Urban Legends examines popular myths from a Biblical perspective.
Let’s back up a little. Let’s revisit the Eden Crisis. We’re all familiar with the story – how the serpent conned Eve. Only there was someone backing the serpent – THE Serpent. That animal could not pull off such a high level caper on his own. To what end? And the narration requires someone familiar with God. The serpent was not familiar with God, couldn’t be; but THE Serpent was familiar with God. He was in Heaven before being cast down. (Isaiah 14:12) His conceptual name was Lucifer – translated in Septuagint Greek as Heosphoros, meaning bringer of dawn; and in Latin Vulgate as morning star. In his antagonistic capacity he is known as Satan, meaning adversary – one who resists. In his defamatory capacity he is known as Devil. (Greek Diabolos or slanderer). The graphical dimension to that name is found in Leviticus 17:7 (KJV). The Hebrew word translated “devil” in that passage is “sair” meaning goat. The goat pentagram (baphomet) is used in occult circles to represent the Devil. We can cross-reference that imagery with that of Jesus, the Lamb of God. (John 1:29) Graphically Jesus is the lamb, the Devil is the goat.
The Bible calls Satan the Serpent. “And the huge dragon was cast down and out – that age-old serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, he is the seducer (deceiver) of all humanity the world over; he was forced out and down to the earth, and his angels were flung along with him.” (Revelation 12:9, 20:2) So we know whom the Serpent behind the serpent was. The obfuscation by Satan was quite disingenuous actually. Metonymic synonymity. Eve never knew whom she was really conversating with. The serpent in the Garden was merely channeling. By this time the Devil had learnt how to channel animals and take control of intelligent faculties at that level. The experimental challenge was man.
Now, even though the Satan was cursed in the aftermath of the crisis in Eden it wasn’t a total loss for him. He gained incredible insight into the programming architecture of the new species called Man. Man had just been introduced into creation at this time. Being at the top of the political food chain he was of strategic interest to Satan. Adam was a semi-autonomous entity. God has over-arching authority over creation no doubt, but he gave man dominion over the earth. (Genesis 1:28-30) From available evidence in the Bible God would only intervene directly in the affairs of men in either of only four circumstances:
- To protect the genetic integrity of the Adamic race, the typical case study being the cataclysmic event known as Noah’s flood. Noah was a genetic bank.
- To safeguard, execute or enforce the terms of special treaties, like the one with Abraham. (The ancient term for such treaties was “covenant.”) He scourged Pharaoh to prevent him from violating a precondition of that treaty. The nation of Israel is a direct consequence of that treaty.
- In political, ideological or sociological extremities like Babel, Sodom & Gomorrah, the liberation struggle of the Israelites in Egypt.
- On an eschatological basis – to maintain the parameters of the revealed history of the world concerning the end times, the intercalation of the Church inclusive.
Otherwise man is free to run his show. Which is why we have different forms of government despite the fact that God himself runs a monarchy. He is King. We have so many political ideologies – democracy, adhocracy, nomocracy, theocracy, stratocracy, netocracy, ochlocracy, kakistocracy, nepotocracy, autocracy, timocracy, geniocracy, kraterocracy, corporaticracy, ergatocracy, kritarchy, demarchy, monarchism, republicanism, presidential system, parliamentary system, chiefdom, federation, democratic republicanism etc. Ancient Israel initially ran a theocracy, but at some point the people by referendum opted for monarchy – a popular form of government circa 1,000BC. In effect they rejected God and chose a man as head of state, and God allowed it. And since political ideology is underguarded by economic philosophy, which in combination with other factors creates sociology, man in essence organizes himself and regulates his environment.
What did Satan learn from his interaction with Adam and Eve in the Garden? Quite a lot it turns out. He learnt that the creature called man is open to illumination, experimentation and radical transformation. (Lucifer was an illuminant). He learnt that man can be hacked through consumables – material or informational. He learnt man can be naïve, careless, even reckless. Adam and Eve consumed the program we now call “the forbidden fruit” on unverified representation from a low level operative. He learnt that propaganda works, that he can control man with information, that man is prone to apocrypha. He confirmed emotional pressure works on man. Adam sinned from the emotional pressure Eve was. He wasn’t deceived. (1 Timothy 2:14) He learnt that man is open to political ideologies and class warfare; which is why he told Adam and Eve, “You won’t die. God knows that the moment you eat from that tree, you’ll see what’s really going on. You’ll be just like God, knowing everything, ranging all the way from good to evil.” (Genesis 3:4-5 MSG) And if man is open to propaganda and ideology then the terms of man’s political relationship with God can be altered, which is what happened. Today, there are societies that renounce God. Deception is a tool of propaganda. Satan learnt that pretense to possession of esoteric knowledge confers authority over man, that pretense to possession of insider information can sway humans into highly consequential decisions. That lies can be disguised as truth to credulous humans. And so man can be mind-controlled.
By the time Jesus arrived on the scene he had leveraged all the insights into taking possession of the kingdoms of the world. It’s why Jesus didn’t contest his political and economic claims at the temptation. (Matthew 4:1-11) The Bible calls Satan the “god of this world” or “god of this age.” (2 Corinthians 4:4) He controls humanity through ideologies, philosophies and culture. Jesus referred to him as the ruler of this world too (actually called him evil genius): “Now the judgment (crisis) of this this world is coming on. Now the ruler (evil genius, prince) of this world shall be cast out.” (John 12:31 AMPC)
Political power has always been Satan’s objective. Everything dovetails into it. It’s why the senior rank of his organogram is devoted to political control of nations. The Powers are focused on control of governments. (Ephesians 6:12) As the god of this age it makes sense that the next rank on that organogram are called the Rulers of Darkness of this Age. They control ideologies, philosophies and culture of the age – the zeitgeist or spirit of the age. The two ranks work together, feed each other.
And so even though God is overall Sovereign, man makes his own determinations and Satan exerts enormous influence. It’s why the world is the mess it is. Unfortunately, since the Garden of Eden man has learnt to put the blame on God. Adam actually put it all on God. He essentially said, “The woman you gave me made me do it!” (Genesis 3:12) The big lesson God passed across at Adam’s trial is that man must take responsibility for his actions and inactions; that man is the determinant of his fate. He gave man political dominion as well as control of his environment. Man is free to organize himself as he deems, choose the form of government he wants, as well as his political ideology. God would only intervene in extremities. And so it’s a false argument to posit that if God is in control of the world there should be no evil in the world. There are two other determinants of what’s going on in the world – Satan, and man himself.
If you do want a spiritual rebirth please pray this prayer: Father I acknowledge that I am a sinner, that Jesus Christ died for me, that you raised him from the dead. Please forgive me. I accept Jesus today as my Lord and my Saviour. Amen.
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