The Satanic Myth: The Devil May Not Have Made You Do It!

By Dr. Barry D. Fike

After years of searching, doing linguistic studies, and looking at the Hebraic understanding from many writings in ancient lore, I began to see something that I believe many in Christian circles have missed concerning the concept of Satan. While Satan is mentioned in scripture, the concept is never developed theologically. People have to run fro

• Language: English
• Publisher: Stratton Press
• Release date: Mar 6, 2020
• ISBN: 9781643458908

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Dedication

This work is dedicated to my teacher and mentor Dr. Roy Blizzard who first mentioned this material to me many years ago. With his scholarship and insight into the Jewish nature of the first-century movement of Jesus, items such as choice, good and evil, and the part that Satan had in it allowed me to be stretched intellectually and spiritually.

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Tradition has upheld an inadequate image of divinity.

—Harold M. Schulweis

Contents

Chapter One: Let’s Start at the Very Beginning

Chapter Two: The Torah (Bible) Does Not Deal with Guilt

Chapter Three: Who Is Satan?

Chapter Four: The Good and the Evil Impulse

Chapter Five: Isaiah 14:12–20

Chapter Six: Angels in the Old Testament

Chapter Seven: Other Scriptures That Relate (2 Peter 2:4; Ezekiel 28:1–19; Revelation 12:7–9)

Chapter Eight: Aaron and the Golden Calf (Exodus 32)

Chapter Nine: The Rise of the Modern Concept of Satan/Satanism

Chapter Ten: The Lucifer Myth

Introduction

"Y ou can take away God and Jesus Christ, but don’t take away Satan. You’ll have a rebellion on your hands, so said a wise sage to me many years ago when completing a course under his instruction. There always seemed to be some inconsistencies with this character from the Bible, but since he’s mentioned so much in the biblical text, I brushed these ideas aside. As one person said, Here’s where my biggest confusion lies … If there is supposed to be no sin in Heaven, then HOW was it possible for Satan to sin and fall due to pride? Does this mean that we will also be capable of falling once we get to heaven? Can someone please reconcile this for me? Some of my questions concerning this being, commonly referred to as Satan, were not being answered adequately; however, I didn’t know where to turn. I continued to read articles and books that furthered an understanding of a legend that had a surface study done on him but nothing deep that considered the original language and original context of each scripture in use. One pamphlet read, God has an only begotten son—the Lord Jesus, so has Satan—the son of Perdition (2 Thess. 2:3). There is a Holy Trinity, and there is likewise a Trinity of Evil (Rev. 20:10)."

After years of searching, doing linguistic studies, and looking at the Hebraic understanding from many writings in ancient lore, I began to see something that I believe many in Christian circles have missed. Yet, I also understand that to present something that goes so against the grain is somewhat risky in many areas of life. However, I’ve always believed that if something cannot be questioned, it probably isn’t worth believing in the first place; therefore, this treatise deals with looking at the evidence and see if maybe we need to look at this Satanic concept a little closer.

It must strike the general reader of the Bible as being strange, if true, that no such person as the devil of traditional theology appears in the Old Testament. Yes, a Satan appears in some scriptures, but it is never developed theologically. People have to run from Genesis to Isaiah trying to string a series of random verses together to get an understanding of this being of evil. When we get to Christianity, the doctrine of the devil is only second to the doctrine of God, and the devil is an indispensable part of the machinery of faith and piety.¹ All of a sudden, we seem to have leaped from the Hebrew scriptures to the New Testament, and again, tying random scriptures together, we have developed a complete theology concerning evil and the ruler over it.

If this doctrine is so entrenched in biblical theology, and is undeniable, then why look at something that everyone knows exists? After all, the story is told over and over from pulpits and journals all over the world constantly.

Here’s how the story (doctrine) usually goes: in the beginning, God created all things. But before God created all the life-forms on earth, He created a huge host of heavenly beings commonly called angels. They were dedicated to eternal service to Him.

Satan was once an honored angel in heaven, next to Jesus Christ. His countenance was mild, expressive of happiness like the other angels. His forehead was high and broad and showed great intelligence. His form was perfect. He was a noble, majestic being. When God said to his Son, Let us make man in our image, Satan was jealous of Jesus. He wished to be consulted concerning the formation of man. He was filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred. He wished to be the highest in heaven, next to God, and receive the highest honors. Until this time, all heaven was in order, harmony, and perfect subjection to the government of God.

It was the highest sin to rebel against the order and will of God. All heaven seemed in commotion. The angels were marshaled in companies with a commanding angel at their head. All the angels were astir. Satan was insinuating against the government of God, ambitious to exalt himself and unwilling to submit to the authority of Jesus. Some of the angels sympathized with Satan in his rebellion, and others strongly contended for the honor and wisdom of God in giving authority to his Son. Satan and his affected ones, who were striving to reform the government of God, wished to look into his unsearchable wisdom to ascertain his purpose in exalting Jesus and endowing him with such unlimited power and command. They rebelled against the authority of the Son of God, and all the angels were summoned to appear from heaven. The angels, all who joined with Satan in the rebellion, should be turned out with him. Then there was war in heaven. Angels were engaged in the battle; Satan wished to conquer the Son of God and those who were submissive to his will. But the good and true angels prevailed, and Satan, with his followers, was driven from heaven. When Satan and his hordes were thrown out of heaven, Satan took with him one-third of each group of angels (cherubim, seraphim, and teraphim). The Bible does not make this explicit, but Satan’s third of the angels could have been evenly distributed across the three types. Though we do not know when this occurred, what we do know is this: the angels were created before the earth (Job 38:4–7). Satan fell before he tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden (Gen. 3:1–14). Satan’s fall, therefore, must have occurred somewhere after the time the angels were created and before he temped Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. After Satan was shut out of heaven, with those who fell with him, he realized that he had lost all the purity and glory of heaven forever. He then repented and wished to be reinstated again in heaven. He was willing to take his proper place, or any place that might be assigned him. But no, heaven must not be placed in jeopardy. All heaven might be marred should he be taken back, for sin originated with him and the seeds of rebellion were within him. Satan had obtained followers, those who sympathized with him in his rebellion. He and his followers repented, wept, and implored to be taken back into the fervor of God. But no, their sin, their hate, their envy, and jealousy had been so great that God could not blot it out. It must remain to receive its final punishment.

When Satan became fully conscious that there was no possibility of his being brought again into favor with God, it is then that his malice and hatred began to be manifest. He consulted with his angels, and a plan was laid to work against God’s government. We turn to Genesis 3:1–19, which tells how Satan took center stage in the familiar story of the fall of man which occurred sometime after Satan’s downfall. Soon after God created Adam and Eve, he placed them in a beautiful garden. Satan looked down upon them with jealousy and devised plans to destroy them. How dare this frail, dull creature be given the authority and dominion that could just as well have been his? So, Satan led the assault against the first man and woman. A consultation was held with his evil angels. They decided that in no way could this couple be deprived of their happiness if they obeyed God. Satan could not exercise his power upon them unless they should first disobey God and forfeit his favor, as Satan had done. They must devise some plan to lead them to disobedience that they might incur God’s frown and be brought under the more direct influence of Satan and his angels. He must insinuate against God’s truthfulness, create doubt whether God did mean as he said, excite their curiosity, and lead them to pry into the unsearchable plans of God, which Satan had been guilty of, and the reason as to the cause of his restrictions in regard to the tree of knowledge. Taking the guise of an earthly creature, he tricked man into trading his covenant relationship with God for the false concept of equality with God.

The only problem with this story is it isn’t true and can’t be backed up with the scriptural text. However, in my experience, when one looks at this story, it’s rarely questioned. Pet scriptures are accepted with little investigation, and the concept of Satan/Devil/Lucifer has gone on for ages with little challenge and great destruction theologically to our faith. Early church fathers like Tertullian (160–230), Origen (185–254), and Augustine (354–430) all lend weight to Isaiah 14:12 as referring to Satan who boasted that he would establish his throne in the clouds of heaven and be like the most High (Isaiah 14:14).

If you believe this story, and the interpretation taken from a few selected scriptures, you’ve got to explain a few ideas:

Why is evil allowed in heaven?

If God is omniscient (all knowing), how could Satan do a sneak attack?

If a being could rebel against God in heaven, why couldn’t it happen again?

If it could happen again, why should I believe that there is eternal security in heaven if the sense of choice still exists, and I might make the wrong choice again as I have here over and over?

Do the scriptures point out two Gods instead of one?

Did Flip Wilson have a point? (The Devil made me do it.)

Why isn’t the Bible plain on such an important theological concept?

Is it possible that this is another point in theology that we’re wrong about?

We are required by the virtue of our very being to know all that we can know about God. There is only one way that you’re going to know him, and it’s not by faith—it’s by study! As you study, you’ll know more. The more you know, the more power you’ll have because knowledge is power. Not knowing the teaching of God on humility would make a person susceptible to corruption from knowledge. Not knowing the teaching of God on the concept of Satan makes a person susceptible to corruption from knowledge on this subject as well. It’s time to get away from the pathos (emotion) that so many yield to with this subject and look at the text without all of the traditional background and teachings attached to so many scriptures. Let’s make sure that we are not ashamed of what we teach because we handle the scriptures correctly.

So let’s look at the scriptures and study them to see what they say and not rely on our interpretations about this concept of Lucifer, Satan, or the Devil. Let’s begin with first defining the concept of Satan, then discuss the good and evil impulse as it has always been understood in Judaism. Let’s look at the story that usually is told in many religious circles as to who Satan is, where he came from, and where he’s going. Then let’s sift through the evidence from the very beginning and look at what the linguistic evidence says. Many of the scriptures used in the defense of Satan and his existence will be referenced and commented upon in light of the basic assumption found in chapter 2 of Genesis.

I hope that when seeking an answer to such a deep and entrenched theology that you won’t feel like we’ve grabbed hold of a weed only to discover after much pulling that we have the longest and thickest root in our hands, one that extends far beyond the area in which it first appeared. We can only reveal the evidence—the end result is your decision as to what you do with it. Like it or not, all I’m asking anyone who reads this to do is to think. We lose nothing when challenged if we put our minds into action and simply look at the evidence. While it’s difficult, you’ll have to lay aside prior concepts and teachings and begin anew with the evidence. Critical thinking, as with every journey, begins with a single step. Let’s begin walking.

Foreword

It’s bothered me for some years the concept that we have of Satan within our Christian borders. It’s not that my theological proneness was so acute that I saw the difficulty with an evil source being defined by Christianity as Gods archenemy.