Satan's Rebellion, and the
Extinction Of The Dinosaurs
#RAD #ATEND G-d (Christ) #IIC714
Satan's rebellion, and the extinction of the Dinosaurs
I've wondered, for almost as long as I've believed in
G-d (which is pretty much from my earliest memories) and certainly since
becoming a Christian - “How can folk (“pre-Adamic race” / “gap theory” minded
folk) build an entire dogma out of one word, in one verse that... at best, *can
be* translated as either *was* or *became*?
Hebrew, as is, similarly, the case with most languages, has
many words that have different possible meanings. Consider just these ten (10) English words:
Live or Live
Wind or Wind
Bow or Bow
Row or Row
Light or Light
Lead or Lead
Right or Right
Saw or saw
Might or might
Watch or watch
At a glance, many might not think so, but those ten
words present a challenge to define, absent context.
The very first word, “wind”, is it properly pronounced
"win-d", as in a breeze outside? Or is it more appropriately
pronounced “whine-d”, as in to wind a watch, or a clock?
The same thing can be said of the Hebrew word hayah ( הָיָה
), pronounced “haw-yaw” used in Genesis 1:2... which can mean a host of different
things including, but not limited to, “was” & “became”.
“And the world *became* formless and void...”
or
“And the world *was* formless and void...”
So... with myriad options for what the Hebrew word hayah
( הָיָה ) can mean, how does anyone “decide”?
How do we decide? Back to my
earlier question(s), just like I've asked elsewhere - “How does one decide, and
upon what criteria, is the Earth determined not to be less than six thousand years old?” And
“Upon what criteria is it determined that dinosaurs died nearly 100 million
years ago?” I now ask, “Upon what criteria does one conclude the Hebrew
word hayah ( הָיָה ), as used in Genesis 1:2, means *became* vs *was*?
By the context... but, what does that, “by the
context” even really mean? Well, in my
view, “in context” or “by the context” simply means:
A) - the immediately surrounding (as applicable) two
to three verses before, and after any given piece of text
B) - the context of the chapter, in which the text in
question is found, plus
C) - the overall context of the book* being studied,
or reviewed, and in the case if the Bible,
D) - the
broader context of the overall collection of the 66 Books of Biblical Canon
Now, what does any of this have to do with the Hebrew
word hayah ( הָיָה ), Genesis 1:2, and a pre-Adamic race, etc? Context.
Do we know, much of anything about Satan / Lucifer,
his (her**) life / existence pre-rebellion, prior to his “fall from grace” or
his “rebellion, and subsequent casting out from Heaven?” I believe we do, yes. Based upon, Job 38, Revelation 12, Ezekiel
28, and Isaiah 14, I believe we can get a pretty good picture ole' Lucy's first
period of existence, from his creation through to his rebellion &
banishment.
Let's begin with Ezekiel 28:12 - 19 shall we? In verse 12 we see that Ezekiel is being directed,
by G-d, to - “Raise a
lamentation over the king of Tyre” - and many people I know
immediately stop there and say - “Dude, that has nothing to do with your
Lucifer / Satan tripe. It's just about ‘the
king of Tyre’ stop conflating things.” - but, in the second part of verse 12,
and in the very next verse, as well as subsequent verses, we see an exceedingly
interesting point, or set of points:
Did you catch that?
* “...the signet of perfection...” and
* “You were in Eden, the
garden of God”
Most people, with even just a remote understanding of
the Biblical texts, should very readily see two problems in the above two
points, with respect to the king Tyre. A)
- his lifetime was, at a minimum, hundreds (my best guess is about 3,000) years
after Adam, and after Adam's banishment from Eden. And B) we know from Scripture, Isaiah 53:6 &
Romans 3:23,
that no one, since Adam, has been “created blameless, in perfection, or in Eden”.
Clearly, this passage in Ezekiel has,
some broader meaning, or meanings, to it than being - “just about the king of
Tyre”! Or, Scripture is unclear /
misleading. As I do not believe
Scripture can contradict Scripture, or be unclear, I’m convinced it must have some
broader meanings. And I therefore submit
to you, that this collection of text, also refers to Satan, and his creation,
position in heaven and subsequent rebellion.
Next, let's now look at Job, and what he has to say
about Lucifer's early days. Many suggest
that, while much of Job is poetic, Chapter 38 comes to mind, and verses four through seven
of Chapter 38 have been attributed by many to suggest angels, including Satan
(pre-rebellion) witnessed G-d creating.
This line of thinking is often used to bolster the alleged “gap” in
Genesis Chapter One, verse two, where the English word “was”, it is argued,
should be swapped in favour of the English word “became” for the English
rendering the Hebrew word hayah ( הָיָה ); but is this a reasonable, or fair,
conclusion to draw? Does Satan
witnessing G-d creating prove when Satan was created? It certainly supports the conclusion that
Satan witnessed, at least part of G-d’s creative efforts. But, does it really support the alleged “gap”
in Genesis Chapter One, verse two? I
really do not believe it does, no.
The argument goes, in its most rudimentary form,
that... “As Satan, and the other angels witnessed G-d creating everything, surely,
they must have been created long, long before G-d's creative works recorded in
Genesis 1:3 to 30. Ergo, it is alleged /
argued that, the “gap” in Genesis 1:2, explains this assumption /
conclusion. But...
But, does Job 38:4 - 7 really bolster the
pre-Adamic point? Or does it merely
bolster the simple idea that angels witnessed G-d in, at least some (if not
quite all) of, His creative efforts?
Consider the text, with context (begin with verse two, continue to verse nine)
and then consider what Genesis Chapter One simply says, Job 38:2 - 9
And Genesis Chapter One simply says that G-d created
everything, period. Everything from our
Earth and heaven (first, verse 1) to the entirety of the Cosmos,
on Day Four (as seen later in verses 14 through 19). And yes, I get it... that makes our Earth, not
even our Sun, the very centre of creation!
Genesis 1:1 - “G-d, in the beginning, created the heavens and the
Earth” - could, and I believe very reasonably should, include the
creation of the angelic host, including Satan.
Yes, ALL on Day One. This would
give the angels a very clear, and plain vantage point from which to “witness
G-d form all of the rest of Creation”, including His crown jewel - man!
Next, let's consider what we read in Revelation. In Revelation Chapter 12, verses seven through seventeen,
we read of Satan's banishment from Heaven.
Given the use of the word “dragon” (used eight times between verses 3 and 17), and
its connection with Satan, six times in verses 7 to 17, it seems reasonable to
conclude that the dragon referred to in verses 3 and 4, can also reasonably be
concluded to be about Satan. And it is
with the phrase found in Revelation 12:4 - “His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven
and cast them to the earth” - that we conclude "Satan, and one
third of the angelic host, was cast down to Earth, banished from Heaven"
from. All of this only begs the first
of two “why” questions? And the first
why - “Why was Satan cast out?” - in my understanding and opinion, is best
explained with Isaiah
14! Although we are given a
clue in verse 15 of
Ezekiel Chapter 28:
And now, let's explore what Isaiah Chapter 14, verses 11 - 16 have to
say. But, before we do explore Isaiah 14, let's
once more reflect on the theme addressed regarding Ezekiel 28 - "Clearly, this
passage in Isaiah too has some broader meanings, than being - “just about the
king of Babylon”! Thus, I submit to you,
that this collection of text, also refers to Satan, and his creation, position
in heaven and subsequent rebellion!
“11 Your
pomp is brought down to Sheol, the sound of your harps; maggots are laid as a
bed beneath you, and worms are your covers.
12 “How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star,
son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the
ground, you who laid the nations low!
13 You said in your
heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God
I will set my
throne on high;
I will sit on the
mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north;
14 I will ascend
above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself
like the Most High.’
15 But you are
brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit.
16 Those who see
you will stare at you and ponder over you: ‘Is this the man who made the earth
tremble, who shook kingdoms...”
Notice here, in Isaiah 14, two things:
A) - the list of what many simply call, “the Five ‘I
Wills’ of Satan” verses
13 & 14
i) - I will
ascend to heaven; above the stars of God
ii) - I will
set my throne on high;
iii) - I will
sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north;
iv) - I will
ascend above the heights of the clouds; and
v) - I will
make myself like the Most High.’
And B) - the clear, and plain implication that the
subject of this passage, Satan, - “…fell (or was cast down) from Heaven…” -
verses 11 and 12
- “Your pomp is
brought down to Sheol...” and “How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star...”
(the KJV renders verse
12 thusly - “How
art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!”)
Thus, the verses in Ezekiel and Isaiah also both point
to, and infer, a broader spiritual-realm meaning as well as plain references to
kings, one of Tyre and one of Babylon.
With all the above in mind, I would now ask readers to consider - Genesis Chapter One verse 31:
"...God saw EVERYTHING that he had made, and behold,
IT was VERY GOOD." - emphasis in all CAPS mine
Dinos dying, Satan rebelling and a host of other
points, seem to brazenly fly in the face of four simple things noted in Genesis Chapter One:
A) - verse 31 EVERYTHING was VERY GOOD
B) - verses 9 through 27 describe G-d creating ALL
life, from microbial to humankind (Adam) in the span of just six days,
C) - a complete absence of any statement, or even
implication, of death, of any kind, and
D) - the EVERYTHING being VERY GOOD denoted in point A
above, by implication, includes Satan and the full original angelic host
Therefore, based upon all the above, especially in
view of even Satan being counted as “Very Good” (as of the end of Day Six -
Genesis 1:31) it seems the best conclusion for the Hebrew word hayah ( הָיָה ),
found in Genesis 1:2,
to be rendered as “was”. This of course
only begs the second of the two “why” questions. “Why did Satan rebel?” And perhaps also a
reasonable third question might be, “When did Satan rebel?”
Let's consider the latter, first, shall we? When did Satan rebel? If Satan's rebellion does not relate to some
vaguely inferred period, eons before Genesis 1:3, then when? As Scripture says nowhere - “And this is when
Satan rebelled” - we can, in all fairness, only at best hypothesize the “when”. Referencing Genesis 1:31, Satan's rebellion seems
likely to have occurred sometime following Day Six. In Genesis Chapter Three, verse 8 we read of G-d “…walking in the Garden in the
cool of the day…” - although Genesis Chapter Three is primarily
about man's fall from grace (sin), this verse carries with it the implication
that it was a common practice for G-d, and Adam & Eve, to be walking
together in the cool of the day, each evening.
Why this implication is significant to Satan's fall, is perhaps more
closely tied to the “why” of Satan's rebellion, than to the “when” of his
rebellion, but it's a salient point nonetheless. And that saliency is this, the “Very Good”
status of EVERYTHING in G-d's creation covered some, albeit an indeterminate, period
of time. Man's, Adam's, sin
(rebellion) threw the whole world into a progressively worsening catastrophic
state of failure, or collapse.
It can additionally be inferred that, because one of
the very first Commands of G-d to man was - “Be fruitful and multiply…” - Genesis Chapter One verse 28,
and that in Genesis
Chapter One verse 31 G-d calls EVERYTHING VERY GOOD, man (Adam and
Eve) must have been complying with said Command. Keeping this thought in mind, now consider
what we read in Genesis
Chapter Four, verse 25 where we read Eve bore another son, Seth; followed by
Genesis Chapter Five
verse three we read that Adam was 130 years old, when Seth was birthed.
Thus, from “G-d walking with man in the
Garden, with man”, to Seth's birth when Adam was 130 years old, we can safely
conclude Satan's rebellion happened LESS than 130 years, post the creation of
man.
This now only leaves the one remaining “why” question,
“Why did Satan rebel?” And my best guess
for that one, based upon Scripture, is:
Satan had been, according to what we read in Job 38 and Ezekiel 28, both
present to witness much of G-d's magnificent creative works, and also hold the privileged,
and even elite, position of being G-d's primo Guardian Cherub! At least he was, until G-d had the audacity,
the unmitigated gall that is, to create that punk, Adam. Satan, I believe, was driven insane with
jealously, which lead to rage.
When Satan saw that where he was once (and had be for
as long as he'd existed) “the veritable apple of G-d’s eye”, but that this
human, Adam, had become the apple of G-ds eye, just like many a first-born, and
for a season an ‘only-child’, he became enraged that G-d, in his view, had
rejected (or at least replaced) him.
I find it both interesting, and intriguing, that even
with Satan beginning as a perfect being, holding the elite position of Guardian
Cherub, it was not with his sin, rebellion, or even with Eve's sin in eating of
the forbidden fruit, that the world was tossed into chaos... that consequence,
or outcome if you will of sin, lands squarely on Adam's shoulders - Genesis Chapter Three verses
six & seven - “...she... gave some to her husband who was with her,
and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened...”. Notice that? Eve, the woman, ate, and NOTHING
happened. Then, Eve gave her husband WHO
WAS WITH HER, some of the fruit, and he ate. THEN the eyes of both were opened…
but I digress…
The timing of Satan's rebellion, and the extinction of
the Dinosaurs, Scripturally speaking, in my view, and opinion, best fits with
some time after Adam was created!
Shalom
“No Jesus, NO peace” and yet, “Know Jesus, KNOW peace”
How does one get to “know” Jesus? Simple, invite Him into your heart, as Jesus
says: “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and
opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” [Revelation 3:20 NIV] How can be assured that this Jesus stuff
means anything? Well because the Bible
tells us so, as the Apostle Paul wrote:
“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is
Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be
saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it
is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” [Romans 10:9-10 NIV]
And for those of you who say to me, I
can’t be bothered reading the Bible, “it’s confusing” or “it’s a waste of my
time”, may I draw your attention to what the Bible says about wisdom: “The fear
of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is
understanding.” [Proverbs 9:10 NIV]
If nothing else, PLEASE read two chapters
from the Bible – (don’t own one, sorry NO excuse, if you’re reading this, you
can access this: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%203:16&version=NIV)
John 3 and John 14!
John 3:16 says: “For God so loved the
world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not
perish but have eternal life.”
And John 14:6 says: “Jesus answered, “I am
the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through
me.”
Well that’s it, that’s Da Bauz’s Take on, “Satan's
rebellion, and the extinction of the Dinosaurs” – this 6th day of June
2018 © 2018, All Rights Reserved. wr (Da Bauz, Christian Zionist “creationist”
too!)
Just sayin’...
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem...
What is #RAD? #RAD is:
R epent of rejecting Christ
A ccept Christ as your Lord
D evelop your relationship with G-d
#RAD your relationship with the Living Almighty God
Himself as your personal Lord and Saviour depends on it!
What is #ATEND G-d (Christ)? Ask me!
What is #IIC714?
II 2nd
C hronicles
7:14
John 3:16, Revelation 3:20, Romans 10:9 -10,
Revelation 21:27, II Corinthians 5:21 and I John 5:13 / John 20:31!
Shalom
Cited
or consulted sources, references and resources
* book being studied or reviewed - case in point, if
one were studying a book on “clock, or watch, winding”, whenever one saw the
word “wind” one might logically default to “whine-d” for the anticipated *correct*
use of the word. Conversely, if one were
studying a book on the Earth's air currents, each use of that same four-letter
word, “wind” might very likely be to default to “win-d”.
In each case, the possibility remains that within any
specific incidents of the word “wind” there might well be a different
rendering. Consider a book talking about
“winding a clock” and suggesting that the ideal place to practice how best to “wind
a clock”, would be indoors. Indoors
because, outside the wind may cause pages of the book to turn, and / or one may
get dust in one’s eyes, making for the efficient practice of “clock winding”
winding up becoming very impractical. In
which case the student may wind up having to go back inside frustrated...
** Satan as a her - see Luke 13:32, The text found in Luke
3:32:
“…Go, tell that fox…” (possibly ‘go tell that
effeminate one’) In the text found in
Luke 13:32 we see Jesus the Christ use the English word ‘fox’. The Greek word used here is alópéx,
pronounced - al-o'-pakes - which literally means she-fox, it is a feminine
noun. This reply was given by Christ to
some Pharisees (see Luke 13:31) who said that Herod wanted to kill Him
(Christ). It has been said that Herod is
a type and shadow of Satan, if not Satan herself, then the Anti-Christ
certainly. Thus, Christ’s calling / referring
to King Herod as a she-fox, King Herod who is noted for his exceedingly wicked,
evil ways, and as a type, or shadow, of the ancient evil one, Satan (Hasatan /
Shaytan / Allaah), suggests Satan’s feminine traits. Take it as you will. I recommend reading Luke 13:22 – 35 for some
basic context.
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