David B. Curtis
David B. Curtis
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Good morning, Bereans. This morning, we are continuing our study of 1 Peter, and we are looking at 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 have been doing the last several weeks is looking at what the Scriptures say about the supernatural divine beings. We have been looking at the subject of the "divine council." I hope that we have demonstrated that there are divine beings throughout the Scripture. We have seen that Satan is used of different beings both human and divine throughout the Scripture. The church was in a battle with these satans—both human and divine. The word "Satan" means adversary, and "the devil" refers to a false accuser. These terms can at times refer to individuals or organizations who are in some sense adversarial to God's people and plan.
Who was the first-century Churches' greatest human enemy? The book of Acts makes it clear that it was Jewish opposition which was the main adversary to Paul's spreading of the gospel and establishment of the early church.
When many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him, Acts 9:23 ESV
Because Paul was preaching that Yeshua was the Christ the Jews wanted him dead.
But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him. Acts 13:45 ESV
But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district. Acts 13:50 ESV
But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. Acts 14:2 ESV
But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. Acts 14:19 ESV
But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Berea also, they came there too, agitating and stirring up the crowds. Acts 17:13 ESV
But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him before the tribunal, Acts 18:12 ESV
When it was day, the Jews made a plot and bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. Acts 23:12 ESV
Paul talks about this persecution of God's people from the Jews in:
For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman. But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise. Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. Galatians 4:22-24 ESV
Abraham had two sons, Ishmael and Isaac. Their mothers, Hagar and Sarah, represented two covenants.
But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now. Galatians 4:29 ESV
The Jews according to the flesh were persecuting the Christians. We see this persecution throughout the New Testament.
For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Yeshua that are in Judea. For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews, who killed both the Lord Yeshua and the prophets, and drove us out, and displease God and oppose all mankind by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved—so as always to fill up the measure of their sins. But wrath has come upon them at last! 1 Thessalonians 2:14-16 ESV
These are strong words and show us the degree to which the Jews were indeed a great "Satan" to the cause of Christ in the first century. Three times the synagogue beat Paul with 39 stripes.
At times when we see the devil or Satan in a text, it is referring to the Jewish leadership who are the adversaries of the Christians.
Let's look at a few texts and see if we can tell if it is a human or a divine adversary.
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8 ESV
Is this a divine being or a human adversary? Ezekiel 22 is talking about Yahweh's judgment on Israel's false prophets. Notice what he says.
The conspiracy of her prophets in her midst is like a roaring lion tearing the prey; they have devoured human lives; they have taken treasure and precious things; they have made many widows in her midst. Her priests have done violence to my law and have profaned my holy things. They have made no distinction between the holy and the common, neither have they taught the difference between the unclean and the clean, and they have disregarded my Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them. Ezekiel 22:25-26 ESV
Do you think Peter knew this text in Ezekiel. Sure he did. The roaring lion that Peter talks about could be a reference to the Jewish leadership. Do you see that?
Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. Revelation 2:10 ESV
Spiritual or human adversary? How would a spiritual adversary throw them in prison?
And I said, 'Lord, they themselves know that in one synagogue after another I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you. Acts 22:19 ESV
Paul, who was an adversary of the Church before his conversion, was arresting believers and putting them in prison. This was the case for all the Jewish leadership.
Look what Yeshua says in Mark 8.
But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man." Mark 8:33 ESV
Christ is clearly talking to Peter, but he calls him Satan because he is being an adversary.
because we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, again and again—but Satan hindered us. 1 Thessalonians 2:18 ESV
Is this a divine being or a human adversary? Talking about Paul's time in Thessalonica, Acts states:
But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd. Acts 17:5 ESV
This could sure refer to the Jewish leadership.
So, some see verses like these and conclude that the enemy of the Church is simply a human enemy. But what I see is that often the devil and Satan are used of human enemies. They are being influenced by the divine. We see an example of this in 1 Kings 22.
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
This is a throne room scene with the divine council. Yahweh is talking to the heavenly host, the 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, the divine being says that he will influence the prophets to lie so that Ahab will be killed. So, the human prophets lied to Ahab. But why? It was because they were being influenced by the divine beings. 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.
You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. John 8:44 ESV
Here Yeshua accuses specific Jewish religious leaders of being influenced or controlled by the devil due to their opposition to him. He calls them children of the devil.
Some verses are very difficult to make the devil or Satan a human adversary.
Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 1 John 3:8 ESV
"For the devil has been sinning from the beginning"—Has the Jewish leadership been sinning from the beginning? That would depend on what is meant by "beginning." I would take this as a reverence to the garden of Eden.
"The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil." What are the works of the devil that Yeshua came to destroy? John taught earlier that Christ appeared to take away sins (3:5). He achieved this by offering himself as an atoning sacrifice (2:2; 4:10). He also wrote that Yeshua's blood (death) cleanses his people from all their sins (1:7, 9). We can safely infer that through his atoning death, Yeshua dealt with the problem of human sin and in so doing destroyed the works of the devil.
It is my understanding that the works of the devil were to separate man from Yahweh. We saw this in Genesis 3 when Adam and Eve were banished from the presence of Yahweh.
Let's look at what Paul says to the Corinthians.
But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. 1 Corinthians 7:2-3 ESV
"Temptation to sexual immorality" is porneia. Because of porneia, Paul says that it is good to marry and that every man is to have his own wife, and every woman is to have her own husband. Is this why a person marries? It is one reason. To avoid porneia is not the only reason for marriage, but it is one reason.
Paul is not giving us here his doctrine of marriage. He is speaking of the danger of sexual sin for those who are single. What Paul is doing here is answering a specific problem that was given in a specific question in relation to a specific situation existing in Corinth at that time.
What Paul is saying in this passage is that the real solution to the situation in Corinth is that each man have his own wife and that each woman have her own husband. Marriage is the God-ordained safeguard against the immorality that is existing in Corinth.
The words "conjugal rights" come from the Greek word opheilē, which according to Strong's means "indebtedness, that is, (concretely) a sum owed; figuratively obligation, that is, (conjugal) duty: - debt, due." Paul is saying that when you get married, you become obligated to meet the physical needs of your spouse. Marriage is no place for celibacy.
The general obligation is that I am to pay to my spouse what I owe him/her. I am to fulfill my duty as a spouse. Now there is a specific obligation, and it is found in verses 4-5.
Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 1 Corinthians 7:5 ESV
How would the Jewish leadership temp them to porneia? It's hard for me to see a human Satan in this verse. How would a human adversary know that a couple were depriving each other of sex. What do you think?
There are some very familiar verses in 2 Peter that teach us about divine beings. Peter speaks of an end-time fire in the heavens which will melt and dissolve the elements:
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! 2 Peter 3:10-12
If you are a Preterist, you are probably aware that the Greek word for "elements" here is "stoicheia" (plural of soicheion). It is most often translated by Preterists as "elements of religious training or the ceremonial precepts that are common to the worship of Jews." Obviously, these "stoicheia" are not about atoms or the destruction of the universe.
Unfortunately, the Greek word stoicheia, translated as "elements" in 2 Peter 3, is understood by many scholars as referring to "heavenly spirits, divine beings" and not as "elements of religious training, or the ceremonial precepts that are common to the worship of Jews."
waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! 2 Peter 3:12 ESV
This understanding can be seen in several passages written by the Apostle Paul. But let's look first at a text that doesn't use it this way:
In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. Galatians 4:3 ESV
Galatians is focused on the problem of Jewish converts wanting to require Gentile believers to obey the Law. In Galatians 4, Paul speaks to both Jews and Gentiles, so he could be using the term in different ways with each audience. Galatians 4:1-7 likely addresses Jewish converts ("those who were under the Law" v5); stoicheia in verse 3, therefore, most likely refers to the elements of the Law. The use of "stoicheia" in Hebrews 5:12 seems to also refer to principles of the Jewish Law. But the Gentiles were not under The Law and did not know the true God. Therefore, Galatians 4:8-11 could be seen as addressing Gentile converts.
But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? Galatians 4:9 ESV
The Gentiles weren't enslaved to The Law, so what were they enslaved to? In the context of Galatians 4:9-11, stoicheia could be interpreted as: "heavenly spirits," or "astral deities."
See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. Colossians 2:8 ESV
So, here it is "stoicheia of the kosmos." Elements of religious training doesn't seem to fit here.
Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God. If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations—Colossians 2:18-20 ESV
Here in context "stoicheia of the kosmos" would best fit with heavenly spirits.
The Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible states,
"Given the predilection of many people in the Greco-Roman world for astral religious beliefs and practices, it could also be argued that the elements are planetary or other celestial bodies; or that the elements refer to spiritual beings: such as angels or demons who control earthly affairs and determine human destiny." (Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible; [2nd extensively rev. ed., p. 817]. Leiden; Boston; Köln; Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge: Brill; Eerdmans.)
A number of interpreters, perhaps even a majority, have concluded that "ta stoicheia tou kosmou" refers to spiritual powers of some sort. The Testament of Solomon, a Jewish-Christian work, testifies to a belief in star spirits called stoicheia. Seven bound spirits appear before Solomon and reveal their identity: "We are the stoicheia, rulers of this world of darkness [kosmokratores tou skotous] … our stars in heaven look small, but we are named like gods" (T. Sol. 8:2-4).
So, the bottom line is that whether the enemy is human or divine, we must understand that the battle that the first-century church fought was primarily spiritual. Notice what Paul teaches the Ephesians.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:10-12 ESV
What is the armor of God?
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. Ephesians 6:11 ESV
The words "of God" denote a genitive of origin and indicate that God provides the armor. Please keep that in mind. They are to put on the armor so they can stand. "Stand" is a key word in this section. It's a military term for holding on to a position that is under attack. Believers, we are to hold our position; we are to stand theologically against all attacks. And to stand we have to have on the armor of God.
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12 ESV
First of all, notice that Paul says that this struggle is "NOT against flesh and blood." In the Greek this is literally, "blood and flesh." Is Paul saying this is not a physical battle but a philosophical one? That is the view of those who do not believe in a personal devil or demons, so this battle is not a spiritual one. But if you look at the four other uses of this phrase, it is referring to humanity vs the spiritual:
And Yeshua answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. Matthew 16:17 ESV
This was not a human understanding; it was revelation from the Father.
Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, Hebrews 2:14 ESV
Christ became a man (flesh and blood) in order to save those who were men. The sense of "flesh and blood" is clearly, as the comparison of all these passages shows, "mere human power."
I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 1 Corinthians 15:50 ESV
Mere humans can't inherit God's kingdom; we must be born from above.
Yeshua answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. John 3:5 ESV
Paul is saying that their struggle is not with humanity. In other words, it is not with mere human power. So, what is the struggle with? Paul says it is "against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." We know what he is saying here. The question is what does he mean? The word "rulers" is from the Greek arche, which has a wide range of meanings: "chief (in various applications of order, time, place or rank): —beginning." The word "authorities" is from exousia, which means "power, ability, privilege." These titles are used of human and spiritual powers. But notice the rest of the verse: "against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places."
"Cosmic powers" comes from the Greek kosmokrator, which, according to Strong's Concordance means "a world ruler, an epithet of Satan." Thayer's says it means "lord of the world, prince of this age, the devil and his demons." This is its only use in the New Testament, but it is used of spiritual beings in the Testament of Solomon, a pseudepigraphal work attributed to Solomon.
The Testament of Solomon testifies to a belief in star spirits called stoicheia. Seven bound spirits appear before Solomon and reveal their identity. "We are the stoicheia, rulers of this world of darkness [kosmokratores tou skotous] … our stars in heaven look small, but we are named like gods" (T. Sol. 8:2-4).
The Intertestamental Literature (Apocrypha, DSS, and Pseudepigrapha) says considerably more about Satan than the Tanakh does. Ancient conceptions of Satan and demons developed during the Second Temple period. Works from this period like 1 Enoch, Jubilees, and the Life of Adam and Eve increasingly focused on the character of Satan as the celestial archenemy of God. These works also retold the stories of Israel's history and recounted Satan's influence in certain events.
In the Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible, kosmokrator means "lord of the world, world ruler." It occurs in pagan literature as an epithet for gods, rulers, and heavenly bodies.
Why would Paul use this word that is used only here in the Bible but was used in other literature for spirit beings if he did not mean spirit beings? Paul goes on to say, "against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." These forces are "spiritual" and not human, and they are in "heavenly places," which denotes the spiritual realm, the place where Yahweh dwells.
This is speaking about a battle with spiritual forces that are not flesh and blood.
Notice what Paul says in Colossians 1.
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 1:16 ESV
We see the reality of the spirit world in the Gospels.
And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, "What have you to do with us, Yeshua of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God." But Yeshua rebuked him, saying, "Be silent, and come out of him!" And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him. Mark 1:23-26 ESV
This demon obeys the words of Yeshua. Here Mark is demonstrating Yeshua's authority over the fallen spirit world. Yeshua will Himself later point out what this proved. It proved that Satan in his strength was being defeated and that this could only be by the Spirit of God.
But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. Matthew 12:28 ESV
In order to really understand how these people would have processed this, you have to understand that in the first century, they saw demonic spirits involved in everything bad. If you had a disease, it was a demonic spirit; if you had a tragedy, it was a demonic spirit; if you had a mental illness, it was a demonic spirit. The demons were under every rock. They were responsible for everything. They understood that there is nothing they could do about it; they just had to live with it. And it tortured these people.
Just to help you understand how desperate they were, they entered into a practice called "trepanning." Basically that meant that while the person was alive, if he reached a point of torture where he couldn't stand it any longer, he would take a drill and literally drill a hole into his skull hoping that the demonic spirits would escape out of the hole. Now that doesn't sound very pleasant. But it gives you some idea of the level of desperation they lived with.
Historians have dug up the cemeteries from the first century and found about five percent of the skulls had a hole drilled in them. This was a significant thing to them. Along comes Yeshua and now there's the solution! Demons gone. End of problem. And they were just stunned with that. Suddenly Yeshua identified Himself as the One who could solve their problems. He was the One who could remove the demonic spirits, He was the One who could deal with the issues in their lives. Mark says that the word about Yeshua spread immediately.
Let's look at another familiar verse.
The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Romans 16:20 ESV
From what we know from history, who was it that was soon crushed? Old Covenant Judaism was crushed in AD 70. So, Satan here could be referring to Old Covenant Judaism. But we also know from Scripture that divine beings were also to be judged at that time.
Let me show you this by looking at Matthew 24 and Matthew's account of the Olivet Discourse. In this discourse, the Lord is answering the disciple's questions about the destruction of the Jewish temple, the sign of His presence, and the end of the age. Yeshua is speaking to his disciples in the first century and that context must be kept in mind. I just want us to look at one verse in this discourse.
"Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Matthew 24:29 ESV
Modern commentators generally understand this and what follows as the end of the world, but the words "immediately after the tribulation of those days," show that he is not speaking of any distant event but of something that would immediately follow the tribulation. He was referring to the destruction of Jerusalem.
John Gill (1809) writes, "Verse 29. Immediately after the tribulation of those days, that is, immediately after the distress the Jews would be in through the siege of Jerusalem, and the calamities attending it; just upon the destruction of that city, and the temple in it, with the whole nation of the Jews, shall the following things come to pass."
If you are not familiar with the apocalyptic language of the Tanakh, you will not understand what Christ is saying here. It sounds to us like the end of the world. But if we are familiar with the first three quarters of our Bible, we will know that this language is common among the prophets.
I want to focus on the last half of verse 29: "The stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken." We see this same language in Revelation 6.
When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. Revelation 6:12-13 ESV
Is this to be taken literally? Are the literal stars going to fall out of heaven? There are many who think so and who see this as the end of the world, a cosmic collapse if you will. But I don't think this is talking about literal stars.
The word "stars" is found 51 times in the ESV, and most of its uses refer to a large number. For example, Deuteronomy says that
The LORD your God has multiplied you, and behold, you are today as numerous as the stars of heaven. Deuteronomy 1:10 ESV
"Stars" is used of literal stars, bright lights in the sky, and it is used of divine beings.
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
Here "stars" and the "host of heaven" refer to sentient created spiritual beings which reside in the heavens. If you are not familiar with the Divine Council Viewpoint, you may be wondering who the sentient, created beings are.
and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. Revelation 20:10 ESV
Here the devil who deceived them fits well with Old Covenant Judaism which was destroyed in the fires of Jerusalem. And at this time "the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken." The battle is over; Christ is victorious. Those gods and people who rebelled against Yahweh and the first-century church have been judged. The battle was won, and it is over.
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