David B. Curtis
David B. Curtis
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Good morning, Bereans. This morning, we are continuing our study of 1 Peter, and today we come to verses 8 and 9 of chapter 5. These verses deal with the devil.
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 1 Peter 5:8-9 ESV
So, what we are going to do for the next several weeks is look at what the Scriptures say about the devil. Devil here is diabolos. We know from Revelation that the devil, the serpent, and Satan are one in the same.
And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, Revelation 20:2 ESV
When it comes to spirit beings such as Satan, the devil, demons, and unclean spirits, there are basically three positions.
My position is a combination of all these views. I believe that Satan, the devil, and demons are real spirit beings (views 1 & 3) that had influence over humans who then turned against God's people causing these humans to be called the devil and Satan (view 2). I believe that these enemies of God, heavenly and earthly, were destroyed in AD 70 at the return of Christ.
We're going to look at all of these positions, but let's start this morning with the view that Satan, the devil, and demons are real spirit beings. Let's start at the beginning,
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1 ESV
"God" here is the Hebrew Elohim. This is the plural of El from a root word meaning "might, strength, power." Elohim is plural, but it is what grammarians would call a morphological plural. Hebrew nouns that end in "-im" are plural. But in most cases throughout the Tanakh, the meaning is singular. We know this from Hebrew grammar. Elohim is like the English word deer or sheep. How do you know if "deer" is singular or plural? It is determined by the grammar of the sentence in which it is used. In Genesis 1:1, the verb bara ("created") identifies the subject of the verb, elohim, as a masculine singular.
You may think of elohim as another name of Yahweh, but elohim is used in Scripture for many others besides Yahweh. Yahweh is called Elohim over 2,000 times—
as in Genesis 1:1. We know that Yahweh is called Elohim, but He is not the only one.
Drop down to verse 26.
Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." Genesis 1:26 ESV
Who is the "us" and "our" here? Many take the plurality language here to refer to the Trinity. Whom is God talking to? This is a reference to God's heavenly supernatural family, His divine council. The term "divine council" is used by Hebrew Bible scholars to refer to the "heavenly host" (the pantheon of divine beings who administer the affairs of the cosmos).
The idea of a divine council may sound strange to you because most Christians today have never even heard of it. But in the Hebrew Bible, we see a divine council—a ruling body consisting of Yahweh as the supreme monarch and various supernatural attendants. Where did these other gods come from? Well, it all starts with Yahweh who has always existed and always will.
Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. Psalms 90:2 ESV
As El Olam, Yahweh is known as the Everlasting God. The Hebrew name Olam means "forever, perpetual, old, ancient," implying that there is an infinite future and past. The principles of the laws of nature, the beginning of time, and the first existence of this world are all the result of Yahweh the Creator who possesses never-ending wisdom and power. He was before all time and all worlds.
So, Yahweh existed from all eternity—Yahweh being the three persons of the divine Trinity: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Then at a point in time, Yahweh created other gods, lesser gods and angels, to be part of His family (i.e., His divine council). Christ, who is Yahweh incarnate, is said to have created everything including other gods.
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. Colossians 1:15-16 ESV
The phrase "all things" occurs six times in Colossians 1:15-20, and it literally means "the all" or "the totality" referring to The Creation. Yeshua designed all creation "visible" (that is, earthly kingdoms and empires) and "invisible" (that is, the divine principalities and powers). The words "thrones," "powers," "rulers" and "authorities" probably refer to spirit beings and not to human government. In part, this refers to the hierarchy of spiritual beings.
Now, let's go back to Genesis.
Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." Genesis 1:26 ESV
From Philo onward, Jewish commentators generally held that these plurals were used because Yahweh was addressing His divine council. The early post- Apostolic Fathers such as Barnabas and Justin Martyr saw the plurals as a reference to the Trinity. I think that is how most Christians see them. But recent scholars tend to agree with ancient Jewish opinion. F. M. Cross notes:
In both Ugaritic and biblical literature, the use of the first-person plural is characteristic of address in the divine council. The familiar "we" … has long been recognized as the plural address used by Yahweh in His council (Cross, Canaanite Myth, 187).
The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary states:
The "us" in "Let us make man in our image" (Gen. 1:26; cf. 3:22; 11:6-7) refers to the "sons of God" or lesser "gods" mentioned elsewhere (6:1-4; Job 1:6; Ps. 29:1), here viewed as a heavenly council centered around the one God (cf. Ps. 82:1). In later usage these probably would be called "angels." (p. 1019, "Trinity")
Someone may point out that the Jews were monotheistic and only believed in one God. Dictionaries define "monotheism" as the belief that there is only one God. The word monotheism comes from the Greek, mono ("single") and Theos ("God"). But the Jews believed in other gods. The first commandment implies that there are other gods:
"You shall have no other gods before me. Exodus 20:3 ESV
Most mainstream, Old Testament scholars believe that the religion of the early Israelites was neither monotheistic nor polytheistic but was, rather, "monolatrous." Monolatry is the belief in the existence of many gods, but with the consistent worship of only one deity. While the existence of other gods was not denied, Israel was to worship no god but Yahweh.
"Gods" here is the Hebrew elohim, and elohim is only used of spirit beings. So, Israel was to have no other gods but Yahweh.
Yahweh created these other gods before He created the world:
"Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements-surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy? Job 38:4-7 ESV
Here "morning stars" and "sons of God" are names of divine beings. They are members of the divine council. So, before the creation of the earth and man, you have Yahweh and other (lesser created) divine beings that make up the divine council. And this council is meeting in the heavens according to Psalm 89.
Let the heavens praise your wonders, O LORD, your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones! For who in the skies can be compared to the LORD? Who among the heavenly beings is like the LORD, a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones, and awesome above all who are around him? Psalm 89:5-7 ESV
Here we see an assembly of holy ones. That is a meeting in the sky. "Heavenly beings" here is ben el, sons of God. Then we have the council of the holy ones.
In the Hebrew Bible we see a ruling body consisting of Yahweh as the supreme monarch and various supernatural attendants. Let's look at one of their meetings.
And Micaiah said, "Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing beside him on his right hand and on his left; 1 Kings 22:19 ESV
Here we see mention of the "host of heaven" (Heb. tzeva' hashamayim), which stands before Yahweh. "The host of heaven" is a reference to divine beings. This is a throne room seen with Yahweh and His divine council. These "host of heaven" are not just the stars in the night sky.
"You are the LORD, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you. Nehemiah 9:6 ESV
"You are Yahweh, you alone"— LORD here in all caps is from the Hebrew YHVH; this name includes the verb "hava," meaning "to exist," and the letter "yod" as a prefix, meaning "He." So, it means "He exists." If it's a causative verb, it would mean "He causes to exist." Both are true. Yahweh is the self-existent One who causes to exist.
Only living creatures can worship Yahweh. Clearly, the "heavenly host" here refers to created divine beings which reside in the heavens.
"You are the LORD, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you. Nehemiah 9:6 ESV
Here "the host of heaven," "ben el." are called upon to worship Yahweh. And Psalm 97 tells us that Yahweh is exalted above all gods:
For you, O LORD, are most high over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods. Psalm 97:9 ESV
If there are no other gods, than this is saying, "Yahweh is far above things that don't exist." Back to 1 Kings.
And Micaiah said, "Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing beside him on his right hand and on his left; and the LORD said, 'Who will entice Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?' And one said one thing, and another said another. 1 Kings 22:19-20 ESV
So, Yahweh is talking to the heavenly host, divine beings who are part of His council:
Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD, saying, 'I will entice him.' And the LORD said to him, 'By what means?' And he said, 'I will go out, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' And he said, 'You are to entice him, and you shall succeed; go out and do so.' 1 Kings 22:21-22 ESV
I want you to see something important in this verse. What does the spirit say that he will do? He says, "I will go out, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets." The spirit, divine being says that he will influence the prophets to lie. Remember that I said that my view is that Satan, the devil, and demons are real spirit beings that had influence over humans. We clearly see that in this verse.
This vision seen by Micaiah shows that Yahweh is in complete control of events. He only approves the course of action that suits His purpose, which in this case was to bring about the death of evil King Ahab.
Daniel also shows us Yahweh's sovereignty over the host of heaven.
all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, "What have you done?" Daniel 4:35 ESV
So, the hosts of heaven are divine beings, that is, gods whom Yahweh created and rules over.
We see Yahweh meeting with these gods in Psalm 82.
A Psalm of Asaph. God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment: Psalm 82:1 ESV
I believe these are divine beings who were part of Yahweh's divine council. All ancient Mediterranean cultures had some conception of a divine council. But the Hebrew Bible describes a divine council under the authority of Yahweh, the God of Israel. While the divine council of Israel and its neighbors share significant features, the divine council of Israelite religion was distinct in many important ways. Yahweh is a unique God, but He is not alone.
The idea of a pantheon of gods in a heavenly council is witnessed to by various literary genres of the Hebrew Bible. It is mentioned in historical, narrative, poetic passages, prophetic visions, Temple liturgy, and apocalyptic visions. It also transcends the historical time-line from the earliest primeval history to the final eschatological frontier. The concept and imagery of the divine council is woven throughout the pages of the Hebrew Bible.
A Psalm of Asaph. God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment: Psalm 82:1 ESV
Here the translators render the Hebrew edah as "divine council," and Young's translates it as "company of God." The term edah is normally translated as "congregation." The term "divine council" is used by Hebrew Bible scholars to refer to the "heavenly host" (the pantheon of divine beings who administer the affairs of the cosmos). The NASB says,
God takes His stand in His own congregation; He judges in the midst of the rulers. Psalm 82:1
But the ESV says, "In the midst of the gods he holds judgment." The NASB's "He judges in the midst of the rulers" is a bad translation. The Hebrew word here is Elohim. Let's spend some time on the word Elohim because it is extremely important for understanding Psalm 82. Here is what we need to understand: Elohim is ONLY used of those in the spirit world (spirit beings). It is not used of humans, unless they are dead.
Let's look at the Scripture on Elohim. We see that Elohim is not only used of Yahweh, but it is used of the gods of foreign nations.
because they have forsaken me and worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the Ammonites, and they have not walked in my ways, doing what is right in my sight and keeping my statutes and my rules, as David his father did. 1 Kings 11:33 ESV
"Goddess and god" in this text are elohim. Israel is worshiping other gods besides Yahweh.
Elohim is also used of demons:
They sacrificed to demons that were not God, to gods they had never known, to new gods that had come recently, whom your fathers had never dreaded. Deuteronomy 32:17 ESV
Here "God" is Elohim, and "gods" is elohim. So, demons are also called elohim.
Here's one that may surprise you. Consider the following conversations between Saul and the witch of Endor:
The king said to her, "Do not be afraid. What do you see?" And the woman said to Saul, "I see a god coming up out of the earth." 1 Samuel 28:13 ESV
"God" here is elohim. It seems that all uses of elohim in the Tanakh refer to spiritual beings. Michael H. Heiser says, "Elohim is a place of residence locator." His meaning is that elohim is only used of those in the spirit world. In Daniel 2, the Chaldeans say:
The thing that the king asks is difficult, and no one can show it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh." Daniel 2:11 ESV
The gods dwell in a different realm.
So, hopefully, you can see that elohim has a broad range of uses and is not strictly referring to Yahweh.
In attempting to find a human use of elohim, several people have brought up to me the following verse in Exodus:
He shall speak for you to the people, and he shall be your mouth, and you shall be as God to him. Exodus 4:16 ESV
Here they say, "See, Moses is called 'elohim.'" Is he? Let's look closely at it.
I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. Deuteronomy 18:18 ESV
Biblically defined, a prophet is the mouth of God; he is someone who speaks for God.
And the LORD said to Moses, "See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet. Exodus 7:1 ESV
Aaron was to speak for Moses, who was as God to Pharaoh. Aaron was Moses' mouth, and he spoke for Moses. So, a prophet is someone who speaks for God. So, Aaron was like a prophet, and Moses was like a god. If Moses is an elohim, then Aaron is a mouth.
Another verse that is used to question that elohim is used only to refer to those in the spirit world is found in Exodus 22.
"If a man gives to his neighbor money or goods to keep safe, and it is stolen from the man's house, then, if the thief is found, he shall pay double. If the thief is not found, the owner of the house shall come near to God to show whether or not he has put his hand to his neighbor's property. Exodus 22:7-8 ESV
Look how the NASB translates Elohim in this verse:
If the thief is not caught, then the owner of the house shall appear before the judges, to determine whether he laid his hands on his neighbor's property. Exodus 22:8
Here the word "judges" is elohim. But the translators wrongly translated it "judges." How are human judges to determine if the man stole the money? The English Standard Version translates it as "God" and not judges. There is NO justification for translating elohim as judges. None!
For every breach of trust, whether it is for an ox, for a donkey, for a sheep, for a cloak, or for any kind of lost thing, of which one says, 'This is it,' the case of both parties shall come before God. The one whom God condemns shall pay double to his neighbor. Exodus 22:9 ESV
God here is translated Judges in the NASB and both times it is elohim. The Faithlife study Bible states:
The idea of God condemning the guilty party recalls other contexts where God's will was determined through casting lots (1 Sam 10:16-26; 14:42; Josh 7:14). Though the method of discerning God's will is not outlined here, God often makes His will known during a decision-making process. Since the scenario here is very similar to the one that follows (v. 10), God's will may have been determined by an oath taken in the name of Yahweh (on the presumption that God would reveal and condemn the one who took His name in vain). (Barry, J. D., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Mangum, D., & Whitehead, M. M. [2012]. Faithlife Study Bible [Ex 22:9]. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software)
Again, the ESV translates elohim as God, not judges. The following verses make it clear that it is Yahweh and not some human judges.
"If a man gives to his neighbor a donkey or an ox or a sheep or any beast to keep safe, and it dies or is injured or is driven away, without anyone seeing it, an oath by the LORD shall be between them both to see whether or not he has put his hand to his neighbor's property. The owner shall accept the oath, and he shall not make restitution. Exodus 22:10-11 ESV
So, for them to take an oath was to come before Yahweh.
So, elohim is not used of humans unless they are dead and in the spirit world. It is a place of residence locator. All elohim live in the spirit world. There is never a time in Scripture where a man is called "elohim." This is very important because it makes it clear that Psalm 82 is talking about gods, not men.
We also have an example in early Judaism where people are using Psalm 82 to talk about the judgment of the gods. When they dug up Qumran, they found this text, 11
Q. Melchizedek, which uses Psalm 82 to talk about the judgment of the gods.
"It is the time of the year of Melchizedek and of his armies, the nation of the holy ones of God of the rule of judgment as it is written about him in the songs of David who said 'God will stand in the assembly of the gods; in the midst of the gods; he judges.'"
This is talking about Christ who is the judge. The 11 Q. Melchizedek text goes on immediately in the next line and says, "To his aid shall come all the gods of justice."
And so, there are these good gods coming to aid Melchizedek in the destruction of the Belial and other spirits to redeem the people.
Let's continue in Psalm 82:
"How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked." Psalm 82:2-4 ESV
So, these gods are being judged for ruling the people unjustly. Look at Psalm 58.
Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods? Do you judge the children of man uprightly? No, in your hearts you devise wrongs; your hands deal out violence on earth. Psalm 58:1-2 ESV
Just like Psalm 82, the gods here are being judged for ruling wickedly.
Let me stop here and ask how these gods ended up ruling over the people. As earth's population grew, it became wicked as a result of a divine rebellion (Genesis 3 and 6). Man began to worship the gods instead of the gods' creator, Yahweh. This rebellion of man culminates in building a ziggurat at Babel.
So the LORD dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth. And from there the LORD dispersed them over the face of all the earth. Genesis 11:8-9 ESV
Things are in a state of chaos. The people are in rebellion against Yahweh, and they are judged. They will not follow Him, so He disburses them and turns them over to lesser deities. This is a very significant text, which we learn more about in Deuteronomy 32.
"When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, When He separated the sons of man, He set the boundaries of the peoples According to the number of the sons of Israel. Deuteronomy 32:8
The English translations based on the traditional Hebrew text of the Tanakh read "sons of Israel." But there is a variant rendering of this passage. It's based on the 3rd-century BCE translation of the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek, the Septuagint, as well as Hebrew manuscripts of Deuteronomy found among the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran.
When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he divided mankind, he fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God. Deuteronomy 32:8 ESV
The following is this same passage as it was rendered by Sir Lancelot C.L. Brenton in his 1851 translation of the Septuagint into English:
Remember the days of old, consider the years for past ages: ask thy father, and he shall relate to thee, thine elders, and they shall tell thee. 8 When the Most High divided the nations, when He separated the sons of Adam, He set the bounds of the nations according to the number of the angels of God. DEUTERONOMY 32:7-8
In the Septuagint the Greek, the phrase "aggelon theou" is translated: "angels of God." This interpretive phrase is found in nearly all the extant Septuagint manuscripts. However, several earlier manuscripts have "huion theou," or "sons of God" instead. This is a literal rendering of the Hebrew phrase "beney 'elohim" found among the Dead Sea Scroll copies of Deuteronomy 32:8.
The Septuagint translators plainly understood that the "sons of God" (beney 'elohim) spoken of in Deuteronomy 32:8 and elsewhere were spirit beings ("gods"), and rendered it that way several times (Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7) in order to clarify the meaning. Thus, the textual change from "huion theou" to "aggelon theou."
In Genesis 10, in the table of nations, Yahweh divides Noah's descendants into 70 different nations. This is recorded in Genesis 10.
These are the clans of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, in their nations, and from these the nations spread abroad on the earth after the flood. Genesis 10:32 ESV
Chapter 10 of Genesis is the backdrop for Moses' statement in Deuteronomy 32:8 that Yahweh is responsible for the creation and placement of the nations (Heb. goyim). In fact, variations of the same Hebrew root word, parad ("separate"), are used in both Genesis 10:32 and Deuteronomy 32:8.
The idea that the separation of mankind into 70 nations at the Tower of Babel was by and for the angelic "sons of God" is supported by the ancient Book of Jasher (which is mentioned in Joshua 10:13: "Is it not written in the book of Jashar?" and 2 Samuel 1:18: "it is written in the book of Jashar.")
And they built the tower and the city, and they did this thing daily until many days and years were elapsed. 32 And God said to the seventy angels who stood foremost before him, to those who were near to him, saying, Come let us descend and confuse their tongues, that one man shall not understand the language of his neighbor, and they did so unto them. JASHER 9:31
If in Deuteronomy 32, Moses was indeed referencing Yahweh's separation of the nations according to Noah's offspring (specifically their physical separation at the Tower of Babel), it is important to note that Israel is not listed in the index of the 70 nations found in Genesis 10. The nation of Israel did not yet exist. Therefore, the statement that God "set the boundaries of the nations according to the number of the children of Israel" clearly seems out of context here.
What happens at Babel is that man's disobedience causes Yahweh to divide them up and give them to the lesser gods. They were to worship the lesser gods because Yahweh was done with them. Man continued to reject Yahweh and serve other gods so Yahweh gave them up. What happens to them in chapter 12?
Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. Genesis 12:1-2 ESV
Yahweh calls Abraham and starts over with Israel as His people. Yahweh starts a new family. He has turned over the nations to the lesser gods, who, in fact, work for Him. They are all under His control and He will someday call the nations back.
Commenting on Deuteronomy 32:8-9, John Walton writes, "These verses are intended to contrast the fact that the Lord has set Israel apart unto Himself from among all the nations, and Israel is not numbered with them. The nations have their own 'gods,' who are mortal, but they do not have Yahweh, who alone does not die and is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent." (John H Walton ,Professor of Old Testament, Wheaton College, Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary [Old Testament] Volume 1: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy; Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 200),[ 516])
The point of Deuteronomy 32:8-9 is that sometime after God separated the people of the earth at Babel and established where on the earth they were to be located, He then assigned each of the seventy nations to the sons of God.
According to Deuteronomy 4:19 this "giving up" of the nations was a punitive act:
And beware lest you raise your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, you be drawn away and bow down to them and serve them, things that the LORD your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven. Deuteronomy 4:19 ESV
We saw earlier in this study that the "host of heaven" referred to sentient created spiritual beings which reside in the heavens. Notice here that these "host of heaven" have been "allotted to the peoples." The word "allotted" in Hebrew is chalaq, which literally means "apportioned" or "assigned." Here we are told that Yahweh has assigned "the host of heaven" to the peoples of the earth; meaning "all non-Israelites."
How many times does the Tanakh say "Yahweh, the God of Israel."
and said, "O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you, in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and showing steadfast love to your servants who walk before you with all their heart; 1 Kings 8:23 ESV
These little gods did not rule in truth and justice, so Yahweh judged them and reclaimed the nations for Himself.
I said, "You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you; Psalm 82:6 ESV
Here "gods" is elohim. Yahweh speaking to these gods says, "You are gods." But notice the next verse.
nevertheless, like men you shall die, and fall like any prince." Psalm 82:7 ESV
If these elohim were men, why would Yahweh say, "You will die like men"? Yahweh is saying here that He will judge the disobedient gods, He will take away their immortality. Jeremiah says something similar in Jeremiah 10.
Thus shall you say to them: "The gods who did not make the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from under the heavens." Jeremiah 10:11 ESV
So, we see in Psalm 82 that Yahweh reviewed their performance as "gods" and judges of the Gentiles and condemned them for failing to rule justly. They're supposed to copy the rule of the Father of all. They're supposed to rule in justice and law and keep the order of things. Notice the last verse.
Arise, O God, judge the earth; for you shall inherit all the nations! Psalm 82:8 ESV
Who is the God here? Who is to judge these disobedient gods and the earth? In the LXX, the word "arise" here is anasta in Greek. This is the term used in the New Testament every time for resurrection. This is a reference to Yeshua, the resurrected One. He is the God who arises and judges the earth.
Yeshua did arise from the grave, and He judged these gods and reclaimed the nations for Himself, starting at Pentecost.
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