We are finishing up our study of 1 John. One more week and we’ll be finished. For our time this morning we want to focus on "the evil one" that John mentions in verses 18 and 19.
We know that everyone who has been born of God does not sin, but the one who is born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him. 1 John 5:18 CSB
We spent our time last week studying the phrase, "but the one who is born of God keeps him"—this could be translated as "him" or "himself." It is a reference to Christ or the believer. As we saw last week there are many times in Scripture when believers are told to "keep themselves," but I don’t think that this is one of them. I see this as talking about Christ keeping believers eternally safe. I think the last phrase in the verse confirms this: "And the evil one does not touch him"—the evil one cannot touch believers because Christ is guarding them.
I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. John 17:15 ESV
Yeshua is praying for His disciples to be protected from Satan. Will his prayers be answered? Absolutely! The evil one cannot touch them because Christ prayed for them.
The words "evil one" are from the Greek word poneros which is a word that could be neuter or masculine in gender. In the neuter, it would be "that which is evil," and in the masculine it would read, "the evil one." But in almost every case in which this expression occurs, it is a reference to a personal, masculine, evil one. That is the most likely meaning here.
John uses the term "the evil one" interchangeably with the term "the devil" (cf. 3:8, 10).
We know that we are of God, and the whole world is under the sway of the evil one. 1 John 5:19 CSB
"And the whole world is under the sway of the evil one"—here John affirms that the whole world is under the controlling influence of the evil one. However, believers do not belong to the world any longer.
They are from the world. Therefore, what they say is from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Anyone who knows God listens to us; anyone who is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of deception. 1 John 4:5-6 CSB
The teaching that all unbelievers are under the control of the evil one has its counterpart in the Gospel of John where three times (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11) the evangelist mentions the prince (ruler) of this world (ho archōn tou kosmou—John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11). In the context of 1 John, those in the world include the secessionists, whom the author now regards as belonging to the world.
So, who or what is this Evil One? Believe it or not there is a lot of debate on this subject. When it comes to spirit beings such as Satan, the devil, demons, and unclean spirits, there are basically two positions:
- There is no such thing as a personal devil or demons.
- There is a real Satan and there are demon and unclean spirits, all of which were defeated and destroyed in A. D. 70 at the return of Christ when judgment took place.
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
Those who hold to the first view that Satan is not a real spiritual being contend that the word is a reference to a personification of the sinfulness in the human heart or to wicked human beings. They would say that Satan is merely our own internal sinful human nature or inclination to sin. How would that view fit with Scripture? Let’s start by looking at a verse from the Tanakh:
They sacrificed to demons that were no gods, to gods they had never known, to new gods that had come recently, whom your fathers had never dreaded. Deuteronomy 32:17 ESV
Here "demons," from the Hebrew word shed, are called gods. This is the Hebrew elohim. Here "God" is Eloahh, and "gods" is also elohim. So, demons are also called elohim. Michael H. Heiser states that "Elohim is a place of residence term." By that he means that elohim is only used of those in the spirit world. In this verse, therefore, "demons" are called Elohim in the sense of spirit beings. They are not sinful human nature. Let’s look at the familiar temptation passage in Genesis 3:
Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?" Genesis 3:1 ESV
A preterist by the name of Francis A. Beffert, who holds view one, has written a book attempting to support the position that Satan is not a real spiritual being but instead is merely a reference to a personification of sinfulness in the human heart or to wicked human beings. The book is entitled, SATAN: THE GREAT DECEPTION! In chapter three entitled The Garden of Eden he writes the following:
Before proceeding in our search for understanding, we should bear in mind that science has determined that snakes are of lesser intelligence than other "beasts of the field," as they are unable to learn or function above their natural, instinctive abilities.
The Genesis story depicts the ‘serpent’ as speaking. The only other creature in God’s creation with the gift of speech is man. Therefore, setting aside the concept of ‘Satan’, and considering the use of the term ‘serpent’ in the Hebrew writings, we can only conclude that the term is used metaphorically of a human being.
That is one huge leap! It seems obvious that Francis doesn’t know much about Hebrew grammar, the ANE culture, or the pseudepigrapha writings. What do science or snakes have to do with anything?
Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?" Genesis 3:1 ESV
We see here that it was the "serpent" who tempted them. Francis writes, "and considering the use of the term ‘serpent’ in the Hebrew writings, we can only conclude that the term is used metaphorically of a human being." If we really consider the use of the term ‘serpent’ in the Hebrew writings, I believe that we would see that this "serpent" was a divine being, a member of the divine council and not a member of the animal kingdom.
Let’s look at the text in Genesis 3:1. "Serpent" here is from the Hebrew word nachash (וחנח), which, according to Hebrew scholar Michael Heiser,
"Is most likely a triple entendre, which is a word or pנחש (noon, het and sheen), which is the basis for a noun, a verb and an adjective in Hebrew. If you take nachash as pointing to the noun, the word here would mean: ‘serpent.’ This is a valid translation, but you must keep in mind that ‘serpent’ is not a member of the animal kingdom. If you were to take it as a verb, it would mean: ‘deceiver’ or ‘diviner.’ So nachash could imply a ‘deceiver.’"
This option also fits the story. As an adjective it would mean: "bronze," or "the shining one." In our text it is "ha nachash" (the Shining one). Luminosity is a characteristic of a divine being in the Hebrew Bible and in the ANE texts, luminosity is not the characteristic of an animal or a man. This is a divine being, not an animal or man. Would Eve carry on a conversation with a snake? I don’t think so, but she would talk to a divine being. Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of God, they were very familiar with these divine beings.
The serpent, then, in Genesis 3 is a divine being and not an animal. It is a throne room guardian, a saraph, a serpentine being, one who was part of the divine council in Eden who decided to deceive humanity to get rid of them by getting them removed from Eden and from Yahweh’s council and family.
In 1 Enoch the temptation of Eve is attributed to Gadreel. Here it is attributed to Satan. The link between Satan and the serpent is also attested in the book, The Life of Adam and Eve (33,) and in the book of 2 Enoch (31). Both texts state it was the devil who led Eve astray. The Life Of Adam And Eve, chapter 33, states:
Moreover the Lord God gave us two angels to guard us. The hour came when the angels had ascended to worship in the sight of God; immediately the enemy the devil found an opportunity while the angels were absent and the devil led your mother astray to eat of the unlawful and forbidden tree. And she ate and gave to me.
The divine being, Satan, seems to have been jealous of man, and so got him to sin so that Yahweh would kick him out of the cosmic mountain. Hebrew grammar, the ANE culture, and the pseudepigrapha writings all picture Satan as a divine being. But Francis writes:
"The conversation, that is recorded as taking place between Eve and the ‘serpent,’ symbolized the war taking place within Eve, which ended with her giving way to her ‘carnal’ nature and rebelling against the will of God."
Interesting, but this sure isn’t how the Jewish writers saw it. Francis goes on to say:
"That Adam is the ‘serpent’ is illustrated in verse 1, where it is recorded that ‘he’ (the ‘serpent’) said to the woman. Adam is the only male presence in the Garden of Eden with the ability to speak!"
No, Francis, divine beings can speak.
To most modern Christians, this event in Genesis 3 is the sole reason that mankind is as evil as it is. But to a Second Temple Hebrew this was only one of three events that caused man to be so sinful. And to them the event in Genesis 3 was low on the list.
Let me give you a quote from Michael S. Heiser, Ph.D., who is a Bible scholar in Hebrew Bible and Ancient Semitic Languages. Heiser writes:
"Ninety nine percent of Second Temple Judaism believed that the reason wickedness so permeates the earth is not just an extension and is in large part not even linked to what happened with Adam and Eve, but the reason that people are always and universally thoroughly wicked is because of what the Watchers did. Everybody in Paul’s circle, everybody in Second Temple Judaism with the exception of four intertestamental references in intertestamental literature, everything says that the reason for the proliferation of evil is the sin of the Watchers, everything?" (Michael S. Heiser, "The Naked Bible Podcast" 2.0, Episode 94)
This is huge because it tells us that Second Temple Judaism held a supernatural view of the Bible. It viewed Genesis 3 and 6 as the sons of god, divine beings, coming down and separating man from God. This is what everybody believed!
Look at what Job tells us about these sons of God:
"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 council members. Some folks see "sons of God" as humans, but how could there have been humans at creation? Somebody please
Let’s move to the New Testament:
Then Yeshua was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Matthew 4:1 ESV
Is this Yeshua being tempted by His own sinful nature? To go there is an attack on the deity of Christ. Francis writes, "We also bear in mind that Jesus, being a man, had the same disposition as Paul and all other
The Bible teaches that Christ was sinless:
but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. Philippians 2:7 ESV
Here the word "likeness" is homoioma, which suggests similarity, but difference. Though His humanity was genuine, He was different from all other humans in that He was sinless. We see this same Greek word in Romans 8:3.
For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, Romans 8:3 ESV
Christ came in the "likeness" of sinful flesh—likeness is from homoioma, meaning "similar, but different." The difference was that He wasn’t sinful. Yeshua had real human flesh—He felt pain and sorrow and He wept and died, but He was sinless. He didn’t have an "adversarial nature."
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV
Christ knew no sin:
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Hebrews 4:15 ESV
Yeshua could not have been tempted by His own "adversarial nature" because He did not have a sinful nature. Is Christ being tempted by wicked human beings? Most would say that Christ’s adversaries were the Jews. Could Satan here represent the Jews?
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me." Then Yeshua said to him, "Be gone, Satan! For it is written, "‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’" Matthew 4:8-10 ESV
Would the Jews ask Christ to worship them? No! Is Christ carrying on a conversation here with Himself? Throughout the context, "the tempter" or "the devil" is given personal attributes and clearly distinguished from Yeshua as being another person. Nowhere in this context do we get the idea that "devil" is merely referring to a sinful human nature of Christ. It’s kind of ridiculous to think that a sinful nature within Christ demanded Christ to worship Christ, and if He did, Christ would give Christ the nations. Satan’s offering to Christ of the nations is not an empty promise. Satan was ruling the nations. Sinful human beings could not make this offer to Christ.
Those who deny the existence of Satan or demons want to make everything the result of natural occurrences. Bishop Lightfoot writes, "Unclean spirits and demonic possession seem to be no more than physical and mental illness":
And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them. Mark 6:13 ESV
Here we see a contrast between demons and sickness. They were not casting out mental illness. Notice what Paul wrote to the Ephesians:
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
Paul is saying that their struggle is not with humanity and 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 concordance gives the meaning "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. 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, used only here in the Bible, in contradiction to its meaning in but other literature as 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." They are not human; they are in "heavenly places" (the spiritual realm, the place where Yahweh dwells). This is speaking about a battle with spiritual forces that are not flesh and blood.
I think that this first view is unbiblical. I think that modern science has caused many believers to question or outright deny the spiritual. To those of the ancient Near East everything was spiritual; to us in the West nothing is. If someone believes in God and angels, why is it so hard to believe in Satan and demons?
View two contends that Satan, demons, and unclean spirits are real beings who are still very active today. As you read through the Gospels, you see many encounters with Satan and demons.
The view of many today is that whatever happened in the Gospels and the book of Acts is intended to describe Christianity as it ought to be in every age. Is it normal for us to have problems with demons? I've been a Christian for 40 years, and I have never encountered a demon. Not one. So how normal is it to have problems with demons? Let's talk a little about demon possession. This is a big issue today, and something we need to have an understanding of.
The first thing we need to know is that most of the New Testament references to demon possession appear in the Gospels and represent the outburst of satanic opposition to Yahweh's work in Christ. We have no reference to demon possession after the book of Acts, and even there we don't have much reference to it in the latter half of the book.
We encounter occult practices, magicians, and others who dabble in dark power, but seldom do we find an evil spirit that has taken over a life. We have no reference whatsoever to demon possession in the Epistles. Not in any of them. We have no reference in the Old Covenant to demon possession either.
Demon possession seems to be something that happened only during the time of Christ and the apostles because its purpose was the manifesting of the power of Christ over the demonic world.
What about all those today who claim to be casting out demons? Do they fit the biblical pattern? The exorcisms in the Bible concerned those clearly recognized as possessed. The signs of demon possession in the New Testament include speechlessness (Matt. 9:33), deafness (Mark 9:25), blindness (Matt. 12:22), fierceness (Matt. 8:28), unusual strength (Mark 5:4), convulsions (Mark 1:26), and foaming at the mouth (Luke 9:39).
When Yeshua had stepped out on land, there met him a man from the city who had demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house but among the tombs. When he saw Yeshua, he cried out and fell down before him and said with a loud voice, "What have you to do with me, Yeshua, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me." For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many a time it had seized him. He was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.) Luke 8:27-29 ESV
Notice the supernatural strength he exhibited. This man had been bound with chains and fetters, but he had snapped the chains and torn off the fetters, and no one had the strength to subdue him. This is a remarkable demonstration of demonic power.
The exorcisms in the Gospels and in Acts were not nebulous cases of the demon of drugs, alcohol, postnasal drip, or nicotine demons such as we see today.
Let’s now consider the second position which considers Satan, demons, and unclean spirits as real beings but contends that they were all defeated and destroyed in AD 70 at the return of Christ when judgment took place.
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
"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. After their fall, notice Yahweh’s promise:
I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel." Genesis 3:15 ESV
Eve’s seed, a human being, would come and fix what Adam had done. A deliverer would come. It is my understanding that the gods understood this promise of a coming, human redeemer. Their next strategic move was to attempt to destroy the human race by genetically corrupting the human line so that it was no longer truly human. We see this in Genesis 6. The "Sons of God" of verses 2 and 4 are rebellious divine beings from God’s heavenly host, also called "Watchers." They have taken the form of masculine human-like creatures. These gods married women of the human race, thus violating the heavenly/earthly division that Yahweh established.
First we have Satan corrupting man in the Garden, then we have Watchers/Sons of God corrupting the gene pool with hybrid beings in Genesis 6, and then we have Satan trying unsuccessfully to kill Yeshua when He was a baby through Herod's decree that resulted in the execution of all two-year-old male children. Years later, Satan tried to tempt Him at the beginning of His ministry and cause Him to fall. Nothing worked; Yeshua is victorious.
He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him. Colossians 2:15 ESV
According to my Bible, Satan is a defeated foe. Yeshua the Christ has conquered the Devil.
Most Christians believe that Satan and his demons are yet to be destroyed. But when does that happen? These Christians look for this event to happen at a future day when the earth and everything physical is destroyed. Perhaps a review of the Scriptures will help clarify the matter:
The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Yeshua the Christ be with you. Romans 16:20 ESV
The Greek word used here for crush is suntribo. It means "to crush completely, i.e. to shatter." When is it that Satan was to be crushed completely? It was at the end of the Old Covenant when the Lord returned in judgment on Israel. Paul said here to the Roman Christians that it would happen "soon." The Greek word translated "soon"' is tachos. According to Arndt and Gingich Lexicon, tachos is used in the LXX and certain non-canonical writings to mean "speed, quickness, swiftness, haste."
Paul told the first century Roman Christians that Satan would soon be crushed completely. If Satan is still around, then we have a huge problem with inspiration because if the Bible is not inspired by God, it is of no value to us. I believe that Satan is a defeated foe. I believe this because I believe in inspiration.
The Bible talks about the judgment at the end of the age not the end of the world:
Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. Matthew 13:40 ESV
Yeshua was referring to something that would happen at the "end of the age" in which He was living—the Jewish age. Notice what was to happen at the end of the age:
So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 13:49-50 ESV
Notice that judgment was to happen at the "end of the age." I believe this speaks of the Judgment of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. The "end" that Yeshua is talking about was the end of the Jewish age when the wicked Jews were burned in the destruction of Jerusalem.
The time for the demons’ destruction had come. The demons understood that the Messiah had come to destroy them. Living post A.D. 70, we do not need to worry about Satan or demons—they’re toast! This judgment took place at the end of the Old Covenant age after the Jewish Temple was destroyed.
It is my position that Satan and his demons were real spirit beings who opposed Yahweh and His people. But through the ministry of Christ, they were defeated and destroyed in A.D. 70. The spiritual battle that the first century Christians faced is over; we are not battling spiritual forces today.
If Satan and his demons were destroyed in A.D. 70, why are there people today who say they worship Satan? We had a question asked last time about the rise of wiccans. How do we deal with all this supposed Satanic activity?
I don’t think that anyone with a functioning brain would question evil in the world. California just passed a law easing restrictions against pedophilia. Netflix now has a show pushing childhood sexuality. There are pedophiles in our society who are satanic and practice child sacrifice. There is no doubt thar our culture is loaded with evil. But we don’t need Satan for men to be evil. Yahweh said this of man:
The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Genesis 6:5 ESV
Men are evil. The further they get from God the more evil they become.
A group of U.S. Naval Academy midshipmen who follow the religion of The Satanic Temple announced last year in an email that "Satanic services" would soon be offered on the campus. After the email was leaked, the Navy clarified that a group of midshipmen "with beliefs aligned with those practiced by The Satanic Temple," had requested a space for a "study group" to discuss their Satanic beliefs and not for holding Satanic religious services.
"The USNA Command Religious Program provides for the exercise of diverse beliefs," a spokesman for the Naval Academy said. "Arrangements were being made to provide the Midshipmen with a designated place to assemble as chaplains facilitate for the beliefs of all service members."
The beginning of modern Satanism is generally attributed to the late-1960s. The three major trends within the movement are theistic or religious Satanism, atheistic or philosophical Satanism, and reactive or adolescent Satanism.
Theistic Satanists believe Satan is one of a group of supra-personal "dark forces" capable of having some control or influence over human beings, and who venerate, worship, or align with him. Even within occultism, theistic Satanists are extremely rare. Researchers estimate their global numbers to be in the low thousands.
Atheistic Satanism does not acknowledge the existence of either God or Satan. They identify Satan as symbolic adversary of religion and traditional morality. They invoke Satan not as a supernatural being but as a symbol of man’s self-gratifying ego—which is what they really worship. The Church of Satan explains their view by saying: "We see the universe as being indifferent to us, and so all morals and values are subjective human constructions. Our position is to be self-centered, with ourselves being the most important person (the ‘God’) of our subjective universe, so we are sometimes said to worship ourselves."
Another group is adolescent Satanism. These types of Satanists often adopt the self-identification of Satanism as an act of adolescent rebellion against parents or society. In his book, The Psychology of Adolescent Satanism, Anthony Moriarty places these "dabblers" in Satanism into three categories: psychopathic delinquents, angry misfits, and pseudo-intellectuals. This type is likely to be the largest group within modern Satanism.
The primary inventor of atheistic Satanism was Anton LeVey, who created the Church of Satan in 1966. In 1969, LaVey published The Satanic Bible that outlined his religious beliefs. The essence of LaVeyan Satanism is captured in the "Nine Satanic Statements" made in the introductory chapters:
- Satan represents indulgence instead of abstinence.
- Satan represents vital existence instead of spiritual pipe dreams.
- Satan represents undefiled wisdom instead of hypocritical self-deceit.
- Satan represents kindness to those who deserve it, instead of love wasted on ingrates.
- Satan represents vengeance instead of turning the other cheek.
- Satan represents responsibility to the responsible instead of concern for psychic vampires.
- Satan represents man as just another animal who, because of his "divine spiritual and intellectual development," has become the most vicious animal of all.
- Satan represents all of the so-called sins, as they all lead to physical, mental, or emotional gratification.
- Satan has been the best friend the [Christian] church has ever had, as he has kept it in business all these years.
Founded in 2013, The Satanic Temple has overtaken the Church of Satan as the most popular organization for Satanists in America. Although both share the ideology of atheistic Satanism, the two groups oppose the core activities of the other.
The Satanic Temple claims they are an actual religion. " On their website’s FAQ page, these Satanists declare that it is ignorant, backward, and offensive to contend that religion belongs to supernaturalists.
Oddly enough, the Church of Satan doesn’t even believe in the devil. It doesn’t recognize "Satan" as a physical or spiritual being. As far as the Church is concerned, there is no such thing as heaven or hell. Satanists loyal to the Church of Satan are, in fact, atheists who accept all genders, sexualities, sexual preferences, and races.
In conclusion, the satanism we see today is nothing but people worshiping themselves. They do what makes them happy and call it the worship of Satan.