cross is of great importance, not only to Christians, but also to scientists. While the modern science field certainly does not see Jesus as the Messiah, they have been somewhat infatuated with His manner of death; some even going so far as to claim that since there is no official instructions in Roman history as to how to crucify someone, Christ was never crucified, or at least not in the manner given in the Gospel accounts.
The Detractors
An interesting article by writers Maslen and Mitchell in the Journal of The Royal Society of Medicine gives some insight into studies that have been performed on crucifixion and their findings:
Over the years a number of researchers have tried to test both the physiology and the symptomatology of crucifixion. Zugibe has been the most recent, and the most thorough, with his humane experimental recreation of certain aspects of crucifixion.12 The volunteers were attached to the cross in a safe and temporary way, were carefully monitored, and the study terminated at the time of their request. The fact that none of the re-enactment research has actually crucified people means that these studies have only limited relevance to genuine cases. The absence of whipping, carrying a heavy cross, being nailed to it, the dehydration from water deprivation and hot sun, and the anxiety of their imminent death might all have resulted in somewhat different findings in the modern groups and crucifixion victims 2000 years ago. Furthermore, re-enacted crucifixions have typically placed their volunteers in the head up position displayed in Christian churches, and not in the wide variety of positions recorded in the written records from Roman times. (Maslen/Mitchell, 2006 ppg. 185-188)
As we can see from the above, as much as science would try to re-create crucifixion, there are a multitude of factors they must leave out for fear of actually killing the volunteers. They couldn’t scourge them, nail them, dehydrate them or leave them in the sun for hours or perhaps days in order to get accurate data.
Still others, while accepting all the eye witness accounts and writings on crucifixion, still refuse to attribute the glorifying aspect of this death to Jesus, assuming that His manner of death was only later given over to His “sacrificial Lamb” status, because it “fit”.
Chapter Four collects proverbial stories and possible images of crucifixion. Philo utilizes crucifixion to create horribly vivid images. Rabbinic anecdotes similarly employ stories of crucified people (especially brigands), often without sympathy for their plight. Indeed,
God may even be portrayed as the analogue of the crucifier. Nonetheless, in a few places crucifixion was associated with the binding of Isaac and with the roasting of the paschal lamb. These likely represent two Jewish ‘latent images’ (images not necessarily initially connected with crucifixion, but which later could be used as figures of the cross by Christians and Jews). (Chapman, 2000, pp. 313-316)
One last point to look at here from the detractors is the “Swoon Theory”. The Swoon Theory denotes the idea that Jesus didn’t actually die on the cross, but merely fell asleep or went unconscious, and later was revived on His own in the tomb or by His disciples.
“Early proponents of this theory include German Karl Friedrich Bahrdt, who suggested in around 1780, that Jesus deliberately feigned his death, using drugs provided by the physician Luke to appear as a spiritual messiah and get Israel to abandon the idea of a political messiah. In this interpretation of the events described in the Gospels, Jesus was resuscitated by Joseph of Arimathea, with whom he shared a connection through a secret order of the Essenes—a group that appear in many of the "swoon" theories.” (Wikipedia, 2010)
Apparently, even though the swoon theory has gained some ground in the last 200 years, it was around in the Apostle Paul’s day as well, as he addresses this very thing in First Corinthians.
“13If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. 16For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.
20But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.” (1Cor 15:13-22 NIV)
Just a thought here in response to the detractors; just like atheists, people around the world for centuries have spent a lot of time and effort in an attempt to disprove something they themselves swear don’t exist. If what we believe as Christians is just folly, then leave us to our insanity, we’ll be fine. But we as Christians also have to remember that their problem is not necessarily with us, but with God himself. All the way back to Cain and Abel, we can see the rebellion of man and the results of religion. Cain brought the fruit of the land; things he had tilled and grown on his own, even though God had obviously revealed to Cain and his brother how they were to sacrifice to Him. His sacrifice was rejected. Instead of reconciling with God and bringing a proper sacrifice, Cain got mad and killed his brother; setting a course for mankind and religion that is still very evident today. The detractors of the crucifixion of Christ are merely rebelling against God, in essence saying, “We don’t like the manner of reconciliation You have provided, we have our own way”. Unfortunately, their way, like Cain’s will never suffice for God’s provision.
The Resurrection
The most important part of all of this is the Resurrection. Our faith hinges on this very fact. As Paul said in I Cor. 15:17“And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins”. It is in Jesus’ crucifixion and death that He paid for our sins as the sacrificial Lamb of God. It is in Jesus’ resurrection that He forever defeated death and gave us the promise of eternal life forever with the Father. In her book, author Paula Fredrickson makes a good point I think that Jesus’ mission of paying for our sins was accomplished on the cross; but was the start of another mission.
“Jesus’ mission ended on the cross. The mission that was to spread His name, however, in a sense begins at this point. Within days of His death, to certain of His close companions, Jesus appeared, risen from the dead. This small company, which had followed Jesus in the Galilee and, in panic, deserted Him in Jerusalem at the moment of His arrest, regrouped in radically new circumstances. For two of the prime promises of the messianic age, the resurrection of the dead and the vindication of the righteous had been realized in the person of their executed leader.” (Fredrickson, 2000, p. 133)
Summary
In summary, we have seen that God, through His glorious word, the Bible, told us about the coming Messiah and the manner of death in which He would pay for our sins and reconcile a lost and wayward people to Himself. We have explored the gruesome manner in which one expires while hanging on a cross. We have visited some views from the detractors who, even if they admit that Jesus did in fact exist and die on a cross, state that it really means nothing for you and me, or for all humanity for that matter.
Regardless of the view a person chooses to take, the Bible states that Jesus Christ, God in human flesh, left His rightful place in heaven, was born as a child, grew to manhood, healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, made the lame walk and through His death, burial and resurrection, gave eternal life to all who would believe on His name. God Himself came to earth to die one of the most de-humanizing and horrible deaths ever know to mankind to redeem us to Himself; submission unto death, even death on a cross.
Bibliography
Ball, David M. M D The Crucifixion and Death of a Man Called Jesus: From the Eyes of a Physician 2009 p. 104 Crossbooks Bloomington, IL 47403
Fredrickson, Paula From Jesus to Christ: The Origins of the New Testament Images of Christ p. 133 2000, Yale University Press Publications
Lockyer, Herbert All the Messianic Prophecies of the Bible 1973 p. 147, Zondervan
Grand Rapids MI 49530
Sloyan, Gerard Stephen The Crucifixion: history, myth, faith 1995 p. 8, Ausburg Fortress Publishers Minneapolis, MN 55440
Chapman, David W. Perceptions of Crucifixion among Jews and Christians in the Ancient World 2000, pp. 313-316 Tyndale Review
Maslen, Matthew W. / Mitchell, Piers D. Medical Theories and the Cause of Death in Crucifixion 2006 pp. 185-188 Journal of The Royal Society of Medicine
Wilkinson, John Rev. The Physical Cause of the Death of Christ p. 104 The Expository Times
Vol. 83, No. 4
http://www.allaboutjesuschrist.org/history-of-crucifixion-faq.htm
http://www.thenazareneway.com/details_history_of_crucifixion.htm
Wikipedia The Swoon Hypothesis 2010
Introduction
Over two thousand years ago, on one of the darkest, yet most glorious days in human history, Jesus Christ was sentenced to death. It wasn’t to be just any death; the sentence was for Christ to be crucified. While Jesus Christ was not the first, nor the last person to be crucified by the Romans, this crucifixion would mean more to humanity than all the others throughout history; for this was not just another person to be cruelly executed by the Romans, this was the Son of God.
As we explore Christ’s crucifixion, we’ll visit scriptures that prophesy as to the horrible death the Savior would experience hundreds of years in the future from the time they were written. We’ll take a look at the history of death by crucifixion; and we’ll also see what happens to the body while going through this time of horrible torture. What we’ll find is that Jesus Christ didn’t just die on a cross. He chose to step down from his rightful place in heaven as Creator of the universe, live as a man, and give His life as a sacrifice for many in one of the most horrific and terrifying forms of human torture and death ever devised by mankind.
Old Testament Prophecies of the Crucifixion
As we delve into Christ’s crucifixion, let’s begin by taking a look at some of the Old Testament prophecies concerning our Savior’s earthly fate. In Isaiah chapter 53, we see a clear prophecy of what would eventually take place on the cross.
“But He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth: He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He opens not His mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare His generation? For He was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of My people was He stricken. And He made His grave with the wicked, and with the rich in His death; because He had done no violence, neither was any deceit found in His mouth. Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him;”
(Isaiah 53:5-10a, KJV)
Here we see a picture of the Savior, who would die for the sins of the world; and Isaiah is prophesying of this very fact. But we also see a prophecy of the events taking place at Christ’s trial and crucifixion. When Isaiah states, “as a lamb to the slaughter”, and “He opens not His mouth”; these events are very clearly documented in the New Testament accounts of Christ. Being crucified between two thieves and buried in Joseph of Arimathea’s tomb clearly would account for, “made His grave with the wicked, and with the rich in His death”. One more prophecy in this passage alone would be, “because He had done no violence, neither was any deceit found in His mouth”. Pontius Pilate himself declared, “Why, what evil has he done?”; and just a few verses later, “he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see you to it” (Matthew 27:23,24b, KJV).
Isaiah was inspired by God to write the words of chapter 53 above approximately 714 BC. That is somewhere around 737 before this event took place. In his book, All the Messianic Prophecies of the Bible, Herbert Lockyer states:
Of all the Old Testament prophets who gave witness to the redemptive ministry of the coming Messiah, David and Isaiah are most conspicuous, as the following references show. Apart from the gospels, with their actual description of the cross, there is nothing in Calvary literature comparable to the climax of anguish David gave almost a thousand years before the cross; and then the portrait of archetypal sorrow minutely sketched by the hand of Isaiah some 700 years before Christ was born to die. Both psalmist and prophet, by the Holy Spirit, dealt with the deepest humiliations and woes as the prelude to an assured and glorious victory”. (Lockyer, 1973, p. 147)
As we see in the Psalms, David was also inspired by the Holy Spirit to write about the crucifixion of Christ. “1My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? 7All those who see me mock me; they hurl insults at me, shaking their heads. 8He trusts in the Lord, let the Lord rescue Him, Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him. 14I am poured out like water, all my bones are out of joint. My heart is turned to wax; it has melted away within me. 15My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death. 16Dogs have surrounded me, a band of evil men has surrounded me; they have pierced my hands and my feet. 17I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat at me. 18They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.” (Psalm 22:1,7-8,14-18 NIV)
David is clearly writing of a crucifixion here; but the most amazing part is this is centuries before the first crucifixion would ever happen; and while Psalm 22 is probably the most widely know Psalm to prophesy the crucifixion of Christ, it’s certainly not the only one to speak of it.
“False witnesses were suborned to witness against Him, to put Him to death, and He was tried at night, which was an illegal action. Words of reason and justice on the part of Pilate had no influence. In the Roman court, Pilate gave verdict that he could find no fault in Jesus, but the lying mob prevailed and the innocent prisoner was put to death. That trial was the most despicable miscarriage of justice in the annals of all history. Forecast: “False witness did rise up; they laid to my charge things I knew not” (Psalm 35:11).
“They have spoken against me with a lying tongue” (Psalm 109:2) Fulfillment: “The chief priests…sought false witness against Jesus” (Matt. 26:59).
(Lockyer, 1973, p. 149)
The references in the Old Testament to the illegal trial and brutal execution by crucifixion of Jesus are too many to list in one paper; but this gives clear indication that the Holy Spirit was very much at work in prophesying about the payment for sin our Savior would accomplish.
The History of Crucifixion
While throughout history, the Romans are most credited with crucifixion, they are by no means to the only ones to use it as a form of punishment. The Egyptians, Persians, Assyrians, Scythians, Indians, Germans, and the Greeks also used this process to deter crime. As far as the Romans were concerned, crucifixion was a punishment reserved for the worst type of criminals; in fact, Roman citizens were exempt from this form of punishment.
The process of crucifixion was horrible in and of itself. It would start with a scourging. The whip would have nails, glass or pieces of bone imbedded in it to produce more pain. Many died from the scourging and never made it to the cross. (http://www.allaboutjesuschrist.org/history-of-crucifixion-faq.htm)
Depending on who you speak to, some will say that Jesus was not crucified on a “cross”, but on a stake. Some believe that crosses were never used for crucifixions, but there is plenty of archeological evidence to prove otherwise. In fact, a minimal amount of research will show that both were used for crucifixions, depending on which culture was doing the crucifying.
A lot has been debated as well as to the location of the nails:
For the sake of expediency, the victim was probably affixed to the cross by ropes, nails, or some combination of the two. In popular depictions of crucifixion, possibly derived from a literal reading of the description in the Gospel of John, of Jesus' wounds being "in the hands", the victim is shown supported only by nails driven straight through the feet and the palms of the hands. However, the flesh of the hands cannot support a person's body weight, so some other means must have been used to support most of the weight, such as tying the wrists to the cross beam.
Another possibility, that does not require tying, is that the nails were inserted just above the wrist, between the two bones of the forearm (the radius and the ulna). The nails could also be driven through the wrist, in a space between four carpal bones which is the location shown in the Shroud of Turin. As some historians have suggested, the Gospel words that are translated as "hands" may have in fact included everything below the mid-forearm. Another possibility, suggested by Frederick Zugibe, is that the nails may have been driven in on an angle, entering in the palm in the crease that delineates the bulky region at the base of the thumb, and exiting in the wrist, passing through the carpal tunnel. (http://www.thenazareneway.com/details_history_of_crucifixion.htm)
It is also widely known that the victim of crucifixion usually died of asphyxiation. Crucifixion was designed to be a brutal deterrent to crime. The administers did not want their victims to die quickly. They wanted all onlookers to see exactly what was happening to their victim, so as to paint a picture in their mind of what they did not want to go through; therefore they would put a little “stand” under the feet of the victim, so they could push up and get a breath. Eventually, the person no longer had the strength to push up and would suffocate and expire. Sometimes this happened rather quickly depending on how bad the scourging was, coupled with the method of crucifixion. Sometimes it might take days for a person to die on their cross. In addition, if the administers needed their victims to die sooner rather than later, it was a common practice to break their knees, thereby eliminating their ability to push up and breath. Either way, the person was not coming down off of the cross until they were dead, so the ones who died quickly would have to be considered lucky.
One note here; as the bible teaches, Jesus did not die of asphyxiation on the cross, neither did they break His legs; He willingly gave up the ghost and died in our place when He determined “it is finished”: “The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the Sabbath Day, (for that Sabbath Day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. Then came the soldiers, and broke the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with Him. But when they came to Jesus, and saw that He was dead already, they broke not His legs.” (John 19:31-33, KJV)
The Jews approached Pilate and asked to break their legs so they could have them expire more quickly, and then get them down from their crosses before the Sabbath started. Ironically, they were worried more about keeping God’s law than they were about whom they were crucifying. Either way, the fact that Jesus “gave up the ghost”, and chose the timing of His death when all biblical prophecies had been accomplished has been both a mystery and a stumbling block for some.
“In sum, the death of Jesus will be examined in itself; in the interpretation of its significance by those who first reckoned it a religious mystery and later by scoffers at such an absurd conceit; in its theological and iconographic development; and in its pieties, impieties, and perplexities that have always attended it” (Sloyan, 1995 p.8)
Death on a Cross
We have only touched on certain aspects of the death of a person who is crucified, giving a general description of events as the process of crucifixion was developed through history. Dr. David A Ball, M D, in his book, The Crucifixion and Death of a Man Named Jesus: From the Eyes of a Physician, gives a detailed description of the march toward death of a person being crucified:
“First, let me say that I agree with most students of crucifixion-the primary cause of death was usually asphyxiation or suffocation. (The author will use asphyxiation and suffocation as synonyms.) This is a result of both wrists being fixed to the crosspiece so that when the victim slumps, his arms assume a raised position over his head. This movement elevates the rib cage and expands the chest so that a negative pressure is created in the lungs, resulting in a “passive” inhalation, which traps air in the lungs. The victim cannot effectively exhale in this position. In order to exhale so that fresh air can be inhaled, the victim must push himself up on the cross so that his arms are not over his head. With the arms in this “neutral” position, the victim and exhale and inhale at will. But he cannot sustain this elevated position for long because his thigh muscles simply fatigue and give out. He therefore slumps in order to relieve the leg muscles and immediately feels the fire shoot out into his hands as the median nerve is traumatized. When he can bear the pain no longer and has to have a fresh breath of air, he musters all the strength he can and pushes himself back up on the cross, exhales, and then takes a deep breath. The obvious problem with this process of lifting oneself up and down on the cross is that it requires a significant increase in energy expenditure just to breath; an impossibility by design” (Ball, 2009, pp. 104, 105)
We can clearly see here what a horrible death this would be for anyone to endure. Jesus,living in His day would have to know what this process would look like, as crucifixions were quite common. It’s no wonder that He would asked God, “Saying, Father, if You be willing, remove this cup from Me” (Luke 22:42a, KJV); but the good news for us was the next part of this verse, “nevertheless, not My will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42b, KJV)
Reverend John Wilkinson gives a bit of insight to the fact that Luke, being a physician,in his gospel account is a little more concerned with the manner in which Christ died.
“The gospel record summarized the physical aspect of the death of Christ in two short phrases. In Luke’s version these are, “they crucified Him” (23:33), and “He breathed His last” (23:46 RSV). The rest of the New Testament writers are concerned with the theological significance of His death. It is sufficient for them that He died, and apart from the humiliation implied in the way He was put to death, they are not interested in the physical details of His death. This has been true of Christian thinking since the early years of the Church, and in modern theology any book concerned with the death of Christ can be presumed to deal with its theological significance and not with its physical details. There have been attempts to deal with the physical details in the interest of Christian devotions, but these do not belong to the more healthy and orthodox Christian tradition” (Wilkinson, 1972, p. 104).
The manner in which Christ died on the cross is of great importance, not only to Christians, but also to scientists. While the modern science field certainly does not see Jesus as the Messiah, they have been somewhat infatuated with His manner of death; some even going so far as to claim that since there is no official instructions in Roman history as to how to crucify someone, Christ was never crucified, or at least not in the manner given in the Gospel accounts.
The Detractors
An interesting article by writers Maslen and Mitchell in the Journal of The Royal Society of Medicine gives some insight into studies that have been performed on crucifixion and their findings:
Over the years a number of researchers have tried to test both the physiology and the symptomatology of crucifixion. Zugibe has been the most recent, and the most thorough, with his humane experimental recreation of certain aspects of crucifixion.12 The volunteers were attached to the cross in a safe and temporary way, were carefully monitored, and the study terminated at the time of their request. The fact that none of the re-enactment research has actually crucified people means that these studies have only limited relevance to genuine cases. The absence of whipping, carrying a heavy cross, being nailed to it, the dehydration from water deprivation and hot sun, and the anxiety of their imminent death might all have resulted in somewhat different findings in the modern groups and crucifixion victims 2000 years ago. Furthermore, re-enacted crucifixions have typically placed their volunteers in the head up position displayed in Christian churches, and not in the wide variety of positions recorded in the written records from Roman times. (Maslen/Mitchell, 2006 ppg. 185-188)
As we can see from the above, as much as science would try to re-create crucifixion, there are a multitude of factors they must leave out for fear of actually killing the volunteers. They couldn’t scourge them, nail them, dehydrate them or leave them in the sun for hours or perhaps days in order to get accurate data.
Still others, while accepting all the eye witness accounts and writings on crucifixion, still refuse to attribute the glorifying aspect of this death to Jesus, assuming that His manner of death was only later given over to His “sacrificial Lamb” status, because it “fit”.
Chapter Four collects proverbial stories and possible images of crucifixion. Philo utilizes crucifixion to create horribly vivid images. Rabbinic anecdotes similarly employ stories of crucified people (especially brigands), often without sympathy for their plight. Indeed,
God may even be portrayed as the analogue of the crucifier. Nonetheless, in a few places crucifixion was associated with the binding of Isaac and with the roasting of the paschal lamb. These likely represent two Jewish ‘latent images’ (images not necessarily initially connected with crucifixion, but which later could be used as figures of the cross by Christians and Jews). (Chapman, 2000, pp. 313-316)
One last point to look at here from the detractors is the “Swoon Theory”. The Swoon Theory denotes the idea that Jesus didn’t actually die on the cross, but merely fell asleep or went unconscious, and later was revived on His own in the tomb or by His disciples.
“Early proponents of this theory include German Karl Friedrich Bahrdt, who suggested in around 1780, that Jesus deliberately feigned his death, using drugs provided by the physician Luke to appear as a spiritual messiah and get Israel to abandon the idea of a political messiah. In this interpretation of the events described in the Gospels, Jesus was resuscitated by Joseph of Arimathea, with whom he shared a connection through a secret order of the Essenes—a group that appear in many of the "swoon" theories.” (Wikipedia, 2010)
Apparently, even though the swoon theory has gained some ground in the last 200 years, it was around in the Apostle Paul’s day as well, as he addresses this very thing in First Corinthians.
“13If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. 16For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.
20But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.” (1Cor 15:13-22 NIV)
Just a thought here in response to the detractors; just like atheists, people around the world for centuries have spent a lot of time and effort in an attempt to disprove something they themselves swear don’t exist. If what we believe as Christians is just folly, then leave us to our insanity, we’ll be fine. But we as Christians also have to remember that their problem is not necessarily with us, but with God himself. All the way back to Cain and Abel, we can see the rebellion of man and the results of religion. Cain brought the fruit of the land; things he had tilled and grown on his own, even though God had obviously revealed to Cain and his brother how they were to sacrifice to Him. His sacrifice was rejected. Instead of reconciling with God and bringing a proper sacrifice, Cain got mad and killed his brother; setting a course for mankind and religion that is still very evident today. The detractors of the crucifixion of Christ are merely rebelling against God, in essence saying, “We don’t like the manner of reconciliation You have provided, we have our own way”. Unfortunately, their way, like Cain’s will never suffice for God’s provision.
The Resurrection
The most important part of all of this is the Resurrection. Our faith hinges on this very fact. As Paul said in I Cor. 15:17“And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins”. It is in Jesus’ crucifixion and death that He paid for our sins as the sacrificial Lamb of God. It is in Jesus’ resurrection that He forever defeated death and gave us the promise of eternal life forever with the Father. In her book, author Paula Fredrickson makes a good point I think that Jesus’ mission of paying for our sins was accomplished on the cross; but was the start of another mission.
“Jesus’ mission ended on the cross. The mission that was to spread His name, however, in a sense begins at this point. Within days of His death, to certain of His close companions, Jesus appeared, risen from the dead. This small company, which had followed Jesus in the Galilee and, in panic, deserted Him in Jerusalem at the moment of His arrest, regrouped in radically new circumstances. For two of the prime promises of the messianic age, the resurrection of the dead and the vindication of the righteous had been realized in the person of their executed leader.” (Fredrickson, 2000, p. 133)
Summary
In summary, we have seen that God, through His glorious word, the Bible, told us about the coming Messiah and the manner of death in which He would pay for our sins and reconcile a lost and wayward people to Himself. We have explored the gruesome manner in which one expires while hanging on a cross. We have visited some views from the detractors who, even if they admit that Jesus did in fact exist and die on a cross, state that it really means nothing for you and me, or for all humanity for that matter.
Regardless of the view a person chooses to take, the Bible states that Jesus Christ, God in human flesh, left His rightful place in heaven, was born as a child, grew to manhood, healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, made the lame walk and through His death, burial and resurrection, gave eternal life to all who would believe on His name. God Himself came to earth to die one of the most de-humanizing and horrible deaths ever know to mankind to redeem us to Himself; submission unto death, even death on a cross.
Bibliography
Ball, David M. M D The Crucifixion and Death of a Man Called Jesus: From the Eyes of a Physician 2009 p. 104 Crossbooks Bloomington, IL 47403
Fredrickson, Paula From Jesus to Christ: The Origins of the New Testament Images of Christ p. 133 2000, Yale University Press Publications
Lockyer, Herbert All the Messianic Prophecies of the Bible 1973 p. 147, Zondervan
Grand Rapids MI 49530
Sloyan, Gerard Stephen The Crucifixion: history, myth, faith 1995 p. 8, Ausburg Fortress Publishers Minneapolis, MN 55440
Chapman, David W. Perceptions of Crucifixion among Jews and Christians in the Ancient World 2000, pp. 313-316 Tyndale Review
Maslen, Matthew W. / Mitchell, Piers D. Medical Theories and the Cause of Death in Crucifixion 2006 pp. 185-188 Journal of The Royal Society of Medicine
Wilkinson, John Rev. The Physical Cause of the Death of Christ p. 104 The Expository Times
Vol. 83, No. 4
http://www.allaboutjesuschrist.org/history-of-crucifixion-faq.htm
http://www.thenazareneway.com/details_history_of_crucifixion.htm
Wikipedia The Swoon Hypothesis 2010
Monday, July 5, 2010
The Second Coming of Christ
Over the previous seven years, the world and mankind has experienced many wondrous things. At the beginning, millions of people mysteriously vanished into thin air. The world was in chaos, but in the midst of this a leader stepped forward seaming with explanations for all questions. He was suave. He was a political genius. He was a financial genius. He seemed to be able to solve all the world's problems....He even got the Jews and the Palestinians to get along and sign a seven year peace accord; something no one else had ever done.
In the midst of that seven years everything changed. He wasn't the same guy he was 3 ½ years ago. Plagues and pestilence now was world wide. It seemed everything in the sea was dying. It wasn't raining. People were dying all over the world. The armies of the entire world were now staged all around the nation of Israel doing battle. What was once peace was now nothing but war. There were even reports that so many people were dying in the battle in the middle east that the blood was actually pooling on the ground like a massive lake. If things continued on like they were, mankind would never survive.
At the hottest part of the battle, the sky darkened. You couldn't see the sun, moon or stars. The world had experienced dastardly things over the last 3 ½ years; earthquakes, tsunamis, plagues and constant wars. Now there's an eeriness as this massive battle drags on. Something feels different as if what has happened before is just a precursor.
Then the clouds part in the sky. Bright light shines through such as the people of earth have never experienced before. No matter where they are on earth, they can see King Jesus descending from the clouds coming down to earth with a heavenly host. Thousands of angels and the redeemed coming with him from the clouds. As His foot touches down on the Mount of Olives, there is a great earthquake such as the earth has never experienced. For the people who have been saved during the period known as the Great Tribulation, this is what they've been waiting for, their joy cannot be contained. For everyone else in the world, it is sadly time to mourn.
As Jesus touches down, the words coming out of His mouth are like a two edged sword, slaying the enemies of God. As the armies of the world come at Him to do battle He slays them thousands at a time. They soon realize that their efforts are fruitless, but it's too late for them. He defeats the one known as the Antichrist and his cohort the False Prophet and casts them into a lake of fire. He separates the true believers from the non-believers. He takes the Great Beast Satan and binds him and puts him in a prison made especially for him. All the Old Testament Saints and the Saints killed during the Great Tribulation are being resurrected from their graves. He sits in judgment of the fallen angels.
King Jesus has come back at last to set up His millennial reign and bring peace to His creation. For those of us who believe and have been raptured beforehand; or those who have died before Christ's crucifixion; or believed during the Great Tribulation, it is the day we have waited for. It is the day that creation has groaned for since Adam and Eve took a bite and rebelled against God. It is the day that Satan has known would come for eons, and try as he may could not stop it. For all the people who have ever or will reject Christ, it is the most treacherous and terrible of days.
Even so Lord Jesus, come quickly.
In the midst of that seven years everything changed. He wasn't the same guy he was 3 ½ years ago. Plagues and pestilence now was world wide. It seemed everything in the sea was dying. It wasn't raining. People were dying all over the world. The armies of the entire world were now staged all around the nation of Israel doing battle. What was once peace was now nothing but war. There were even reports that so many people were dying in the battle in the middle east that the blood was actually pooling on the ground like a massive lake. If things continued on like they were, mankind would never survive.
At the hottest part of the battle, the sky darkened. You couldn't see the sun, moon or stars. The world had experienced dastardly things over the last 3 ½ years; earthquakes, tsunamis, plagues and constant wars. Now there's an eeriness as this massive battle drags on. Something feels different as if what has happened before is just a precursor.
Then the clouds part in the sky. Bright light shines through such as the people of earth have never experienced before. No matter where they are on earth, they can see King Jesus descending from the clouds coming down to earth with a heavenly host. Thousands of angels and the redeemed coming with him from the clouds. As His foot touches down on the Mount of Olives, there is a great earthquake such as the earth has never experienced. For the people who have been saved during the period known as the Great Tribulation, this is what they've been waiting for, their joy cannot be contained. For everyone else in the world, it is sadly time to mourn.
As Jesus touches down, the words coming out of His mouth are like a two edged sword, slaying the enemies of God. As the armies of the world come at Him to do battle He slays them thousands at a time. They soon realize that their efforts are fruitless, but it's too late for them. He defeats the one known as the Antichrist and his cohort the False Prophet and casts them into a lake of fire. He separates the true believers from the non-believers. He takes the Great Beast Satan and binds him and puts him in a prison made especially for him. All the Old Testament Saints and the Saints killed during the Great Tribulation are being resurrected from their graves. He sits in judgment of the fallen angels.
King Jesus has come back at last to set up His millennial reign and bring peace to His creation. For those of us who believe and have been raptured beforehand; or those who have died before Christ's crucifixion; or believed during the Great Tribulation, it is the day we have waited for. It is the day that creation has groaned for since Adam and Eve took a bite and rebelled against God. It is the day that Satan has known would come for eons, and try as he may could not stop it. For all the people who have ever or will reject Christ, it is the most treacherous and terrible of days.
Even so Lord Jesus, come quickly.
The Existence and Personality of Satan
THE EXISTENCE AND PERSONALITY OF SATAN
Introduction
It’s been said, time and time again, “the greatest trick Satan ever pulled, was convincing the world he doesn’t exist.” However, he does exist; and he is real. Satan is real because God explicitly says he is real in the Bible. As believers, with regenerated spirits and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we can see Satan for who he is; and we can recognize his methods and his “tricks”. For an unbelieving world, it’s easy for people to say “c’est la vie” or, such is life; and dismiss the things they see going on around them to just the way things are.
In this paper, we will discuss the existence of Satan and his personality. We’ll take a look at what we know of his origin, some of his actions in the Bible, and how he goes about operating in this world. In his personality we’ll look at his cunningness, his hatred for mankind, and his willingness to do whatever it takes to try to thwart the plans of God. It’s important for us to understand that evil doesn’t just happen; and all evil cannot be attributed to Satan alone, as there will be a time in the future during the Millennium where Satan and his demons will be far removed from mankind, and yet man will still rebel against God; but Satan certainly plays a big part in the evil that happens on this earth, as we’ll see.
Satan’s Origin
“We have no genesis of the devil in the Bible as a direct statement. The Bible is not his full history. It gives no intimation of his birth and no description of his creation. The Bible is only concerned with the devil as he has part in the great crisis of man’s history, and only gives us occasional glimpses of him in his work of ruin and death as explanatory, or as putting his acts in striking contrast and opposition to the works and aims of Christ.”
“Peter in his first epistle gives the angel crisis and fall as one of the signal events which illustrates God’s justice, its certainty, and fearfulness. He says, “God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness to be reserved unto judgment.” Jude speaks after the same order of God’s inflexible wrath when he tells us that, “the angels kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day” (Bounds, 1922, p. 11-12)
As we can see from the above, the Bible doesn’t really speak about when or how Satan was created, because ultimately, in God’s plan and purpose for mankind it’s really not all that important. What is important to God is that we as believers understand how Satan works against us and is constantly doing so. “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.” (Eph. 6:11 NIV) “He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil's trap.” (1 Tim. 3:7 NIV)
We do however get a glimpse of his beginnings as he was cast from heaven to earth in the book of Ezekiel:
“You were anointed as the guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings.” (Ezek. 28:14-17)
Although we don’t know exactly when Satan was created, we do see here that he was created as a special creature by God, who was to serve a special purpose; but his own arrogance and self love caused him to be cast out of the presence of God to become the arch enemy of not only God himself, but God’s other special creature: man.
Satan’s Existence
As was stated above, one of the greatest tricks Satan ever pulled was convincing an unsuspecting world that he didn’t exist in the first place; however, he does exist and believing anything else is dangerous to one’s eternal soul. As Walter Wink states:
“Nothing commends Satan to the modern mind. It is bad enough that Satan is spirit, when our world view has banned spirit from discourse and belief. But worse, he is evil, and our culture resolutely refuses to believe in the real existence of evil, preferring to regard it as a kind of systems breakdown that can be fixed with enough tinkering. Worse yet, Satan is not a very good intellectual idea. Once theology lost its character as reflection on the experience of knowing God, and became a second level exercise in knowing about, the experiential ground of theology began to erode away. “Although mythologically true” Morton Kelsey writes, “the devil is intellectually indefensible, and once it was realized that the conception of the powers of evil was “only” a representation of people’s experience, no matter how accurate, the devil began to fade.” (Wink, 1986, p.9)
While the world may deny the existence of Satan, or at the very least ignore his existence, the Bible declares his it in numerous places; of which we’ll examine a few:
"You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." (Gen 3:4-5, NIV)
“Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil." (Job 1:8, NIV)
“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." (Matt 3:1-3, NIV)
Notice how the Bible refers to Satan on three separate occasions; in Genesis, he is referred to as the serpent; in Job he is specifically referred to as Satan; and in Matthew he is called the Devil and the tempter. Jesus himself had conversation with Satan in the desert while he was being tempted. The Bible, God’s holy word, does not try to make the case that Satan exists; it speaks of him in the sense that he does exist; period. No matter how much the world and mankind would like to think that Satan is not real, it doesn’t change the fact that he is, and that he has a distinct purpose on this earth.
In summing up the existence of Satan, author Richard Mayhue states it very well:
“Earlier in this decade the devil rated a three page spread in Newsweek-“Giving the Devil His Due.” It contained a survey of how American theologians and pastors in general have debunked and demythologized Satan, making him nothing more than a vestigial religious figure who has been trivialized by a thousand superstitions. Kenneth Woodward, noted religious correspondent for Newsweek, concluded with the words the devil undoubtedly welcomed, “In these harrowing times, Satan’s cleverest ploy would be to convince mankind that a pallid, personal devil really does exist.” (Mayhue 1988, 2001 p. 16)
Satan’s Personality
“The Devil is a person of marked emphatic character. Character gives dignity, place and value to the person, or character degrades the person. Character is that which is inner, cut in and graven. Character abides, forms action and shapes life. Character is a fountain. It is the head and stream of conduct; character often versus reputation. Character is what we are. Reputation is what folks think we are. The real and the think are so often two worlds. It would be well every way if reputation were based on character, if the real and the reputed were one. A bad reputation may be coupled with good character. Then the times are sadly out of joint or the environments, and the folks are more sadly out of joint than the times. A good reputation may be but the veneering of a bad character. The devil has this characteristic with him. Reputation is based on character. They are one. His reputation is bad, because his character is worse.” (Bounds, 1922, p. 19)
As stated above, Satan does have a bad reputation, which is derived from his character. He has a bad reputation because he is bad. His character is immoral. His character can be seen in some of the names given to Satan from the Bible: Apollyon (destroyer), Accuser of the Brethren, Beelzebub (prince of demons), Deceiver, Slanderer, and our Enemy. Those names aren’t just given to Satan, he has earned every one of them, through his destructive nature and hatred toward the Holy God who originally created him.
In books such as The Satanism Scare, Satan is once again successful in trickery to convince such authors as David G. Bromley that he doesn’t exist. Mr. Bromley goes on to point out that his thoughts lead to the idea that an “all powerful, all good God would not allow evil to exist in His cosmos He creates, therefore evil cannot exist; but since we can see that it does exist, we can save God’s goodness by limiting His omnipotence, or save His omnipotence by qualifying His goodness; albeit by pinning the evil on someone else.” He goes on to say, “To avoid this choice, a variety of strategies have been employed over the millennia. One solution, however unsatisfactory philosophically, is to resort to the notion of a spiritual power antagonistic to God, such as Satan. The Old Testament has relatively few references to Satan as a personality. Most Hebrew thought before the second century B.C.E. accepted destruction and suffering as originating in God’s inscrutable will. But some Old Testament passages lent themselves to an interpretation that mysterious spiritual powers, subordinate to a God, often did destructive things. In some passages-most dramatically in the book of Job-this power is portrayed as having an independent, malevolent existence.” (Bromley, 1991, p.41)
As we can see from the above, part of Satan’s personality is deceitfulness. He not only convinces people that he doesn’t exist, but in turn convinces people that the very idea of him is to be a scapegoat for the evil committed in the world. If he’s to be explained away as just a character of some fantasy, by whom all the evil of the world is perpetuated, then there is no need for a belief in an all powerful God that would hold him back from conducting all the evil he could ever commit. So, in convincing people he doesn’t exist, he also convinces people there is no God, attributing all the good committed in the world to the goodness and kindness of the human heart.
Another part of Satan’s personality is pride. This particular trait is the thing that got Satan cast out of heaven and out of the presence of Almighty God. It wasn’t enough that God created Satan as probably the most glorious and powerful Angel, Satan wanted to be God; he wanted to ascend to the throne of God and have ultimate control. Lewis Chafer says in his book:
“According to the scriptures, the supreme motive of Satan is his purpose to become like the Most High and, though that purpose was formed before the age of man, it has been his constant actuating motive from that time until now. It is also the teaching of the scriptures that Satan is in especial authority in the present age, he being permitted the exercise of his own power in order that he, and his followers, may make their own final demonstration to the who universe of the utter folly of their claims and their abject helplessness when wholly independent of their Creator. This is definitely predicted in 2 Timothy 3:9 as the final outcome of the attitude of the world in its independence toward God: “They shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men.” (Chafer, 1990, p.63)
The results of Satan’s pride can be seen in the book of Isaiah. “How you have fallen from Heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of the assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High!” But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit. (Isaiah 14:12-15, NIV)
“Accuser of the brethren” is yet another name for Satan, because it’s one of the things he’s very good at. In his book, L. F. McMurray paints a good picture of what Satan does to accuse believers in front of a Holy God. “The word accuser means: one who charges another with short comings or error, and: one who brings charges against another.” “According to the written word, Satan is the accuser, and man is the accused, but both have error where in Satan blames the brethren, and accuses God, and the brethren accuses man and Satan, and then blames God” (McMurray, 2006, p. i)
We can see Satan playing this role in the opening of the book of Job.
6 One day the angels [a] came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan [b] also came with them. 7 The LORD said to Satan, "Where have you come from?" Satan answered the LORD, "From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it."
8 Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil."
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 work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. 11 But stretch out 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 from the presence of the LORD. (Job 1:6-12 NIV)
We can also see Satan play this role in the book of Zechariah:
1 Then he showed me Joshua [a] the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan [b] standing at his right side to accuse him. 2 The LORD said to Satan, "The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?"
3 Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. 4 The angel said to those who were standing before him, "Take off his filthy clothes." Then he said to Joshua, "See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put rich garments on you." (Zech 3:1-4, NIV)
As we can see, it is definitely part of Satan’s personality to try to accuse believers in front of God. This derives from the standpoint that Satan can do nothing against God Himself. Satan is a created being, so try as he might, he can have no power over the Creator, which obviously infuriates him. Therefore, the only thing he can really do to have any effect is to attack God’s other created being, mankind. If he can lure us away from following God and lead us into the pit that has been created for him and his demonic followers, he knows that hurts God. He has made it his purpose to try and take us down any way he can.
The Slanderer is Satan’s second most referred to name in the Bible, and with good reason.
“With great emphasis Christ insists that he (Satan) is the father of that which is false. As the Greek has it, he has not stood in the truth. This has been rendered, he “abode” not in the truth. Now the English word “abide” has the secondary sense of remain, continue, with the implication in such a case as this, that he was once in the truth, but left it. To be sure, this idea is denied by the whole context and by the reason given, but a traditional background is much weightier than the context, and lifts the one statement, “he abode not in the truth” out of its surroundings in order to show that Satan was once in the truth and fell from it.” (www.concordant.com)
We can clearly see Satan attempting to slander even Jesus Himself in John chapter 8 by making people believe he was Samaritan and demon possessed:
42Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me. 43Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. 44You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! 46Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don't you believe me? 47He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God."
The Claims of Jesus About Himself
48The Jews answered him, "Aren't we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?"
49"I am not possessed by a demon," said Jesus, "but I honor my Father and you dishonor me. 50I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. 51I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death."
52At this the Jews exclaimed; "Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that if anyone keeps your word, he will never taste death. 53Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?"
54Jesus replied, "If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. 55Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and keep his word. 56Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad."
57"You are not yet fifty years old," the Jews said to him, "and you have seen Abraham!"
58"I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" 59At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds. (John 8:42-59, NIV)
The implication here is this; if Jesus himself is not even safe from being slandered by Satan, then we certainly have to expect some of this in our own lives. He will try with all his might to discredit us and ruin our witness to those around us.
Satan has desires. He desired Peter, and he desires me and you. If he can bring us down he knows that hurts God, which is ultimately what he wants to do. Robert Love has a great article online in which he states:
"And the Lord said, 'Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.'"{Luke 22:31,32}
"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."{1 Peter 5:8} Satan desires and seeks after every accountable person. Everyone is important to him, especially God's children!
The Devil wanted Peter. The Lord said that He would pray for him, that his faith would not fail. We might be prone to feel, like Peter, that we will never forsake the Lord. However, Paul reminds us, "Take heed lest ye fall." (1 Corinthians 10:12)
Why did the devil want Peter? Every man is valuable to the Lord. The Lord reminded Peter of this when He said, "...What God hath cleansed, call not thou common." (Acts 10:15) No man is common. We may, at times, undersell ourselves, as may others; but the Lord knows our true value, and so does the devil. He also desires us.
Satan knew that if he brought Peter down, it would hurt the Lord. On one occasion, he tried to win Jesus over to his way but failed miserably (Matthew 4). The next-best thing he could do was to win over one of His ardent followers. I could do you more harm by hurting your child, or one of your loved ones, than in any other way. So, Satan knew if he was successful in winning over Peter, he could hurt Jesus.
Today, the devil would like to win over the elders--those who teach, counsel, shepherd, advise, etc. He would like to capture some of us preachers, and he has succeeded more than once. Modernism is the order of the day. He has influenced many away from the "Old Paths" into liberalism, institutionalism, humanism, Calvinism, (false teaching concerning imputed righteousness and the extended grace of God); to deny the organizational structure of the local church; to tend toward leveling sharp criticism at those who "contend earnestly for the faith," labeling them as negative; and, he has led others into disgraceful acts of immorality. (www.knollwoodchurch.org)
Finally, Satan is the Father of All Lies. He led Adam and Eve astray in the Garden of Eden by twisting God’s word, and at the final battle between Satan and God he will lie to the nations and get them to follow him against the God of the Bible in a final act of rebellion. One doesn’t have to look too far to find that Satan is still leading people astray through his lies even today. One brief visit to the website “Satanosphere” brings us to an interview with the current High Priest of the Satanic Church, known simply as High Priest Gilmore.
Question: Does the Church of Satan truly consider itself “evil”, or does it in fact seek the abolition of the term?
Answer: “"Good" and "Evil" are purely subjective terms. Our beliefs and practices are beneficial to us, otherwise we wouldn't have adopted them, so we consider them to be "Good" for us. Others might be frightened of our championing of individuality and our willingness to judge and be judged, based on self-chosen standards, so they might see us as "Evil." As our founder, Anton LaVey, used to say, "EVIL is LIVE spelled backwards." So it is all a matter of personal perspective. We see ourselves in a Nietzschean sense as being beyond good and evil.” (http://archives.satanosphere.com)
Summary
In summary, I think the infamous words of the late radio personality Paul Harvey speaks best about who Satan is and what he would like to accomplish.
If I were the devil...
If I were the prince of darkness I’d want to engulf the whole world in darkness, and I’d have a third of its real estate and four fifths of its population. But I wouldn’t be happy until I had seized the ripest apple on the tree: thee.
So I’d set about however necessary, to take over the United States. I’d subvert the churches first. I’d begin with a campaign of whispers. With the wisdom of a serpent I would whisper to you as I whispered to Eve, “Do as you please.” To the young I would whisper that the Bible is a myth. I would convince them that man created God, instead of the other way around. I would confide that what’s bad is good, and what’s good is square. And the old I would teach to pray after me, “our father which art in Washington...”
And then I’d get organized: I’d educate authors in how to make lurid literature exciting so that anything else would appear dull and uninteresting. I’d threaten TV with dirtier movies, and visa versa. I’d peddle narcotics to whom I could. I’d sell alcohol to ladies and gentlemen of distinction. I’d tranquilize the rest with pills.
If I were the devil I’d soon have families at war with themselves; churches at war with themselves; and nations at war with themselves; until each in its turn was consumed. And with promises of higher ratings, I’d have mesmerizing media fanning the flames.
If I were the devil I would encourage schools to refine young intellect, but neglect to discipline emotions; just let those run wild, until before you knew it you’d have to have drug-sniffing dogs and metal detectors at every schoolhouse door.
Within a decade I’d have prisons overflowing; I’d have judges promoting pornography. Soon I could evict God from the courthouse, then from the schoolhouse, and then from the houses of Congress. And in His own churches I would substitute psychology for religion and deify science. I would lure priests and pastors into misusing boys and girls—and church money.
If I were the devil I’d make the symbol of Easter an egg, and the symbol of Christmas a bottle.
If I were the devil I’d take from those who have, and give to those who want it, until I had killed the incentive of the ambitious. And what’ll you bet I couldn’t get whole states to promote gambling as the way to get rich.
I would caution against extremes, and hard work, and patriotism, and moral conduct. I would convince the young that marriage is old fashioned—that swinging is more fun. That what you see on TV is the way to be. And thus I could undress you in public, and I could lure you into bed with diseases for which there is no cure.
In other words, if I were the devil I would just keep on doing what he is doing.
Paul Harvey, March 16, 1993
Bibliography
One Accuser Too Many, Don’t Blame God L.F. Holt McMurray 2006 p.i Infinity Publishing 1094 DeHaven St. Suite100 West Conshohocken, PA 19428
Satan: His Motives and Methods Lewis Sperry Chafer 1990 p.63 Kregel Publications
P.O. Box 2607 Grand Rapids, MI 49501
Satan: His Personality, Power, and Overthrow Edward M. Bounds 1922 pp.11, 12
Fleming H. Revel Company London, England
The Satanism Scare David G. Bromley 1991 p.41 Aldine De Gruyter 200 Saw Mill River Road Hawthorne, NY 10532
Unmasking Satan: Understanding Satan’s battle Plan and Biblical Strategies for Fighting Back 1988, 2001 p. 16 Kregel Publications P.O. Box 2607 Grand Rapids, MI 49501
Unmasking the Powers: The Invisible Forces that Determine Human Existence
Walter Wink 1986 p.9 Fortress Press
http://archives.satanosphere.com/story/2001/9/7/121041/3661
http://www.concordant.org/expohtml/TheSpiritWorld/TheSlandererAbodeNotInTheTruth.html
http://www.knollwoodchurch.org/yr1999/a04_satan_desires.html
http://www.tldm.org/news6/PaulHarvey.htm
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