The Ohio Independent Baptist, December 1968

ON by Rev. Robert Domokos To 111a11)'. Sa tan is a,1 i 111agi11ar)' f igL,1re a11d t /1 is is 1vl1at /1e \1 Oltld /1a\'e t/1e111 believe. T/1is "Stud1,· on Satan" "' ,Qires tl1e criptl/ral teacl1ing 011 a,1 all-i111portant si,bject. Brotl1er Do1110Aos is a grad11ate of Cedarville and is prese,ztl_,· pa tori11g a GARB Cl1z1rc/1 in Hitntington , /11dia1za. He origi11a/ly co111es fro,,z Ohio. T/1e Lorcl is ric/1(, h/e\sing /1 is 111i n istrJ' . To many people the very thought Jf there being uch a per onal being n the Old Te tament is foreign. I iatan a di ti net per onality or i he nerelv a mental creation? What then, ., the criptural view of the origin >f atan? According to the cripture Satan . va created by Christ (Col. 1: 16), Jut he was not created as Satan. ~nge1 are created among whom ,va found atan. The serpent of Genesi 3: 14 i not he Devil, but the medium through hich he pake. The Biblical atan a real personality who i able to ,peak and act. He is the personality )ehind the erpent. Words such as · ubtle" ( Gen. 3: 1), and "enmity' ' en. 3: 15), are not to be over– -0oked for a complete under tanding )f hi character and ministry. Perhap Satan chose to use the erpent as his vehicle because he was nore subtle (Gen. 3:1 and Job. 5:12: l5: 5). atan being clever, cunning, ind deceitful, concealed the real i sue. The personage in zekiel 28: 11-17 nu t have been a spirit or an angel 1 the language and setting indicate. lo many commentators thi text nerel)' pre ents a poeticaJ-hi<;torical ing an<l includes no further repre– ntation. However, when the tudent ,f the Vlord exan1ine and interprets )Cripture vlith cri plt1rc he v. 1 il1 find l1 at t}1i te t (ft v,., II as I aiah 14) it actl}' with what the ew rI~e ta- 11 nt a)' abot1t th\; character f '> tan. A carefL1l exegc i of the tc ·1 A ,it pro'- tl1at at·111 aJ o i the t1l1- 1. J z l i 1 28:1-10 i di1ected o t}1 1ng o }r a11d , 1 er 11-J 6 r f r, nd ulit= ing, !lo atan. T}1 11 1 7- ] 9 r 1 ur 11 g a i 11 t t }1 k i J g. re , }1 u11der tan J l1ai t11e I r i t }1 Jc 1 1ung g . If tJ1i i , 11 p , r nfu i ng l tJ 111g t c pltiin , ral pJ1r, , u 11 111 an 1111 d 1 1 ut1',. I r t j n 11 r c1 t r, ' ' t cl 1 a, guag c nn t I • an hi toric king only. Quite obvious– I y the mi under tanding about thi text is by no mean slight. Once again there are two main view . The fir t i , that this text re– f er to the hi toric king of Babylon alone. The econd is, that it refers to Satan alone. Thi however i a prophetic pas age primarily. Al o ver e 12-15 eem to be directed to atan him elf and not merely a king. The e verses teach that Satan coveted and desired the throne of God, which re ulted in hi expul ion from heaven. He proposed in hi heart a tremend– ou project - to be like God. The ' I will · in the passage how he tried to occupy God's place. Enemy of God and Man Perhap one of the mo t well-known account of the work of atan i found in the Book of Job. atan endeavored to f al ify God judgment concerning Job thu hawing that he i the enemy not only of man, but of God. Because God permit him to de– lroy all but Job' life, ome under– land atan to be God' me enger bo}'. They ee hin1 a a rvant of the Lord rather than an adver ary. It n1ay appear that atan and the Lord are working together, but they ha\e nothing in con1n1on. T'h re i no agrce111cnt or f el lo\\- \hip betwee11 t hcn1. \atan did n t l)elicve that Jol1 ~ a~ really as god))' ,ls he aJJpl:a1ec.l He in int1atcs thdt Jot1's goc.illtlt:\\ ts not a t1igh a11cl pt1re a · it ~ 111\?tl 11 th sttrfacl;. (1c,cl ,lccei)t cd ftla11• s l1alle11ge ar1d J olJ "-'ilh too I Ll1 Lt= t . ~I l1 >nly t .xt i11 tl1 01 J ta111 11l ,, }1 r an , rticl i J)f fix l ir1<f i- ca ti11g a per 11 ,tl tillt ) nr J l, I n11 I 2 dfld Z J1a1 ial1 3, tl1 >t1gl1 tl1 \V r l • H , t , n" a I' J) >, 1 111 11 lllll . ,t t, 11 i ref I r d t l) t)1at \\}1icl1 j r aag r l d d ri JJlllJ , n i I a I l'f n u 11 • Jlf \ d b) }1 i f 11 t, 1 \ }1 t 11 ' l ti I 11 il fl ' ) and kn ,, 11 }1 i 111 . 11~ • p r n 111 i r- n lit • l I \\ }1 [ h • I J 1 , in a t Rev. Robert Domokos pos e e all the mark of per onality. He can peak, hear, work, etc. Though he po e e all mark of per onality and i the adver ary of God and truth yet he i finite and i limited by God. He was created with a holy character but he exalted him- elf in pride - he po e ed the capa– bility of choo ing evil. Hi name, ' atan' ', means to op– po e' or ' 'to act as adver ary or enemy. ' True to etymology, he i an individual who make ho tile attack , i an enemy or adver ary. Much of the world ha fal e tand– ard . Wealth may not be ucce ; and poverty n1ay not nece arily be failure. atan bribe with plea ure - then with trea ure. He \.\ ill do anything that G d i left out of the picture He i the greate t of trategi t . hy th n do o<l permit atan t c n– tinue in uch a \.\'arfar ? The charact r of the hri tian i d v 1 ped. and believer pro\ e th ir on ·hip b) land– ing trt1 to th~ l ord. 1 h' t1nbel1e, r rc,ec1ls h1, trt1e r t. atan·~ ~1 "'tt\ll} in the \\.' rl<l t da} 1, h, perr111,,i n of G d. Rebellious World Power 1 "}1L)"'iC \\ 11) think that atan is 11 t a r\?h~llt ti" ,,, )r]c.1-po,\:er i11 th' Olli r1 .. ~~t,,111t!t1t n 't! I t ) 4· a111ir1 th' \\ 1 r I t)I G,.1<.i 111 re lu t!l)'· h~ \;\ )ltiti n– ar\ or ll~\~) i)tll Ill e\) iJ\! ..\ l)t " \( lO ., a tt1all hl>h.l s 11 ,, ~igh1. ata11 (\()- 1 \,;.,lf (i i11 tJ, , lli "\;stal1\\:llt as ·111 a J,, rsar , f G l a11ll trt1th - I r )n al 1) i 11 . \ I fl ,, ll"k in 111 • I t111tcrf it , but I , nd ... ,v" , int n th 1r k 11 t 11 n1 , 1 t l1 d ti l'l t , d1st1n t t n1l1t I t , h b-' n J r ,tn }1 e 1 t I u }1 1 n th Id t n1 11t