KNOW YOUR ENEMY: WHO IS MY ENEMY? pt. 1

As Christians, who is our number one arch-rival? Satan. How prepared are Christians to take on the Enemy? Or should I say ill-prepared?

In this series, we’re going to learn who are enemy is. Who he is. Why he is our enemy. What his tactics are. His goals. How much authority/power he wields. His ultimate fate. Questions we need to know answers to in order to successfully fight our battle against the Enemy. By the way, if any of you are not aware, all Christians are in a war. Ephesians 6:12 - For our struggle is (emphasize present tense – struggle is ongoing) not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Humans have been fighting this war since the garden of Eden. Continues to this day. In this war, the Enemy plays for keeps. If you are not prepared … if you are not wearing the armor God has given you, you are going to find yourself facing a dragon wearing nothing but shorts and a T-shirt. Before you know it, you’ll find yourself sprawled out on the ground saying “Wha’ happened?

What is the popular culture view of the devil? How is he commonly portrayed? Red suit, goatee, horns, tail, and a pitchfork. Ruler of hell (we’ll learn that is most definitely not true); Evil version of God. Always trying to trick/manipulate people to sell/give him their soul. Movies - Satan is often portrayed as a middle-aged man wearing an expensive suit, usually (but not always) entirely white or entirely black

I. Origins of the Enemy

Bible scholars and theologians have debated for centuries over the true origin of Satan. There are no hard facts. Nowhere in the Bible does it clearly say how Satan came to be a force for evil in Creation. What we do have are allusions/inferences. No one knows for certain the origins of the Enemy. After we complete this portion of the series on the Enemy, I will leave up to you to make your own conclusions concerning whether or not the verses we’ll be studying refer to the origins of Satan. The verses we’ll be reading are portions of prophecies/words of judgment directed at two kings – the king of Tyre and the king of Babylon. However, church tradition (with emphasis on tradition) teaches that these verses contain clues to the origin of Satan. In pointing out the sins of the two human kings, God alludes to the sins of Satan. The attitude/demeanor of the two kings reminded God of the attitude/demeanor He saw in Satan when he rebelled. In short, the two kings brought back to God memories of Satan’s beginnings. Again, all of this based on tradition not truth; theory not fact. Most widely accepted understanding of Satan’s origin.

Definition of tradition – an inherited, established, or customary pattern of thought, action, belief, or behavior (as a religious practice or social custom). Or in everyday language, “That’s what I’ve always been told.” Examples of tradition – College football mascots/nicknames. If you asked 100 Alabama fans why Alabama’s mascot is an elephant and nickname is Crimson Tide, you’d probably get several different answers. Moreover, if you asked them how they knew this, they’ll say “So-and-so told me” or “That’s what I’ve heard” or “That’s how it has always been.” The same is true when it comes to Satan’s origins. Specific example - Bible scholars/theologians/translators have taught that Isaiah 14:12-17 refer to Satan and not the king of Babylon. Reason being one of the names commonly associated with Satan is found in Isaiah verse 12 - Lucifer. However, unless you read a KJV Bible you would not be aware of it. Modern translations such as NIV and NASB don’t say “Lucifer”. They say “morningstar”or “star of the morning”. The word “morningstar” in Hebrew is Heylel - “shining one” or “morning star” in reference to Venus – the brightest object in the sky at dawn. When the bible was translated into Latin in the 400’s A.D. (Vulgate), the Hebrew word Heylel was translated into Latin as Lucifer – the “light-bringer”. Overtime, as more and more scholars/theologians read, studied, and pondered these verses the term Lucifer became more of a title than a descriptor. They interpreted the verses that followed verse 12 as God speaking about Satan and not the king of Babylon. Consequently, Satan acquired a name, Lucifer – a being of great light who was cast out of heaven. In 1603, when the KJV was put together, the translators kept the name Lucifer. And since the KJV would become the predominant English translation of the Bible for the next 350 years, it cemented the traditional belief that Satan and Lucifer were one and the same. As new English translations came on the scene during late 19th and early 20th centuries, such as NIV and NASB, the persons responsible for putting those Bibles together did not view the word Lucifer as a title or a name but as a descriptor. That is why NIV and NASB do not contain the word Lucifer. As Christians, are we to base our faith on tradition … on what someone else said?” No. Our faith is to be based on Biblical truth. Let’s read the Scriptures to discover the truth about the origins of Satan.

Read Isaiah 14:3-17 – They are words of judgment directed at the king of Babylon.
Read Ezekiel 28:1-19 – Prophecy and words of judgment aimed at the king of Tyre.

Ezekiel 28:11-19 – These words directed at the king of Tyre seem odd. How so? Was the king of Tyre in the Garden of Eden? Was he ever an angelic being? No. In fact, if the king of Tyre heard these words, he probably would have scratched his head and said “huh?” Not unusual. Read Matthew 16:21-23. Who did Jesus say these words to? Peter. Who were they directed at? To some extent Peter (allowed his emotions to provide Satan with an opening to attack Jesus) but specifically at Satan (the voice was Peter’s but the words were Satan’s).

From the verses we read in Ezekiel and in Isaiah, what sin did the two kings have in common? Pride, but not just your run-of-the-mill pride. They either aspired to be like god or claimed to be a god. Isaiah 14:13-14; Ezekiel 28:2. Now, did the king of Babylon and the king Tyre wake up one day and said “I want to be a god!” or “I am a god!”? No. Who put that thought in their hearts? Who constantly stroked their egos by saying “only a god can be this wealthy and powerful!” Satan. In my opinion (emphasis on MY), when God speaks against the kings of Babylon and Tyre, his words of anger and judgment are directed at the two kings but also at Satan, the source of the problem. God was speaking to Satan as well as the two kings because He knew Satan would be listening. His words of anger and judgment were directed at Satan to hear as well as the two kings, again, God knew Satan would be listening. God wanted to deliver a message to Satan, more specifically a reminder. These words were also meant for us to read and hear so that we can learn how the Enemy came to be.

1. List characteristics attributed to Satan.

Isaiah 14:12

a. Bright light. Beauty - Venus – the planet that Morningstar (Heylel, Lucifer) refers to … does it generate its own light? Is that why it is so bright in the dawn sky? No. Venus’ light comes from the sun. The reason for the brightness is due to its closeness to the sun. Also, Venus has been regarded throughout history to be the most beautiful of the heavenly objects in the dark sky (why was the planet Venus named Venus? The goddess of love – most beautiful of the gods). What does that have to do with Satan? The answer is found in Ezekiel.

Ezekiel 28:12-15

b. Seal/model of perfection – flawless. No defects or shortcomings. Of all the beings created by God, Satan was the ideal, the standard, that all other beings fell short of.

c. Full of wisdom – proper use of knowledge/intelligence. Wisest being in Creation.

d. Perfect in beauty – most beautiful in Creation. Verse 13 – God adorned Satan with every precious stone. Let me ask you, if light were to hit these stones, what would Satan look like? A multitude of beautiful colors. Come back to this in a moment.

e. Blameless (vs. 15) – without sin; no guilt within him. Come back to that in question 3.

2. Why did God create Satan? What was he? What were his responsibilities?

What does God call Satan in verse 14? An anointed (special/unique – chosen by God to fulfill a unique purpose) cherub. Cherub/cherubim - angelic being that serve in the presence of God. They are always near Him. Two gold cherubims were placed on the Ark of the Covenant facing toward the center where the mercy seat was. God sat on the mercy seat between the cherubim and spoke to Moses. Their wings covered the mercy seat. The wing tips nearly touching one another. (Exodus 25). They were constantly in the presence of God.

Psalm 99:1 and Isaiah 37:16 both give the image of God dwelling between the cherubim. In Ezekiel’s visions (particularly in chapter 10), wherever the glory of God went so went the cherubim. The Temple had numerous diaromas containing cherubims.

As a guardian cherub, Satan’s position was similar to that of the cherubims on the ark of the covenant (Ezekiel 28: 14, 16). Satan is constantly in the presence of God. His home was the mount of God. He walked on the fiery stones – perhaps a reference to God’s holiness. See Isaiah chapter 6. Because Satan was created blameless, he could be close to the holiness of God.