The Adversary and the Spirit of Self

I’ve had my suspicions for a long time.

When I began deeply researching Nephilim and dragons (aka “serpents”) and giants and bene Elohim seventeen years ago in preparation for a book that I was writing, I had no idea of where that journey into truth would take me. That research was the shovel that YHWH would eventually use to bury who I had been up until that point in my life.

As I dug through countless volumes (in those days the internet was not yet “loaded” with material) and as I began to find the hidden truths buried beneath the English façade (an outward appearance that is maintained to conceal a less pleasant or creditable reality) of our bibles and concordances, I began to go through the withdrawal of my own cognitive dissonance only to enter into a reality which was far less “comfortable” than that of my previous existence but from which I could never turn back.

I continued and began breaking one Christian myth after another into pieces using only the Hebrew and Greek languages of the bible (or what we have left of them today), and I was forced by reality to question everything that I had ever been taught or believed or thought that I knew. I was being “un-brainwashed,” or as it is called in the Word, “transformed by the renewing of my mind.”

And the more I was transformed, the more disturbing things became and the more lonely I also became. I began to realize the enormity of the incredibly deep loneliness that Yeshua lived with, only for Him it was to a much greater degree. He knew from where He had come. But it was crushing to me.

I had come from a place where “family was number one” to a place where I had to walk away from my family. They had already largely written me off as a lunatic at this point, so my invitation to them to join me on my journey went ignored and ridiculed. I had been popular in my church, and I became a by-word and a warning to my previous friends to whom I attempted to reach out; “Look out for that Tim! He’s following Satan and he’s calling himself a prophet!” I had never “called myself a prophet.” I wouldn’t dare. But I did ask the question of whether I might be a prophet. YHWH had given something to me that I had no answers for.

I had been a “people person.” I “loved” people. I “loved” performing music for people, cooking for them, “fellowshipping” with them, and doing things for them. And now there were no people in my life. They were as gone as if they had never been there at all.

After writing “On the Way,” which was the work of my honeymoon with the God of Truth, things got bad. Very bad. I walked through death day after day, year by year, one crushing experience after another. I was beat down and dragged through the filth and in my despair I made horrible decisions, only to be beat down and dragged through again. Even “sanity” became a not-so-desirable aspiration. Apparently, I still had things in my house that YHWH wanted me to clean out, though I had no idea of how to do so. I still had a “beam”, or beams in my eyes, and He wanted them gone – no matter the cost to my self.

Which brings us to the subject of this chapter – our adversary, the spirit of self. You may know this spirit by its common name…”Satan.”

Sin is a symptom of the spirit of self. The spirit of self is the gulf that keeps us separated from YHWH. Self is the beam in our eyes. Self is the roaring lion seeking to devour us. Yeshua spent His three years of public ministry warning us about our self, and His apostles then followed suit. His Spirit is the Spirit of un-self, to deny ourselves and lay down our lives for the sake of others. The Way is death to self.

Now, please allow me to prove this from the Word.

The Garden. The place where man walked and talked with the Lord. Man did not devour the animals, and the animals did not devour each other. The trees bore fruit, and man did not need to till the ground. Man was the King, and the woman who was taken from his bones was his mate and helper. Some people blame the serpent (btw, not called “Satan” at this point), some people blame Eve, and the Word tells us that through man sin entered the world, and not through the serpent. Adam blamed Eve and then blamed the Lord (…The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate…). The fact is that Adam and Eve should have been instructing the serpent in righteousness and not listening to the serpent for guidance. It’s interesting that Adam did not place blame on the serpent, but Eve did. But the point being, what Eve did in following the guidance of the serpent was the result of her own desires, self, and also Adam’s decision to take and eat was also the result of self. How can I say this? With Eve it’s obvious: “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate.” Simply, the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, the pride of life, and the desire for other things – all born of the spirit of self. With Adam, we know that his decision was the result of self because his answer  for  doing so was in “self-defense.” He blamed the Lord and Eve instead of taking responsibility. He defended himself. He should have humbled himself, admitted his wrong, and defended Eve, his ward.

The Satans and the Adversaries and Self

This chapter has been a long time in the making. As I’ve studied the Word to reveal things of which I’ve seen indications as the result of yet other revelations and studies, I’ve accumulated many scriptures and insights into what is currently a widely misunderstood and wildly superstitious subject: the nature of Satan. While it seems, sadly, that we know this subject all-to-well, it’s also apparent that we don’t understand this subject. I set out to correct this issue, not because we should be fascinated with it – we should not – but because many of us do not understand, 1) what we are fighting against, and, 2) the way to fight it as written in the Word. Yeshua came and showed us both things, but somehow we missed the lessons in our our pursuit of spiritual fulfillment. This is perhaps the greatest danger that exists for those who claim to believe.

I was on-course with the writing of this chapter when an “anomaly” occurred. I don’t believe in coincidences, so this anomaly changed the course of what I was writing. I normally don’t write until I have “all the pieces” assembled, inspected, and ready put together and edit. This particular occurrence left me no alternative to but to scrap the direction in which I was previously going on this subject. Please don’t misunderstand – the information that I had put together remains quite valid – but the way that I present it will have changed dramatically.

So what happened? A young lady who is familiar with the work that I have been doing made a post on the Facebook page of which I’m a member. And there was a large and diverse response to this post; from agreement, to opposition, to confusion, to requests for clarification, to some opinions both biblical and not. It became apparent that I needed to write this chapter from a position of giving answer to the numerous comments on the post.

Here’s the post:

“In reference to your studies on self and The Satan….

I’m learning that “HaSatan” means adversary or opposer and NOT a singular embodiment of evil…i.e. one all powerful evil being.

It’s a TITLE given to both divine beings AND human beings…

It’s used in MANY different ways, too…
For example: Baalam’s Donkey. The Angel of the Lord is said to be SENT to oppose Baalam thru the donkey….essentially, the Angel of the Lord was “HaSatan”, the opposer of Baalam, in this story.

So, “HaSatan” can be an opposer FOR, AGAINST, or by way of Yah…there are other instances, I don’t remember, where man is also called HaSatan.

Soooooo, this would fall right in line with what you’re talking about…making SELF opposed TO Yah!”

End of post.

Folks, in short, I’m going to do my best to answer biblically all of the questions and comments that begin with and follow this post. The questions that I don’t address here are because they are apocryphal in nature I will address these later in other writing.

So, let’s begin:

• There are at least 5 Hebrew words (currently researching a sixth, ha-sa-tan, Strong’s 7854, הַשָּׂטָ֖ן ) that are translated into the proper noun “Satan” in our English language Scriptures:
• saw-tawn, also sa-tan,Strong’s 7854, שָׂטָ֖ן , 1 Chronicles 21:1, 5 occurances
• we-ha-sa-tan, Strongs 7854, וְהַשָּׂטָ֛ן , ex. Zechariah 3:1 (compare to has-sa-tan in verse 2!), 1 occurence
• has-sa-tan, Strong’s 7854, הַשָּׂטָ֖ן, ex. Zechariah 3:2, Job 1:6, 16 occurances
• wə-śā-ṭān, Strong’s 7854, וְ֝שָׂטָ֗ן , ex. Psalm 109:6, 1 occurance
• Lə·śā·ṭān, Strong’s 7854, לְשָׂטָ֣ן , ex. 1 Samuel 29:4 (In this case written of David), 4 occurences

The first, and most obvious (to me) factor that must be considered is that these all have the same Strong’s reference number, but they are all different words and used differently as well. Why use the same reference number for 5 different Hebrew words in the King James Version’s usage of the “name” Satan?

Another thing that must be considered is that there are (supposedly) twenty-seven instances of Strong’s 7854 in the Scriptures, though, oddly enough, Strong’s only lists six of these verses under the word “adversary.”

So, moving forward, when we examine the young lady’s comment above, we see that she mentions the angel of the Lord and Baalam and his donkey. Here’s the verse:

“Then God’s anger was aroused because he went, and the Angel of the Lord took His stand in the way as an adversary (Lə·śā·ṭān, Strong’s 7854, לְשָׂטָ֣ן ) against him. And he was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him.”

Now, please compare to this verse:

“But the princes of the Philistines were angry with him; so the princes of the Philistines said to him, “Make this fellow return, that he may go back to the place which you have appointed for him, and do not let him go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become our adversary (also Lə·śā·ṭān, Strong’s 7854, לְשָׂטָ֣ן ). For with what could he reconcile himself to his master, if not with the heads of these men?”

Ok, so the English word used in the translation is adversary. No problem, right? Simple enough, right? So why are these verses grouped in with Strong’s 7854 use of the word “satan”? What is going on?

In the two cases above, I can’t see how either the Angel of the Lord or David were anything but an adversary to Baalam and to the Philistines. But this I do know: Baalam was acting against the will of YHWH because of selfish motives, and the motive of the Philistines in this case was self-preservation. More on this later….

One thing begins to become abundantly clear already: if we are to know our enem(ies), we will need to rely on more than our English translations and biblehub and biblegateway and Strong’s concordances.

We need to become students of the Hebrew language and we need to “study to show ourselves approved.” Where did the Bereans go to test the words of Paul? Their bibles? No, they went to the Hebrew Scriptures to “prove all things.”

So, David gets a “pass” for the use of adversary in 1 Samuel 29:4. But wait a minute – let’s look at 1 Chronicles 21:1…..

“Now Satan (sa-tan, Strong’s 7854, שָׂטָ֖ן ) stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel.”

Finally! Now we’re getting somewhere, right? The transliteration is even “sa-tan,” and one can clearly see that “the devil made him do it.” Right?

Ummm…a couple of small problems. “Sa-tan” did not have a gun (or an arrow) up to David’s head. David chose to defy YHWH for selfish reasons. The result of his self-desire to number Israel? The death of tens of thousands of his people. One selfish defiance of a command from YHWH, tens of thousands of deaths. Think about that. But, did David blame “Sa-tan”? No – and that is where David is a man after the heart of YHWH.

Folks, as we go on, you’ll see that without our self, “the adversary” has no arrows in his quiver. Which brings up a very interesting point of study: If, by Adam, sin came into the world, how did “Satan” come into the world?

We’ll continue with this study, question-by-question from the comments on the post mentioned above. So you all will be assisting me in writing this chapter.

Lucifer, Azazel, and Other Characters of Interest

We all really like a good story. The more action, emotions, stimulations, dragons, maidens, and fantastic scenarios, the better is the story. Hollywood knows this quite well, and they should. They have learned it from years of manipulating the public into spending trillions of dollars on their products.

Are we all too stupid to see the trap? Well, not necessarily. But we are (mostly) stupid enough to walk into it, which is the worse part of the scenario.

For some time now, I’ve been struggling with the identity of “Satan.” The Scriptures, actually, never identify “him.” Or do they?

Before we continue, allow me to address that first sentence. “Lucifer” is most likely not “Satan.” The Scriptures never identify “Satan” as “Lucifer.” And as far as biblical context is concerned, “Lucifer” never existed.

How do I dare write that!? Lucifer is the “son of the morning (not), the fallen cherub (not), the serpent that deceived Eve in the garden (not)!

Let’s kill this doctrine right now. We’ll begin with the text in NKJV English:

“How you are fallen from heaven,
O Lucifer,  son of the morning!
How you are cut down to the ground,
You who weakened the nations!
For you have said in your heart:
‘I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
I will also sit on the mount of the congregation
On the farthest sides of the north;
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,
I will be like the Most High.’
Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol,
To the lowest depths of the Pit.”

Let’s first discuss the most blaring discrepancy in this apparently false “Lucifer doctrine.”

We all think that our bibles are securely and directly translated from the original Hebrew/Chaldean/Greek/Aramaic scripts. So, what is a Latin proper noun (Lucifer) doing where there should be a Hebrew common noun (hey lel)? Basically, “hey lel” means “morning light.” It is not a name!

Oh, this gets MUCH better. We’ve all been praying against “Satan” and we don’t even realize who we’ve been praying against. The answer will intimidate you and threaten you and astound you, and it’s proven in the Scriptures. Please put away your cognitive dissonance for what follows.

Returning to Isaiah 14, who does it say to whom it is addressed? Let’s sum it up here:

Isaiah 14:4 – The King of Babylon

Isaiah 14:13-14 –

“For you have said in your heart:
‘I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
I will also sit on the mount of the congregation
On the farthest sides of the north;
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,
I will be like the Most High.”

Who is the ONE PERSON in Scripture who attempted to ascend into Heaven? And who was ALSO the “King of Babylon” (Babel)?

Isaiah 14:16-17 – He was a MAN:

‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble,
Who shook kingdoms,
Who made the world as a wilderness
And destroyed its cities,
Who did not open the house of his prisoners?”

Folks, Satan is not a man. If it was (and I say “it” for a definite reason), then it could not have stood in the presence of the Lord in Job among the bene Elohim. Keep your thoughts on that “among” as we continue.

The only person in all of Scripture who meets the criteria above is Nimrod. And Nimrod is never given the name “Satan” in Scripture. But perhaps Apollyon.

False doctrine dead, Folks.

Next false doctrine: The serpent in the Garden of Eden was Satan (prove it!)

Let’s again look at the text:

“Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made.”

Let’s take a look at the Hebrew word that is used here for “serpent”:

The Hebrew that is used for “the serpent” in Genesis 3:2 is הַנָּחָ֑שׁ , transliteration han-nā-ḥāš; Strong’s Hebrew 5175

Was this a unique serpent? In some ways, certainly. At that point in time, it seems from the text that it could speak. It also apparently had legs or some other apparatus (wings?) for moving about since part of its punishment from YHWH was to slither and eat dust after misleading Eve.

Is han-nā-ḥāš unique in Scripture, though? No, it is not.

According to biblehub, han-nā-ḥāš appears (as 5175) a total of 31 times in the Scriptures. But truthfully, that exact word, han-nā-ḥāš, only appears 9 times out of the 31.

Folks, if you haven’t figured it out yet, Strong’s is not a reliable tool for bible study. I use it, yes, but only for finding passages or words. From that point I use more reliable tools.

So, it would be a good idea at this point to go and take a look at the other 8 places in Scripture that this exact word is used:

han·nā·ḥāš — 9 Occurrences

Genesis 3:2

HEB: הָֽאִשָּׁ֖ה אֶל־ הַנָּחָ֑שׁ מִפְּרִ֥י עֵֽץ־

NAS: said to the serpent, From the fruit

KJV: said unto the serpent, We may eat

INT: the woman to the serpent the fruit of the trees

Genesis 3:4

HEB: וַיֹּ֥אמֶר הַנָּחָ֖שׁ אֶל־ הָֽאִשָּׁ֑ה

NAS: The serpent said to the woman,

KJV: And the serpent said unto the woman,

INT: said the serpent to the woman

Genesis 3:13

HEB: וַתֹּ֙אמֶר֙ הָֽאִשָּׁ֔ה הַנָּחָ֥שׁ הִשִּׁיאַ֖נִי וָאֹכֵֽל׃

NAS: said, The serpent deceived

KJV: said, The serpent beguiled me,

INT: said to the woman the serpent me ate

Genesis 3:14

HEB: אֱלֹהִ֥ים ׀ אֶֽל־ הַנָּחָשׁ֮ כִּ֣י עָשִׂ֣יתָ

NAS: said to the serpent, Because

KJV: said unto the serpent, Because thou

INT: God to the serpent Because have done

Numbers 21:7

HEB: מֵעָלֵ֖ינוּ אֶת־ הַנָּחָ֑שׁ וַיִּתְפַּלֵּ֥ל מֹשֶׁ֖ה

NAS: that He may remove the serpents from us. And Moses

KJV: that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses

INT: may remove and the serpents interceded and Moses

Numbers 21:9

HEB: אִם־ נָשַׁ֤ךְ הַנָּחָשׁ֙ אֶת־ אִ֔ישׁ

NAS: about, that if a serpent bit

KJV: it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten

INT: if bit A serpent any looked

Ecclesiastes 10:11

HEB: אִם־ יִשֹּׁ֥ךְ הַנָּחָ֖שׁ בְּלוֹא־ לָ֑חַשׁ

NAS: If the serpent bites

KJV: Surely the serpent will bite

INT: If bites the serpent being charmed

Amos 5:19

HEB: הַקִּ֔יר וּנְשָׁכ֖וֹ הַנָּחָֽשׁ׃

NAS: the wall And a snake bites

KJV: on the wall, and a serpent bit

INT: the wall bites snake

Amos 9:3

HEB: אֲצַוֶּ֥ה אֶת־ הַנָּחָ֖שׁ וּנְשָׁכָֽם׃

NAS: I will command the serpent and it will bite

KJV: thence will I command the serpent, and he shall bite

INT: there will command the serpent will bite

Ok. So, moving forward, is there any place in the Hebrew Scriptures where this particular serpent is named or equivocated with any variation (from earlier above) of the name (or title) Satan?

Soooo…..Why do we hear from our infancy that Satan, or the devil, or Lucifer, is the character  that tempted Eve in the Garden?

As we follow this train of thought, there are some other words that should be taken into consideration, namely: nachash, tanniyn and seraph.

Some of the best places to go in the Scriptures to learn more about the usages of “serpent” (even though in many cases it is actually “dragon” and has been mistranslated as “serpent” or “reptile”) are as follows:

Isaiah 27:1 – “In that day the Lord with His severe sword, great and strong, Will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan that twisted serpent; And He will slay the reptile that is in the sea.” Examine the words used for leviathan, both instances of serpent, and reptile. Major stuff!

Exodus 7:9-15

“When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, ‘Show a miracle for yourselves,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your rod and cast it before Pharaoh, and let it become a serpent.’”  So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and they did so, just as the Lord commanded. And Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent.

But Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers; so the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments. For every man threw down his rod, and they became serpents. But Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods. And Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, as the Lord had said.

So the Lord said to Moses: “Pharaoh’s heart is hard; he refuses to let the people go. Go to Pharaoh in the morning, when he goes out to the water, and you shall stand by the river’s bank to meet him; and the rod which was turned to a serpent you shall take in your hand.”

Examine all the usages of the English word, “serpent.” They are not all the same – especially Aaron’s rod!

Folks, why do we even bother to have an opinion on something that we haven’t thoroughly studied and tested in the Scriptures? The Apostles knew that they needed to apply themselves to studying the Scriptures, and they became masters of the Scriptures so that they could help others to understand the things of the Kingdom. The Bereans, who were noble, knew that they must test and prove all things through applying them to the Scriptures. The Word tells us to study to show ourselves approved and to prove all things. The Lord tells us, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” The Word tells us that the spirit of the prophets is subject to the prophets. Paul tells us “I would have you learn in me and Apollos to not think beyond what is written.” When will we learn?

Do not accept anything that any man or any organization tells you without testing it yourself in the whole council of the Word of YHWH. Eradicate the doctrines of men from your mind because the carnal mind is at enmity with God and can not know the things of God!

Today, we have compounded doctrines of men on top of doctrines of men on top of doctrines of men, etc, etc, until we have come up with a garbled mess when it comes to examining these doctrines with actual Scripture. It’s no wonder, then, that the true ecclesia hardly exists today, if at all. We all believe that our own “opinion” is correct, and therefore we’re not able to receive the love of the truth. This is spiritually deadly.

Let’s look at another comment put up by a person on the above-mentioned post:

“The Devil is a real being and satan is one of his titles…Angels that do God’s will are NOT adversaries… Please stop spreading lies….friend.”

Let’s examine this comment point-by point:

• “The Devil is a real being…” – First, I guess I must ask that it be defined, from Scripture, what is a “real being.” Where is “The Devil” mentioned in the Scriptures (aka the Old Testament, poorly named)?
• “Satan is one of his titles…” – Again, where in the Scriptures does it say that “Satan is the title of the Devil”?
• “Angels that do God’s will are NOT adversaries…” – I must say, “Oh really?” How about the adversary that YHWH sent against Baalam? And several other instances….
• “Please stop spreading lies….friend.” – Quite loving of you, friend, without having done any actual study of all of these topics!

Now, in fairness to my friend who called this young lady, and me, liars (because we are searching the Scriptures for true answers), let’s take a look at the points that he made by examining the Scriptures (which Scriptures, by The Way, were always the authority quoted by Yeshua and all of the “New Testament” writers).

• ‘The Devil is a “real being”’ – As mentioned above, we must define “real being.” Is a “spirit” a “being”? Is a spirit actually a physical or semi-physical entity? Is the Devil a spirit? Is the Devil a person, as in one identifiable persona? These are valid questions – especially the identifiable question, on which much hinges.
• ‘”Satan” is one of his titles.” Ok, this is where we go into the titles, “god of this world,” and “prince of the power of the air,”, and “father of lies,” etc. Is “dragon” also a title, or is it a description of a type of being? Or is it about his character? “Adversary” describes a function, not a title. Yes, the Adversary, or, your adversary, can point to a single entity. But can we really name this entity as a single individual creature or entity in the Scriptures? We’ll see….
• “Angels that do God’s will are NOT adversaries…” As mentioned above, this statement is pure conjecture and based on absolute zero study of the Scriptures. I’m sorry, friend, but you are only repeating doctrines of men that have quite erringly been passed down for many Constantinian centuries, just as the false “Lucifer the fallen cherub” doctrines. “God sent a spirit of ill will between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech”, …”But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from the Lord troubled him,”…” And Saul’s servants said to him, “Surely, a distressing spirit from God is troubling you,”…” Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, and said, ‘I will persuade him.’ The Lord said to him, ‘In what way?’ So he said, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And the Lord said, ‘You shall persuade him, and also prevail. Go out and do so.” I could continue, but quite apparently, YHWH does send spiritual adversaries to do His will. But, I must ask: Are angels also spirits?

I actually want to thank the man who indicated that the young lady who posted the observation, and myself,  are liars. He did us a great favor by plainly speaking, out of his true belief, the dispensational misunderstandings that have led the churches of today to spiritual destruction. No, I don’t intend to pick on him here. I am quite sincere. What he may not understand is that I was him 20 years ago.

I had been fed the “status quo” dispensational doctrine, in one form or another, in every church which I had attended. It was anchored in my brain and in my spirit. If YHWH hadn’t, for His own reasons, opened my understanding of the Scriptures, I would still be stuck in the dispensational wasteland. We need to have agape’, mercy, and understanding with those people who have not reached the point of emptying their cups so that they may be filled. That being said, I respect that he stood for his beliefs. But, in mercy and agape’, I must point out the following to him:

• “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.”
• “He who answersa matter before he hears it, It is folly and shame to him.”
• “Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively transferred to myself and Apollosfor your sakes, that you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written (in the Scriptures), that none of you may be puffed up on behalf of one against the other.”
• “And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know.”

In other words, sir, please join us in our quest to receive the fullness of the  love of the truth, and please don’t admonish us for seeking the deep things of YHWH, which we are all called to do. I understand, friend, that you have zeal and that you believe yourself to be correct  in your admonishment of the young lady and I. It may also be that perhaps you are beyond the renewing of your mind, but that is yet to be seen and is not under our control.

He also wrote:

“Indeed We have many adversaries (including SIN via self) but that also the Devil is recognized as our chief adversary by the title (Satan) and that by our LORD, Himself. (This point is important to me to stand on).”

I must answer to all who think the same way: When we stand on an unproven doctrine (that “Satan” is our CHIEF adversary – where does it say that?), then we find ourselves unable to receive the love of the truth. MANY people “stand on” the “I’m saved because I’m baptized” doctrine of men, but they fall short because they do not comprehend the Scriptures which speak of these very things (Luke 24).

And he wrote this:

“Sin is what fuels our fallen nature. Self is chained and held captive to sin.”

Ahhh…now we’re getting somewhere! 

So, in his own words, he’s making the very point that this chapter (and the young lady’s post) is all about!

He’s admitting that “Satan” does not fuel our “fallen nature” (self). He’s admitting that self is “chained to” sin. Could it be that if we break the chain of self then we also break sin’s hold on us? That we can then truly walk without sin?

Folks, whatever “Satan” or “the devil” is, it can’t make us do anything!

At this point, let us take a closer look at the usages, and context, of the “name” Satan in the Scriptures.

In the NKJV, which I’m using for reference purposes in this study, “Satan” shows up 18 times in the OT Scriptures. Of these, 14 occurrences are in the first two chapters of Job. In these two chapters, haś-śā-ṭān, which is written as הַשָּׂטָ֗ן is consistently used  throughout as the adversary. We should all take note of this! It’s a study in itself.

The other 3 times that “Satan” is used are as follows:

• 1 Chronicles 21:1, ‘Now Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel.’ In this case, it is śā-ṭān which is written as שָׂטָ֖ן which is clearly a different word than that used in Job. It’s quite interesting that there are 4 other occurrences of this same word in the Scriptures: 1 Kings 5:4, 1 Kings 11:14, 1 Kings 11:23, and 1 Kings 11:25. None of these last 4 are translated as “Satan” in our bibles. Why not? It’s the same word!
• Zechariah 3:1, ‘Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him.’ Used here is wə-haś-śā-ṭān which is written as וְהַשָּׂטָ֛ן in the Hebrew.
• Zechariah 3:2 (twice), ‘And the Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?”’ Here, in both cases, it is haś-śā-ṭān, that is used from the Hebrew הַשָּׂטָ֗ן

Interestingly, we have three distinct Hebrew words all being grouped together as Strong’s 7854 and all being translated as “Satan” although the transliterations are haś-śā-ṭān, and śā-ṭān and wə-haś-śā-ṭān . From what I have been able to sort out, “wə-haś-śā-ṭān” seems to infer “and Satan” or “with Satan.”

So, let’s ask some good questions and find some good answers.

Let’s look at 1 Chronicles 21:1 first:

In this “appearance,” if it can be called such, śā-ṭān stood up against Israel and “moved” David to number Israel, which the Lord had commanded that no one do in Exodus 30:12. So, why would David, who loved the Lord, directly disobey the command of the Lord?

Hold onto your seats – it gets very touchy here!

In a parallel verse, 2 Samuel 24:1, it was the Lord who incited David to count Israel. And it was the same occurrence!

OK, nay-sayers and accusers. Go ahead and get it out now so that we can move on. Surely I’m not saying that the Lord is śā-ṭān?

Well, the Lord was angry with Israel and “Again the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel, and He moved David against them to say, “Go, number Israel and Judah” and also “Now Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel.” The Lord AND śā-ṭān are both recorded as having “moved David” to count Israel.

Don’t blame me! I didn’t write it!

So, let’s examine our apparent possible options for resolution:

• The Lord (in this case Yah-weh, Hebrew יְהוָ֔ה ) and/or śā-ṭān moved David to count Israel although it had been forbidden because taking a census implies ownership
• The Lord, several times in the Scriptures, tests men of righteousness to prove their faithfulness. In Job, the Lord allowed haś-śā-ṭān to test Job pretty rigorously with the end result being that Job learned that his righteousness was not his own.
• In this case, the adversary was David’s lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, pride of life, or desire for other things? Self?
• It was David who had to repent, not śā-ṭān. David himself was responsible.
• In Job the Lord addressed haś-śā-ṭān (which was “among” the bene Elohim in His presence). In this case, could the Lord have addressed the śā-ṭān that was “with” David? Think about this….
• What did David fear that he was able to be moved to disobey the Lord? Was David’s transgression that he didn’t fear the Lord and so he listened to self? This one gets deep!
• In this case, it was David himself who served YHWH as śā-ṭān (adversary to Israel) because YHWH’s anger was aroused against Israel and He moved David against them, even though David knew that it was wrong and took the blame upon himself (he would never blame YHWH!). For the time being, this is my conclusion based on the 2 texts.

Now, let’s examine Zechariah 3:1-2.

Actually, we’re going to look at the entirety of Zechariah chapter 3. Why? Because 3:1-5 reveal much, and because 3:6-10 are so edifying!

Here we go:

‘Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the Lord (mal-’aḵ Yah-weh; מַלְאַ֣ךְ, יְהוָ֑ה ) and Satan (wə-haś-śā-ṭān וְהַשָּׂטָ֛ן) standing at his right hand to oppose him. And the Lord said to Satan (haś-śā-ṭān, הַשָּׂטָ֗ן), “The Lord (Yah-weh יְהוָ֜ה) rebuke you, Satan* (haś-śā-ṭān, הַשָּׂטָ֗ן)! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?”

(*Note: It seems that there is a very import descriptive that is left out of our English translations, which is the preposition bə-ḵā בְּךָ֙ which when translated means “in you.” Also very interesting is that you won’t find a Strong’s reference for this phrase that was in the original text. So the literal translation should be “YHWH rebuke haś-śā-ṭān in you. !!!)

“Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing before the Angel.” (Where is haś-śā-ṭān now? Where has it gone? And it never spoke…so YHWH removed the iniquity from Joshua and haś-śā-ṭān is no longer mentioned!)

Then He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, “Take away the filthy garments from him.” And to him He said, “See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes.”

And I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.”

So they put a clean turban on his head, and they put the clothes on him. And the Angel of the Lord stood by.

Then the Angel of the Lord admonished Joshua (after He had made him clean), saying, “Thus says the Lord of hosts:

‘If you will walk in My ways,

And if you will keep My command,

Then you shall also judge My house,

And likewise have charge of My courts;

I will give you places to walk

Among these who stand here.

‘Hear, O Joshua, the high priest,

You and your companions who sit before you,

For they are a wondrous sign;

For behold, I am bringing forth My Servant the BRANCH.

For behold, the stone

That I have laid before Joshua:

Upon the stone are seven eyes.

Behold, I will engrave its inscription,’

Says the Lord of hosts,

‘And I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.

In that day,’ says the Lord of hosts,

‘Everyone will invite his neighbor

Under his vine and under his fig tree.’”

Now we must examine the appearances of haś-śā-ṭān in the Book of Job. In particular, I’d like to scrutinize the use of the Hebrew word bə-ṯō-w-ḵām. בְּתוֹכָֽם׃ which is referenced in Strong’s as 8432. This word translates in the English as among but the translators took the liberty of adding “them.” Very interestingly, another was that this word has been translated is “in their midst.” But this translation was not used in the Book of Job.

In all of the occurrences that I see where the word bə-ṯō-w-ḵām. is used, it is used to describe something such as a mingling, or a catalyst, or something that unifies. Such as Exodus 25:8, “that I may dwell among them” and Leviticus 15:31, “My tabernacle that is among them” and Numbers 5:3, “where I dwell in their midst,” etc. This is very important when considering the function of haś-śā-ṭān in the midst of the bene elohim!

Let’s begin!

Job 1:6 – Now there was a day when the bə-nê hā-’ĕ-lō-hîm, came to present themselves  before the Lord, and haś-śā-ṭān also came among them. (Compare carefully with Job 2:1!)

***Very important! Haś-śā-ṭān was “in their midst” or mingled “among them.” This explains a great many things. Perhaps you’ll see as we continue…

Job 1:7 –  And the Lord said to Satan, “From where do you come?” So Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.”

***I find it striking that the “Sons of God,” the bə-nê hā-’ĕ-lō-hîm,, came to present themselves before YHWH and to whom did YHWH speak? And very importantly, who answered? In fact, as we continue, you’ll see that the bə-nê hā-’ĕ-lō-hîm, never speak (directly) or give answer (directly) at all. Think very carefully about what is giving answer and speaking in their midst.

Job 1:8 – Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?”

***This gets very deep here, and at this point I’m ready to take a stand (and likely suffer for it) as to what is going on here in these 14 occurrences of haś-śā-ṭān in the Book of Job. In short, haś-śā-ṭān mingled among the bə-nê hā-’ĕ-lō-hîm, because they are there to accuse man after having gone “to and fro and back and forth” on the Earth. The bə-nê hā-’ĕ-lō-hîm, are speaking and giving answer, but it is the accuser of man and the adversary of YHWH’s plan and iniquity among them that is carrying on the conversation, through their lips, with YHWH. No other answer suffices.

Job 1:9 – So haś-śā-ṭān  (*among the bə-nê hā-’ĕ-lō-hîm,) answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing?

***Folks, as we continue, apply this method in every instance of every variation of “sa-tan” throughout both the Scriptures and the NT. Test it and you’ll see that it applies in every case! In every mention, sa-tan and the variations thereof are the accuser of man and the adversary of YHWH’s plan for man and the root of iniquity. Quite simply, self-interest and/or pride.

So please test these in the remaining texts in Job that contain the translation “Satan” which is haś-śā-ṭān in each case:

Job 1:12 –  And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

Job 2:1 – Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the Lord.

Job 2:2 – And the Lord said to Satan, “From where do you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.”

Job 2:3 – Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil? And still he holds fast to his integrity, although you incited Me against him, to destroy him without cause.”

Job 2:4 – So Satan answered the Lord and said, “Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life.”

Job 2:6 – And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his life.”

Job 2:7 – So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord, and struck Job with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.

We know that there were those bə-nê hā-’ĕ-lō-hîm, who “left their first estate” and that there were bə-nê hā-’ĕ-lō-hîm, who took wives of the daughters of men. And truthfully, whether they were “angels” or “the sons of Adam” does not matter in this application.

Bottom line – I believe that the text clearly shows that it was the bə-nê hā-’ĕ-lō-hîm, who accused Job and inflicted him.

This is why YHWH desires, and requires, obedient  Sons and Daughters.

Folks, more and more I’m seeing in the Scriptures and in the gospels and the epistles that our adversary is not always some singular grand archon of power but is instead of our very self. In the following section I’m going to prove this from the very words of Yeshua and the subsequent writings of His disciples along with more of the Scriptures. But for now, let me make it very clear what I am NOT saying:

• I am not saying that there exists no singular spiritual archon who is the “chief adversary.” Yes, I have some clear doubts as to the identity and/or the nature of such entity, should it exist. The most difficult passages to address concerning this chief adversary are as follows:
• Isaiah 27:1 ‘In that day the Lord with His severe sword, great and strong, Will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan that twisted serpent; And He will slay the reptile that is in the sea.’ If one does not study this verse thoroughly in the original Hebrew language it will be impossible to see that we may have a problem with our understanding of the term “adversary.” Observe the Hebrew root-word tan that is utilized in tanniyn, haś-śā-ṭān, sa-tan, This is key to understanding the “Satan-Dragon” connection.
• Revelation 12:9 ‘So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.’ I personally believe that we have failed to completely understand this verse, and so we have “made a story” out of it that fits in with our limited understanding. Why would I dare to even entertain such a thought? Two reasons: observation and the Scriptures. Who is it who takes council against YHWH and against His Anointed? Psalm 2. And who do the saints execute judgment upon in Psalm 149? These are serious questions, along with others.

To be continued in Part II of “The Adversary and the Spirit of Self”…