The Shining One

When God speaks of "the beginning", He is speaking of the originating point of the subject in question. For example, it was "in the beginning" that He made the heaven and the earth. That is, these things had their origin in Him, and they were his workmanship from the beginning of their creation.

The Word declares that the "fear of the Lord is the BEGINNING of wisdom." (Proverbs 1:7) That means, simply, that wisdom has as its originating point the place of the reverential fear of the Lord.

It, no doubt, seems foolish even to attempt to clarify so obvious a point. There is nothing at all to understanding the meaning of "in the beginning." It means just what it says. If something has existed in a certain condition "from the beginning", that means that from the time that it was formed or established, it was in that condition. Certainly, there is no difficulty in following that line of reasoning.

Yet, it is on this very point that we run into a head-on collision with a fundamental doctrine, for despite tha fact that "from the beginning" obviously means at the creation of a thing, men have taught a doctrine for years that contradicts this simple statement of fact. We speak of that which is taught concerning Satan.

Fundamentalists have long agreed that Satan was, in the beginning, the "anointed cherub that covereth." They have taught that he held the most coveted position among the angelic hosts until he led a rebellion against God in an attempt to usurp His throne. At that time, we are told, Satan was cast out of heaven and became, instead of an angel, the devil that he is today.

It is amazing that such a doctrine could have enjoyed such widespread acceptance in the light of the teachings of Jesus on this subject. Please note: MAN says that Satan IN THE BEGINNING was holy, but later fell from that estate. JESUS said that Satan was a MURDERER (not an angel) from the BEGINNING. (John 8:44)

Not only that, but the apostle John, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, penned these words in regard to Satan's origin: "The devil sinneth FROM THE BEGINNING." (I John 3:8)

Now, if we are to believe that the Bible means what it says -- and we believe it does -- we must believe that from his very beginning, Satan was evil.

We find no conflict with this belief and the nature of God as some would suppose. We have heard the argument that God would never have created something that was evil. Our first reply to that is another question: If God creates a being that He knows is going to become evil, would that not be the same thing as creating one evil in the first place? It is, then, no less thinkable that God would create one who would become evil than just to create an evil one to begin with.

However, out of God's own mouth we offer a contradiction to the words of this argument in Isaiah 54:16 where He declares, "I have created the WASTER to destroy." We gather from this passage that Satan is a created being with a definite purpose. That purpose isstated in the opening words of the above quoted verse:

"I have created the smith (the devil) that bloweth the coals on the fire, and that BRINGETH FORTH AN INSTRUMENT for his work."

We see this purpose being fulfilled in the life of Job. Job was a righteous man ACCORDING TO THE LIGHT THAT HE HAD. He was perfect IN HIS GENERATION. That is, his perfection was a comparative perfection. In comparison to those who were living around him, Job was a perfect man. But in his inward working, God saw a spirit that did not measure up to the standard of Christlikeness, for the spirit of Christ is one of humility, and Job was not a humble man. He was proud of his righteousness. Hear the testimony of scripture on this point: "So these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was righteous IN HIS OWN EYES." (Job 32:1)

It was because God desired to burn out the dross of pride in this man (who even had the testimony of God that he was a righteous man) that God brought forth the "smith to blow tthe coals upon the fire." Please not that it was not Satan's idea to persecute Job! Oh, no!!! It was God Himself who brought up the subject! There Satan was, presenting himself before the Lord, and God asked, "Where have you been?"

To this question, Satan replied, "From walking up and down in the earth." (No mention at all of Job.)

"Well, Satan," the Lord asked, "have you considered my servant Job? Have you noticed that he hates evil and fears God? Have you noticed that, Satan?"

Indeed, Satan HAD noticed Job, but he wasn't doing anything to him. One of the most glorious testimonies of the preservation of the saints of God is given here in this passage by Satan himself: "Doth Job fear God for naught? Hast thou not made an hedge around him and about his house and about all that he hath on every side?"

Oh, glory to God! There is truly a hedge around the people of God, and that hedge is Jesus Christ himself. The psalmist recognized and gloried in this fact when he said, "The angel of the Lord encampeth around about them that fear Him and delivereth them." (Psalm 34:7)

"You've put a hedge around him," Satan said, "and I can't get to him!" Then he went on to say, "You must put forth THINE HAND and touch all that he hath, and he will then curse thee to thy face."

But the Lord, who trieth the reins of the heart, knoweth them that are his, and He knows who can be trested with affliction. He, therefore, said to Satan, "behold, all that he hath in in thy power -- in thy hand-- only upon himself put not forth thine hand."

Brethren, don't you believe for a moment that anything in the heavenly realm is out of control. God is in full control of that sphere of action, and Satan himself is under the jurisdiction of God. If you can receive this in the spirit, you will understand that Satan has no power at all except that which God allows him to have. Do you REALLY believe that Satan could cause all the trouble in the world unless God had permitted it?? My friend, if you believe that Satan is a thorn in the side of Almighty God, then your God is entirely too small. Satan poses no problem for God. God could destroy him at any time. God binds his hands daily. It is God who sets his boundaries and limits his power -- it was, in fact God who created him in the firest place -- and that was for one purpose and one purpose only: for the PERFECTING OF THE SAINTS! Beloved, when that purpose is accomplished, Satan will have completed his course as in INSTRUMENT in the hands of God who has everything under control... and then will his end come. Why, the devil himself kjnows that there is a time limit on his presence and activity here. Have you never read the words of Revelation 12:12 which say: "Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and sea; for the devil is come down to you having great wrath because he knoweth THAT HE HATH BUT A SHORT TIME."

God is constructing a temple, made of living stones, through which to manifest Himself throughout the ages of eternity, hallelujah, and Satan was created (a sinner from the beginning) as a chisel and hammer to be used in the construction of the building. The living stones that are even now being placed in this temple have been chosen, says the Lord, in the "furnace of affliction." (Isaiah 48:10) God, however, is mercy; God is love; God is compassion. He is a healler, not a destroyer. It was, nonetheless, necessary that an oven be heated in which to purify the gold -- a furnace in which the wood, hay, and stubble were to be burned -- but God, in his nature of love, could not perform the necessary affliction. It was for this reason that He created an instrument that was capable of performing this essential action in the lives of men, for in Satan God literally created a "chastening rod."

If we can realize that behind the acts of Satan is the mighty hand of God working to bring forth gold from these earthen vessels, we can rejoice, as David, in our afflictions and trials and exclaim with him, "It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I might learn thy statutes." (Psalm 119:7) Praise God! When we begin to see the GOOD that comes from the assaults of Satan on our lives, we are able to appreciate all the more the greatness of our God and the depth of the wisdom of His great mind. Praise His wonderful name! He is truly a God of power and might, and ALL things are in His hand -- even this enemy whom we call the devil.

If we have now received the testimony of Jesus Christ concerning the origin of Satan, that is, that he was a "murderer from the beginning" we must now reckon with another point of our fundamental theology. If Satan was not, after all, the "anointed cherub that covereth", who was?

It is taught that the 28th chapter of Ezekiel is speaking of Satan in his "perfect state". In the 14th verse of this chapter, the subject under discussion is called "the anointed cherub that covereth", and the Lord says, "I have set thee so." This is the basic scripture for the fundamental position holding Satan as the anointed cherub.

We must raise a question here, however, as the the essence of Satan. Is he spirit or is he man? There can be only one reply to that question, of course. He is spirit. Should there be, however, one who would disagree on that point, we would like to point out that Satan, on the night of Jesus' arrest, "entered into Judas". (John 13:27) Now, we know that a man cannot enter another man. We know full well, however, that spirit can and does enter the heart of man, and it was the Satanic spirit that night that took possession of the body of Judas and performed his wicked works through him.

Please refer again to Ezekiel 28, verse 2, where the Lord is addressing the "anointed cherub" -- "Thus saith the Lord God; because thine heart is lifted up and thou hast said, I am a god, I sin in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; YET THOU ART A MAN, and not God..."