Is Satan in the Old Testament?

Is Satan in the Old Testament? When did the Adversary first appear? The existence of Satan is one of the central doctrines of Christianity. He is evil incarnate, an immortal being that exists solely to corrupt and tempt human beings into committing offenses against God. He was in the Garden of Eden and was responsible for theoriginal fall of man. He was originally an angel, Lucifer, but rebelled against God and continues to rebel to this day. Thisis the Satan that most people picture when they hear about the Devil. Christians, of course, assume that Satan, as the ultimate adversary, is present throughout the entire Bible. He certainly appears or is mentioned repeatedly in the New Testament. What aboutthe Old Testament, though? Does Satan appear there as well? MostChristians, and frankly most people, would assume that Satan is just as present in the Old Testament as he is in the New Testament. After all, Satan was that cunning snake in the apple tree in Eden, right? Wrong. Satan as an individual does not actually appearuntil the New Testament. In Genesis, the serpent is actually nothing but a particularly clever snake. It is not introduced as any sort of immortal being but as the most clever of all the beasts of the field.� The infamous serpent was really just a snake. Ifa Christian were to read through the original Hebrew of the Old Testament, they would likely think that Satan appears repeatedly. The word satan� certainly shows up repeatedly. Unfortunately for those who are convinced that Satan, as he is commonly conceivedof today, was present in the Old Testament, the word satan� is never actually used as a name. Whenever satan is used in the Old Testament, it is preceded by the ancient Hebrew article ha. Thetwo words are connected to read ha-satan. Inancient Hebrew, the word satan is derived from the verb meaning “to obstruct” or “to oppose.� When used as a noun, it means adversary or accuser. The first definition is certainly one that would fit well with the image most people have of Satan today. He isthe adversary of God and all that is good. He challenges Christ and tempts righteous people into sin. Accuser� does not fit the vision of evil incarnate quite as well, but the combination of the two translations does a better job of defining who or what ha-satan wasto the authors of the Old Testament. Inthe Old Testament being the accuser� is, essentially, a job. The phrase is only used nine times, and in five of those uses, ha-satan isused to describe not an immortal demon but a human being who happens to be a military, political or legal enemy of Israel. The only time that satan appearswithout ha in front of it is in 1 Chronicles 21. In this instance, however, there is no real sign that the Christian Satan is the one being described. This satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel� despite the fact that David'scommand was evil in the sight of God. Theclosest the Old Testament comes to having ha-satan actas the Christian Devil is in the Book of Job. In this story, Job is a righteous and successful man. God is proud of his faith, but one of the heavenly beings in God's court claims that Job would not be nearly as faithful if he were not successful and happy.God calls the being's bluff and allows the being to test and torment Job to see if he will give up his faith. Job passes the tests. Thebeing that questions God in Job is identified as ha-satan.Most Christians read this as the Devil directly challenging God and torturing the righteous for his own twisted pleasure. In Job, however, ha-satan neveracts without God's permission. After every torment, he reports back to God with news of Job's stubborn faith and asks God to let him escalate Job's troubles further. Ha-satan appearsagain as a divine being in Zechariah 3. During the prophet's vision, Joshua the high priest is seen standing in a heavenly council or court similar to the one found in Job. Standing within the council is, once again, ha-satan whosejob appears to be rather like that of a prosecutor or devil's advocate. His job is to accuse the high priest and challenge him to see if he is worthy. Oneof the only other times that ha-satan isused to refer to a divine enemy is in the Book of Numbers. When Balaam goes to curse the Israelites, he is stopped by ha-satan.This adversary keeps him from reaching his goal and, in reality, saves the Israelites. This is a far cry from what the Devil as Christians conceive of him would do. Interestingly enough, in Numbers 22 ha-satan isnot usually translated as Satan but as an angel of the Lord. Thoughthe ideas of sin and temptation appear repeatedly throughout the Old Testament, there is no single ruler of darkness in the Old Testament. Justas with visions of hell, theOld Testament and the New Testament present very different pictures of the accuser.� The two depictions of Satan are not completely at odds, but they do present some very interesting contrasts for Christians to consider and raise a number of questions. Thereare, however, worse things in life. If the seemingly contradictory portrayals push Christians to dig a little deeper into their Bibles, well, there are certainly worse ways to be tested by the accuser” than being encouraged to spend a little more time withthe book that should already be governing a Christian's life. Satan:Please allow him to introduce himself Satan, Lucifer, Pazuzu, Lamashtu, Khatyu, Sheseru, Sasam, Lilith, Asmodeusl, Beelzebub or is that Beelzebul? The names given to demons and devils by Christian and other believers over the millennia are legion. It's surprising to realize, though, that the king of them all in Christian thought, Satan, appears nowhere in the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible. It's not until the Book of Job that he appears at all, and then only as a heavenly official with the title of Satan, meaning Prosecutor. According to Job, the Prosecutor roams to and fro on the earth and takes his place among the other sons of God (bene elohim); his job is to report on earthly doings to the heavenly court (Job 1:6-7). Hardly a Devil disguised as a snake, as so manypeople envision him. This detail is pointed out by Professor Mary Joan Winn Leith in From Seraph to Satan. And even scholars who agree on Satan's identity disagree on his name: Professor William H.C. Propp, in a different analysis, makes note of this official as described in Job,but he refers to him as The Adversary, and states that The Adversary is someone who volunteers to torture Job to test his piety. Writes Professor Propp, Unlike later conceptions of Satan, this character is not inherently evil; he just enjoys his work. So who is Satan, and why is he a pillar of Christian thinking, if he's not even featured in the Bible? If Satan as we understand him today doesn't appear in the Bible, how did he become such a central figure in Christianity? Certainly, as Prof. Propp points out, demonism is a comfortable way to explain why bad things happen to people both good and bad. But the Jews rarely bothered with this philosophy, relying largely on their concept of a covenant with God to explain and control fortune. And, as already noted, Satan himself was actually a New Testament heavenly official who just loved his work torturingthe innocent. Still, anyone who has ever recited the Apostle's Creed, including the line He descended into Hell, must wonder where to find the Satan who Jesus is thought to have successfully battled when he arrived in Hell, just before ascending to Heaven on the third dayafter the Crucifixion. As it turns out, we must turn to later writers and theologians to find that Satan. Professor Heidi J. Hornik and Professor Mikeal C. Parsons explain that it was post-Biblical writers who created the apocryphal tale of Jesus descending into Hell, startingwith an early church father, Ignatius (c. 50:107 C.E.), who describes the Old Testament prophets as disciples of Jesus, who came to them apparently in Hell and raised them from the dead. Later tellings of these events come from the Odes of Solomon, an early collection of Christian hymns dating to about 100 C.E.; to Bishop Melito of Sardis (died c. 190 C.E.); and even the early Easter Liturgy, which combined reflections on 1 Peter with certainevocative passages from Psalms, taken out of context. The tale was further enhanced and embroidered throughout the millennia, a path carefully traced by Professors Hornik and Parsons. Andabout those other demons and devils Other scholars have tackled the subject of demonism and other evil beings who do appear in the Bible. For example, in Who the Devil is Beelzebul? Bradley L. Stein traces the evolution of Beelzebub (now made famous among even the youngest of non-believers thanksto the legendary song Bohemian Rhapsody by the rock band Queen). Although this character, a king of demons, is often popularly equated with Satan, even he is mentioned only in passing in three of the Gospels. Rather, Stein starts with textual mentions of the Canaanite fertility god Baal and explains the various transmutationsof the name thought perhaps to be an intentional debasement of a foreign god, such as the mention of Baalzebub in 2 Kings 1to eventually become the Beelzebub we know today. As puzzling as it may be, it's clear that the study of demons, devils, and Satan himself is equally fascinating. The Biblical Archaeology Society's renowned library contains many intriguing articles to help scholars undertake this study themselves. In fact, the editors of the Biblical Archaeology Society have painstakingly curated a brand new Special Collection, Satan, to help you delve into the topic. It includes all of the scholarly points noted above, and all of these articles are from Bible Review: • FromSeraph to Satan: Shape-shifting in the Garden of Eden By Mary Joan Winn Leith • FallenStar: The Evolution of Lucifer By Ronald F. Youngblood • Whothe Devil is Beelzebul? By Bradley L. Stein • ExorcisingDemons By William H.C. Propp • TheHarrowing of Hell By Heidi J. Hornik and Mikeal C. Parsons As fascinating as these articles are, the Biblical Archaeology Society's extraordinary, 45-year-old Library is about so much more. Indeed, Satan is just one of 52 Special Collections designed to allow deeper study into specific topics and includesjust a fraction of the incredible insights to be found in the BAS Library using your All-Access pass. Is Hell eternal? Part 01 � Is Hell eternal? Part 02 � Scriptures used to support an eternal Hell Part 03 � New Testament scriptures that dispel an eternal Hell Part 04 � Old Testament scripturesthat dispel an eternal Hell Part 05 � Other resources about Hell This page will let scripture answer the most common questions on this topic. Following that, we will look at scriptures that are used to support the idea of an eternal Hell to get a balanced view. The last two pages will take a more substantial look at scripturesthat talk about the wicked and their fate. Will the wicked perish? John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 2 Peter 2:12 But these men blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like brute beasts, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like beasts they too will perish. Luke 13:3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. In order to understand the word �perish�, how is this word used in other biblical topics? Hebrews 1:10-12 10 He also says, �In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. 11 They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. 12 You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end. Colossians 2:21-22 21 21 Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!�? 22 These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. Will the wicked be destroyed? Matthew 7:13 Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. Philippians 3:19 Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9 8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power How is the word �destruction� used in other biblical topics? 1 Corinthians 5:5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. 2 Peter 2:1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. How will the wicked be destroyed? 2 Peter 3:7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. Luke 17:28-30 28 �It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. 29 But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 �It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. The wicked are cast into hell, but isn�t Hell eternal? Revelation 20:14 Then death and Hell were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. Revelation 21:8 �But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.� So there will be no eternal suffering in hell? Romans 6:23 �For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord� Revelation 21:4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death� or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.� So the wicked will cease to exist? Psalms 104:35 �Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the LORD, O my soul. Praise ye the LORD.� Psalms 37:10 �For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.� Adam came to life when he became a living soul, but can a man lose his soul? Mark 8:36 What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? 1 Peter 1:9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. But isn�t the human soul immortal? Matthew 10:28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in Hell. Genesis 3:21-24 22 And the Lord God said, �The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.�23 So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.24 After he drove the man out,he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life. Are you sure that the wicked will be completely consumed or burned up though? Psalms 37:20 �But the wicked will perish: Though the Lord�s enemies are like the flowers of the field, they will be consumed, theywill go up in smoke.� Malachi 4:1 �For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.� Does God want to destroy the wicked? Ezekiel 33:11 Say to them, �As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn from your evil ways! 2 Peter 3:9 �The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.� Will sin ever happen again once all the wicked are destroyed? 1 John 3:9 No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God�s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. 2 Peter 1:4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. Luke 20:35-36 But those who are considered worthy to share in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage. In fact, they can no longer die, because they are like the angels. And since they are sons of the resurrection, they are sons of God. We know that sin causes death and we will no longer die because sin has been dealt with. 1 Corinthians 15:54-55 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come to pass: �Death has been swallowed up in victory.� 55 �Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?� When will the wicked be completely destroyed? Matthew 13:40 �As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world/age.� 2 Peter 3:10. �But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shallbe burned up.� Okay so wicked men will be destroyed along with the old creation, but what about Satan? Hebrews 2:14 �Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;� Ezekiel 28:18 �Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffic; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.� The last verse may be referring to a man instead of Satan, however we know that the Devil will be destroyed from the previous verse above. After reading this page you may argue that I have given scripture, but not all of it. There are of course other verses that seem to teach an eternal hell or eternal suffering for the wicked. The next page will cover these scriptures to provide a balancedview. The last two pages in this study will list the most prominent verses in the Bible that teach that the wicked will be destroyed, perish, and die. There will be many more verses than quoted on this page and they are divided into Old and New Testament verses.These pages will be useful if you wish to study in more depth what scripture says about the fate of the wicked Scriptures used to support an eternal Hell Part 01 � Is Hell eternal? Part 02 � Scriptures used to support an eternal Hell Part 03 � New Testament scriptures that dispel an eternal Hell Part 04 � Old Testament scripturesthat dispel an eternal Hell Part 05 � Other resources about Hell The doctrine of an eternal Hell has arguably caused more people turn away from God than any other. Many instinctively think that eternal punishment in Hell is cruel beyond belief for sins committed in a person�s short life. Consequently this doctrine hasled many to reject God or to disbelieve the Bible. But what scriptures do people use to justify this doctrine of eternal suffering in Hell? Before looking at these scriptures I would like to interject that the Bible clearly teaches us that that eternal life is exclusively for the righteous. Yet if we areto assume that the wicked will burn in Hell for all eternity in a conscious state, then we have a contradiction and we have to accept that the wicked also inherit eternal life. The only difference between the righteous and wicked in this view is where theyspend this eternal life. But scripture is clear on this matter; only the righteous inherit eternal life and the the wicked will suffer eternal death namely the second death. Even the most quoted scripture of all time clearly teaches us that only the righteous inherit eternal life. John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. So from what scriptures do people use to support this idea that the wicked will also live eternally, albeit in Hell fire? We will now look at each scripture in depth. Revelation 14: 9-11 9 A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: �If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, 10 they, too, will drink the wine of God�s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.� At first glance this scripture seems to indeed teach that these sinners will be tormented forever for their sin of worshipping the beast and his image. But let�s delve deeper into the text, but first a bit of history. �Hell� is the English word for Hades or Geena. Hades is the Greek word for the Hebrew word �Sheol� In the Old Testament. The word �Sheol� is never used to describe punishment or torment, rather it was used to describe the place or state of the dead or conditionof the lost. Geena in the Old Testament was a valley where a fire burned day and night where the filth and dead animals of the city were cast out and burned. This is a fitting symbol for the fate of the wicked and their destruction. So scripture teaches that all who reject salvation and continue to sin instead will be thrown into the Lake of Fire which is called �The Second Death�. In other words, it is the second and final death. An everlasting death. Final destruction. Remember in Romans 6:23 it says: For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Clearly the wages of sin is not eternal life in Hell, rather it is just death, final destruction, or eternal death in that you are dead or not alive eternally. Non-existent. So some uses of Hell and/or the Lake of Fire is about eternal destruction. Matthew 5:29 If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into Hell. Revelation 20:10 10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. Matthew 25:41 Then he will say to those on his left, �Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. Matthew 25:46 Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.� VISIT: PROPHECY WATCHER WEEKLY NEWS: HTTP://PROPHECY-WATCHER-WEEKLY-NEWS.BLOGSPOT.COM