• That's Just Plum Dumb

Monday, July 19, 2010

!!!!!!! WAKE UP, FOOLS !!!!!!!

By Jean Bush

The world is crashing around your ears and still you do not see!

Apparently, my inadequate words have failed to arouse you. So, I shall introduce to you
Erik The Red, whose sense of justice and passion cannot fail to grab your wandering and
shallow attention. He is always right on the mark. His link is on the right:

Erik The Red

Avenging Angel

When will you learn that this is not about the takeover of the New World Order?? They
are already here; they own the planet and most of us. This is a battle for our souls.

There are only two choices in the world: right or wrong, good or evil, God or Lucifer.
These are the only choices we have and it has always been so.

Make your choice now. We are out of time.

The Name "Lucifer"

Author: Frank W. Nelte

In the English version of the Bible the name "Lucifer" appears only one time--in Isaiah
14:12. This reads:

1. "How are you fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning..."

2. "Lucifer" is not an English word, but a Latin word. The question is: who gave the
world this Latin name?

3. In A.D. 382 Pope Damascus commissioned the scholar Jerome to make an official
revision of the Latin versions of the Bible that were floating around in the Catholic
Church. Jerome went off to a cave in Bethlehem where he proceeded to make his
translation, supposedly based on the Hebrew text, but in practice based very largely on
the Septuagint version (i.e. "LXX") that Origen had produced about 140 years earlier
while in Caesarea. (The truth about the LXX is another subject that I have discussed in a
separate paper.)

Anyway, by A.D. 405 Jerome had completed his work, which we today know as "The
Latin Vulgate" Bible. It is far from an infallibly accurate translation of the original texts.
Rather, it is an interpretation of thought put into idiomatic, graceful Latin!

For a thousand years this Translation was without a rival--and herein lies the problem!

4. Jerome had understood that Isaiah 14:12 is talking about Satan. There the Hebrew
word "heylel" is used and Jerome translated this into Latin as "lucifer"!

This is a mistranslation!!!

5. The word "Lucifer" comes from 2 Latin words:

Lux (=light) + ferous (=to bear or carry). Thus the name "Lucifer" means:Light-bearer or
Light-bringer.

But this is not what the Hebrew word "heylel" means! We'll see later exactly what this
word does mean.

6. Anyway, as a result of this Latin Vulgate translation, which was almost the only
version of the Bible in use throughout Europe for the next 1000 years, Satan popularly
became known as Lucifer. It should be self-evident that when the first people who
translated the Bible into English came along, one of their paradigms was that the name
"Lucifer" applied to Satan. When they came to translate Isaiah 14:12 into English, they
decided that rather than actually "translate" the word "Heylel," they would simply
substitute it with the already well-known (originally) Latin name "Lucifer." And they
could do this because on the surface this seems to be a reasonably accurate translation.
But it isn't really!

7. I mentioned earlier that the word "Lucifer" appears only once in the English versions
of the Bible. But in the Latin Vulgate translation of Jerome it appears twice! That's right,
twice! Where else is this word used and who does it refer to? Jerome certainly knew who
it refers to. This knowledge also casts a dark cloud over his intentional use in Isaiah
14:12!

8. 2 Peter 1:19 reads : "...until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts." this is
another mistranslation!!!

The two words "day star" are a translation of the one Greek word "phosphoros." This
comes from the two Greek words:

Phos (=light) + phero (=to bear or carry). Thus the Greek word "phosphoros" means
Light-bearer or Light-bringer.
Anyone who knows both, Greek and Latin, can verify that the Greek word "Phosphoros"
and the Latin word "Lucifer" are absolutely, one hundred percent identical in meaning.
"Lucifer" is the perfect translation into Latin of the Greek word "Phosphoros."

9. Now let's note the dishonesty, first of the English translators and then of Jerome--

All of the English translators of the Bible know very well that the word "Phosphoros" in
2 Peter 1:19 can be perfectly accurately translated by the word "Lucifer." Instead they
have chosen to deliberately obscure this fact. Why?

They knew very well that 2 Peter 1:19 refers without doubt to Jesus Christ. This verse
calls Jesus Christ "Phosphoros" (in Greek) or "Lucifer" (in Latin). Yet the translators
have hidden this fact behind the words "day star." The facts are that "Phosphoros" has
absolutely nothing to do with either "day" or "star"! The translators simply borrowed a
term that is elsewhere used for Christ--namely "morning star" in Revelation 2:28 (Greek
= proinos + aster) and in Revelation 22:16 (Greek = orthrinos + aster).

To translate "phosphoros" as "day star" is plain dishonesty!!!

10. Now let's look at Jerome. The phrases quoted under point #8 above are translated by
Jerome into Latin as follows:

"...donec dies elucescat et lucifer oriatur in cordibus vestris."

Notice that Jerome correctly translated the Greek "phosphoros" into the Latin word
"lucifer." Jerome obviously knew that this verse refers to Jesus Christ--yet he wrote
"lucifer" with a small "l" and did not capitalize the word. He also knew that he had
translated the word "phosphoros" perfectly into Latin.

With this write-up I am including photo-copies of 2 peter 1:19 and Isaiah 14:12 from the
Latin vulgate. (Comment: that is what I sent to Pasadena with the original write-up I sent
through to them about 4-5 years ago. I can't really put photo-copies on Internet ).

Jerome knew that in the New Testament "Lucifer" is a title for Jesus Christ; yet he still
chose to also translate the less- clearly defined Hebrew word "Heylel" in Isaiah 14:12 as
"Lucifer," knowing that this word referred to Satan--and here Jerome started the word
with a capital "L," as can be seen from the enclosed photo-copies.

So with Jerome Satan gets a name that refers to Christ with a capital letter--and Christ
gets His own name only with a small letter.

11. Now let's look at the Hebrew word "heylel"--

It is used only once in the Bible, in Isaiah 14:12. That does not give us any further
insight. But "Heylel" is derived from the primitive root word "halal" It is this word that
gives us understanding of what "Heylel" really means. I might add here that this is also
the only way that Jerome and the English translators could come to an understanding of
what "Heylel" means--by clearly understanding the meaning of the word that "Heylel" is
derived from, since it is only used one single time.

12. "Halal" is used 165 times in the Old Testament and it is translated as follows in the
KJV:

117 times = Praise

14 times = Glory
10 times = Boast
8 times = Mad
3 times = Shine(d)
3 times = Foolish
2 times = Fools
2 times = Commended
2 times = Rage
1 time = Celebrate
1 time = Give
1 time = Marriage
1 time = Renowned

This should make clear that the translators felt they should attach over a dozen different
meanings to this word "Halal." The meanings are both, good and bad; both, positive and
negative.

There is no question that this word has a good, positive meaning. But neither is there any
question that it also has a bad, negative meaning. Jerome, without the slightest proof
available to him, decided to give the word "Heylel" a good, positive meaning. All the
major translators into English have simply followed Jerome's lead, who was working for
Pope Damascus, remember?

Anyone who has studied what God tells us about Satan, should realize immediately that
Satan is--"mad, boastful, a fool and foolish and he does rage." These words with which
"Halal" is translated in numerous places, fit Satan perfectly.

The very next verses in Isaiah show Satan boasting! Read Isaiah 14:13 - 14! That is why
God calls him "heylel"--because he boasted!! What could be plainer?

"For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above
the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the
north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most high" (Isaiah
14:13-14).

Satan's "boasting" is so very obvious in these verses!

13. Now here are some of the places where "Halal" is translated as:
 • •"Mad" = 1 Samuel 21:13; Psalms 102:8; Ecclesiastes 2:2; 7:7; Isaiah 44:25;
Jeremiah 25:16; 50:38; 51:7;
• •"Fools" = Job 12:17; Psalms 75:4;
• •"Foolish" = Psalms 5:5; 73:3; 75:4;
• •"Rage" = Jer 46:9; Nahum 2:4;
• •"Boast" = 1 Kings 20:11; Psalms 10:3; 34:2; 44:8; 49:6; 52:1; 97:7; Proverbs
20:14; 25:14; 27:1.

14. It should be very clear by now that "Heylel" has nothing to do with the words "Star"
or "Day" or "Morning" or "Bringing" or "Carrying." Notice also that he is "the son
(Hebrew = the product) of the morning" (Isaiah 14:12). Christ is the Morning Star and it
is He who created Satan. And Satan has deceived all of mankind into giving him the
exalted title, which is what it really is, and which rightfully belongs to Jesus Christ, of
"Light-Bringer." One clear fulfilment of Revelation 12:9--.

15. Paul explained this in 2 Corinthians 11:14, where he tells us: "...for Satan himself is
transformed (Greek = disguised) into an angel of light." Do you grasp this? He has
deceived the world into believing that Isaiah 14:12 tells us that he used to hold Christ's
job ( as per 2 Peter 1:19)--that he used to be an angel who was a "Light-bringer."

16. Once you get rid of the old paradigm that "Lucifer is a name that used to refer to
Satan" and grasp that the Bible identifies Christ as "Lucifer" (or "Phosphoros" in Greek),
the Light-bringer, then you'll be surprised how many scriptures literally flood into your
mind in support of this--. e.g.

• •John 8:12 = "I am the light of the world..."

• •John 3:19 = "...that light is come into the world..."
• •John 1:4 - 8 = "...in Him was...the light of men..."
• •John 12:36 = "...believe in the light..." etc., etc..

17. We need to understand that God has absolutely no reason to reveal Satan's previous
name to us. Why should we have to know it? (Apart from Ezekiel 28:12-15) nowhere in
the bible is anything good said about Satan!! Notice that in Ezekiel 28, where God does
speak about Satan's existence before the creation of man, God reveals that Satan had been
an anointed cherub--but God does not use any name that previously applied to Satan.
Why not? If it was a "good" name that we should know about, it would have fitted
perfectly into this description of Satan's prior glory. But Ezekiel 28 carefully avoids
hinting at any previous name. And so why should Isaiah 14:12 be an exception--by
giving us a lofty title that supposedly belonged to Satan at one time, and which Peter in
fact tells us is Christ's title?

Whatever name Satan may have had previously is totally blotted out before God--it is as
though Satan never ever had that name. That's what sin does--it totally blots out any
memory of any good that went before. That's what God tells us in Ezekiel 3:20 and 18:24
and 33:13. If the righteous turns away from God, then--"all his righteousness shall not be
remembered." Isn't this plain enough? After Satan sinned, why should God want us to
know about Satan's supposed "good name" from a previous time???

Understand this: even if "Lucifer" really had at one stage been Satan's name, God still
would not want us to use it in reference to Satan! It is God who reveals Satan to us by the
name "Satan"! And it is God who reveals Satan as a braggart in Isaiah 14:12-14.

18. Satan is the god of this age (2 Corinthians 4:4) who has blinded the minds of people.
He has churches and ministers who disguise themselves as "...the ministers of
righteousness" (2 Corinthians 11:15), a plain reference to them disguising themselves as
"Christians." Satan's universal ("catholic") church gave Satan one of Christ's names by
means of a mistranslation from the Hebrew into Latin. Jerome was clearly working for
Satan when he converted the Greek word "Phosphoros," used in 2 Peter 1:19 for Jesus
Christ, into a personal name for Satan in the Old Testament. Jerome knew that
"Phosphoros" refers to Christ. If he really was a Hebrew scholar, as is generally claimed,
then he also knew that "Halal" also has negative connotations like "mad, boast, foolish,"
etc. because he would have had to translate this word into Latin 165 times. Did Jerome
really not understand the context of boasting in this passage??

For over 1000 years this name was used for Satan in the western world. It was placed
above question as a former name for Satan. So translators and students of the Biblical
languages and of Latin have also accepted this as a fact that should not be questioned.
Satan clearly does not want his "right" to the name "Lucifer" questioned. Those who use
it for Satan show they are "worshipping" Satan--by attributing one of Christ's names to
Satan.

I could carry on with some more points, but I feel that the above information should
suffice to understand that Satan is never referred to as "lucifer" in the Word of God. So
what about you--will you continue to refer to Satan as having once been called
"Lucifer"?? You now know the facts!

Frank W. Nelte

STOP- READ THIS!

Dear Reader, Now that we have your attention, may we also make note that since, “You
now know the facts!”, you may be even more interested in knowing the rest of the story.

As the above author wrote:

Once you get rid of the old paradigm that "Lucifer is a name that used to refer to
Satan" and grasp that the Bible identifies Christ as "Lucifer" (or "Phosphoros" in
Greek), the Light-bringer, then you'll be surprised how many scriptures literally
flood into your mind in support of this--. e.g.
We can now add, without the preconceived notion that Lucifer is a prior name for
“Satan”, that we have removed the “reason” for placing “Satan” into Isaiah 14:12 in the
first place.

Concerning Is. 14:12 please note the author’s statement:

Anyone who has studied what God tells us about Satan, should realize
immediately that Satan is--"mad, boastful, a fool and foolish and he does rage."
These words with which "Halal" is translated in numerous places fit Satan
perfectly.

The following is also true of the King of Babylon! So why substitute Satan for this
human king without cause? If you think that this is cause:

"For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne
above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the
sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the
most high" (Isaiah 14:13-14).

Then be aware that in the Hebrew culture of that day, these were all expressions of
bravado and pride used to denote supremacy over Israel.

“I will ascend into heaven” does not mean what we think it does in English. It simply
means that his power was far reaching and he dominated many formerly strong nations.

“I will exalt my throne above the stars of God” has nothing to do with outer space, but
with ruling over the royalty of Judah.

“I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation”, likewise, rule “over” the House of
Judah.

“I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most high"” is pure
boastfulness and vanity and hyperbole related to his sovereignty and spread of his empire.

To borrow from the above author, “That is why God calls him "heylel"--because he
boasted!! What could be plainer?”

CAN WE LEARN ANYTHING FROM THE KARAITES?

Sin and Satan

by Nehemia Gordon
www.karaites.info

In the fourth chapter of Genesis we read about the first murder

committed by Cain who slew his brother Abel. Cain and Abel, the sons
of Adam and Eve, both offered sacrifices to God. The shepherd Abel
offered the firstborn of his flocks while the farmer Cain offered the first
fruits of his crops (Genesis 4:3-4). The brothers' sacrifices were not
received equally as we read, "(4) And YHWH gazed ‫ עַ שִׁ ַיּו‬upon Abel
and his offering, (5) but upon Cain and his offering he did not gaze ָ‫הָ ע‬
‫"שׁ‬. What does it mean that God gazed upon Abel's sacrifice and how
did Cain know that his sacrifice was not gazed upon? One explanation
that has been suggested is that when Abel presented his offering, a
fire came down from heaven and burnt it up, while nothing happened
to Cain's offering. This sort of heavenly fire is know from a number of
biblical accounts and was apparently the norm in Tabernacle and
Temple times. For example, we read concerning David's offerings,
"And David built there an altar to YHWH and offered up whole burnt
offerings and peace-offerings; and he called unto YHWH and He
answered him with a fire from heaven upon the sacrificial altar"
(1Chronicles 21:26). David prayed to God to accept his sacrifice and
the response was a heavenly fire that burnt it up. The heavenly fire
also burnt up the offerings of Solomon, as we read: "And it was when
Solomon finished praying that the fire descended from heaven and
consumed the whole-burnt-offering and the meat sacrifices"
(2Chronicles 7:1). Again we see that a sacrifice, accompanied by
prayer is accepted by a heavenly fire consuming the offering. The
same heavenly fire consumed Elijah's sacrifice on Mt. Carmel (1Kings
18:24.36-39). Thus one explanation of the gazing upon Abel's sacrifice
is that a fire came down from heaven burning it up, an indication that
God accepted him and his offering. In contrast, Cain's offering was not
burnt up, indicating that God was not pleased with him.

Of course, Scripture does not tell us precisely how God's gazing was
expressed and whether it was a heavenly fire or some other sign or
indication, Cain realized that God was pleased with his brother but not
with him. Cain quickly became jealous of his brother and suffered all
the emotions associated with that jealousy, as we read, "And Cain was
very angered and he became depressed (literally: his face fell)" (Gen
4:5). God revealed himself to Cain and told him he had no reason to be
jealous, "And YHWH said to Cain, why are you angry and why are you
depressed? If you do good, forgiveness; but if you do not do good, sin
crouches at the door, and its desire is toward you, but you can rule
over it." God tells Cain he has no reason to be angry or depressed
since he can improve his own situation through his behavior. Yes, God
is displeased with Cain, but if he acts righteously he will be forgiven.
The word ‫" תֵ אְ שׂ‬forgiveness" has often been misunderstood. The word
derives from the Hebrew root ‫ אשנ‬which literally means "to lift up, to
take" and hence "to take away sin, to forgive". For example, Jacob
instructs his sons to ask forgiveness from their brother, "Thus shall you
say to Joseph, Forgive ‫אָ שׂ‬, now, the transgression of your brothers"
(Gen 50:17). Similarly, Moses prays that YHWH forgive Israel for the sin
of the golden calf, "And now, surely you shall forgive ‫ אָ שִּׂ תּ‬their sin
and if not erase me, now, from your book that you have written" (Ex
32:32). The infinitive form of the verb, ‫תֵ אְ שׂ‬, means "forgiveness".1
God is explaining to Cain that if he "does good", he will receive
forgiveness and be acceptable to God.

To "do good" means to act righteously. In Hebrew the word "good" is

both an adjective (good person, good food) and a verb "good" (to do
good). Apparently failing to understand this, the King James Version
translates "good" as an adverb, "If you do well". This translation leaves
the reader wondering: "If you do what well"? The Hebrew contains no
such ambiguity. What Cain is instructed to do is "goodness", that is,
righteous action. God is teaching Cain that if he acts righteously, he
will be forgiven and acceptable to God.

Sin Crouches at the Door

God also explains to Cain, "if you do not do good, sin crouches at the
door, and its desire is toward you, but you can rule over it." Sin is
personified as a wild beast that lies in wait for Cain to leave the
comfort and safety of his dwelling place. The wild beast is ever ready
to pounce. If Cain sins, the wild beast will lust for him and will surely
attack him, 1 In Biblical Hebrew the infinitive construct form usually expresses the
abstract idea of the verb. For example, the root ‫ ארב‬means "to create"; the infinitive
ֹ means "creation". but he can still rule over the wild beast.
construct form ‫ארְ בּ‬
What this extended metaphor means is that if a person sins, sin will
desire him and will look for a way to make him sin further. Thus the
consequence of sin is being placed in a situation that will lead to
further sin. But we can avoid this further sin by controlling ourselves
and not giving in to temptation.

Sin as a Punishment for Sin

God taught Cain an important lesson, that the consequence of sin is

further sin. This is what is meant by the verse, "The wage of the
righteous man is life, while the fruit of the evildoer is sin" (Prov 10:16).
Just as the righteous man reaps life as his reward, the sinner reaps
further sin as his punishment. The ultimate punishment of the sinner
will be magnified if he continues to sin, so being placed in a position
that will lead to sin is itself form of punishment. This is also the
meaning of the proverb, "He that sows sin will reap iniquity" (Prov
22:8). The concept of sin being punished by being placed in a situation
that leads to further sin has a prominent place in the Torah. We are
informed in the 28th chapter of Deuteronomy that the punishment for
not keeping the covenant of the Torah is exile. Exile is not only a
physical banishment; it also means being spiritual cut off from God and
placed in a position that may lead to sin. Thus we read, "YHWH will
bring you... to a nation which you have not known... and there you
shall worship other gods, of wood and stone." (Dt 28:36). If we violate
His commandments we will be taken to a strange land where we will
be forced to worship idols. Thus one of the punishments for sin is being
placed in a position that will lead to further sin.

Sin and Satan?

In God's warning to Cain, sin is described as a wild beast that seeks to

cause man to sin. When we sin, the beast lusts for us and tries to make
us sin even more. But we always have the power to resist sin, no
matter how great the temptation. Is sin really a beast of prey that lusts
for mankind to sin or is this just a metaphor? Can we identify the sin
beast of Gen 4:7 Satan? For that matter, is there really an angel
named Satan that rebelled against God and who desires for men to join
him in his unholy struggle? To understand the biblical concept of Satan
we must of course look at how the Hebrew word translated as Satan is
used throughout the Hebrew Scriptures. In the King James translation
we find a character named Satan mentioned 19 times. However, the
Hebrew word for Satan ‫ ן‬. ‫ ט‬. ‫ שׂ‬appears a total of 35 times in the
Hebrew Scriptures. 2 It is immediately apparent that no understanding
of the biblical concept of Satan can be attained without reference to
the Hebrew text.

The Meaning of ‫ שׂ ןט‬satan

The Hebrew word ‫ ן‬. ‫ ט‬. ‫ שׂ‬means "enemy, adversary". It is used in this
sense numerous times in the Hebrew Scriptures to refer to human
adversaries. For example, we read, "And YHWH raised up a satan
(enemy) for Solomon, Hadad the Edomite, who was of the royal seed in
Edom" (1Ki 11:14). And again, "(23) And God raised him up a satan
(enemy), Rezon son of Elyada... (25) and he was a satan (enemy) to
Israel all the days of Solomon..." (1Ki 11:23-25). We see that both
Hadad the Edomite and Rezon son of Elyada were satans of Israel, that
is, they were enemies of Israel. These two were not the only humans
described as satans (enemies). The Philistine nobles warned Achish the
Gittite that David should not be allowed to join them in their invasion
of Israel, "that he not be for us a satan (enemy) in war" (1Sam 29:4),
that is, they were concerned that David would turn against them in the
middle of a battle and become their enemy. So King David, the
anointed of YHWH, was a satan (enemy) to the Phillistines. King David
himself accused the sons of Tseruya of being his satan (enemy) (2Sam
19:23). Any act of enmity can be described as being a satan (enemy).
The psalmist complains to God about "those that repay me evil for
good, and are satans (enemies) to me instead of seeking my well-
being" (Ps 38:21). And again, "instead of loving me, they are satans
(enemies) to me" (Ps 109:4). Ps 71:13 speaks of "those that are satans
(enemies) to my 2 Gen 26:21; Nu 22:22, 32; 1Sam 29:4; 2Sam 19:23; 1Ki 5:18,
11:14, 23, 25; Zech 3:1 (twice), 2 (twice); Ps 38:21, 71:13, 109:4, 6, 20, 29; Job 1:6, 7
(twice), 8, 9, 12 (twice), 2:1, 2 (twice), 3, 4, 6, 7; Ezra 4:6; 1Chr 21:1 soul", Ps
109:20 of "my satans (enemies)... those that speak evil of my soul",
and Ps 109:29 of "my satans (enemies)". Our forefather Jacob dug a
well which he named ‫הנְ טִ שׂ‬
ָ sitnah (enmity) after his shepherds
quarreled with the Shepherds of Gerar. The enemies of Israel sent king
Nebuchadnezzar "a letter of ‫הנְ טִ שׂ‬
ָ sitnah (enmity) against the
inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem". We see that a satan is quite
simply an enemy, someone who hates and seeks harm. A satan is not
even necessarily evil since King David was a satan (enemy) to the evil
Phillistines.

Angelic Satans

Up till now we have only seen references to human satans, but what of
angelic satans? The first angelic satan (enemy) to appear in the
Hebrew Scriptures is in the account of the Gentile prophet Bil'am
(Balaam). Bil'am had been invited by the Moabite king Balak to curse
Israel but God instructed Bil'am not to agree to Balak's request
(Numbers 22:12). Bil'am would not take no for an answer and God
eventually agreed that he may go to meet with Balak but not to curse
Israel (Numbers 22:22). Apparently Bil'am had other ideas and set off
to curse Israel anyway. God was displeased by this and sent a satanic
angel against Bil'am, "And the anger of God burned, for he (Bil'am) was
going. And an angel ( ְ‫ )ךאְַ לַ מ‬of YHWH stood in the way as a satan
(enemy) to him (Bil'am)" (Numbers 22:22). We see the angel of YHWH
is called a satan (enemy). The account continues that the satanic
angel of YHWH drew his sword to kill Bil'am. Seeing the angel, Bil'am's
ass turned out of the way of the satanic angel three times until there
was nowhere else to turn. Not knowing why the ass turned off the main
path, Bil'am beat her. Eventually God revealed His satanic angel to
Bil'am, "And YHWH revealed to the eyes of Bil'am and he saw the
angel of YHWH standing in the path with his sword drawn in his hand...
and the angel of YHWH said to him, why did you hit your ass these
three times, behold I went out as a satan (enemy)... and the ass saw
me and turned away from me three times; had she not turned away
from me, I would have surely killed you and let her live." (Numbers
22:31-33). Bil'am responds to the satanic angel with sincere remorse,
"And Bil'am said to the angel of YHWH, I have sinned for I did not know
that you are standing in front of me on the way, and now, if it is evil in
your eyes, I will turn myself back" (Numbers 22:24). Bil'am says to the
satanic angel that if he has done evil by going with the Moabites he will
readily stop what he is doing and go back home. The satanic angel
responds, "And the angel of YHWH said to Bil'am, Go with the men, but
only the word which I speak to you, speak to them" (Numbers 22:35).
Bil'am can continue on his mission but he must be certain only to
speak that which God tells him.

We see that the angel of YHWH is called a satan. This satanic angel is
not out to win minions for his unholy war against God. On the contrary,
he is God's angel. The Hebrew word for angel is mal'ach ְ‫ ךאְַ לַ מ‬which
means "messenger". The representatives sent by Balak to Bil'am are
also called mal'achim ‫" םיִ כאְָ לַ מ‬messengers" (Numbers 22:5). The
satanic angel in the Bil'am Account is simply YHWH's messenger who
does what YHWH sends him to do.

That the satanic angel is YHWH's messenger is also clear from the fact
that he speaks the message of God both as himself, and as if he were
God. Thus we read, "And the angel of YHWH said to Bil'am, Go with the
men, but only the word which I speak to you, speak to them" (Numbers
22:35). The satanic angel refers to the words that YHWH will speak to
Bil'am as "the word which I will speak to you". This is because the
satanic angel is speaking the words that God told him to speak, which
is after all the role of the messenger. The messengers of Balak did the
same thing when they spoke to Bil'am, "And he sent messenger ַ‫םיִ כאְָ ל‬
‫ מ‬to Bil'am... saying, Behold a people has gone out of Egypt, behold he
covers the face of the earth and dwells across from me." (Numbers
22:5). The messengers of Balak refer to Israel as a nation that "dwells
across from me", the "me" being Balak. Thus they spoke the words of
Balak in the first person (I/ me) as if Balak himself were saying them, in
the same way as the satanic angel speaks the words of God in the first
person as if God were saying them.

While the satanic angel spoke the words of God, he was not himself
God. When he says, "behold I went out as a satan (enemy)" (Numbers
22:32) he is speaking about himself, the angel, not YHWH. It was the
practice of the ancient messengers to freely switch off between
speaking their message as if they were the sender and speaking it as
themselves. The prophets of YHWH also spoke the message of YHWH
in these two manners. For example, we read in the book of Hosea, "the
offerings of My gifts they slaughter as meat and eat; YHWH shall not
accept them, now he shall remember their iniquity and repay their
sins" (Hosea 8:13). Hosea, speaking the words of God, refers to the
animals donated to the Temple as "the offerings of My gifts". Rather
than bring these gifts to the Temple, the Israelites sin by eating them
as meat. Hosea explains that "YHWH will not accept them, now he will
remember their iniquity". We see that Hosea freely switches in mid-
sentence between speaking as if he were YHWH ("My gifts") and
speaking as himself ("YHWH will not accept"). In both instances Hosea
is speaking the message of YHWH, he is simply presenting it in two
different manners of presentation. The satanic angel in the Bil'am
Account employs this same dual mannerism. He speaks about himself,
the angel, in the first person, and in the next breath speaks the words
of God in the first person. Just like Hosea and other prophets, the
satanic angel switches between speaking as the messenger and
speaking as the sender.

The satanic angel that was sent to harm Bil'am did not desire for Bil'am
to sin. He was not a tempter, and on the contrary, he ordered Bil'am
not to defy God (Numbers 22:35). The satanic angel in the Bil'am
Account was simply a messenger of God, and like human messengers,
could speak the words of God in first person as if he were God. Clearly
this satan was not a rebellious angel seeking to establish a kingdom of
evil. He was called a satan (enemy) because he was sent to slay
Bil'am, as a punishment for defying God's explicit order not to go to
Balak for the purpose of cursing Israel. We see that an angel sent to
cause harm to human beings can be referred to as a satan (enemy).
The satanic angel is not an enemy of God, but His messenger. An
enemy causes harm so the angel that causes harm to human beings is
called a satan (enemy).

A Satan on His Right Hand

The next appearance of a satanic angel is in the book of Zechariah.

The prophet Zechariah sees two angels standing near the high priest,
"And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of
YHWH, and the satan (enemy) standing upon his right to be a satan
(enemy) to him" (Zechariah 3:1). Zechariah sees a satanic angel
standing on Joshua's right hand as his enemy. The vision continues,
"And YHWH said to the satan (enemy), YHWH rebukes you satan
(enemy), and YHWH rebukes you he who has chosen Jerusalem, is this
one not as a brand saved from the fire" (Zechariah 3:2). The satanic
angel wants to harm Joshua the high priest but God calls him off
because it would also cause harm to Jerusalem. Joshua is likened to a
brand saved from the fire, that is, a stick of wood about to be burnt up
that is plucked out of the bonfire. Joshua was supposed to be burnt up
by YHWH's wrath, but YHWH gave him a last minute reprieve, not for
his own sake, but for the sake of Jerusalem. After saving him from his
punishment, Joshua's soiled clothes are removed and he is dressed in
fine robes (Zechariah3:4). To wear "soiled clothes" means to be
covered in sin and worthy of punishment (Psalm 109:29). God has
forgiven Joshua, cancelled his punishment, and removed his sin. We
see that the satanic angel in Zechariah was sent to punish the high
priest, just as the satanic angel in the Bil'am Account was sent to
punish Bil'am. In both cases the satanic angel is sent when YHWH's
wrath burns ("a brand plucked from the fire") and in both cases the
satanic angel's mission to cause harm is canceled at the last minute.

Why does YHWH rebuke the satanic angel? If he is no more than a

messenger then why does YHWH not just recall him? Is the satanic
angel there out of his own initiative? There is only one other place in
scripture that speaks about a satanic angel on someone's right hand.
In Psalm 109:6 King David asks YHWH to punish those who have
harmed him, "Appoint an evildoer over him, and a satan on his right
hand" (Psalm 109:6). King David prays that his enemies be punished
by YHWH "appointing" an evil human to rule over them or a satanic
angel who will harm them. We see that the satanic angel who comes
on the right hand to do harm is "appointed" by YHWH. We should not
be surprised that YHWH rebukes the very satanic angel that He Himself
has appointed to harm Joshua the high priest. The ability to rescind His
own decree of punishment is said to be one of the merciful traits of
YHWH, "But He is merciful, atones sin, not destroying; He many times
turns back his anger (‫ )וֹפּאַ ביִ שָׁ הְ ל הָ בְּ רִ הְ ו‬and does not stir up all his
wrath" (Ps 78:38).

YHWH can "turn back his anger" and forgive, canceling the punishment
that he has already decreed. He did this for the Israelites after they
worshipped the golden calf (Psalm 106:23). He also did this for Joshua
the high priest who was soiled in sin. Thus when YHWH rebukes the
satanic angel this is an act of "turning back His anger". The satanic
angel was "appointed" on Joshua's "right hand" to punish him for his
sins. But God decided to forgive him for the sake of Jerusalem and
recalled the satanic angel sent to execute His wrath.

A Satan that Incites to Sin

From what we have seen so far, no connection can be made between

the metaphorical beast that lusted for mankind to sin in the Cain and
Abel Account and the biblical concept of satan. Yet we do find a
number of instances in the Hebrew Scriptures in which a satanic angel
fulfils the role of the wild beast that leads man to sin. The clearest
example of this is the account of the census of King David. The Torah
requires that every person participating in a census pay a half shekel
of silver to the Temple as "an atonement for his soul to YHWH when
they are counted, that there not be a plague when they are counted"
(Exodus 30:12). This is done by writing down the names of all the
Israelites who pay the half shekel and then counting the number of
names on the list (Exodus 30:13; Numbers 1:2). To simply send around
census-takers to count the people is a grievous sin that will surely
bring YHWH's wrath on the nation. Enter the satanic angel: "And a
satan stood against Israel and he incited David to count Israel."
(1Chronicles 21:1). David gave in to the satan's incitement and
counted Israel which resulted in a devastating plague that killed
thousands.

Was the satan that incited David the mythical fallen angel locked in a
never-ending war with God? David's census is also mentioned in a
parallel account in the book of Samuel. Many of the accounts in the
Books of Samuel and Kings are repeated in the Book of Chronicles,
sometimes verbatim, other times with complementary information. In
the case of the Davidic Census we find complementary information,
"And the anger of YHWH continued to burn against Israel, and he
incited David against them saying, Go count Israel and Judah."
(2Samuel 24:1). The book of Samuel informs us that the one who
incited David was YHWH, while the book of Chronicles attributes this to
a satan. We have already seen in the Bil'am Account that satanic
angels are messengers of YHWH who do His bidding. They can even
speak his words in the first person, like a human messenger or a
prophet. So when we read in one book that YHWH incited Israel and in
the other that a satan incited Israel, we must conclude that this satan
was acting on YHWH's behalf. It is not unusual to attribute the actions
of the messenger to the one who sent him. The book of Kings tells us
that Solomon built the Temple, even though we can be certain that he
never lifted a stone or cut a piece of wood (1Ki 6:1). But the sender is
credited with the action of the messenger acting on his behalf. The
satanic angel incited David on YHWH's behalf, so it can be said that
YHWH incited David. Chronicles informs us that He did it by sending a
satanic angel.

It is worth noting that David was not tempted by the satanic angel, but
incited. To incite (Hebrew: ‫ )תוס‬means to urge or otherwise influence
someone to do something wrong. For example, "If your brother... incite
you in secret saying, let us go and worship other gods" (Deuteronomy
13:8). We can only guess how the satanic angel urged David to count
the people. From Joab's reaction (2Samuel 24:3; 2Chronicles 21:3), it
seems that David suffered from a sense of inferiority and wanted to
know how many people he ruled so he could feel mighty. It may have
been the satanic angel who planted this seed of inferiority in David's
psyche at YHWH's behest. Like Cain, David could have controlled his
desire to sin, but he chose to satisfy himself rather than obey God's
commandment.

Why did God incite David to sin? The book of Samuel tells us, "And the
anger of YHWH continued to burn against Israel, and he incited David
against them" (2Samuel 24:1). God was angry at Israel so he sent a
satanic angel to incite David to sin. We may recall that the satanic
angel was also sent against Bil'am because YHWH was angry with him.
When God is angry, he sends satanic angels to punish mankind. Bil'am
was nearly punished by being struck down by the angel. When God
was angry at Israel, rather than immediately strike them down, he
incited David to cause them to further sin and thereby receive an even
greater punishment. This also gave them an opportunity to resist
sinning and receive forgiveness. This is precisely what God explained
to Cain, "If you do good, forgiveness; but if you do not do good, sin
crouches at the door, and its desire is toward you, but you can rule
over it" (Genesis 4:7). If he does righteousness he will be forgiven; but
if he sins, he will be tempted to further sin by a beast of prey, a satanic
angel, sent by God to cause him harm.

The Satanic Angel in Job

The most detailed account of a satanic angel appears in the book of

Job. In the first two chapters of Job we read about two encounters
between YHWH and a satanic angel dubbed ‫" ןָ טָ שַּׂ ה‬the enemy". The
fact that the angel is called ‫ ןָ טָ שַּׂ ה‬proves that Satan was not its name.
In Biblical Hebrew a proper noun (i.e. a name) cannot be preceded by
the word "the". In Hebrew it is impossible to say "the David" or "the
Jacob". The angel in Job is called "the satan", which tells us that satan
is a description of the angel, not its name. The angel in Job is "the
enemy", that is, the enemy that will be sent to harm Job.

We read in Job, "And it was the time that the angels (literally: sons of
God) came to stand before YHWH and the satan (enemy) also came
among them" (Job 1:6). God is described as a king holding royal court.
Instead of royal courtiers and officials, the heavenly court is attended
by the "sons of God", the angels, including the satanic angel that
would be sent against Job. The account continues with an exchange
between God and the satanic angel. God boasts that Job is the most
righteous man on earth and the satanic angel responds that this is only
because God has protected him, "However", suggests the angel, "send
your hand and smite all that he has and he will surely curse you to
your face." (Job 1:11). God agrees and instructs the satanic angel,
"Behold, all that he has is in your hand, only do not send your hand
against him" (Job 1:12). The satanic angel is given permission to
destroy all that Job has but not to touch Job himself. The satanic angel
proceeds to kill Job's children and strip him of his property. The angel is
called a satan not because he is an enemy of YHWH, but because he is
an enemy who harms Job.

In the second chapter of Job, we witness a second encounter between

YHWH and the satanic angel. This time the satanic angel suggests that
YHWH harm Job's body, "Send now your hand and smite his bone and
flesh, he shall surely curse you to your face." (Job 2:5). God responds
by giving the satanic angel permission to harm Job's person, "Behold
he is in your hand, only preserve his life". Again we see that YHWH
smites Job by giving him over to the hand of his satanic messenger.

To what extent is this satanic angel an independent creature? Certainly

he does not command armies of demons nor is he engaged in an
unholy struggle against YHWH. He can only do what YHWH allows him
to do. While Job is under YHWH's protection, the satanic angel is
powerless to do anything to him. The satanic angel complains to God,
"Have You not made a hedge around him, his house, and all that he
has?" (Job 1:10). When God wishes to test Job He removes His
protection and turns him over to the satanic angel, just as He did to
Bil'am and David. Yet the actions of this satanic angel are said to be
YHWH's actions. The satanic angel suggests to YHWH, "send Your hand
and smite all that he has". YHWH sends His hand against Job's property
by giving it over to the satanic angel.

Again the sender is credited with the actions of the messenger. Like
the sin beast in the Cain and Abel Account, Job's satanic angel lay in
wait lusting for Job to sin. Thus this satanic angel's divine mission is not
simply to punish mankind, but to get him to sin so mankind can receive
an even greater punishment. The satanic angel does not do this on his
own initiative. He is sent by YHWH to wander to and fro in the earth
and tempt those who have sinned to sin further or to test those whom
YHWH wishes to test.

Summation

We have seen that satanic angels are not enemies of God, but of
mankind. They are not waging an unholy war against God nor
recruiting humans to join an army of darkness. They are simply
messengers who do YHWH's bidding. Some satanic angels fulfill the
role of a sin beast that crouches at the door, waiting to pounce on the
sinner. When people sin they are given over to the sin beast who
places them in compromising situations that can lead them to sin
further. The satanic angel in Chronicles fulfilled this role and was sent
by YHWH to incite David to sin. In Job the satanic angel was at first
helpless to cause Job to sin, because God protected Job (Job 1:10). But
when God wanted to test Job he did this by allowing the satanic angel
to tempt him. Despite the horrific things that happened to Job he
succeeded in ruling over the great temptation to sin. Although he was
turned over to the hands of the satanic angel, by acting righteously he
was able to rule the satanic angel rather than be ruled by it.