"Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?" The woman said to the serpent, "From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.'" The serpent said to the woman, "You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
. . .
Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" And the woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." The LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, Cursed are you more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you will go, And dust you will eat All the days of your life; And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel." . . ." Genesis 3:1-19
False
teachers like Kevin Dunn teach that the Genesis account of the
fall of humanity is a phantom passage, insisting that the typical teaching
of this passage is unbiblical. Dunn argues, "Genesis mentions nothing but a serpent," denying that it was Satan who tempted Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit. He then goes on to claim, "Not only does the text not mention Satan, the very idea of Satan as a
devilish tempter postdates the composition of the Garden of Eden story
by at least 500 years."
If you are beginning with creation and calculating by the earliest mention of Satan in the manuscripts, Dunn is wrong because the book of Job is dated around 2000 B.C., during the lifetime of Abraham, which is more than 500 years since the Garden of Eden. If you are calculating by the dates of the manuscripts, Dunn is wrong because Job is the oldest book in the Bible. The book of Genesis is presumed to have been written by Moses somewhere around 1480 B.C. Therefore, the mention of Satan predates the composition of the Garden of Eden account by about 1500 years.
Furthermore, serpents cannot speak. How does the fact of a talking serpent not trip up Dunn and his colleagues? We are all intelligent enough to realize that this is impossible. It is not illogical for animals to talk, they just simply do not do so. Logic has nothing to do with whether animals can or cannot talk. If Scripture stated that animals cannot talk, and then we had an account of a talking animal, then it would be illogical. Since it is not something we encounter, there is nothing logical or illogical about it.
If you are beginning with creation and calculating by the earliest mention of Satan in the manuscripts, Dunn is wrong because the book of Job is dated around 2000 B.C., during the lifetime of Abraham, which is more than 500 years since the Garden of Eden. If you are calculating by the dates of the manuscripts, Dunn is wrong because Job is the oldest book in the Bible. The book of Genesis is presumed to have been written by Moses somewhere around 1480 B.C. Therefore, the mention of Satan predates the composition of the Garden of Eden account by about 1500 years.
Furthermore, serpents cannot speak. How does the fact of a talking serpent not trip up Dunn and his colleagues? We are all intelligent enough to realize that this is impossible. It is not illogical for animals to talk, they just simply do not do so. Logic has nothing to do with whether animals can or cannot talk. If Scripture stated that animals cannot talk, and then we had an account of a talking animal, then it would be illogical. Since it is not something we encounter, there is nothing logical or illogical about it.
If it was an actual serpent who deceived Eve, why did it do so? Why would any of the animals God created tempt Eve into disobeying God and eating of the forbidden fruit? Is Kevin Dunn and his like-minded imbeciles claiming that this serpent, one of God's created animals, somehow fell into sin? That animals are full of sin, too? How preposterous and absurd! Dunn's position raises more questions than it gives answers.
When Balaam's donkey spoke, it was because the Lord gave her a
voice. The donkey itself did not speak. How do we know this? If you read the passage in Numbers 22:22-33, it repeatedly states
that his donkey was a female, yet in 2 Peter 2:16 it informs us that his donkey spoke with a male's
voice. If the donkey did not speak until God spoke through it, or allowed an angel to speak through it, why would this serpent speak without God doing the same thing? The serpent could not have spoken if God Himself did not speak
through it, or allowed one of His angels (elect or fallen) to speak
through it. It certainly would not have been God Himself, and it
certainly would not have been one of His elect angels enticing Eve into sin. Ergo, according
to Occam's Razor, what is the most logical conclusion as to who tempted
and deceived Eve? Satan.
If Dunn and his colleagues paid close attention to the details of the account, they would see all sorts of evidence that allows us to conclude that it was Satan speaking through the serpent who deceived Eve. The serpent asks Eve, "Has God said?" Who is it that denies what God says, twists what God says, and tempts by misquoting what God says? Satan! He tried these tactics on Jesus in the wilderness. How can a mere serpent, an animal created by God, do this? In John 8:44, even Jesus identifies Satan as the father of all lies. If you look at the details of Genesis 3, according to everything we know about Satan from
Scripture, it is reasonable to conclude that Satan tempted Eve and
deceived her.
According to God's curse, which says this serpent will go on its belly and eat dust, obviously this serpent did not go by its belly before, which makes one wonder what it looked like. Regardless of how it might have looked before and/or after, nevertheless arguing that it was a serpent who deceived Eve and not Satan is extremely problematic. Why would one of God's animals tempt her into sin? Why would one of God's animals question what God had said and deny it? Why would one of God's animals turn against its Creator? Animals were not created in the image of God, with a will. The only person with enough hatred toward mankind to see them fall is Satan. Not some serpent!
A WORD STUDY FOR YOUR OWN PERSONAL BIBLE STUDY
Obviously each of the following passages do not all have to do with Satan. The following verses are for a word study. The ones that do have to do with Satan, how do they inform you of his character and how does that relate to what we read in Genesis 3? There are several other passages that have to do with Satan that do not use any of these words, but descriptions, titles, and positions. You can look those up for yourselves.
SATAN:
Satan (שׂטן) [H7854] denotes Satan or opponent or adversary.
"Then Satan stood up against Israel and moved David to number Israel." 1 Chronicles 21:1
"Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them." Job 1:6
"The LORD said to Satan, "From where do you come?" Then Satan answered the LORD and said, "From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it."" Job 1:7
"The LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil."" Job 1:8
"Then Satan answered the LORD, "Does Job fear God for nothing?"" Job 1:9
"Then the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him." So Satan departed from the presence of the LORD."" Job 1:12
"Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the LORD." Job 2:1
"The LORD said to Satan, "Where have you come from?" Then Satan answered the LORD and said, "From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it."" Job 2:2
"The LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man fearing God and turning away from evil. And he still holds fast his integrity, although you incited Me against him to ruin him without cause."" Job 2:3
"Satan answered the LORD and said, "Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life."" Job 2:4
"So the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, he is in your power, only spare his life."" Job 2:6
"Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head." Job 2:7
"Appoint a wicked man over him, And let an accuser stand at his right hand." Psalm 109:6
"Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him." Zechariah 3:1
"The LORD said to Satan, "The LORD rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?"" Zechariah 3:2
Satan (σαταν) [G4566] denotes Satan or the devil.
"Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me--to keep me from exalting myself!" 2 Corinthians 12:7Satanas (σατανας) [G4567] denotes Satan or accuser.
"Then Jesus said to him, "Go, Satan! For it is written, 'YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND SERVE HIM ONLY.'"" Matthew 4:10
"If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand?" Matthew 12:26
"But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God's interests, but man's."" Matthew 16:23
"And He was in the wilderness forty days being tempted by Satan; and He was with the wild beasts, and the angels were ministering to Him." Mark 1:13
"And He called them to Himself and began speaking to them in parables, "How can Satan cast out Satan?"" Mark 3:23
"If Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but he is finished!" Mark 3:26
"These are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them." Mark 4:15
"But turning around and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind Me, Satan; for you are not setting your mind on God's interests, but man's."" Mark 8:33
"Jesus answered him, "[Get behind Me, Satan!] It is written, 'YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD AND SERVE HIM ONLY.'"" Luke 4:8
"And He said to them, "I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning."" Luke 10:18
"If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul." Luke 11:18
"And this woman, a daughter of Abraham as she is, whom Satan has bound for eighteen long years, should she not have been released from this bond on the Sabbath day?" Luke 13:16
"And Satan entered into Judas who was called Iscariot, belonging to the number of the twelve." Luke 22:3
"Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat;" Luke 22:31
"After the morsel, Satan then entered into him. Therefore Jesus said to him, "What you do, do quickly."" John 13:27
"But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land?"" Acts 5:3
"to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me." Acts 26:18
"The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you." Romans 16:20
"I have decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus." 1 Corinthians 5:5
"Stop depriving one another, except by agreement for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control." 1 Corinthians 7:5
"so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes." 2 Corinthians 2:11
"No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light." 2 Corinthians 11:14
"Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself!" 2 Corinthians 12:7
"For we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, more than once—and yet Satan hindered us." 1 Thessalonians 2:18
"that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders," 2 Thessalonians 2:9
"Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan, so that they will be taught not to blaspheme." 1 Timothy 1:20
"for some have already turned aside to follow Satan." 1 Timothy 5:15
"I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan." Revelation 2:9
"I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is; and you hold fast My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days of Antipas, My witness, My faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells." Revelation 2:13
"But I say to you, the rest who are in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan, as they call them—I place no other burden on you." Revelation 2:24
"Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you." Revelation 3:9
"And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him." Revelation 12:9
"And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years;" Revelation 20:2
"When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison," Revelation 20:7
DEVIL:
Diablos (διαβλος) [G1228] denotes devil or false accuser or slanderer.
"Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil." Matthew 4:1
"Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple," Matthew 4:5
"Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory;" Matthew 4:8
"Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him." Matthew 4:11
"and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels." Matthew 13:39
"Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;" Matthew 25:41
"for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He became hungry." Luke 4:2
"And the devil said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread." Luke 4:3
"And [the devil] led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time." Luke 4:5
"And the devil said to Him, "I will give You all this domain and its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish." Luke 4:6
"When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time." Luke 4:13
"Those beside the road are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved." Luke 8:12
"Jesus answered them, "Did I Myself not choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil?"" John 6:70
"You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies." John 8:44
"During supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him," John 13:2
"You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him." Acts 10:38
"and said, "You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord?"" Acts 13:10
"and do not give the devil an opportunity." Ephesians 4:27
"Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil." Ephesians 6:11
"and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil." 1 Timothy 3:6
"And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil." 1 Timothy 3:7
"Women must likewise be dignified, not malicious gossips, but temperate, faithful in all things." 1 Timothy 3:11
"and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will." 2 Timothy 2:26
"unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good," 2 Timothy 3:3
"Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good," Titus 2:3
"Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil," Hebrews 2:14
"Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." James 4:7
"Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." 1 Peter 5:8
"the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil." 1 John 3:8
"By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother." 1 John 3:10
"But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!"" Jude 1:9
"Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life." Revelation 2:10
"And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him." Revelation 12:9
"For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time." Revelation 12:12
"And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years;" Revelation 20:2
"And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever." Revelation 20:10
WICKED ONE/EVIL ONE:
Poneros (πονερος) [G4190] denotes evil.
Should it be translated "evil one" or simply "evil"?
"When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road." Matthew 13:19BEELZEBUL (BEELZEBUB):
"and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one;" Matthew 13:38
"I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one." John 17:15
"in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one." Ephesians 6:16
"But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one." 2 Thessalonians 3:3
"I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I have written to you, children, because you know the Father." 1 John 2:13
"I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one." 1 John 2:14
"not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother's were righteous." 1 John 3:12
"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." 1 John 5:18
"We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one." 1 John 5:19
Beelzeboul (βεελζεβουλ) [G954] denotes dung-god, a name of Satan.
"It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign the members of his household!" Matthew 10:25
"But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, "This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons."" Matthew 12:24
"If I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? For this reason they will be your judges." Matthew 12:27
"The scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, "He is possessed by Beelzebul," and "He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons."" Mark 3:22
"But some of them said, "He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons."" Luke 11:15
"If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul." Luke 11:18
"And if I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? So they will be your judges." Luke 11:19
PASSAGES SUPPOSEDLY PERTAINING TO SATAN, THE DEVIL:
Heylel (הילל) [H1966] denotes morning star or day star.
Occurs once in the O.T. Why was it translated as "Lucifer"?
"How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations! But you said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north. 'I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.' Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol, To the recesses of the pit. Those who see you will gaze at you, They will ponder over you, saying, 'Is this the man who made the earth tremble, Who shook kingdoms, Who made the world like a wilderness And overthrew its cities, Who did not allow his prisoners to go home?'" Isaiah 14:12-17
"Again the word of the LORD came to me saying, "Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre and say to him, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "You had the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The ruby, the topaz and the diamond; The beryl, the onyx and the jasper; The lapis lazuli, the turquoise and the emerald; And the gold, the workmanship of your settings and sockets, Was in you. On the day that you were created They were prepared. You were the anointed cherub who covers, And I placed you there. You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked in the midst of the stones of fire. You were blameless in your ways From the day you were created Until unrighteousness was found in you. By the abundance of your trade You were internally filled with violence, And you sinned; Therefore I have cast you as profane From the mountain of God. And I have destroyed you, O covering cherub, From the midst of the stones of fire. Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I put you before kings, That they may see you. By the multitude of your iniquities, In the unrighteousness of your trade You profaned your sanctuaries. Therefore I have brought fire from the midst of you; It has consumed you, And I have turned you to ashes on the earth In the eyes of all who see you. All who know you among the peoples Are appalled at you; You have become terrified And you will cease to be forever."'"" Ezekiel 28:11-19
Clearly the Ezekiel passage cannot be speaking of a mere human being. The information given goes beyond the possibility of this passage actually referring to the king of Tyre. Especially when it says, "You were the anointed cherub who covers." No human being is a cherub. With the Isaiah passage, however, there is nothing in this passage that cannot be ascribed to a mere human being. However, one wonders where "Lucifer" ever came from in order to be placed in this passage. The literal translation of the Hebrew word heylel is "morning star" or "day star." So where did they come up with "Lucifer" as a translation?