[First posted in 2012. —Admin1]
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If angels cannot fall because they were not given free will like humankind, and there is no devil, no demonic spirits, no hell in the Hebrew Scriptures, then how do these evil creatures suddenly manifest themselves in the “New” Testament which is supposedly the sequel to the “Old”? Who conjured them up from nowhere?
There are so many questions to be asked so let’s get started since we don’t have answers in this article, just questions and a lot of thinking out loud. If you believe in the Jesus of Ch
ristianity, then you have to believe everything the Gospel writers have recorded about him. It is perplexing to read in the Gospels how much Jesus interacted with “evil spirits” or, as hinted, was persecuted by them through human agents like King Herod from the day he was born, and supposedly by the bedeviled Jews who demanded his death by crucifixion. Supposedly what the devil thought was the Son-God’s defeat was really his triumph over evil. But then we are getting ahead of ourselves.
In the gospels, Jesus just like Adam and Eve had to be tested. Why? If he’s the son of God, or God Himself, why undergo testing? Of course we’re taught this is the 2nd person of the Trinity, fully human during his earthly ministry, divested of his divine glory and stripped of his supernatural power. And as man, he has to overcome temptation to which all men are prone. Where the first couple failed and therefore left their progeny a legacy of original sin, this man-God will succeed and will not succumb to the tempter.
Matthew 4:1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 
Here the devil is characterized as a “tempter”, then later Jesus addresses him as “Satan” in verse 10, as though that is this devil’s name. Remember that at the time Jesus lived, there was no “New Testament”, so that the bible that Jesus read as a Jew would have been the Tanakh. So if Jesus knew the Hebrew Bible, he should have known that angels are simply messengers of Elohim and he would have known the meaning of the Hebrew words ha satan. In fact he should have known how he created angels to be without free will. But then again, he was supposedly functioning at this time with all the limitations of a human being, presumably without a divine memory.
In this interaction, the devil demonstrates he knows the Hebrew Scriptures too and even quotes from it. Worse, [the gall!], he offers a bribe if Jesus would fall down and worship him! What? Doesn’t this fallen angel know he’s talking to the Creator of the universe, even if he’s in his 2nd Person of the Trinity for now? And Jesus would have known that he created all angels without free will? So why is Jesus bothering with this character?
Not only that, why was he exorcising people supposedly demon-possessed? In Luke 8:30, he even deals with a man possessed by multiple demons named Legion.
Demons Cast into Pigs
…29 For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had seized him many times; and he was bound with chains and shackles and kept under guard, and yet he would break his bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert. 30And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion”; for many demons had entered him. 31They were imploring Him not to command them to go away into the abyss.…
Why did Jesus address poor Peter, the predecessor of all future Popes, Get thee behind me, Satan! just because he didn’t want his Master to face his destined end? Does that loving concern of an apostle deserve such a harsh response, specially right after Peter had just been promised the keys of the kingdom because he gave the right answer to Who do you say that I am? by declaring “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God!”
In fact, why is a big part of Jesus’ ministry interacting with demoniacs, demon-possessed people, and in one incident demonic spirits who occupy one human who name themselves “Legion”? Supposedly the demonic spirits recognize who he is since they all come from the supernatural realm; well they should, if Jesus the Creator created them.
But let’s move on.
In the book of Acts, one episode sticks out in Chapter 19, when Paul was at Ephesus, performing extraordinary miracles, expelling evil spirits who caused sickness in people. There is mention of “Jewish exorcists” who went from place to place, attempted to name over those who had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, ‘I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches’. This is laughable because of the evil spirit’s reply:
” I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” And the man, in whom was the evil spirit, leaped on them and subdued all of them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
Really? “Jewish” exorcists trying to use the name of Jesus and Paul to liberate people from evil spirits? If we know the Tanach, we should know better.
Why do the New Testament Scriptures make the Jews look either ridiculous or so bad from the gospels to the epistles? If there is a prime source of anti-semitism toward the Jewish people in particular, the New Testament would be numero uno, followed by writings of Roman Catholics, Christian theologians like Luther, which led to labeling the Jews as “Christ-killers”.
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Paul’s epistles further reinforce this belief in evil spirits with some strange comments:
- In 1 Corinthians 6:3, he teaches that the saints will judge the world, and will judge even the angels! Isn’t Adonai YHWH the only Judge since He is Omniscient and all Wise and knows the hearts of men?
- In 2 Corinthians 11:13-14, he warns:
For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.
Lucifer! the bright morning star . . . please check out Isaiah 14:12 as well as Revelation 22:16 and decide to whom it refers.
- Isaiah 14:12-15 is not about the Devil
- 6 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
[(KJV) Revelation 22:16]
- 2 Corinthians 12:7
. . .for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me—to keep me from exalting myself.
Paul’s thorn in the flesh must have been no less than a big ego, he needed a messenger from Satan to remind him to be humble. In fact his epistles are full of ‘I, me, and myself’.
- Ephesians 6:10-17:
Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly place. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace, in addition to all, taking up the shield of truth with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.
Our struggle is against flesh and blood, our own body and it’s natural and carnal desires first and foremost; and when we conquer that, we then contend with other people. If more people would simply apply the Word of God to their lives, rather than keep fighting imaginary evil spirits, this world would definitely be a better place to live in. Torah is for man to apply in his relationships to other men, and to his Creator.
- 2 Thessalonians 4:7-12
For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. And then that lawlessness will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming: that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. And for this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they might believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.
This is probably being applied to the likes of us Sinaites/ex-Christians who no longer believe in the ‘gospel truth’ as presented in the New Testament. The foundational Scriptures, the Tanach, make more sense, is more understandable, so easily applicable to life than the confusing teachings of the likes of Paul.
- 1 Timothy 4:1-2
But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron . . .
We did fall away from the Christian faith because we paid attention NOT to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons BUT to the original revelation of Adonai Elohim YHWH in the TORAH.
- 2 Timothy 2:24-26
And the Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.
There he goes again, suggesting we are “ensnared” by the devil, helpless as captives to do his will . . . Paul gives too much credit to the devil. God gives man the credit to choose right and the fault when he chooses wrong. To keep blaming the devil for our wrong choices is not fair to the devil.
- The book of James tells believers to Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
Adonai told Cain that sin is crouching at the door but Cain can overcome it. Temptation will always be around us but as long as we don’t succumb, we have not violated God’s commandment.
- 1 Peter 5:8
Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith . . .
This verse is mouthed by preachers and pastors to make their flock aware that there is indeed an evil figure, omnipresent at that, to tempt every person ever born in this earth. So the consequence is — Christians tend to place the blame on the devil instead of human responsibility, for the evil they see around them.
- 1 John 5:18-19
We know that no one who is born of God sins; but He who was born of God keeps him and the evil one does not touch him. We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.
In fact, a lot of “born-again” do fall into sin, because it is not about being reborn because of belief in a Savior, it is about being enlightened with the Torah of YHWH and choosing to obey those commandments. God gives us that capability to choose to believe and not believe, obey and not obey. It IS as simple as that. Let us not keep putting the blame on the devil and demonic spirits; we are our worst enemy particularly when we make the wrong choices, going against the Torah of YHWH.
The Book of Revelation will require a separate article since it describes the final battle between good and evil, where the devil and 1/3 of the fallen angelic hosts who supposedly joined him in rebellion against God will be defeated and thrown in hell.
It is uncanny how much focus and preoccupation the devil and evil spirits get in the New Testament and how so much evil in the world is attributed to their workings, such as disease, persecution, accidents, insanity, etc. People are depicted as helpless victims to these supernatural beings, as though people have no choice or participation or do not cause bad things to happen to themselves or others. On the other hand, the Tanakh places on man the responsibility to choose right from wrong with the accompanying consequences of blessings or curses.
Which testament do you choose to believe, dear reader: the “Old” or the “New”?
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