THE REDEEMER MAGAZINE - The magazine for thinking Christians.

Foreword: This article Satan; The Dragon; That Old Serpent shall shed some light and try to dispel the fable of the so-called arch enemy of the Christian world. As you read this article please try and think why you believe that Satan (as defined by the majority of the Christian world) is out to get you. Surely you didn't read it in scriptures. Most of the times people just repeat what they hear others say.

The only way to come to any sensible or realistic interpretation is to study and cast out tradition. Even if it means casting out the nonsense we were taught as children about who or what the “Devil” or the “Dragon” was or is. The church today would have everyone to believe the two as being some angelical being that is yet to be destroyed. However; the belief that the church espouses cannot be validated by true scriptural interpretation.

This website will carry several article about the entity Satan. This is done to get Christians to think about who gets more reverence God or this so-called enemy Satan. I ask the Christian world to please think!!!!! Heb: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.

After reading the above verse; I ask this question. Did or didnot Jesus through His death destroy the Devil/Satan? Are we to ignore the above scripture?

THE REDEEMER® - VOLUME 25 ****EDITION 2 - OMPS® INC. 2014
 All articles in this magazine are written in whole or part by Dr. Otis T. Williams Sr. Th.D.....© 2014  These articles are the literary properties of Otis Media Publications Syndication Inc.©

Satan; The Dragon; That Old Serpent.

Dr. Otis T. Williams Sr. Th. D.

 

 

Rv:12:9: And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

        There is a lot of confusion of dealing with the supernatural and dealing with the serpent, the Devil, Satan, and the Dragon which is dealt with in Revelation 12:17 and 20. In this particular text we will try to identify who or what was the Dragon. One thing we must know is that the issue of Judah/Israel northern/southern kingdom issue is something that is seldom mentioned in our churches today. Very few people know how to deal with this even though it is the heart of the matter when dealing with the entities of the Serpent, the Dragon, Satan, and the Devil when it comes to the Last Days.

        However in our Bible studies we find that it was the Last Days of old covenant Israel which is the only Last Days that the Bible speaks of and this causes massive confusion in the church in understanding what God was doing in reference to the House of Judah and the House of Israel which was two completely separate entities that God dealt with separately. One thing we must know that there was separate prophecies given to both Israel and Judah; then there were collective prophecies that went to both of them

        One rule of thumb when trying to interpret scripture is to remember that when an Old testament prophecy scripture is repeated or reiterated in the New testament it is usually the fulfillment of that Old Testament prophecy. We must also remember that there was one group of people that believed in a monolithic God(one God) and every thing else was pagan. Therefore it would make no sense to quote Old Testament scriptures to a group of people who did not know what this one God was talking about or doing. So when Jesus quoted scriptures from the old Testament he expected people to whom he was quoting it to, to have some recognition of it. I say this because it is very important to see that the language that Jesus used and the language in the Bible was very much understood by the people of Jesus’ day. For us today to change the meaning of the language of the characters of the Bible is injustice to the scriptures and the cause of the very nature of scriptural ignorance(making the scriptures say something that it did not mean).

       When we look at Matt 21:13 Jesus says 13: And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves. Here Jesus is quoting Jeremiah 7:11: Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the LORD. Therefore at that point and time when Jesus spoke Matt:21:13; it was the fulfillment of Jeremiah 7:11. This was a fulfillment concerning the house of Judah. Just a couple of pages further in Jeremiah 9:11: And I will make Jerusalem heaps, and a den of dragons; and I will make the cities of Judah desolate, without an inhabitant. That is an incredible choice of words when the prophecy says that Jerusalem would become a “den of dragons.” God has promised that Jerusalem would become a den of dragons. Now we must see where the correlation with the new Testament deal with the term dragons.

       Traditionally the church today has given interpretation as dragons being Satan a great fallen being that was created wonderfully and beautifully but fell and became a wicked and evil agent and is now an arch rival against God. However, the Bible never says anything about an angel falling and taking over in a different sense and exploiting the World as we see it today. Somehow the church today has excepted this ideal of an evil being without any scripture validity. I find it very necessary to look else where as to figure out what God means by this term “dragons.” God made the prophecy that Jerusalem would become a den of Dragons. However; we have in Revelation 12:9 : And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. 10: And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. The amazing correlation going on here is we have this Dragon accusing those who were following the Lord Jesus Christ. Here the Dragon is identified very clearly as the accuser “of the brethen”. The brethren was the followers of Jesus Christ or if you will; the first century Christians. If we take our New Testament and look for the usage of the word “accuser” in terms of finding an angelic being identified as the accuser of the brethren; will we find it? Is there any other new Testament passage that correlates to this Revelation 12 passage? In other words can it be found in any other scripture as to make the “accuser” or “the Dragon” an angelical being.? Misidentification of the Dragon as a demonic being allows for a loose, indistinguishable explanation or exposition with no equitable means of verification; it lends the text to every manner of speculative interpretation.

      The only way to come to any sensible or realistic interpretation is to study and cast out tradition. Even if it means casting out the nonsense we were taught as children about who or what the “Devil” or the “Dragon” was or is. The church today would have everyone to believe the two as being some angelical being which cannot be validated by true scriptural interpretation.

 

Heb: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. Has Jesus Destroyed Satan or not? Of course He has. Why is this such a secret in the institutionalized church? Why is Satan still being blamed for our shortcomings? Think Church.

 

 

THE ACCUSERS OF THE BRETHENS...........

         The book of Revelation gives credence to the Devil and the Great Dragon as being the same entity.does not the Old Testament label the great Dragon as being Pharoah? (Ezek:29:3: Speak, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon......). We must keep in mind that God made the prophecy that He would make Jerusalem a den of Dragons referring back to Jeremiah 9:11: And I will make Jerusalem heaps, and a den of dragons; and I will make the cities of Judah desolate, without an inhabitant. Now two things we have just taken from scripture. (1). The Jews(Jerusalem) would be made a den of Dragons. (2). The Jews were the accuser of the Brethren. In using proper hermeneutics: is it safe to say that the Book of Revelation portrays the Jewish nation of Jerusalem as being the great Satan instead of Satan being some angelical being. The metaphoric language of the Book of Revelation is not conducive to our western mind set therefore leaving us today as looking for Satan to be something that we were told it should be without ever going to scriptures for ourselves to really learn the truth. Again 90 percent of our theology is based on what somebody told us and not what the scriptures really means.

        However when we look in the book of Acts Paul says the Jews accused him. And Jews also accused Jesus of casting out Devils by the power of beelzebub. The Jews were accusing constantly against Jesus and His Holy inspired Apostles. If we take and look at the New Testament in an unbiased situation we will find that the New Testament never Identifies this personage(Satan-an angelical being) as the accuser of the brethen. Yet over 33 times the New Testament very clearly and precisely identifies the Apostate House of Judah as the accuser of the brethen using that exact word. If we take the other instances where they did some form of accusation against Jesus, then it is more that 33 times. Be as it may; the word “accuser” is applied 33 times to the Jews as the accuser of the brethen in the New Testament. In Revelation 12:9 Jesus uses all the words in the Old and New Testament in seeing the fulfillment of this verse or giving description. He uses “great dragon”; “old serpent”; “Devil”; and “Satan” then defines it as the accuser of the brethens. The point here to see is that Jesus in Identifying the Jews as the ACCUSER OF THE BRETHENS; He gives the Jew the titles of ( the great dragon, the old serpent, the Devil and Satan).The New Testament describes these as being that Apostate portion of the house of Judah and not some supernatural angelical being. This should be new revelation to the avid bible student.

Michael and his Angels..........

         Let me go even further as to explain what is going on in Revelation 12 because there is a lot of confusion within the church as to what is taking place in the book. In reality what is taking place there is John using symbolical language to characterize the ministry of Jesus Christ and his followers in Revelation 12 is called Michael and his followers. The dragon and his followers which is the Apostate Judaism is out there chasing after and persecuting Christians trying to destroy them. Of course ultimate victory of the Christians over the House of Judah causes those of Judaism to be cast out. That is what is taking place in that passage of scripture. It is not something that is yet to happen in our future. It is not some literal war that is to be fought by Literal angels and Satan(a literal angelical being in Heaven). It is not something that is yet some two thousand years old and counting; instead it was something happening in the days and generation of John and 1^st century Jerusalem where the message of Jesus Christ gained victory over the message of the house of Judah. I wish the church would wake up and see the beauty and harmony of the scriptures as they are written. The only way this is going to happen is the church must steer away from the traditional doom and gloom being taught by passive pulpits and get into the word of God for themselves.

MAN NOT SATAN OR THE DEVIL

       Let’s go in another direction if you will. For years man has blamed something other than himself for his evil and short fall. Right now it is being taught in our churches that Satan (an angelical being) is the reason for all the evil in this world and this world belongs to Satan. This idea has no scriptural basis and has been something based on what someone was told through the years. I have searched the scriptures for years and cannot find any indication of any thing other than man as being responsible for his own evil and wicked ways. Man is truly wicked to his own accord. It is not Satan; it is not the devil, nor is it the great Dragon or any other invisible force that causes man to sin. Look at James 1:14: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed James tells that man is drawn away of his own lust. It is not the lust of Satan or the devil; it is the lust of man. In trying to get a handle on what this thing the Devil or Satan is about please try and catch the power of the following verse 1^st Peter 5:8: Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Now lets see how God describes a wicked city of Judah in the book of Zephaniah concerning the adversary of the Christians as to whom Peter was addressing. Zephaniah 3:1: Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, to the oppressing city!

 1^st Peter 5:8: Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: To get the true meaning of this verse one must keep it in the context in which Peter wrote it. If it is kept in the 1st century context of which it was written you will see it does not pertain to anyone in the modern day church.

 

2: She obeyed not the voice; she received not correction; she trusted not in the LORD; she drew not near to her God.

3: Her princes within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves; they gnaw not the bones till the morrow. Here again Apostate Judah is considered to contain princes that are roaring lions according to the Book of Zephaniah. Also giving definition as to what the devil is according to Peter. (Apostate Judaism seeking to destroy Christians in the 1^ST Century.) In 1^ST Peter; Peter is not referring to the devil as being some demon or evil angel but instead he is referring to the devil as being those human beings that opposed Jesus Christ and the Christian movement.

In the epistles of Peter we find that they were addressed to 1^st century Christians as evident of the 1^st chapter of 1^st Peter. Here is the evidence 1st Peter1:1: Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, Those letters was not written to modern America nor were they written to you. We must start to teach the Bible as it was written to get the true understanding of the book.

      We have to look at prophecy to get an understanding of what the term Satan, devil, and the great Dragon was or is. We must stop believing every thing someone get up in our face and tell us without going to the scriptures to find out for ourselves. It is definitely a shame that 90% percent of our beliefs are based on what someone tells us and not on what the Bible means.

      When we look into the Book of Acts with Paul and the other missionaries associated with it we find in there that the adversary was the Judaizers. We don’t fine any evident in the Book of Acts about any spiritual being that is chasing after Paul or the other missionaries. What we find over and over again following Paul, Peter and the others from city to city and persecuting them and making life miserable for them is their adversary: Apostate Judaism.

       Peter in verse nine of 1^st Peter even warn the 1^st century Christians to resist them. 5:9: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. This verse is one of the most widely misunderstood verses because of the word “world”(cosmos -Greek). Christians today take that New Testament passage literally. However we find that the word “cosmos” refers mostly to Jerusalem or the area mostly of the mosaic covenant people in that area focused around the temple. The Christians out in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, to whom Peter was writing to are experiencing the same exact problem that their brother in the Cosmos(world). When we modern day Christians see the word “world” there in that passage we assume that refers to the way we think of the world and that includes the whole planetary area. But that is not the way the 1^st Century Christians perceived the word “world.” The Greeks understood it as being an arrangement of something great or small.

WHO IS TO BLAME?

      The church has become to accustomed to the whole idea of the devil or if you will the Flip Wilson syndrome of “the devil made me do it.” It is very clear in the Bible that it is the heart of man that is wicked and evil from which comes war, strife, murder, robbery, adultery and rape. It is not the Devil or Satan. It comes from the heart of man and not from some out side angelical force being practically responsible for our sins. This whole idea of the devil made me do it; and who the devil is in the old and new testament definitely needs to be dealt with from the perspective of what the Bible really means and say.

      Again let’s look at James 4:7: Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Peter and James were both speaking of the same entity as being the Apostate Judaism that was causing all types of havoc to the Christians in Jerusalem and to those that was scattered abroad. This same group or the devil if you will is also identified in James 5:1: Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.

2: Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.

3: Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.

4: Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.

5: Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.

6: Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.

     Pay close attention to verse six because there was only one group that killed the just and it was the Jews of Apostate Judah who was also the accusers of the brethen. We as a church need to seriously look at how and why we interpret scripture. We need to stop trying to blame our sins on some force that has no biblical sincerity.

     When we look in Jeremiah we find the most astounding passage that says the heart of man is deceitful above all things. Wouldn’t the Devil or Satan be included in all things? Yes it would. Look at Jer:17:9: The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? Jeremiah did not one time mention the devil or Satan as being to blame.

      Even God almighty let’s us know in the Book of Genesis that man is evil to his own accord. How can the church ignore the following passage? Gen:6:5: And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Let’s wake up church and get out of the tradition doldrums and do some serious bible study. Did not the Bible tell us that Jesus was manifest to destroy the works of the Devil? 1Jn:3:8: He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Did he destroy them or did he not? If he destroyed them; they no longer exist. If he did not destroy them; the Bible lied and has no validity.

       Did not the writer of Hebrews tell us Jesus through death would destroy the devil? Heb: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;.The Bible tells us that Jesus not only came to destroy the works of the devil but he also died to destroy the devil himself or it or whatever the devil is suppose to be. Either he did destroy him or he didn’t. So why do the church today still consider an entity or some angelical being is still around when the Bible tells us emphatically that the so called devil has been destroyed. That is good news. That is common sense.

       Stop listening to anything and get some answers. A true and honest student of the Bible knows that good scripture interpretation is necessary to have a true understanding of what the Bible is about. For too long we have listened to the same message that comes across from the pulpit every Sunday and the same old one hour Wednesday night bible study for decades not knowing that what we are being taught is not the truth. The average church goer is not even taught or given proper instruction on how to study scripture. This is why it is so easy to fall for anything that is being preached. Even our seminaries and schools are preaching from what they have heard instead of what the Bible really mean.

       All over this country I see God making a move where more people are coming to the realization that God did keep his word and fulfilled all the promises to Old Covenant Israel as he said he would

      The church today is giving so much power to this thing called Satan or the devil until it negates the power of God. Please take the time and study the scriptures. Take the time to find the Greek and Hebrew meanings of some of the words. The original recipients of the Bible understood all the things that it is about.

      To say that there is a devil is a blatant contradiction of the scriptures. Is man so afraid to be without something to blame his evil on until the scriptures are ignored? Can you honestly use the scriptures to prove that there is such a thing as a devil roaming the earth as we have been told all these years? Can you honestly ignore all the scriptures that I have presented to stay within the comfort zone of having something to blame for your sins? If you believe in the scriptures surely you can’t say “The devil made me do it.”

     I heard one preacher say “that the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing people he was not around.” Well I say to that preacher; that line comes straight from Hollywood and not the scriptures. I say to my brother clergy persons and teachers; start teaching the whole Bible and stop being a pulpit parrot. Be true to those who are going to listen to you. I give this challenge to any one who thinks I am wrong; please take the time and prove to me I am wrong using the scriptures. There is great injustice in not teaching the truth and deliberately distorting God’s word for the sake of pride.

Glossary of Terms

*Apostasy - Renunciation of a religious faith.

*Judaism - The belief in one supreme God who has revealed himself to Abraham, Moses, and the Hebrew prophets. (2) A Jewish religious life in accordance to the scriptures conforming to Jewish rites, ceremonies, and practices.

*Apostate Judah(ism) - That part of the body of Judah that persecuted Christians in breaking away from the Jewish fate in denying the Message of the Messiah.

 

Satan; The Dragon; That Old Serpent.

Digital Version - End of Article

 

THE REDEEMER® - VOLUME 25 ****EDITION 2 - OMPS® INC. 2014
 All articles in this magazine are written in whole or part by Dr. Otis T. Williams Sr. Th.D.....© 2014  These articles are the literary properties of Otis Media Publications Syndication Inc.©