Satan's rebellion, and the extinction of the Dinosaurs

 

Satan's rebellion, and the extinction of the Dinosaurs. 

Words with multiple meanings

I've wondered, 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”, folk ) build an entire dogma out of one word, the Hebrew word hayah ( הָיָה ) found in one verse for example, that... at best, *can be* translated as either *was* or *became*?

Hebrew, similarly, as is the case with most languages, has many words that have different possible meanings. Consider just these fourteen ( 14 ) 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

Counter or Counter

Mean or Mean

Place or Place

Landscape or Landscape

At a glance, many might not think so, but those fourteen ( 14 ) words above present a challenge to define, absent or sans context.

The second 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?  Fact is, the “correct” pronunciation, and meaning, can only be established by looking at the context in which the word is used.

The same thing can be asked of the words from many other languages, including Hebrew.  Consider 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 available for what hayah ( הָיָה ) can mean, how does one, really, how does anyone, “decide” which meaning to assign?  How do we decide?  Back to my earlier question, just like I've asked elsewhere - “How does one decide if, and upon what criteria is, the age of the Earth determined not to be less than six thousand years old?”  And  “Upon what criteria is it determined that dinosaurs died nearly one hundred million years ago?”  I now ask, upon what criteria does one conclude hayah ( הָיָה ) means *became* vs *was*?  The answer is - *context*.

Context... but, what does that even really mean?  Well, in my view context 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(s)¹ 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, the extinction of the Dinosaurs, etc?

Context, to be blunt, context!  Do we know much, if anything at all, about Satan / Lucifer, his ( her² ) life / existence pre-rebellion, his “fall from grace” or of 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.

Ezekiel 28

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, those verses have 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, and subsequent verses, we see an exceedingly interesting point, or set of points:

“¹²...You were the signet of perfection,

    full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.

¹³ You were in Eden, the garden of God;”

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 three problems in the above points, with respect to the “that text is exclusively about the king of Tyre,” or even an implied - “It’s about Adam” - arguments.

A) - his time was, at a minimum, hundreds ( my best guess is about 3,000 ) years after Adam, and after Adam's banishment from Eden.

B) - we know from Scripture, Isaiah 53:6 & Romans 3:23, that no one, since Adam’s creation, has been “created blameless, in perfection, or in Eden”. And

C) -  Adam, although perfect, sinless, when created, was not “full of wisdom,” ( the Tree of Knowledge ) vs. 12, nor was Adam, ever, “cast down from heaven”, Revelation 12:4 & Isaiah 14:11 & 12. 

Clearly, this passage in Ezekiel must have some broader meanings than just being - “about the king of Tyre / Babylon, or Adam”! And I submit to you, that the broader meaning for this collection of text, also refers to Satan; his creation, position in heaven and subsequent rebellion.

Job 38

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, verses four through seven, comes to mind as examples which 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” is swapped in favour of the English word “became” for rendering the Hebrew word hayah ( הָיָה ), but is this a reasonable, or fair, conclusion to draw?

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 other creative works, such as Earth, the Moon etc. Ergo, 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 also what Genesis Chapter One simply says. 

Job 38:2 – 9

“... ² ”Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? ³  Dress for action like a man, I will question you, and you make it known to me. ⁴  ”Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. ⁵  Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? ⁶. On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, ⁷  when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy? ⁸  ”Or who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb, ⁹ when I made clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling band,”

And Genesis One simply says that G-d created everything. Everything from our Earth and heaven ( first, verse 1 ) through to the entirety of the Cosmos, Day Four ( later in verses 14 through 19 ). And yes, I get it... this makes our Earth, not even our Sun but our Earth, 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. 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!

Revelation 12

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,” six times between verses 4 and 17, and its connection with Satan, it seems reasonable to conclude that the dragon referred to in verses 3 and 4, are also 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.”    All of this only begs the first of two “why” questions. And the first “why” question – “Why was Satan cast out?” - in my understanding, and opinion, is best explained by Isaiah 14! Although we are given a clue in verse 15 of Ezekiel Chapter 28 as well:

 “¹⁵... were blameless in your ways

    from the day you were created,

    till unrighteousness was found in you.”

The first of two “why” questions - Why was Satan cast out?

Why was Satan cast out

Isaiah 14

And now, let's explore what Isaiah Chapter 14, verses 11 - 16 has 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 just being - “… about the king of Babylon, nee Tyre”! And 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 GodI 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, two things:

A) - the list of what many simply call, “the Five 'I Wills' of Satan” verses 13 & 14 

The Five 'I Wills' of Satan

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 is, 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 much broader spiritual-realm kind of meaning, as well as plain references to kings, one of Tyre and one of Babylon, or to “just Adam.’  With all of the above in mind, I would now ask readers to consider - Genesis Chapter One verse 31:

G-d saw EVERYTHING was VERY GOOD

“...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, spiritual beings through organic life, from microbial to humankind ( Adam ) in the span of just six days,

C) - a complete absence of any statement, or even by implication, of death, and

D) - the EVERYTHING being VERY GOOD denoted in point A above, by implication, includes Satan and the full original angelic host ( spiritual beings )

Therefore, based upon all of 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 also a reasonable third question might be, “When did Satan rebel?”

The second of the two “why” questions

The second of the two “why” questions - Why did Satan rebel?

Let’s explore the: When did Satan rebel question first, shall we?

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 of time, 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 about “the when”. Referencing Genesis 1:31, Satan's rebellion seems likely to have occurred sometime flowing 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 seen walking together in the cool of the day, each evening. 

Why this implication is significant to Satan's fall, is more closely tied to the “why” of Satan's rebellion, than to the “when” of his rebellion, but it's a salient point, either way, 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 ) / fall from grace threw the entire world into a progressively worsening catastrophic state of failure.

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 because of what we read in Genesis Chapter One verse 31, where G-d calls EVERYTHING VERY GOOD, man ( Adam and Eve ) must have been complying with said Command.  No? Keeping this thought in mind, consider what we read in Genesis Chapter Four, verse 25 where we see that Eve bore another son, Seth; followed by Genesis Chapter Five verse three where we read that Adam was 130 years old, when Seth was born. Thus, from the “G-d walking with man in the Garden,” 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 question: Why did Satan rebel

Why did Satan rebel?

Well… “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 to 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, in Satan’s mind / thoughts, to create that punk, Adam. You see Satan, I believe, was driven insane with jealously, which lead to rage.

When Satan saw that, where he was once ( and had been for as long as he'd existed, however long that may have been ) - “The veritable apple of G-d's eye” - this human, Adam, was ( these humans were ) now - The apple of G-ds eye. And, just as many a first-born, and for a season an only-child, becomes angry and jealous, Satan / Lucifer too became enraged that G-d, in his view, had rejected ( or at least replaced ) him, with that man.

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 eating of the forbidden fruit that the world was tossed into chaos... that consequence, or outcome if you will, lands squarely on Adam's shoulders - Genesis Chapter Three verses six & seven – “⁶... she... gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. ⁷ Then the eyes of both were opened ...”.  Did you notice that?  Eve, the woman, ate, and NOTHING happened.  Then, Eve gave her husband WHO WAS [ RIGHT THERE ] 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 undisclosed time after Adam was created, yet unquestionably before the fateful events described in Genesis Chapter Three, verses 1 through 7!

Shalom

Please remember folks that, there's just absolutely #noKnowledgeAbsentGd!

#RAD #Rms1vs19to21 #IIChr714

Shalom to you all

“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 – ( You 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 the transition “Satan's rebellion, and the extinction of the Dinosaurs” – this 27^th day of June 2024 © 2024, 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 G-d Himself, as your personal Lord and Saviour, because your eternal future 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, Shalom

Cited or consulted sources, references and resources

 

http://bit.ly/1kliLwA, “Bible Hub”

http://bit.ly/1kliTMD, “Bible Gateway”

http://bit.ly/1MzWhEQ, “Bible.org”

http://bit.ly/2qPm835, “Bible.is”

http://bit.ly/2qOVbNd, “The Bible Project”

http://bit.ly/2qP1lg8, “Biblia”

http://bit.ly/2qP26FP, “Bible Study Tools”

http://bit.ly/2qP27JY, “Blue Letter Bible”

1 – Context of the book being studied or reviewed - case in point, if one were studying “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 any specific incidents of the word “wind” might well be a different rendering. Consider a book talking about “winding a clock”, and suggesting that the best place to practice how best to “wind a clock”, is indoors, because, outside the wind may cause pages of the book to turn, and / or get dust in your eyes, rendering the prospects efficiently “winding the clock” winding up becoming very impractical.  In which case the student may wind up having to go back inside frustrated...

2 – Satan as a she / her

Some traditions suggest King Herod, who beheaded John the Baptist was ( really all of the Herods were ) a sort of type, and shadow, of Satan on Earth.  In Luke 13:32, where our Lord is warned by some Pharisees ( vs 31 ) that "Herod is out to get you".  Jesus' reply was to say - "Go tell that Fox..." - in most English translations.  But the Greek word used, ἀλώπηξ, translated simply as "Fox" in English, is...

The Greek word ἀλώπηξ ( pronounced alópéx ) which is commonly translated into English as Fox, is a feminine noun.

With Herod being viewed as a type & shadow of Satan, coupled with Herod's notoriety for fancying not just beautiful young maidens, but also tender young boys, Jesus' choice of words - "go tell that effeminate dog" - ( to paraphrase ) could be seen as a direct implication, by Jesus, that Satan ( G-d's former light-bearer ) was indeed, quite effeminate...,