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Pastor David's Response:
I have a series of references related
to demons located here:
http://www.bibleteacher.org/ANGELOUT.htm
This is a good guide as you research the
Scripture to learn more about our common enemy Satan. Let me see if I
can answer your other questions. First, as to the names of Satan and the
demons.
The most common name we use for the our
enemy is SATAN, which means "an adversary or enemy". This is
brought into the English directly from the Hebrew, according to Strong's
Concordance which states "7853. satan, saw-tan'; a prim. root; to
attack, (fig.) accuse:--(be an) adversary, resist."
Our enemy is given the title SATAN because
he is both our enemy as well as God's enemy. He is often referred to as
SATAN when he stands before God and accuses us of wrongdoing:
Job 1:7-11 (KJV) "And the LORD
said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and
said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down
in it. {8} And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant
Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright
man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? {9} Then Satan answered
the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? {10} Hast not thou made
an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on
every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance
is increased in the land. {11} But put forth thine hand now, and touch
all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face."
In the New Testament SATAN is also referred
to as THE DEVIL, or, as the Strong's Concordance states "1228. diabolos,
dee-ab'-ol-os; from G1225; a traducer; spec. Satan [comp. H7854]:--false
accuser, devil, slanderer." This name or title is best translated
as SLANDERER, or one who falsely speaks evil of another. SATAN was called
the DEVIL when he tempted our Lord in the wilderness (Matthew 4), though
the LESSER DEMONS that followed SATAN when he revolted against God are
also called DEVILS (see Matthew 9:32-33). I think that the Greek diabolos,
or Devil, is more of a title than a name, for it describes what both SATAN
and his fallen demons do - they slander and mock the Lord and His children.
There are other titles that are given
to SATAN, and each of these titles describe something that he does or
will do in human history. He is called:
1. The Prince of This World:
John 12:31 (KJV) "Now is the judgment
of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out."
2. The Prince Of The Power Of The Air:
Ephesians 2:2 (KJV) "Wherein in
time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to
the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the
children of disobedience:"
3. The god Of This World:
2 Corinthians 4:4 (KJV) "In whom
the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not,
lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God,
should shine unto them."
4. The Dragon, That Old Serpent:
Revelation 20:2 (KJV) "And he
laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan,
and bound him a thousand years,"
5. That Wicked One:
1 John 5:18 (KJV) "We know that
whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth
himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not."
6. A Roaring Lion:
1 Peter 5:8 (KJV) "Be sober, be
vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh
about, seeking whom he may devour:"
7. A Murderer ... A Liar:
John 8:44 (KJV) "Ye are of your
father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer
from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth
in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar,
and the father of it."
8. Beelzebub (means "The Dung god"):
Matthew 12:24 (KJV) "But when
the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils,
but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils."
9. Belial (means "Worthlessness"):
2 Corinthians 6:15 (KJV) "And
what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth
with an infidel?"
10. The Accuser Of Our Brethren:
Revelation 12:10 (KJV) "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."
SATAN's original name was LUCIFER, which
meant "The Morning Star":
Isaiah 14:12 (KJV) "How art thou
fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down
to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!"
Lucifer was the most beautiful angel that
God ever created, a shining creature of light. When he fell from Heaven,
it was his pride in his beautiful appearance that led him astray, and
he led a THIRD PART of the angels of Heaven to follow him in revolt:
Revelation 12:4 (KJV) "And his
tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to
the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be
delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born."
So there are more than nine names for
SATAN, and many more than nine fallen angels that went after him in rebellion.
Christians have been known to say that the "Devil" is attacking
them, but the Devil is not like the true God. He can only be in one place
at one time. I recommend reading:
http://www.bibleteacher.org/SATOUT.htm
and
http://www.bibleteacher.org/faq2.htm#Satan
Which are related studies. I suspect that
few Christians have ever actually encountered SATAN himself, but are usually
attacked by the lesser devils or demons that followed him in the Heavenly
revolution. The lesser devils are usually not given names in the Scripture.
They are usually called "unclean spirits", "devils",
or "demons", or "legion", each descriptive terms rather
than names. In ancient literature demons are given names, but that is
apart from Scripture and therefore only conjecture. The Lord told Israel
that, when they stopped worshipping Him and began worshipping false gods/
idols, these idols were really only demons or devils:
Deuteronomy 32:16-17 (KJV) "They
provoked him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations provoked
they him to anger. {17} They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods
whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers
feared not."
When children were sacrificed to the gods,
they were sacrificed to the fallen angels:
Psalms 106:37 (KJV) "Yea, they
sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils,"
Which shows us that anytime we depart
from the Word of God and begin to worship things other than the God of
the Bible, we are worshipping demons or the devil. Unless you can support
what you do by Scripture, avoid it! Satan and the demons have enticed
many well meaning people into worshipping them rather than the Lord God
our Creator.
Though this may not answer all of your
questions, it should give you an ample basis for studying our enemy in
God's Scripture. God Bless you, dear Brother!
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Pastor David's Response:
This is common in our present age, to
look at the Scripture through the eyes of humanity. You are right to be
upset over such a silly interpretation of the Scripture. The remarks that
Jesus made in Mark:
Mark 7:26-30 (KJV) "The woman
was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would
cast forth the devil out of her daughter. {27} But Jesus said unto her,
Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's
bread, and to cast it unto the dogs. {28} And she answered and said unto
him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs.
{29} And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone
out of thy daughter. {30} And when she was come to her house, she found
the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed."
Were not the remarks of a prejudiced man,
but were truth. The Bible teaches that God (and Jesus is God Incarnate)
is NOT prejudiced:
Acts 10:34-35 (KJV) "Then Peter
opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter
of persons: {35} But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh
righteousness, is accepted with him."
God sent Jesus to save the WHOLE world,
as you well know from reading John 3:16. However, God the Father sent
Jesus to save the Jewish nation FIRST. This is well documented in the
Scripture. In the writings of Paul:
Romans 1:16 (KJV) "For I am not
ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation
TO EVERY ONE THAT BELIEVETH; TO THE JEW FIRST, and also to the Greek."
Was God the Father prejudiced in sending
Jesus to the Jews first, THEN to the Gentiles? NO. God had to keep the
promise He made to Abraham and to the nation He called out in the Old
Testament. He promised Israel again and again that Messiah would come
to redeem them. So Jesus came FIRST for the Jews, and until His ministry
was complete among the Jews His followers would not carry the Gospel to
the Gentiles. Again, the Scripture says:
John 1:11-12 (KJV) "HE CAME UNTO
HIS OWN, AND HIS OWN RECEIVED HIM NOT. {12} But as many as received him,
to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe
on his name:"
Jesus came first for "His Own",
that is, for the Jews. Look what Paul said:
Romans 9:1-5 (KJV) "I say the
truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the
Holy Ghost, {2} That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my
heart. {3} For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for
my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh: {4} WHO ARE ISRAELITES;
to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and
the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; {5} Whose
are the fathers, and of WHOM AS CONCERNING THE FLESH CHRIST CAME, who
is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen."
Christ came for the Israelites FIRST.
So what was Christ saying when He made the statement to the Gentile woman?
Was He saying, "I'm a bigot, and I have nothing to do with Gentiles,
you dog"? Or was it something else? I don't believe that Jesus had
a prejudiced bone in His body. In a day when children were regarded as
objects, Jesus DEMANDED that children be allowed to come into His presence
(Matthew 19:14; Luke 18:16). In a day when women were regarded as things
that should walk three to six steps behind their husbands their masters,
Jesus encouraged women to come and participate in Biblical discussions.
He even treated the woman caught in adultery with respect (John 8:3 and
following), in a day when women were often punished while men were allowed
to get away with multiple wives. Prejudiced? Racist? Sexist? I think not
- you can't prove it from the Scripture.
Jesus was indicating by His remarks that
He understood that His ministry was, according to the Will of God, AT
THAT TIME to be to the Jews first. He responded the way He did to inform
His Jewish audience that He came for them first, but also for a deeper
reason. I believe that Jesus knew how this woman would respond, and used
the situation to SHAME the Israelites who, though He came for them, they
persisted in disbelieving Him. Though the incident is not reported by
either Luke or John, you can see that Matthew reported the same incident
that Mark did:
Matthew 15:22-28 (KJV) "And, behold,
a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying,
Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously
vexed with a devil. {23} But he answered her not a word. And his disciples
came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.
{24} But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of
the house of Israel. {25} Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord,
help me. {26} But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's
bread, and cast it to dogs. {27} And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs
eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. {28} Then Jesus
answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee
even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour."
Mark 7:25-29 (KJV) "For a certain
woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came
and fell at his feet: {26} The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation;
and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter.
{27} But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it
is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it unto the dogs.
{28} And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under
the table eat of the children's crumbs. {29} And he said unto her, For
this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter."
Compare the two accounts and see what
happened. This woman, a Gentile, came to Jesus and worshipped Him. The
Jews that had been following Jesus were disbelieving, NOT worshipping
Him. This woman prostrated herself and begged the Messiah to save her
daughter. The Jews looking on arrogantly stood in Christ's presence, demanding
that He show them a sign that He was Messiah. This Gentile woman, regarded
as a "dog" by the onlooking Jews, put aside her pride and knelt
to the Master. The Master even called her a dog - not out of prejudice,
but to teach those looking on a great truth. The woman responded to the
Master's label, "dog", not attacking back as the Jews would
have done, but by humbling herself under the Mighty hand of God. Because
of her faith Jesus commended her, granted her prayer, and sent her on
her way. To the Jews looking on this should have shamed them. Messiah
came in their midst, and they scarcely believed. A Gentile came full of
faith, and was rewarded by God. The disciples demanded that the Messiah
send the Gentile, the dog away. The Master refused to do that. Instead
He responded negatively to her, knowing her heart of worship, teaching
the Jews for whom He first came what faith should be like.
C.H. Spurgeon, the Great Evangelist, stated:
"This woman gained comfort in
her misery by thinking GREAT THOUGHTS OF CHRIST. The Master had talked
about the children's bread: "Now," argued she, "since Thou
art the Master of the table of grace, I know that Thou art a generous
housekeeper, and there is sure to be abundance of bread on Thy table;
there will be such an abundance for the children that there will be crumbs
to throw on the floor for the dogs, and the children will fare none the
worse because the dogs are fed." She thought Him one who kept so
good a table that all that she needed would only be a crumb in comparison;
yet remember, what she wanted was to have the devil cast out of her daughter.
It was a very great thing to her, but she had such a high esteem of Christ,
that she said, "It is nothing to Him, it is but a crumb for Christ
to give." This is the royal road to comfort. Great thoughts of your
sin alone will drive you to despair; but great thoughts of Christ will
pilot you into the haven of peace. "My sins are many, but oh! it
is nothing to Jesus to take them all away. The weight of my guilt presses
me down as a giant's foot would crush a worm, but it is no more than a
grain of dust to Him, because He has already borne its curse in His own
body on the tree. It will be but a small thing for Him to give me full
remission, although it will be an infinite blessing for me to receive
it." The woman opens her soul's mouth very wide, expecting great
things of Jesus, and He fills it with His love. Dear reader, do the same.
She confessed what Christ laid at her door, but she laid fast hold upon
Him, and drew arguments even out of His hard words; she believed great
things of Him, and she thus overcame Him. SHE WON THE VICTORY BY BELIEVING
IN HIM. Her case is an instance of prevailing faith; and if we would conquer
like her, we must imitate her tactics."
Did Jesus say what He said out of prejudice?
No, but to teach the listeners a lesson in faith. If prejudice were in
Jesus, He would have responded the same way to the Centurion, a Roman
Gentile, who came to Him BEFORE this Gentile woman did in Matthew 8. At
NO PLACE in this account do you see any instance of alleged prejudice:
Matthew 8:5-13 (KJV) "And when
Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching
him, {6} And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy,
grievously tormented. {7} And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal
him. {8} The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou
shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant
shall be healed. {9} For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under
me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and
he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. {10} When Jesus
heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto
you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. {11} And I say
unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down
with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. {12} But
the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there
shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. {13} And Jesus said unto the centurion,
Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his
servant was healed in the selfsame hour."
Though this man was a ROMAN soldier, one
of the conquerors of Israel, and certainly hated by the average Jew.
Later in Jesus' ministry He gave a Great
Commission to His disciples that stated:
Matthew 28:19-20 (KJV) "Go ye
therefore, AND TEACH ALL NATIONS, baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: {20} Teaching them to observe all
things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always,
even unto the end of the world. Amen."
Israel had rejected Christ, the Messiah,
and NOW, at the proper time, ALL NATIONS were to be evangelized. Jesus
restated the commission in Acts when He said:
Acts 1:8 (KJV) "But ye shall receive
power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses
unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all JUDAEA, AND IN SAMARIA, AND UNTO
THE UTTERMOST PART OF THE EARTH."
Again, ALL PEOPLE were to now hear the
Gospel. This should put to rest any idea that Jesus was "prejudiced",
a foolish and ignorant notion at best.
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