Doctrines of the Bible
God The Father
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
Father, God The:
In the Christian religion God is conceived of as "Father," "Our Father.... in heaven" (Mt 6:9,14,26, etc.), "the God and Father of the Lord Jesus" (2Co 11:31, etc.). The tenderness of relation and wealth of love and grace embraced in this profound designation are peculiar to Christ's gospel. Pagan religions also could speak of God as "Father" (Zeus Pater), and in the general sense of Creator God has a universal fatherly relation to the world (Ac 17:24-28). In the Old Testament God was revealed as Father to the chosen nation (Ex 4:22), and to the special representative of the nation, the king (2Sa 7:14), while fatherly love is declared to be the image of His pity for those who fear Him (Ps 103:13). In the gospel of Jesus alone is this Fatherhood revealed to be of the very essence of the Godhead, and to have respect to the individual. Here, however, there is need for great discrimination. To reach the heart of the truth of the Divine Fatherhood it is necessary to begin, not with man, but with the Godhead itself, in whose eternal depths is found the spring of that Fatherly love that reveals itself in time. It is first of all in relation to the eternal Son-before all time-that the meaning of Fatherhood in God is made clear (Joh 1:18). In "God the Father" we have a name pointing to that relation which the first Person in the adorable Trinity sustains to "Son" and "Holy Spirit"-also Divine (Mt 28:19). From this eternal fountain-head flow the relations of God as Father
(1) to the world by creation;
(2) to believers by grace.
Man as created was designed by affinity of nature for sonship to God. The realization of this-his true creature-destiny-was frustrated by sin, and can now only be restored by redemption. Hence, the place of sonship in the gospel, as an unspeakable privilege (1 Joh 3:1), obtained by grace, through regeneration (Joh 1:12,13), and adoption (Ro 8:14,19). In this relation of nearness and privilege to the Father in the kingdom of His Son (Col 1:13), believers are "sons of God" in a sense true of no others. It is a relation, not of nature, but of grace. Fatherhood is now the determinative fact in God's relation to them (Eph 3:14 ). It is an error, nevertheless, to speak of fatherhood as if the whole character of God was therein sufficiently expressed. God is Father, but equally fundamental is His relation to His world as its Moral Ruler and Judge. From eternity to eternity the holy God must pronounce Himself against sin (Ro 1:18); and His fatherly grace cannot avert judgment where the heart remains hard and impenitent (Ro 2:1-9).
Written by James Orr
See GOD
God The Son
Got Questions
Question: "Who is Jesus Christ?"
Answer: Unlike the question “Does God exist?” very few people question whether Jesus Christ existed. It is generally accepted that Jesus was truly a man who walked on the earth in Israel 2000 years ago. The debate begins when the subject of Jesus’ full identity is discussed. Almost every major religion teaches that Jesus was a prophet or a good teacher or a godly man. The problem is that the Bible tells us that Jesus was infinitely more than a prophet, a good teacher, or a godly man.
C.S. Lewis in his book Mere Christianity writes the following: “I am trying here to prevent anyone from saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him [Jesus Christ]: 'I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God.' That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on a level with a man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon; or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come up with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that option open to us. He did not intend to.”
So, who did Jesus claim to be? Who does the Bible say He is? First, let’s look at Jesus’ words in John 10:30, “I and the Father are one.” At first glance, this might not seem to be a claim to be God. However, look at the Jews’ reaction to His statement, “‘We are not stoning you for any of these,’ replied the Jews, ‘but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God’” (John 10:33). The Jews understood Jesus’ statement as a claim to be God. In the following verses, Jesus never corrects the Jews by saying, “I did not claim to be God.” That indicates Jesus was truly saying He was God by declaring, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). John 8:58 is another example: “‘I tell you the truth,’ Jesus answered, ‘before Abraham was born, I am!’” Again, in response, the Jews took up stones in an attempt to stone Jesus (John 8:59). Jesus’ announcing His identity as “I am” is a direct application of the Old Testament name for God (Exodus 3:14). Why would the Jews again want to stone Jesus if He had not said something they believed to be blasphemous, namely, a claim to be God?
John 1:1 says “the Word was God.” John 1:14 says “the Word became flesh.” This clearly indicates that Jesus is God in the flesh. Thomas the disciple declared to Jesus, “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28). Jesus does not correct him. The apostle Paul describes Him as, “…our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13). The apostle Peter says the same, “…our God and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:1). God the Father is witness of Jesus’ full identity as well, “But about the Son he says, ‘Your throne, O God, will last forever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom.’” Old Testament prophecies of Christ announce His deity, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).
So, as C.S. Lewis argued, believing Jesus to be only a good teacher is not an option. Jesus clearly and undeniably claimed to be God. If He is not God, then He is a liar, and therefore not a prophet, good teacher, or godly man. In attempts to explain away the words of Jesus, modern “scholars” claim the “true historical Jesus” did not say many of the things the Bible attributes to Him. Who are we to argue with God’s Word concerning what Jesus did or did not say? How can a “scholar” two thousand years removed from Jesus have better insight into what Jesus did or did not say than those who lived with, served with, and were taught by Jesus Himself (John 14:26)?
Why is the question over Jesus’ true identity so important? Why does it matter whether or not Jesus is God? The most important reason that Jesus has to be God is that if He is not God, His death would not have been sufficient to pay the penalty for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2). Only God could pay such an infinite penalty (Romans 5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus had to be God so that He could pay our debt. Jesus had to be man so He could die. Salvation is available only through faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus’ deity is why He is the only way of salvation. Jesus’ deity is why He proclaimed, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).
God The Holy Spirit
Living Water
Chuck Smith
God's Special Agent
The Holy Spirit is God Himself, a Person with whom you can enjoy a personal relationship. He is not merely an impersonal force or power or essence within the universe, but He is rather a Person who can speak to you and to whom you can speak. He is a Person who can guide you, who can help you, who can strengthen you, who can teach you the truth of God. The Holy Spirit is the agent through whom God works today in the world, within the church and in individual believers. That is why we need to become well acquainted with the Holy Spirit, for He is the One whom the Lord has placed over the church to guide, direct, and empower its activities. When Jesus told His disciples, "I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever" (John 14:16), He was encouraging His men to prepare for a new way in which God would thereafter be relating to them. A new way, but not a totally foreign way. In Greek, the word another in the phrase "another Comforter" is allos, which means "of the same kind or equal quality; another of the same order." A second Greek word, heteros, can also be translated "another," but it means "of a different quality." For example, suppose you were going to rent a car from Hertz. When you approach the counter, they say, "We're sorry, sir. You reserved a little compact Geo, but we happen to be out of that model right now. We can give you another car, a Lincoln Town Car, for the same price. Would that be acceptable?" That another in Greek would be the term heteros. It isn't the same or of the same quality. On the other hand, suppose you had reserved the Town Car and they said, "I'm sorry, we can't give you the Town Car, but we'll give you a Cadillac instead." That would be another vehicle of more or less the same quality as the one you reserved (allos). So when Jesus says the Holy Spirit is of the same quality as Himself, He means the Spirit possesses the same essential qualities that He Himself does, especially those of divinity and personality. In essence He tells His men, "I have been with you, but now I am going away. But I will not leave you alone. I will ask the Father to give you another Comforter - allos, of the same quality, the same kind, as Myself. Just as I was with you and took care of every situation for you, so now the Holy Spirit will be with you and will take care of every situation for you."
Is the Spirit a Person?
There are certain things we need to know about the Holy Spirit in order to fully appreciate and understand Him and His work. The first thing is that the Holy Spirit is indeed a Person, and we need to recognize this if we are to have a personal relationship with Him. If you think of the Holy Spirit as only an essence, as only a force, as only a power, you will find it impossible to have a personal relationship with Him. You cannot have a meaningful relationship with an essence or a force. Have you ever tried to get personal with an electric socket? How about with a steam turbine? An automobile engine? Of course you haven't. The thought is absurd. And it's equally absurd to think of the Holy Spirit as an essence or a force or an impersonal power that permeates the universe, and yet hope to call upon Him in your time of need. No, the Holy Spirit is a Person who has been sent by the Father at the request of Jesus to come alongside of you to help you. Jesus said, "I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper... the Spirit of truth."
Attacks on the Holy Spirit
Many cults attack the personality of the Spirit, just as they attack the deity of Jesus. The Jehovah's Witnesses are one such cultic group. The leaders of the Watchtower teach that the Holy Spirit is not a Person at all, but is merely an essence or an influence. These men say the Holy Spirit is not really a "He," but rather an "it." According to them, we shouldn't speak of the Holy Spirit, but of a holy spirit - an influence or power emanating from God, no more personal than a breeze flowing from a fan. This is the same error as the early church heresy known as Arianism, so called because its chief exponent was named Arius, a priest of Alexandria (A.D. 256-326). Arius taught that the Father alone was truly God; both the Son and the Spirit were inferior and created. Neither possessed by nature or by right any of the divine qualities of immortality, sovereignty, perfect wisdom, goodness, or purity. The Jehovah's Witnesses have borrowed much of their heresy from this early Arian abomination. Thankfully, all of their arguments were anticipated and answered more than 16 centuries ago. More importantly, the Scriptures plainly declare and reveal that the Holy Spirit is indeed a Person. Another group, called the Jesus Only sect, doesn't deny the personality of the Spirit but does deny He is a distinct Person within the Godhead. This sect is quite strong in the southern part of the United States and has spread as far west as Arizona. Its heresy is not Arianism but Sabellianism, which denies the separate persons of the Godhead. The Jesus Living Only sect insists that Jesus is the only God; He is the Father, He is the Son, and He is the Holy Spirit. It teaches that the three "personalities" of God are in reality only three masks that the one God wears. But the Bible will have none of this. It clearly and firmly teaches that the Holy Spirit is a Person, the same in essence as the Father and the Son, yet separate in personality from them both.
Intelligence, Will, and Emotion
For a being to be considered a person, he or she must possess certain characteristics. First among these is intelligence; second is will; and third is emotion. All three are required if personality is to exist. Human beings possess all three and therefore can truly be considered persons. But rocks bicycles, flowers, oak trees, and even computers all lack personality; they may be useful and pleasant and highly desirable, but none of them can be considered persons. They do not have intelligence, will, and emotion. Yet when we consider what the Bible says of the Holy Spirit, it becomes clear very quickly that He is indeed a Person possessing intelligence, will, and emotion. Let's consider each of these attributes in turn. 1. Intelligence. In I Corinthians 2:10,11, the apostle Paul writes of the Spirit's intimate knowledge of the "deep things of God" - inarguably a description of intelligence. He writes: But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. All the way through this passage, divine intelligence is ascribed to the Spirit. Paul insists that the Holy Spirit "knows" the things of God. Only a person with intelligence can "know" something. And not only does He know these "deep things," Paul says the Spirit also "teaches" us, helping us to compare "spiritual things with spiritual" (I Corinthians 2:13). Don't miss what Paul says about the Holy Spirit here. First, God "reveals" things to us by the Spirit. Second, the Spirit "searches" all things, even "the deep things of God." The deep things of God that man does not know, the Spirit does know. Third, the Spirit of God "teaches" us of the things that God freely gives us by helping us to compare one spiritual thing with another. All of these activities manifestly require intelligence, one of the key components of personality. The Bible insists that the Holy Spirit possesses intelligence. 2. Will. The Holy Spirit is also said to have a will. In talking about the gifts of the Spirit in I Corinthians 12, Paul said that the Holy Spirit distributes "to each one individually as He wills" (verse 11). It is the Holy Spirit who decides what kind of spiritual gift each believer should receive. This act of choosing demands that He have a will. And in Acts 15:28, the apostles prefaced their judgment on a question of church doctrine by saying, "It seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us." In so saying they ascribed to the Spirit the same kind of judgment-making ability which they themselves possessed. On some occasions, the Bible says the Spirit forbade His servants to visit certain areas, thus demonstrating His will: Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them (Acts 16:6,7). Only persons with a will are able to "forbid" men from taking a certain course of action or to disallow them from enacting another plan. Yet the Holy Spirit did both, making it clear He is a Person with a will. 3. Emotion. The Spirit has emotion. Paul warned the Ephesians, "Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God" (Ephesians 4:30). Likewise in the Old Testament, Isaiah wrote, "But they rebelled, and vexed his holy spirit; therefore, he was turned to be their enemy" (Isaiah 63:10 KJV). You can vex the Holy Spirit. Now, this would be impossible to say of a mere essence or a non-person. It would be ridiculous to say, "Please, don't grieve that plant," or "You have vexed that plant. He's angry with you." You cannot say this of anything other than a person. The Holy Spirit is a Person who loves you, who can be grieved and vexed by you. On the positive side, in the book of Romans, Paul speaks about the love of the Spirit (Romans 15:30). Now I wonder: Have you ever heard a sermon preached on the love of the Holy Spirit? I'm sure you've heard sermons on the love of Christ. Paul often talked about the love of Christ, and surely we've all heard many sermons on the love of God. But interestingly enough, the love of the Holy Spirit is seldom broached in sermons. Yet it is a biblical fact. Again, only a person can love. You may adore a certain plant or flower in your home, but it would be nonsense to say, "My, how that plant loves you. It's just passionate about you!" But it would make perfect sense to say, "The Holy Spirit loves you. In fact, He's passionate about you." Better yet, it is true.
Personal Pronouns Are for People
Personal pronouns are also used for the Holy Spirit. While the word spirit itself is in the neuter (and that's why many people speak of the Holy Spirit as an essence rather than a person), it is a fact that personal pronouns are used to refer to the Holy Spirit. Some 16 times in the New Testament the Greek pronoun for the Holy Spirit is echeinos, which means "he," a pronoun in the masculine gender. We find it in John 14:26, which says, "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He [echeinos] will teach you all things." We find the same thing in John 15:26: "But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He [echeinos] will testify of Me." And then again, in John 16:13: "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth." The same usage can be found in John 14:16,17 and 16:7-14. All of these personal pronouns used in reference to the Holy Spirit can mean only that He is indeed a Person.
The Spirit Is Treated as a Person
Many personal treatments are accorded to the Holy Spirit. Allow me to give just three examples. The Spirit can be lied to, as in the case of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5. Peter responded to these lies by saying, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land?" (Acts 5:3). The Spirit can be resisted. Stephen, in his defense recorded in Acts 7:51, said to his fellow Jews, "You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you." The Spirit can be blasphemed. Mark 3:28 records that Jesus said, "Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation." Of course, it is impossible to lie to, resist, or blaspheme a non-person. And yet ungodly men do all three to the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit Acts as a Person
The Holy Spirit speaks. Again, it's hard to think of something other than a person speaking. Yet Acts 13:2 says, "As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, 'Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."' And in I Timothy 4:1, Paul writes, "Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith." Revelation 2:7 likewise says, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." Second, the Spirit intercedes. Paul writes in Romans 8:26, "Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." And in John 15:26 Jesus tells us, "But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me." So the Spirit testifies of Jesus. Third, the Spirit of God teaches. "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you," says John 14:26. And Nehemiah 9:20 tells us, "You also gave Your good Spirit to instruct them, and did not withhold Your manna from their mouth, and gave them water for their thirst." Fourth, the Spirit communes with us. Paul said, "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen" (II Corinthians 13:14). Fifth, the Spirit strives with men. Genesis 6:3 says, "And the LORD said, 'My Spirit shall not strive with man forever."' Sixth, the Spirit works miracles. Paul wrote that the gospel was proclaimed "in mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and round about to Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ" (Romans 15:19). Last, the Holy Spirit guides us. What a wonderful, glorious truth this is! We can know for ourselves the divine guidance of the Spirit, even as Paul and his companions experienced it: "Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them" (Acts 16:6,7). Only a person could do all these things. But this is not a matter for mere intellectual speculation. Because the Holy Spirit is a Person, we can enjoy a relationship with Him graced with all of these loving, personal attentions!
Where Is He Leading You?
When you walk with the Spirit, develop in your relationship with Him, and respond to His work in you, it is very likely that you will begin to have all kinds of glorious, supernatural experiences. Sometimes there will be no response more appropriate than weeping. At other times there will be tremendous joy or overwhelming love. Many kinds of responses are possible as we walk in the Spirit and allow ourselves to be led by Him. It's always glorious to realize that God's hand is upon you, guiding you along the right route. Of course, at the time you may not always recognize His Spirit's guiding hand; but as the event begins to come together, it suddenly dawns on you: God is leading me! Several years ago I was called to visit a lady from Calvary Chapel who had broken her back in a serious car accident. I went to St. Joseph's Hospital to pray for her, and soon discovered that in her six-bed ward there were two other ladies also from our church. God had planned it so that I was able to minister to all three of them. I didn't know the other two were there, but when I walked in each of them got excited and thought I had come to visit her. (I prayed for them all.) As I was leaving the room and walking back to the elevator, I couldn't contain my excitement. "Lord, I love Your efficiency," I said. "I don't know how many rooms there are in St. Joseph's Hospital, but there are an awful lot. But You're so efficient, Lord - You put the three ladies from Calvary in the same room so that I could get all three with one visit! This is great, Lord. I love it." I got in the elevator and pushed the button for the ground floor, but when the door opened and I looked out, I knew I was lost. I had arrived at the nurses' station, not the lobby. So I stepped back in, thinking someone else must have stopped the elevator on that floor. But when I looked up at the indicator light, the "G" for ground floor was lit up. I was really confused then. A nurse saw my confusion and said, "Are you looking for the lobby?" "Yes, what did they do with it?" I replied. "You took the service elevator," she said. I looked up, and there was the sign, as big as life: "Service Elevator, Employees Only." "Oh, I'm so sorry," I said. "I wasn't paying any attention upstairs." "That's all right," she reassured me. "Well ... how do I get to the lobby?" I asked. "It's very simple," she replied. "Just go down to the first hallway, turn right, and then you'll be right in the lobby." I thanked her, and as I walked away I thought, Oh, what a stupid mistake! As I turned down a short corridor, there was a girl, standing and weeping. She looked up, saw me, and screamed, "Chuck!" Immediately she came running up to me and began to sob almost hysterically When I finally got her calmed down sufficiently, I asked, "What's wrong? What can I do? Tell me - let's pray. What can we pray for?" "Chuck," she replied, "my dearest friend in the whole world - the man who led me to Jesus Christ - is this very moment having brain surgery. This man is such a wonderful Christian. He's been a missionary in Africa and was sent home to have this surgery. The doctors give him very little hope for being able to walk again. He has a brain tumor that they think has already affected his walking ability, and they feel that..." She broke off, in tears. "Chuck, I can't bear the thought of such a beautiful man of God being crippled. I'm just devastated." God enabled us to pray together. I gave her some Scripture and pointed her to Jesus. "I was so desperate," she told me after we had finished. "I was just here praying, 'God, I can't handle this. Please send someone along to help me, to pray with me."' She stopped for a moment, then continued. "And when I looked up, here you came walking down the hall." Right then the light went on for me. My mistake wasn't merely a stupid error. God had prepared the whole scenario. And I suddenly had the realization: God's hand is on me! He's leading me by the Spirit. Talk about a rush, about real excitement! I had been so excited about God's efficiency that on my way down to the lobby I hadn't paid any attention to the signs over the elevator. But God used my oversight to get me down a certain corridor. Had I used the main elevator, I would have walked through the lobby and been gone. But God's Spirit directed me to a certain corridor to meet the need of a certain young girl who in utter desperation was crying out to God for help. He will do the same thing for you. As you walk in the Spirit and continue in the things of the Spirit, you too will be blessed with exciting experiences that will thrill you to the core of your being. You'll see the power of God as you witness the various manifestations of the Spirit. It's always thrilling to be a part of what God is doing. As exciting as they are, however, they aren't what we are to look for. Ecstatic experiences can be wonderful, but they can never be our goal. Our goal - yours and mine - must always be to want more of God, and for Him to have more of us. That's what the Spirit wants, as well. He wants a personal relationship with you that is warm, intimate, and growing. He wants to know you and be known by you. So what do you say?
Salvation
Easton's Bible Dictionary
Salvation:
This word is used of the deliverance of the Israelites from the Egyptians (Exd 14:13), and of deliverance generally from evil or danger. In the New Testament it is specially used with reference to the great deliverance from the guilt and the pollution of sin wrought out by Jesus Christ, "the great salvation" (Hbr 2:3). (See REDEMPTION; REGENERATION.)
Man
Easton's Bible Dictionary
Man:
(1.) Heb. 'Adam, used as the proper name of the first man. The name is derived from a word meaning "to be red," and thus the first man was called Adam because he was formed from the red earth. It is also the generic name of the human race (Gen 1:26,27; 5:2; 8:21; Deu 8:3). Its equivalents are the Latin homo and the Greek anthropos (Mat 5:13,16). It denotes also man in opposition to woman (Gen 3:12; Mat 19:10).
(2.) Heb. 'ish, like the Latin vir and Greek aner, denotes properly a man in opposition to a woman (1Sa 17:33; Mat 14:21); a husband (Gen 3:16; Hsa 2:16); man with reference to excellent mental qualities.
(3.) Heb. 'enosh, man as mortal, transient, perishable (2Ch 14:11; Isa 8:1; Job 15:14; Psa 8:4; 9:19,20; 103:15). It is applied to women (Jos 8:25).
(4.) Heb. geber, man with reference to his strength, as distinguished from women (Deu 22:5) and from children (Exd 12:37); a husband (Pro 6:34).
(5.) Heb. methim, men as mortal (Isa 41:14), and as opposed to women and children (Deu 3:6; Job 11:3; Isa 3:25).
Man was created by the immediate hand of God, and is generically different from all other creatures (Gen 1:26,27; 2:7). His complex nature is composed of two elements, two distinct substances, viz., body and soul (Gen 2:7; Ecc 12:7; 2Cr 5:1-8).
The words translated "spirit" and "soul," in 1Th 5:23, Hbr 4:12, are habitually used interchangeably (Mat 10:28; 16:26; 1Pe 1:22). The "spirit" (Gr. pneuma) is the soul as rational; the "soul" (Gr. psuche) is the same, considered as the animating and vital principle of the body.
Man was created in the likeness of God as to the perfection of his nature, in knowledge (Col 3:10), righteousness, and holiness (Eph 4:24), and as having dominion over all the inferior creatures (Gen 1:28). He had in his original state God's law written on his heart, and had power to obey it, and yet was capable of disobeying, being left to the freedom of his own will. He was created with holy dispositions, prompting him to holy actions; but he was fallible, and did fall from his integrity (3:1-6). (See FALL.)
Nave's Topical Bible
Man: Created:
Gen 1:26, 27; 2:7; 5:1, 2; Deu 4:32; Job 4:17; 10:2, 3, 8, 9; 31:15; 33:4; 35:10; Psa 8:5; 100:3; 119:73; 138:8; 139:14; Ecc 7:29; Isa 17:7; 42:5; 43:7; 45:12; 64:8; Jer 27:5; Zec 12:1; Mal 2:10; Mar 10:6; Hbr 2:7
See CREATED IN THE IMAGE OF GOD, below
Man: Created in the Image of God:
Gen 1:26, 27; 9:6; Ecc 7:29; 1Cr 11:7; 15:48, 49; Jam 3:9
Man: Design of the Creation Of:
Man: Dominion Of:
Gen 1:26, 28; 2:19, 20; 9:2, 3; Jer 27:6; 28:14; Dan 2:38; Hbr 2:7, 8
Man: Duty Of:
Man: Equality Of:
Job 31:13-15; Psa 33:13-15; Pro 22:2; Mat 20:25-28; 23:8, 11; Mar 10:42-44; Act 10:28; 17:26; Gal 3:28
See RACE, UNITY OF
Man: Ignorance Of:
See IGNORANCE
Man: Immortal:
See IMMORTALITY
Man: Insignificance Of:
Job 4:18, 19; 15:14; 22:2-5; 25:4-6; 35:2-8; 38:4, 12, 13; Psa 8:3, 4; 144:3, 4
Man: Little Lower than the Angels:
Job 4:18-21; Psa 8:5; Hbr 2:7, 8
Man: Mortal:
Job 4:17; Ecc 2:14, 15; 3:20; 1Cr 15:21, 22; Hbr 9:27
See DEATH
Man: Spirit:
Job 4:19; 32:8; Psa 31:5; Pro 20:27; Ecc 1:8; 3:21; 12:7; Isa 26:9; Zec 12:1; Mat 4:4; 10:28; 26:41; Mar 14:38; Luk 22:40; 23:46; 24:39; Jhn 3:3-8; 4:24; Act 7:59; Rom 1:9; 2:29; 7:14-25; 1Cr 2:11; 6:20; 7:34; 14:14; 2Cr 4:6, 7, 16; 5:1-9; Eph 3:16; 4:4; 1Th 5:23; Hbr 4:12; Jam 2:26
Man: State Of, after the Fall:
See DEPRAVITY
Man: State Of, before the Fall:
See above, CREATED IN THE IMAGE OF GOD
Man: Young Men:
See YOUNG MEN
Torrey's New Topical Textbook
Man: Made for God
Man: God's Purpose in Creation Completed by Making
Man: Cannot Profit God
Man: Unworthy of God's Favour
Man: Created
By God
By Christ
By the Holy Spirit
After consultation, by the Trinity
On the sixth day
Upon the earth
From the dust
In the image of God
After the likeness of God
Male and female
A living soul
In uprightness
In knowledge (inferred)
Under obligations to obedience
A type of Christ
Man: Approved of by God
Man: Blessed by God
Man: Placed in the Garden of Eden
Man: Every Herb and Tree Given To, for Food
Man: Allowed to Eat Flesh after the Flood
Man: Not Good For, to Be Alone
Man: Woman Formed to Be a Help For
Man: Possessed Of
A Body
A soul
Luk 12:20; Act 14:22; 1Pe 4:19
A spirit
Understanding
Will
Affections
Conscience
Memory
Man: Made by God in His Successive Generations
Man: Fearfully and Wonderfully Made
Man: Of Every Nation, Made of One Blood
Man: Quickened by the Breath of God
Man: Made Wise by the Inspiration of the Almighty
Man: Inferior to Angels
Man: Is of the Earth Earthy
Man: Nature and constitution of, different from other creatures
Man: More Valuable than Other Creatures
Man: Wiser than Other Creatures
Man: Received Dominion over Other Creatures
Man: Gave Names to Other Creatures
Man: Intellect Of, Matured by Age
Man: Called
The potsherd of the earth
A worm
Vain man
Flesh
Man: Compared To
Grass
Clay in the potter's hand
Vanity
A sleep
A wild ass's colt
Man: Originally Naked and Not Ashamed
Man: Disobeyed God by eating part of the forbidden fruit
Man: Filled with Shame after the Fall
Man: Covered Himself with Fig Leaves
Man: Clothed by God with Skins
Man: Punished for Disobedience
Man: Banished from Paradise
Man: Involved Posterity in His Ruin
Man: Has Sought Out Many Inventions
Man: Born in Sin
Man: Born to Trouble
Man: Has an Appointed Time on the Earth
Man: Days Of, Compared to a Shadow
Man: Days Of, as the Days of a Hireling
Man: Has but Few Days
Man: Ordinary Limit of His Life
Man: Ignorant of What Is Good for Him
Man: Ignorant of What Is to Come after Him
Man: Not Profited by All His Labour and Travail
Man: Cannot Direct His Ways
Man: Walks in a Vain Show
Man: God
Instructs
Orders the goings of
Prepares the heart of
Enables to speak
Preserves
Provides for
Destroys the hopes of
Makes the wrath of, to praise him
Makes his beauty consume away
Turns to destruction
Man: Cannot Be Just with God
Job 9:2; 25:4; Psa 143:2; Rom 3:20
Man: Cannot Cleanse Himself
Man: All the Ways Of, Clean in His Own Eyes
Man: Christ
Knew what was in
Took on him nature of
Made in the image of
Was found in fashion as
Approved of God as
Called the second, as covenant head of the church
Is the head of every
A refuge as, to sinners
As such, is the cause of the resurrection
Man: Shall Be Recompensed According to His Works
Man: Cannot Retain His Spirit from Death
Man: Would give all his possessions for the preservation of life
Man: Able to Sustain Bodily Affliction
Man: Sinks under Trouble of Mind
Man: No Trust to Be Placed In
Man: The Help Of, Vain
Man: The Whole Duty Of
Angels
Easton's Bible Dictionary
Angel:
a word signifying, both in the Hebrew and Greek, a "messenger," and hence employed to denote any agent God sends forth to execute his purposes. It is used of an ordinary messenger (Job 1:14: 1 Sam. 11:3; Luk 7:24; 9:52), of prophets (Isa 42:19; Hag 1:13), of priests (Mal 2:7), and ministers of the New Testament (Rev 1:20).
It is also applied to such impersonal agents as the pestilence (2Sa 24:16,17; 2Ki 19:35), the wind (Psa 104:4).
But its distinctive application is to certain heavenly intelligences whom God employs in carrying on his government of the world. The name does not denote their nature but their office as messengers. The appearances to Abraham at Mamre (Gen 18:2, 22. Comp. 19:1), to Jacob at Peniel (Gen 32:24,30), to Joshua at Gilgal (Jos 5:13,15), of the Angel of the Lord, were doubtless manifestations of the Divine presence, "foreshadowings of the incarnation," revelations before the "fulness of the time" of the Son of God.
(1.) The existence and orders of angelic beings can only be discovered from the Scriptures. Although the Bible does not treat of this subject specially, yet there are numerous incidental details that furnish us with ample information. Their personal existence is plainly implied in such passages as Gen. 16:7, 10, 11; Jdg 13:1-21; Mat 28:2-5; Hbr 1:4, etc.
These superior beings are very numerous. "Thousand thousands," etc. (Dan 7:10; Mat 26:53; Luk 2:13; Hbr 12:22,23). They are also spoken of as of different ranks in dignity and power (Zec 1:9,11; Dan 10:13; 12:1; 1Th 4:16; Jud 1:9; Eph 1:21; Col 1:16).
(2.) As to their nature, they are spirits (Hbr 1:14), like the soul of man, but not incorporeal. Such expressions as "like the angels" (Luk 20:36), and the fact that whenever angels appeared to man it was always in a human form (Gen 18:2; 19:1,10; Luk 24:4; Act 1:10), and the titles that are applied to them (Job 1:6; 38:7; Dan 3:25; Dan 3:28) and to men (Luk 3:38), seem all to indicate some resemblance between them and the human race. Imperfection is ascribed to them as creatures (Job 4:18; Mat 24:36; 1Pe 1:12). As finite creatures they may fall under temptation; and accordingly we read of "fallen angels." Of the cause and manner of their "fall" we are wholly ignorant. We know only that "they left their first estate" (Mat 25:41; Rev 12:7,9), and that they are "reserved unto judgement" (2Pe 2:4). When the manna is called "angels' food," this is merely to denote its excellence (Psa 78:25). Angels never die (Luk 20:36). They are possessed of superhuman intelligence and power (Mar 13:32; 2Th 1:7; Psa 103:20). They are called "holy" (Luk 9:26), "elect" (1Ti 5:21). The redeemed in glory are "like unto the angels" (Luk 20:36). They are not to be worshipped (Col 2:18; Rev 19:10).
(3.) Their functions are manifold. (a) In the widest sense they are agents of God's providence (Exd 12:23; Psa 104:4; Hbr 11:28; 1Cr 10:10; 2Sa 24:16; 1Ch 21:16; 2Ki 19:35; Act 12:23). (b) They are specially God's agents in carrying on his great work of redemption. There is no notice of angelic appearances to man till after the call of Abraham. From that time onward there are frequent references to their ministry on earth (Gen 18; 19; 24:7,40; 28:12; 32:1). They appear to rebuke idolatry (Jdg 2:1-4), to call Gideon (Jdg 6:11,12), and to consecrate Samson (13:3). In the days of the prophets, from Samuel downward, the angels appear only in their behalf (1Ki 19:5; 2Ki 6:17; Zech. 1-6; Dan 4:13,23; 10:10,13,20,21).
The Incarnation introduces a new era in the ministrations of angels. They come with their Lord to earth to do him service while here. They predict his advent (Mat 1:20; Luk 1:26-38), minister to him after his temptation and agony (Mat 4:11; Luk 22:43), and declare his resurrection and ascension (Mat 28:2-8; Jhn 20:12,13; Act 1:10,11). They are now ministering spirits to the people of God (Hbr 1:14; Psa 34:7; 91:11; Mat 18:10; Act 5:19; 8:26; 10:3; 12:7; 27:23). They rejoice over a penitent sinner (Luk 15:10). They bear the souls of the redeemed to paradise (Luk 16:22); and they will be the ministers of judgement hereafter on the great day (Mat 13:39,41,49; 16:27; 24:31). The passages (Psa 34:7, Matt. 18:10) usually referred to in support of the idea that every individual has a particular guardian angel have no such meaning. They merely indicate that God employs the ministry of angels to deliver his people from affliction and danger, and that the angels do not think it below their dignity to minister even to children and to the least among Christ's disciples.
The "angel of his presence" (Isa 63:9. Comp. Ex. 23:20, 21; 32:34; 33:2; Num 20:16) is probably rightly interpreted of the Messiah as the guide of his people. Others have supposed the expression to refer to Gabriel (Luk 1:19).
International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia
Angel:
an'-jel (mal'akh; Septuagint and New Testament, aggelos):
I. DEFINITION AND SCRIPTURE TERMS
II. ANGELS IN OLD TESTAMENT
1. Nature, Appearances and Functions
2. The Angelic Host
3. The Angel of the Theophany
III. ANGELS IN NEW TESTAMENT
1. Appearances
2. The Teaching of Jesus about Angels
3. Other New Testament References
IV. DEVELOPMENT OF THE DOCTRINE
V. THE REALITY OF ANGELS
LITERATURE
I. Definition and Scripture Terms.
The word angel is applied in Scripture to an order of supernatural or heavenly beings whose business it is to act as God's messengers to men, and as agents who carry out His will. Both in Hebrew and Greek the word is applied to human messengers (1Ki 19:2; Lu 7:24); in Hebrew it is used in the singular to denote a Divine messenger, and in the plural for human messengers, although there are exceptions to both usages. It is applied to the prophet Haggai (Hag 1:13), to the priest (Mal 2:7), and to the messenger who is to prepare the way of the Lord (Mal 3:1). Other Hebrew words and phrases applied to angels are bene ha-'elohim (Ge 6:2,4; Job 1:6; 2:1) and bene elim (Ps 29:1; 89:6), i.e. sons of the elohim or elim; this means, according to a common Hebrew usage, members of the class called elohim or elim, the heavenly powers. It seems doubtful whether the word elohim, standing by itself, is ever used to describe angels, although Septuagint so translates it in a few passages.
The most notable instance is Ps 8:5; where the Revised Version (British and American) gives, "Thou hast made him but little lower than God," with the English Revised Version, margin reading of "the angels" for "God" (compare Heb 2:7,9); qedhoshim "holy ones" (Ps 89:5,7), a name suggesting the fact that they belong to God; ir, irim, "watcher," "watchers" (Da 4:13,17,23). Other expressions are used to designate angels collectively: codh, "council" (Ps 89:7), where the reference may be to an inner group of exalted angels; edhah and qahal, "congregation" (Ps 82:1; 89:5); and finally tsabha', tsebha'oth, "host," "hosts," as in the familiar phrase "the God of hosts."
In New Testament the word aggelos, when it refers to a Divine messenger, is frequently accompanied by some phrase which makes this meaning clear, e.g. "the angels of heaven" (Mt 24:36). Angels belong to the "heavenly host" (Lu 2:13). In reference to their nature they are called "spirits" (Heb 1:14). Paul evidently referred to the ordered ranks of supra-mundane beings in a group of words that are found in various combinations, namely, archai, "principalities," exousiai, "powers," thronoi, "thrones," kuriotetes, "dominions," and dunameis, also translated "powers." The first four are apparently used in a good sense in Col 1:16, where it is said that all these beings were created through Christ and unto Him; in most of the other passages in which words from this group occur, they seem to represent evil powers. We are told that our wrestling is against them (Eph 6:12), and that Christ triumphs over the principalities and powers (Col 2:15; compare Ro 8:38; 1Co 15:24). In two passages the word archaggelos, "archangel" or chief angel, occurs: "the voice of the archangel" (1Th 4:16), and "Michael the archangel" (Jude 1:9).
II. Angels in Old Testament.
1. Nature, Appearances and Functions:
Everywhere in the Old Testament the existence of angels is assumed. The creation of angels is referred to in Ps 148:2,5 (compare Col 1:16). They were present at the creation of the world, and were so filled with wonder and gladness that they "shouted for joy" (Job 38:7). Of their nature we are told nothing. In general they are simply regarded as embodiments of their mission. Though presumably the holiest of created beings, they are charged by God with folly (Job 4:18), and we are told that "he putteth no trust in his holy ones" (Job 15:15).
References to the fall of the angels are only found in the obscure and probably corrupt passage Ge 6:1-4, and in the interdependent passages 2Pe 2:4 and Jude 1:6, which draw their inspiration from the Apocryphal book of Enoch. Demons are mentioned (see DEMON); and although Satan appears among the sons of God (Job 1:6; 2:1), there is a growing tendency in later writers to attribute to him a malignity that is all his own (see SATAN).
As to their outward appearance, it is evident that they bore the human form, and could at times be mistaken for men (Eze 9:2; Ge 18:2,16). There is no hint that they ever appeared in female form. The conception of angels as winged beings, so familiar in Christian art, finds no support in Scripture (except, perhaps Da 9:21; Re 14:6, where angels are represented as "flying"). The cherubim and seraphim (see CHERUB; SERAPHIM) are represented as winged (Ex 25:20; Isa 6:2); winged also are the symbolic living creatures of Eze (Eze 1:6; compare Re 4:8).
As above stated, angels are messengers and instruments of the Divine will. As a rule they exercise no influence in the physical sphere. In several instances, however, they are represented as destroying angels: two angels are commissioned to destroy Sodom (Ge 19:13); when David numbers the people, an angel destroys them by pestilence (2Sa 24:16); it is by an angel that the Assyrian army is destroyed (2Ki 19:35); and Ezekiel hears six angels receiving the command to destroy those who were sinful in Jerusalem (Eze 9:1,5,7). In this connection should be noted the expression "angels of evil," i.e. angels that bring evil upon men from God and execute His judgments (Ps 78:49; compare 1Sa 16:14). Angels appear to Jacob in dreams (Ge 28:12; 31:11). The angel who meets Balaam is visible first to the ass, and not to the rider (Nu 22 ff). Angels interpret God's will, showing man what is right for him (Job 33:23). The idea of angels as caring for men also appears (Ps 91:11 f), although the modern conception of the possession by each man of a special guardian angel is not found in Old Testament.
2. The Angelic Host:
The phrase "the host of heaven" is applied to the stars, which were sometimes worshipped by idolatrous Jews (Jer 33:22; 2Ki 21:3; Ze 1:5); the name is applied to the company of angels because of their countless numbers (compare Da 7:10) and their glory. They are represented as standing on the right and left hand of Yahweh (1Ki 22:19). Hence God, who is over them all, is continually called throughout Old Testament "the God of hosts," "Yahweh of hosts," "Yahweh God of hosts"; and once "the prince of the host" (Da 8:11). One of the principal functions of the heavenly host is to be ever praising the name of the Lord (Ps 103:21; 148:1 f). In this host there are certain figures that stand out prominently, and some of them are named. The angel who appears to Joshua calls himself "prince of the host of Yahweh" (Jos 5:14 f). The glorious angel who interprets to Daniel the vision which he saw in the third year of Cyrus (Da 10:5), like the angel who interprets the vision in the first year of Belshazzar (Da 7:16), is not named; but other visions of the same prophet were explained to him by the angel Gabriel, who is called "the man Gabriel," and is described as speaking with "a man's voice" (Da 9:21; 8:15 f). In Daniel we find occasional reference made to "princes": "the prince of Persia," "the prince of Greece" (Da 10:20). These are angels to whom is entrusted the charge of, and possibly the rule over, certain peoples. Most notable among them is Michael, described as "one of the chief princes," "the great prince who standeth for the children of thy people," and, more briefly, "your prince" (Da 10:13; 12:1; 10:21); Michael is therefore regarded as the patron-angel of the Jews. In Apocrypha Raphael, Uriel and Jeremiel are also named. Of Raphael it is said (Tobit 12:15) that he is "one of the seven holy angels who present the prayers of the saints" to God (compare Re 8:2, "the seven angels that stand before God"). It is possible that this group of seven is referred to in the above-quoted phrase, "one of the chief princes". Some (notably Kosters) have maintained that the expressions "the sons of the elohim," God's "council" and "congregation," refer to the ancient gods of the heathen, now degraded and wholly subordinated to Yahweh. This rather daring speculation has little support in Scripture; but we find traces of a belief that the patron-angels of the nations have failed in establishing righteousness within their allotted sphere on earth, and that they will accordingly be punished by Yahweh their over-Lord (Isa 24:21 f; Ps 82$; compare Ps 58:1 f the Revised Version, margin; compare Jude 1:6).
3. The Angel of the Theophany:
This angel is spoken of as "the angel of Yahweh," and "the angel of the presence (or face) of Yahweh." The following passages contain references to this angel: Ge 16:7 ff-the angel and Hagar; Ge 18-Abraham intercedes with the angel for Sodom; Ge 22:11 ff-the angel interposes to prevent the sacrifice of Isaac; Ge 24:7,40-Abraham sends Eliezer and promises the angel's protection; Ge 31:11 ff-the angel who appears to Jacob says "I am the God of Beth-el"; Ge 32:24 ff-Jacob wrestles with the angel and says, "I have seen God face to face"; Ge 48:15 f-Jacob speaks of God and the angel as identical; Ex 3 (compare Ac 7:30 ff)-the angel appears to Moses in the burning bush; Ex 13:21; 14:19 (compare Nu 20:16)-God or the angel leads Israel out of Egypt; Ex 23:20 ff-the people are commanded to obey the angel; Ex 32:34-33:17 (compare Isa 63:9)-Moses pleads for the presence of God with His people; Jos 5:13-6:2-the angel appears to Joshua; Jud 2:1-5-the angel speaks to the people; Jud 6:11 ff-the angel appears to Gideon.
A study of these passages shows that while the angel and Yahweh are at times distinguished from each other, they are with equal frequency, and in the same passages, merged into each other. How is this to be explained? It is obvious that these apparitions cannot be the Almighty Himself, whom no man hath seen, or can see. In seeking the explanation, special attention should be paid to two of the passages above cited. In Ex 23:20 ff God promises to send an angel before His people to lead them to the promised land; they are commanded to obey him and not to provoke him "for he will not pardon your transgression: for my name is in him." Thus the angel can forgive sin, which only God can do, because God's name, i.e. His character and thus His authority, are in the angel. Further, in the passage Ex 32:34-33:17 Moses intercedes for the people after their first breach of the covenant; God responds by promising, "Behold mine angel shall go before thee"; and immediately after God says, "I will not go up in the midst of thee." In answer to further pleading, God says, "My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest." Here a clear distinction is made between an ordinary angel, and the angel who carries with him God's presence. The conclusion may be summed up in the words of Davidson in his Old Testament Theology: "In particular providences one may trace the presence of Yahweh in influence and operation; in ordinary angelic appearances one may discover Yahweh present on some side of His being, in some attribute of His character; in the angel of the Lord He is fully present as the covenant God of His people, to redeem them." The question still remains, Who is theophanic angel? To this many answers have been given, of which the following may be mentioned:
(1) This angel is simply an angel with a special commission;
(2) He may be a momentary descent of God into visibility;
(3) He may be the Logos, a kind of temporary preincarnation of the second person of the Trinity. Each has its difficulties, but the last is certainly the most tempting to the mind. Yet it must be remembered that at best these are only conjectures that touch on a great mystery. It is certain that from the beginning God used angels in human form, with human voices, in order to communicate with man; and the appearances of the angel of the Lord, with his special redemptive relation to God's people, show the working of that Divine mode of self-revelation which culminated in the coming of the Saviour, and are thus a fore-shadowing of, and a preparation for, the full revelation of God in Jesus Christ. Further than this, it is not safe to go.
III. Angels in New Testament.
1. Appearances:
Nothing is related of angels in New Testament which is inconsistent with the teaching of Old Testament on the subject. Just as they are specially active in the beginning of Old Testament history, when God's people is being born, so they appear frequently in connection with the birth of Jesus, and again when a new order of things begins with the resurrection. An angel appears three times in dreams to Joseph (Mt 1:20; 2:13,19). The angel Gabriel appears to Zacharias, and then to Mary in the annunciation (Lu 1). An angel announces to the shepherds the birth of Jesus, and is joined by a "multitude of the heavenly host," praising God in celestial song (Lu 2:8 ff). When Jesus is tempted, and again during the agony at Gethsemane, angels appear to Him to strengthen His soul (Mt 4:11; Lu 22:43). The verse which tells how an angel came down to trouble the pool (Joh 5:4) is now omitted from the text as not being genuine. An angel descends to roll away the stone from the tomb of Jesus (Mt 28:2); angels are seen there by certain women (Lu 24:23) and (two) by Mary Magdalene (Joh 20:12). An angel releases the apostles from prison, directs Philip, appears to Peter in a dream, frees him from prison, smites Herod with sickness, appears to Paul in a dream (Ac 5:19; 8:26; 10:3; 12:7 ff; 12:23; 27:23). Once they appear clothed in white; they are so dazzling in appearance as to terrify beholders; hence they begin their message with the words "Fear not" (Mt 28:2-5).
2. The Teaching of Jesus about Angels:
It is quite certain that our Lord accepted the main teachings of Old Testament about angels, as well as the later Jewish belief in good and bad angels. He speaks of the "angels in heaven" (Mt 22:30), and of "the devil and his angels" (Mt 25:41). According to our Lord the angels of God are holy (Mr 8:38); they have no sex or sensuous desires (Mt 22:30); they have high intelligence, but they know not the time of the Second Coming (Mt 24:36); they carry (in a parable) the soul of Lazarus to Abraham's bosom (Lu 16:22); they could have been summoned to the aid of our Lord, had He so desired (Mt 26:53); they will accompany Him at the Second Coming (Mt 25:31) and separate the righteous from the wicked (Mt 13:41,49). They watch with sympathetic eyes the fortunes of men, rejoicing in the repentance of a sinner (Lu 15:10; compare 1Pe 1:12; Eph 3:10; 1Co 4:9); and they will hear the Son of Man confessing or denying those who have confessed or denied Him before men (Lu 12:8 f). The angels of the presence of God, who do not appear to correspond to our conception of guardian angels, are specially interested in God's little ones (Mt 18:10). Finally, the existence of angels is implied in the Lord's Prayer in the petition, "Thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth" (Mt 6:10).
3. Other New Testament References:
Paul refers to the ranks of angels ("principalities, powers" etc.) only in order to emphasize the complete supremacy of Jesus Christ. He teaches that angels will be judged by the saints (1Co 6:3). He attacks the incipient Gnosticism of Asia Minor by forbidding the, worship of angels (Col 2:18). He speaks of God's angels as "elect," because they are included in the counsels of Divine love (1Ti 5:21). When Paul commands the women to keep their heads covered in church because of the angels (1Co 11:10) he probably means that the angels, who watch all human affairs with deep interest, would be pained to see any infraction of the laws of modesty. In Heb 1:14 angels are described as ministering spirits engaged in the service of the saints. Peter also emphasizes the supremacy of our Lord over all angelic beings (1Pe 3:22). The references to angels in 2 Peter and Jude are colored by contact with Apocrypha literature. In Revelation, where the references are obviously symbolic, there is very frequent mention of angels. The angels of the seven churches (Re 1:20) are the guardian angels or the personifications of these churches. The worship of angels is also forbidden (Re 22:8 f). Specially interesting is the mention of elemental angels-"the angel of the waters" (Re 16:5), and the angel "that hath power over fire" (Re 14:18; compare Re 7:1; 19:17). Reference is also made to the "angel of the bottomless pit," who is called ABADDON or APOLLYON (which see), evidently an evil angel (Re 9:11 the King James Version, the Revised Version (British and American) "abyss"). In Re 12:7 ff we are told that there was war between Michael with his angels and the dragon with his angels.
IV. Development of the Doctrine.
In the childhood of the race it was easy to believe in God, and He was very near to the soul. In Paradise there is no thought of angels; it is God Himself who walks in the garden. A little later the thought of angels appears, but, God has not gone away, and as "the angel of Yahweh" He appears to His people and redeems them. In these early times the Jews believed that there were multitudes of angels, not yet divided in thought into good and bad; these had no names or personal characteristics, but were simply embodied messages. Till the time of the captivity the Jewish angelology shows little development. During that dark period they came into close contact with a polytheistic people, only to be more deeply confirmed in their monotheism thereby. They also became acquainted with the purer faith of the Persians, and in all probability viewed the tenets of Zoroastrianism with a more favorable eye, because of the great kindness of Cyrus to their nation.
There are few direct traces of Zoroastrianism in the later angelology of the Old Testament. It is not even certain that the number seven as applied to the highest group of angels is Persian in its origin; the number seven was not wholly disregarded by the Jews. One result of the contact was that the idea of a hierarchy of the angels was more fully developed. The conception in Da of angels as "watchers," and the idea of patron-princes or angel-guardians of nations may be set down to Persian influence. It is probable that contact with the Persians helped the Jews to develop ideas already latent in their minds. According to Jewish tradition, the names of the angels came from Babylon. By this time the consciousness of sin had grown more intense in the Jewish mind, and God had receded to an immeasurable distance; the angels helped to fill the gap between God and man. The more elaborate conceptions of Daniel and Zechariah are further developed in Apocrypha, especially in 2 Esdras, Tobit and 2 Macc.
In the New Testament we find that there is little further development; and by the Spirit of God its writers were saved from the absurdly puerile teachings of contemporary Rabbinism. We find that the Sadducees, as contrasted with the Pharisees, did not believe in angels or spirits (Ac 23:8). We may conclude that the Sadducees, with their materialistic standpoint, and denial of the resurrection, regarded angels merely as symbolical expressions of God's actions. It is noteworthy in this connection that the great priestly document (Priestly Code, P) makes no mention of angels. The Book of Revelation naturally shows a close kinship to the books of Ezekiel and Daniel. Regarding the rabbinical developments of angelology, some beautiful, some extravagant, some grotesque, but all fanciful, it is not necessary here to speak. The Essenes held an esoteric doctrine of angels, in which most scholars find the germ of the Gnostic eons.
V. The Reality of Angels.
A belief in angels, if not indispensable to the faith of a Christian, has its place there. In such a belief there is nothing unnatural or contrary to reason. Indeed, the warm welcome which human nature has always given to this thought, is an argument in its favor. Why should there not be such an order of beings, if God so willed it? For the Christian the whole question turns on the weight to be attached to the words of our Lord. All are agreed that He teaches the existence, reality, and activity of angelic beings. Was He in error because of His human limitations? That is a conclusion which it is very hard for the Christian to draw, and we may set it aside. Did He then adjust His teaching to popular belief, knowing that what He said was not true? This explanation would seem to impute deliberate untruth to our Lord, and must equally be set aside. So we find ourselves restricted to the conclusion that we have the guaranty of Christ's word for the existence of angels; for most Christians that will settle the question.
The visible activity of angels has come to an end, because their mediating work is done; Christ has founded the kingdom of the Spirit, and God's Spirit speaks directly to the spirit of man. This new and living way has been opened up to us by Jesus Christ, upon whom faith can yet behold the angels of God ascending and descending. Still they watch the lot of man, and rejoice in his salvation; still they join in the praise and adoration of God, the Lord of hosts, still can they be regarded as "ministering spirits sent forth to do service for the sake of them that shall inherit salvation."
LITERATURE.
All Old Testament and New Testament theologies contain discussions. Among the older books Oehler's Old Testament Theology and Hengstenberg's Christology of Old Testament (for "angel of Yahweh") and among modern ones Davidson's Old Testament Theology are specially valuable. The ablest supporter of theory that the "sons of the Elohim" are degraded gods is Kosters. "Het onstaan der Angelologie onder Israel," TT 1876. See also articles on "Angel" in HDB (by Davidson), EB, DCG, Jew Encyclopedia, RE (by Cremer). Cremer's Biblico-Theological New Testament Lexicon should be consulted under the word "aggelos." For Jewish beliefs see also Edersheim's Life and Times of Jesus, II, Appendix xiii. On the Pauline angelology see Everling, Die paulinische Angelologie. On the general subject see Godet, Biblical Studies; Mozley, The Word, chapter lix, and Latham, A Service of Angels.
Written by John Macartney Wilson
Satan
Easton's Bible Dictionary
Satan:
adversary; accuser. When used as a proper name, the Hebrew word so rendered has the article "the adversary" (Job 1:6-12; 2:1-7). In the New Testament it is used as interchangeable with Diabolos, or the devil, and is so used more than thirty times.
He is also called "the dragon," "the old serpent" (Rev 12:9; 20:2); "the prince of this world" (Jhn 12:31; 14:30); "the prince of the power of the air" (Eph 2:2); "the god of this world" (2Cr 4:4); "the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience" (Eph 2:2). The distinct personality of Satan and his activity among men are thus obviously recognized. He tempted our Lord in the wilderness (Mat 4:1-11). He is "Beelzebub, the prince of the devils" (12:24). He is "the constant enemy of God, of Christ, of the divine kingdom, of the followers of Christ, and of all truth; full of falsehood and all malice, and exciting and seducing to evil in every possible way." His power is very great in the world. He is a "roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour" (1Pe 5:8). Men are said to be "taken captive by him" (2Ti 2:26). Christians are warned against his "devices" (2Cr 2:11), and called on to "resist" him (Jam 4:7). Christ redeems his people from "him that had the power of death, that is, the devil" (Hbr 2:14). Satan has the "power of death," not as lord, but simply as executioner.
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary
Satan:
contrary; adversary; enemy; accuser
International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia
Satan:
sa'-tan (saTan), "adversary," from the verb saTan, "to lie in wait" (as adversary); Satan, Satanas, "adversary," diabolos, "Devil," "adversary" or "accuser," kategor (altogether unclassical and unGreek) (used once in Re 12:10), "accuser"):
I. DEFINITION
II. SCRIPTURAL FACTS CONCERNING SATAN
1. Names of Satan
2. Character of Satan
3. Works of Satan
4. History of Satan
III. GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS
1. Scripture Doctrine of Satan Not Systematized
2. Satan and God
3. Satan Essentially Limited
4. Conclusions
LITERATURE
I. Definition.
A created but superhuman, personal, evil, world-power, represented in Scripture as the adversary both of God and men.
II. Scriptural Facts concerning Satan.
1. Names of Satan:
The most important of these are the Hebrew and Greek equivalents noticed above. These words are used in the general sense justified by their etymological significance. It is applied even to Yahweh Himself (Nu 22:22,32; compare 1Sa 29:4; 2Sa 19:22; Ps 109:6, etc.). The word "Satan" is used 24 times in the Old Testament. In Job (1:6 f) and Zec (3:1 f) it has the prefixed definite article. In all cases but one when the article is omitted it is used in a general sense. This one exception is 1Ch 21:1 (compare 2Sa 24:1), where the word is generally conceded to be used as a proper name. This meaning is fixed in New Testament times. We are thus enabled to note in the term "Satan" (and Devil) the growth of a word from a general term to an appellation and later to a proper name. All the other names of Satan save only these two are descriptive titles. In addition to these two principal names a number of others deserve specific enumeration. Tempter (Mt 4:5; 1Th 3:5); Beelzebub (Mt 12:24); Enemy (Mt 13:39); Evil One (Mt 13:19,38; 1Joh 2:13,14; 3:12, and particularly 1Joh 5:18); Belial (2Co 6:15); Adversary (antidikos), (1Pe 5:8); Deceiver (literally "the one who deceives") (Re 12:9); Dragon (Great) (Re 12:3); Father of Lies (Joh 8:44); Murderer (Joh 8:44); Sinner (1 Joh 3:8)-these are isolated references occurring from 1 to 3 times each. In the vast majority of passages (70 out of 83) either Satan or Devil is used.
2. Character of Satan:
Satan is consistently represented in the New Testament as the enemy both of God and man. The popular notion is that Satan is the enemy of man and active in misleading and cursing humanity because of his intense hatred and opposition to God. Mt 13:39 would seem to point in this direction, but if one were to venture an opinion in a region where there are not enough facts to warrant a conviction, it would be that the general tenor of Scripture indicates quite the contrary, namely, that Satan's jealousy and hatred of men has led him into antagonism to God and, consequently, to goodness. The fundamental moral description of Satan is given by our Lord when He describes Satan as the "evil one" (Mt 13:19,38; compare Isaiah's description of Yahweh as the "Holy One," Isa 1:4 and often); that is, the one whose nature and will are given to evil. Moral evil is his controlling attribute. It is evident that this description could not be applied to Satan as originally created. Ethical evil cannot be concreated. It is the creation of each free will for itself. We are not told in definite terms how Satan became the evil one, but certainly it could be by no other process than a fall, whereby, in the mystery of free personality, an evil will takes the place of a good one.
3. Works of Satan:
The world-wide and age-long works of Satan are to be traced to one predominant motive. He hates both God and man and does all that in him lies to defeat God's plan of grace and to establish and maintain a kingdom of evil, in the seduction and ruin of mankind. The balance and sanity of the Bible is nowhere more strikingly exhibited than in its treatment of the work of Satan. Not only is the Bible entirely free from the extravagances of popular Satanology, which is full of absurd stories concerning the appearances, tricks, and transformations of Satan among men, but it exhibits a dependable accuracy and consistency, of statement which is most reassuring. Almost nothing is said concerning Satanic agency other than wicked men who mislead other men. In the controversy with His opponents concerning exorcism (Mr 3:22 f and parallel's) our Lord rebuts their slanderous assertion that He is in league with Satan by the simple proposition that Satan does not work against himself. But in so saying He does far more than refute this slander. He definitely aligns the Bible against the popular idea that a man may make a definite and conscious personal alliance with Satan for any purpose whatever. The agent of Satan is always a victim. Also the hint contained in this discussion that Satan has a kingdom, together with a few other not very definite allusions, are all that we have to go upon in this direction. Nor are we taught anywhere that Satan is able to any extent to introduce disorder into the physical universe or directly operate in the lives of men. It is true that in Lu 13:16 our Lord speaks of the woman who was bowed over as one "whom Satan has bound, lo, these eighteen years," and that in 2Co 12:7 Paul speaks of his infirmity as a "messenger of Satan sent to buffet him." Paul also speaks (1Th 2:18) of Satan's hindering him from visiting the church at Thessalonica. A careful study of these related passages (together with the prologue of Job) will reveal the fact that Satan's direct agency in the physical world is very limited. Satan may be said to be implicated in all the disasters and woes of human life, in so far as they are more or less directly contingent upon sin (see particularly Heb 2:14) On the contrary, it is perfectly evident that Satan's power consists principally in his ability to deceive. It is interesting and characteristic that according to the Bible Satan is fundamentally a liar and his kingdom is a kingdom founded upon lies and deceit. The doctrine of Satan therefore corresponds in every important particular to the general Biblical emphasis upon truth. "The truth shall make you free" (Joh 8:32)-this is the way of deliverance from the power of Satan.
Now it would seem that to make Satan pre-eminently the deceiver would make man an innocent victim and thus relax the moral issue. But according to the Bible man is particeps criminis in the process of his own deception. He is deceived only because he ceases to love the truth and comes first to love and then to believe a lie (2Co 1:10). This really goes to the very bottom of the problem of temptation. Men are not tempted by evil, per se, but by a good which can be obtained only at the cost of doing wrong. The whole power of sin, at least in its beginnings, consists in the sway of the fundamental falsehood that any good is really attainable by wrongdoing. Since temptation consists in this attack upon the moral sense, man is constitutionally guarded against deceit, and is morally culpable in allowing himself to be deceived. The temptation of our Lord Himself throws the clearest possible light upon the methods ascribed to Satan and The temptation was addressed to Christ's consciousness of divine sonship; it was a deceitful attack emphasizing the good, minimizing or covering up the evil; indeed, twisting evil into good. It was a deliberate, malignant attempt to obscure the truth and induce to evil through the acceptance of falsehood. The attack broke against a loyalty to truth which made self-deceit, and consequently deceit from without, impossible. The lie was punctured by the truth and the temptation lost its power (see TEMPTATION OF CHRIST). This incident reveals one of the methods of Satan-by immediate suggestion as in the case of Judas (Lu 22:3; Joh 13:2,27). Sometimes, however, and, perhaps, most frequently, Satan's devices (2Co 2:11) include human agents. Those who are given over to evil and who persuade others to evil are children and servants of Satan (See Mt 16:23; Mr 8:33; Lu 4:8; Joh 6:70; 8:44; Ac 13:10; 1 Joh 3:8). Satan also works through persons and institutions supposed to be on the side of right but really evil. Here the same ever-present and active falseness and deceit are exhibited. When he is called "the god of this world" (2Co 4:4) it would seem to be intimated that he has the power to clothe himself in apparently divine attributes. He also makes himself an angel of light by presenting advocates of falsehood in the guise of apostles of truth (2Co 11:13,15; 1 Joh 4:1; 2Th 2:9; Re 12:9; 19:20). In the combination of passages here brought together, it is clearly indicated that Satan is the instigator and fomenter of that spirit of lawlessness which exhibits itself as hatred both of truth and right, and which has operated so widely and so disastrously in human life.
4. History of Satan:
The history of Satan, including that phase of it which remains to be realized, can be set forth only along the most general lines. He belongs to the angelic order of beings. He is by nature one of the sons of Elohim (Job 1:6). He has fallen, and by virtue of his personal forcefulness has become the leader of the anarchic forces of wickedness. As a free being he has merged his life in evil and has become altogether and hopelessly evil. As a being of high intelligence he has gained great power and has exercised a wide sway over other beings. As a created being the utmost range of his power lies within the compass of that which is permitted. It is, therefore, hedged in by the providential government of God and essentially limited. The Biblical emphasis upon the element of falsehood in the career of Satan might be taken to imply that his kingdom may be less in extent than appears. At any rate, it is confined to the cosmic sphere and to a limited portion of time. It is also doomed. In the closely related passages 2Pe 2:4 and Jude 1:6 it is affirmed that God cast the angels, when they sinned, down to Tartarus and committed them to pits of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment. This both refers to the constant divine control of these insurgent forces and also points to their final and utter destruction. The putting of Satan in bonds is evidently both constant and progressive. The essential limitation of the empire of evil and its ultimate overthrow are foreshadowed in the Book of Job (chapters 38-41), where Yahweh's power extends even to the symbolized spirit of evil.
According to synoptic tradition, our Lord in the crisis of temptation immediately following the baptism (Mt 4$ and parallel) met and for the time conquered Satan as His own personal adversary. This preliminary contest did not close the matter, but was the earnest of a complete victory. According to Luke (10:18), when the Seventy returned from their mission flushed with victory over the powers of evil, Jesus said: ‘I saw Satan fall (not "fallen"; see Plummer, "Luke," ICC, in the place cited.) as lightning from heaven.' In every triumph over the powers of evil Christ beheld in vision the downfall of Satan. In connection with the coming of the Hellenists who wished to see Him, Jesus asserted (Joh 12:31), "Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out." In view of His approaching passion He says again (Joh 14:30), "The prince of the world cometh: and he hath nothing in me." Once again in connection with the promised advent of the Spirit, Jesus asserted (Joh 16:11) that the Spirit would convict the world of judgment, "because the prince of this world hath been judged." In Hebrews (2:14,15) it is said that Christ took upon Himself human nature in order "that through death he might bring to nought him that had the power of death, that is, the Devil." In 1 Joh 3:8 it is said, "To this end was the Son of God manifested, that he might destroy the works of the Devil." In Re 12:9 it is asserted, in connection with Christ's ascension, that Satan was cast down to the earth and his angels with him. According to the passage immediately following (12:10-12), this casting down was not complete or final in the sense of extinguishing his activities altogether, but it involves the potential and certain triumph of God and His saints and the equally certain defeat of Satan. In 1 Joh 2:13 the young men are addressed as those who "have overcome the evil one." In Re 20 the field of the future is covered in the assertion that Satan is "bound a thousand years"; then loosed "for a little time," and then finally "cast into the lake of fire."
A comparison of these passages will convince the careful student that while we cannot construct a definite chronological program for the career of Satan, we are clear in the chief points. He is limited, judged, condemned, imprisoned, reserved for judgment from the beginning. The outcome is certain though the process may be tedious and slow. The victory of Christ is the defeat of Satan; first, for Himself as Leader and Saviour of men (Joh 14:30); then, for believers (Lu 22:31; Ac 26:18; Ro 16:20; Jas 4:7; 1 Joh 2:13; 5:4,18); and, finally, for the whole world (Re 20:10). The work of Christ has already destroyed the empire of Satan.
III. General Considerations.
There are, no doubt, serious difficulties in the way of accepting the doctrine of a personal, superhuman, evil power as Satan is described to be. It is doubtful, however, whether these diffificulties may not be due, at least in part, to a misunderstanding of the doctrine and certain of its implications. In addition, it must be acknowledged, that whatever difficulties there may be in the teaching, they are exaggerated and, at the same time, not fairly met by the vague and irrational skepticism which denies without investigation. There are difficulties involved in any view of the world. To say the least, some problems are met by the view of a superhuman, evil world-power. In this section certain general considerations are urged with a view to lessening difficulties keenly felt by some minds. Necessarily, certain items gathered in the foregoing section are here emphasized again.
1. Scripture Doctrine of Satan Not Systematized:
The Scriptural doctrine of Satan is nowhere systematically developed. For materials in this field we are shut up to scattered and incidental references. These passages, which even in the aggregate are not numerous, tell us what we need to know concerning the nature, history, kingdom and works of Satan, but offer scant satisfaction to the merely speculative temper. The comparative lack of development in this field is due partly to the fact that the Biblical writers are primarily interested in God, and only secondarily in the powers of darkness; and partly to the fact that in the Bible doctrine waits upon fact. Hence, the malign and sinister figure of the Adversary is gradually outlined against the light of God's holiness as progressively revealed in the providential world-process which centers in Christ. It is a significant fact that the statements concerning Satan become numerous and definite only in the New Testament. The daylight of the Christian revelation was necessary in order to uncover the lurking foe, dimly disclosed but by no means fully known in the earlier revelation. The disclosure of Satan is, in form at least, historical, not dogmatic.
2. Satan and God:
In the second place, the relationship of Satan to God, already emphasized, must be kept constantly in mind. The doctrine of Satan merges in the general doctrine concerning angels (see ANGEL). It has often been pointed out that the personal characteristics of angels are very little insisted upon. They are known chiefly by their functions: merged, on the one hand, in their own offices, and, on the other, in the activities of God Himself.
In the Old Testament Satan is not represented as a fallen and malignant spirit, but as a servant of Yahweh, performing a divine function and having his place in the heavenly train. In the parallel accounts of David's numbering of Israel (1Sa 24:1; 1Ch 21:1) the tempting of David is attributed both to Yahweh and Satan. The reason for this is either that ‘the temptation of men is also a part of his providence,' or that in the interval between the documents the personality of the tempter has more clearly emerged. In this case the account in Chronicles would nearly approximate the New Testament teaching. In the Book of Job (1:6), however, Satan is among the Sons of God and his assaults upon Job are divinely permitted. In Zec (3:1,2) Satan is also a servant of Yahweh. In both these passages there is the hint of opposition between Yahweh and Satan. In the former instance Satan assails unsuccessfully the character of one whom Yahweh honors; while in the latter Yahweh explicitly rebukes Satan for his attitude toward Israel (see G. A. Smith, BTP, II, 316 f). The unveiling of Satan as a rebellious world-power is reserved for the New Testament, and with this fuller teaching the symbolic treatment of temptation in Ge is to be connected. There is a sound pedagogical reason, from the viewpoint of revelation, for this earlier withholding of the whole truth concerning Satan. In the early stages of religious thinking it would seem to be difficult, if not impossible, to hold the sovereignty of God without attributing to His agency those evils in the world which are more or less directly connected with judgment and punishment (compare Isa 45:7; Am 3:6). The Old Testament sufficiently emphasizes man's responsibility for his own evil deeds, but super-human evil is brought upon him from above. "When willful souls have to be misled, the spirit who does so, as in Ahab's case, comes from above" (G. A. Smith, op. cit., 317). The progressive revelation of God's character and purpose, which more and more imperatively demands that the origin of moral evil, and consequently natural evil, must be traced to the created will in opposition to the divine will, leads to the ultimate declaration that Satan is a morally fallen being to whose conquest the Divine Power in history is pledged. There is, also, the distinct possibility that in the significant transition from the Satan of the Old Testament to that of the New Testament we have the outlines of a biography and an indication of the way by which the angels fell.
3. Satan Essentially Limited:
A third general consideration, based upon data given in the earlier section, should be urged in the same connection. In the New Testament delineation of Satan, his limitations are clearly set forth. He is superhuman, but not in any sense divine. His activities are cosmic, but not universal or transcendent. He is a created being. His power is definitely circumscribed. He is doomed to final destruction as a world-power. His entire career is that of a secondary and dependent being who is permitted a certain limited scope of power-a time-lease of activity (Lu 4:6).
4. Conclusions:
These three general considerations have been grouped in this way because they dispose of three objections which are current against the doctrine of Satan.
(1) The first is, that it is mythological in origin. That it is not dogmatic is a priori evidence against this hypothesis. Mythology is primitive dogma. There is no evidence of a theodicy or philosophy of evil in the Biblical treatment of Satan. Moreover, while the Scriptural doctrine is unsystematic in form, it is rigidly limited in scope and everywhere essentially consistent. Even in the Apocalypse, where naturally more scope is allowed to the imagination, the same essential ideas appear. The doctrine of Satan corresponds, item for item, to the intellectual saneness and ethical earnestness of the Biblical world-view as a whole. It is, therefore, not mythological. The restraint of chastened imagination, not the extravagance of mythological fancy, is in evidence throughout the entire Biblical treatment of the subject. Even the use of terms current in mythology (as perhaps Ge 3:1,13,14; Re 12:7-9; compare 1Pe 5:8) does not imply more than a literary clothing of Satan in attributes commonly ascribed to malignant and disorderly forces.
(2) The second objection is that the doctrine is due to the influence of Persian dualism (see PERSIAN RELIGION; ZOROASTRIANISM). The answer to this is plain, on the basis of facts already adduced. The Biblical doctrine of Satan is not dualistic. Satan's empire had a beginning, it will have a definite and permanent end. Satan is God's great enemy in the cosmic sphere, but he is God's creation, exists by divine will, and his power is relatively no more commensurate with God's than that of men. Satan awaits his doom. Weiss says (concerning the New Testament representation of conflict between God and the powers of evil): "There lies in this no Manichaean dualism,.... but only the deepest experience of the work of redemption as the definite destruction of the power from which all sin in the world of men proceeds" (Biblical Theology New Testament, English tanslations of the Bible, II, 272; compare G.A. Smith, op. cit., II, 318).
(3) The third objection is practically the same as the second, but addressed directly to the doctrine itself, apart from the question of its origin, namely, that it destroys the unity of God. The answer to this also is a simple negative. To some minds the reality of created wills is dualistic and therefore untenable. But a true doctrine of unity makes room for other wills than God's-namely of those beings upon whom God has bestowed freedom. Herein stands the doctrine of sin and Satan. The doctrine of Satan no more militates against the unity of God than the idea, so necessary to morality and religion alike, of other created wills set in opposition to God's. Just as the conception of Satan merges, in one direction, in the general doctrine of angels, so, in the other, it blends with the broad and difficult subject of evil (compare "Satan," HDB, IV, 412a).
LITERATURE.
All standard works on Biblical Theology, as well as Dictionaries, etc., treat with more or less thoroughness the doctrine of Satan. The German theologians of the more evangelical type, such as Weiss, Lange, Martensen (Danish), Dorner, while exhibiting a tendency toward excessive speculation, discern the deeper aspects of the doctrine. Of monographs known to the writer none are to be recommended without qualification. It is a subject on which the Bible is its own best interpreter.
Written by Louis Matthews Sweet
King James Dictionary
Satan: Adversary.
Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, SATAN: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men. (Matthew 16:22-23)
Nave's Topical Bible
Satan: Called
Abaddon (hebrew: destroyer)
accuser of our brethren,
adversary,
angel of the bottomless pit,
Apollyon (greek: destroyer),
Beelzebul,
Mat 12:24; Mar 3:22; Luk 11:15;
Belial,
the devil,
Mat 4:1; Luk 4:2, 6; Rev 20:2;
enemy,
evil spirit,
father of all lies,
gates of hell (hades),
great red dragon,
liar,
lying spirit,
murderer,
old serpent,
power of darkness,
prince of this world,
of devils,
of the power of the air,
ruler of the darkness of this world,
Satan,
1Ch 21:1; Job 1:6; Jhn 13:27; Act 5:3; 26:18; Rom 16:20;
serpent,
spirit that works in all disobedient people,
tempter,
the god of this world,
unclean spirit,
wicked one,
Satan: Kingdom Of
To be destroyed,
with context;
Mat 12:29; 13:30; Luk 11:21, 22; 1Jo 3:8.
Satan: Synagogue Of
Satan: Unclassified Scriptures Relating To:
Gen 3:1, 4, 5, 14, 15; 1Ch 21:1; Job 1:6, 7, 9-12; 2:3-7; 9:24; Psa 109:6; Zec 3:1, 2; Mat 4:1-11; 9:34; 13:19, 38, 39; 25:41; Mar 1:13; 3:22-26; 4:15; Luk 4:1-13; 8:12; 10:18; 11:15, 18; 13:16; 22:31, 53; Jhn 8:38, 41, 44; 12:31; 13:2, 27; 14:30; 16:11; Act 5:3; 13:10; 26:18; Rom 16:20; 1Cr 7:5; 2Cr 2:11; 4:4; 11:3, 14, 15; 12:7; Eph 2:2; 4:27; 6:11-16; Col 1:13; 2:15; 1Th 2:18; 3:5; 2Th 2:9; 1Ti 1:20; 3:6, 7; 5:15; 2Ti 2:26; Hbr 2:14; Jam 4:7; 1Pe 5:8, 9; 2Pe 2:4; 1Jo 2:13; 3:8, 10, 12; 5:18; Jud 1:6-9; Rev 2:9, 10, 13, 24; 3:9; 9:11; 12:9-12; 20:1-3, 7, 8, 10
See DEMONS
Demons
Got Questions
Question: "What does the Bible say about demons?"
Answer: Demons are fallen angels, as Revelation 12:9 indicates: “The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.” Satan’s fall from heaven is symbolically described in Isaiah 14:12–15 and Ezekiel 28:12–15. When he fell, Satan took some of the angels with him—one third of them, according to Revelation 12:4. Jude 6 also mentions angels who sinned. So, biblically, demons are fallen angels who, along with Satan, chose to rebel against God.
Some of the demons are already locked “in darkness, bound with everlasting chains” (Jude 1:6) for their sin. Others are free to roam and are referred to as “the powers of this dark world and . . . the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” in Ephesians 6:12 (cf. Colossians 2:15). The demons still follow Satan as their leader and do battle with the holy angels in an attempt to thwart God’s plan and hinder God’s people (Daniel 10:13).
Demons, as spirit beings, have the ability to take possession of a physical body. Demonic possession occurs when a person’s body is completely controlled by a demon. This cannot happen to a child of God, since the Holy Spirit resides in the heart of the believer in Christ (1 John 4:4).
Jesus, during His earthly ministry, encountered many demons. Of course, none of them were a match for the power of Christ: “Many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word” (Matthew 8:16). Jesus’ authority over the demons was one of the proofs that He was indeed the Son of God (Luke 11:20). The demons who encountered Jesus knew who He was, and they feared Him: “‘What do you want with us, Son of God?’ [the demons] shouted. ‘Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?’” (Matthew 8:29). The demons know their end will be one of torment.
Satan and his demons now look to destroy the work of God and deceive anyone they can (1 Peter 5:8; 2 Corinthians 11:14–15). The demons are described as evil spirits (Matthew 10:1), unclean spirits (Mark 1:27), lying spirits (1 Kings 22:23), and angels of Satan (Revelation 12:9). Satan and his demons deceive the world (2 Corinthians 4:4), promulgate false doctrine (1 Timothy 4:1), attack Christians (2 Corinthians 12:7; 1 Peter 5:8), and combat the holy angels (Revelation 12:4–9).
The demons/fallen angels are enemies of God, but they are defeated enemies. Christ has “disarmed the powers and authorities,” and He has “made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross” (Colossians 2:15). As we submit to God and resist the devil, we have nothing to fear. “The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).
Bible
Easton's Bible Dictionary
Bible:
Bible, the English form of the Greek name Biblia, meaning "books," the name which in the fifth century began to be given to the entire collection of sacred books, the "Library of Divine Revelation." The name Bible was adopted by Wickliffe, and came gradually into use in our English language. The Bible consists of sixty-six different books, composed by many different writers, in three different languages, under different circumstances; writers of almost every social rank, statesmen and peasants, kings, herdsmen, fishermen, priests, tax-gatherers, tentmakers; educated and uneducated, Jews and Gentiles; most of them unknown to each other, and writing at various periods during the space of about 1600 years: and yet, after all, it is only one book dealing with only one subject in its numberless aspects and relations, the subject of man's redemption.
It is divided into the Old Testament, containing thirty-nine books, and the New Testament, containing twenty-seven books. The names given to the Old in the writings of the New are "the scriptures" (Mat 21:42), "scripture" (2Pe 1:20), "the holy scriptures" (Rom 1:2), "the law" (Jhn 12:34), "the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms" (Luk 24:44), "the law and the prophets" (Mat 5:17), "the old covenant" (2Cr 3:14, R.V.). There is a break of 400 years between the Old Testament and the New. (See APOCRYPHA.)
The Old Testament is divided into three parts:, 1. The Law (Torah), consisting of the Pentateuch, or five books of Moses. 2. The Prophets, consisting of (1) the former, namely, Joshua, Judges, the Books of Samuel, and the Books of Kings; (2) the latter, namely, the greater prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, and the twelve minor prophets. 3. The Hagiographa, or holy writings, including the rest of the books. These were ranked in three divisions:, (1) The Psalms, Proverbs, and Job, distinguished by the Hebrew name, a word formed of the initial letters of these books, emeth, meaning truth. (2) Canticles, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, and Esther, called the five rolls, as being written for the synagogue use on five separate rolls. (3) Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, and 1 and 2 Chronicles. Between the Old and the New Testament no addition was made to the revelation God had already given. The period of New Testament revelation, extending over a century, began with the appearance of John the Baptist.
The New Testament consists of (1) the historical books, viz., the Gospels, and the Acts of the Apostles; (2) the Epistles; and (3) the book of prophecy, the Revelation.
The division of the Bible into chapters and verses is altogether of human invention, designed to facilitate reference to it. The ancient Jews divided the Old Testament into certain sections for use in the synagogue service, and then at a later period, in the ninth century A.D., into verses. Our modern system of chapters for all the books of the Bible was introduced by Cardinal Hugo about the middle of the thirteenth century (he died 1263). The system of verses for the New Testament was introduced by Stephens in 1551, and generally adopted, although neither Tyndale's nor Coverdale's English translation of the Bible has verses. The division is not always wisely made, yet it is very useful. (See VERSION.)
Nave's Topical Bible
Bible:
See LAW OF MOSES; WORD OF GOD.
Smith's Bible Dictionary
Bible:
The Bible is the name given to the revelation of God to man contained in sixty‐six books or pamphlets, bound together and forming one book and only one, for it has in reality one author and one purpose and plan, and is the development of one scheme of the redemption of man.
I. ITS NAMES.-
(1.) The Bible, i.e. The Book, from the Greek "ta biblia," the books. The word is derived from a root designating the inner bark of the linden tree, on which the ancients wrote their books. It is the book as being superior to all other books. But the application of the word BIBLE to the collected books of the Old and New Testaments is not to be traced farther back than the fifth century of our era.
(2.) The Scriptures, i.e. the writings, as recording what was spoken by God.
(3.) The Oracles, i.e. the things spoken, because the Bible is what God spoke to man, and hence also called
(4.) The Word.
(5.) The Testaments or Covenants, because it is the testimony of God to man, the truths to which God bears witness; and is also the covenant or agreement of God with man for his salvation.
(6.) The Law, to express that it contains God's commands to men.
II. COMPOSITION.- The Bible consists of two great parts, called the Old and New Testaments, separated by an interval of nearly four hundred years. These Testaments are further divided into sixty‐six books, thirty‐nine in the Old Testament and twenty‐seven in the New. These books are a library in themselves being written in every known form old literature. Twenty‐two of them are historical, five are poetical, eighteen are prophetical, twenty‐one are epistolary. They contain logical arguments, poetry, songs and hymns, history, biography, stories, parables, fables, eloquence, law, letters and philosophy. There are at least thirty‐six different authors, who wrote in three continents, in many countries, in three languages, and from every possible human standpoint. Among these authors were kings, farmers, mechanics, scientific men, lawyers, generals, fishermen, ministers and priests, a tax‐collector, a doctor, some rich, some poor, some city bred, some country born- thus touching all the experiences of men extending over 1,500 years.
III. UNITY.- And yet the Bible is but one book, because God was its real author, and therefore, though he added new revelations as men could receive them, he never had to change what was once revealed. The Bible is a unit, because
(1.) It has but one purpose, the salvation of men.
(2.) The character of God is the same.
(3.) The moral law is the same.
(4.) It contains the development of one great scheme of salvation.
IV. ORIGINAL LANGUAGES.- The Old Testament was written in Hebrew, a Shemitic language, except that parts of the books of Ezra (Ezra 5:8; 6:12; 7:12-26) and of Daniel (Daniel 2:4-7, 28) and one verse in Jeremiah (Jeremiah 10:11) were written in the Chaldee language. The New Testament is written wholly in Greek.
V. ANCIENT MANUSCRIPTS OF THE ORIGINAL.- There are no ancient Hebrew manuscripts older than the tenth century, but we know that these are in the main correct, because we have a translation of the Hebrew into Greek, called the Septuagint, made nearly three hundred years before Christ. Our Hebrew Bibles are a reprint from what is called the Masoretic text. The ancient Hebrew had only the consonant printed, and the vowels were vocalized in pronunciation, but were not written. Some Jewish scholars living at Tiberias, and at Sora by the Euphrates, from the sixth to the twelfth century, punctuated the Hebrew text, and wrote is the vowel points and other tone‐marks to aid in the reading of the Hebrew; and these, together with notes of various kinds, they called Masora (tradition) hence the name Masoretic text. Of the Greek of the New Testament there are a number of ancient manuscripts They are divided into two kinds, the Uncials, written wholly in capitals, and the Cursives, written in a running hand. The chief of these are-
(1.) the Alexandrian (Codex Alexandrinus, marked A) so named because it was found in Alexandria in Egypt, in 1628. It date back to A.D. 350, and is now in the British Museum.
(2.) The Vatican (Codex Vaticanus, B) named from the Vatican library at Rome, where it is kept. Its date is A.D. 300 to 325.
(3.) The Sinaitic (Codex Sinaiticus). so called from the convent of St. Catherine on Mount Sinai, there it was discovered by or Tichendorf in 1844. It is now at St. Petersburg Russia. This is one of the earliest best of all the manuscripts.
VI. TRANSLATIONS.- The Old Testament was translated into Greek by a company of learned Jews at Alexandria, who began their labor about the year B.C. 286. It is called the Septuagint, i.e. the seventy, from the tradition that it was translated by seventy (more exactly seventy‐two). translators. The Vulgate, or translation of the Bible into Latin by Jerome, A.D. 385‐405, is the authorized version of the Roman Catholic Church. The first English translation of the whole Bible was by John Wickliffe (1324‐1384). Then followed that of William Tyndale (1525). and several others. As the sum and fruit of all these appeared our present Authorized Version, or King James Version, in 1611. It was made by forty‐seven learned men, in two years and nine months, with a second revision which took nine months longer. These forty‐seven formed themselves into six companies, two of whom met at Westminster, two at Oxford and two at Cambridge. The present English edition is an improvement, in typographical and grammatical correctness, upon this revision, and in these respects is nearly perfect. SEE [VERSIONS, AUTHORIZED]. A REVISED VERSION of this authorized edition was made by a group of American and English scholars, and in 1881 the Revised New Testament was published simultaneously in the United States and England. Then followed the Revised Old Testament in 1885, and the Apocrypha in 1894. The American revision committee was permitted to publish its own revision, which appeared in 1901 as the American Standard Version. Modern‐speech translations have been made from time to time between 1898‐1945. Among these were Moulton's Modern Reader's Bible, the Twentieth century New Testament, Weymouth's, Moffatt's, and the American translation. As a result of the modern‐speech translations that have appeared and been widely received, the American Revision Committee set to work again, and in 1946 the Revised Standard Version of the New Testament was published.
VII. DIVISIONS INTO CHAPTERS AND VERSES.- The present division of the whole Bible into chapters was made by Cardinal Hugo de Saint Caro about 1250. The present division into verses was introduced by Robert Stephens in his Greek Testament, published in 1551, in his edition of the Vulgate, in 1555. The first English Bible printed with these chapters and verses was the Geneva Bible, in 1560.
VIII. CIRCULATION OF THE BIBLE.- The first book ever printed was the Bible; and more Bibles have been printed than any other book. It has been translated, in its entirety or in part, into more than a thousand languages and dialects and various systems for the blind. The American Bible Society (founded in 1816). alone has published over 356 million volumes of Scripture.