Abyss Sumerian in origin, the term referred to a deep mass of waters surrounding the earth. Darkness is said to have been on the face of the deep or abyss (Gen 1:2). The term is used in several other ways in the Bible. Scripturally, “the abyss” is a place of inactivity, even of death. (Compare Rom 10:7; Rev 17:8; 20:1,3).
Belial The name means “worthlessness” or “good for nothing“, a compound of beli, “not, without,” and yaal, “be-of-benefit; be beneficial." The Hebrew term beliyaal is applied to ideas, words, and counsel (De 15:9; Ps 101:3; Na 1:11), to calamitous circumstances (Ps 41:8) and most frequently, to good-for-nothing men of the lowest sort for example, those of Benjamin who committed the sex crime at Gibeah (Judg. 19:22-27), A daughter or son of Belial (1 Sam. 1:16, KJV) means a wicked woman (NKJV, NIV), one who is worthless (NASB, NRSV). However in some of the non-canonically books they sometimes speaks of a spirit of Belial this is not an actually spirit but a principle (spirit of falsehood). This principle, or spirit, which works in the children of disobedience, is the enemy within human nature is the mind of the flesh, which is enmity against God; it is not subject to his law, neither indeed can be. Romans 8:7 Human nature, and the evil in it, is made apparent by the law of God, it is personified as “per-eminently sinner”. This is the “good-for-nothing worthlessness” that is the accuser, adversary, and calumniator of God, whose stronghold is the flesh. It is the Belial or the serpent in the flesh within human nature; so that “when a man is tempted, he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed.” James 1:13-15.
Demons As to the Hebrew Scriptures, the word is only found four times, viz., in Lev 17:7; Deut 32:17; 2 Chron 11:15; and Ps 106:37. These passages only require to be read for the reader to see, that so far as the Hebrew Scriptures-is concerned, the word "demons," in Bible use, is applied very differently from that which popular views of the subject would indicate. It is needless to say that the idols of Canaan were "lifeless blocks of wood and stone," and that, therefore, their designation as "demons" shows that the Hebrew Scriptures use of the word gives no countenance to the idea that "demons" are personal beings, of a malignant order, aiding and abetting, and serving the great devil in his works of mischief and damnation. But it is to the Nazoraean Scriptures that the orthodox believer will point, as the great stronghold for this belief. So here we shall go, and with a result, we shall find, as unavailing for the popular creed, as that which has attended all the foregoing endeavours. In the first place, Paul's use of the word in the same way as it is used in the Hebrew Scriptures, suggests that Paul ignored the Pagan view of the matter. He says: "The things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, and not to God, and I would not that you should have fellowship with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of demons; you cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of demons" (1 Cor 10:20, 21). Now, that "demons" here applies to the idols of Pagan worship is manifest; first, from the fact that the sacrifices of the Gentiles were offered at the shrines of the idol-gods of their own superstition; and second, from the following words of Paul in the same chapter: "What say I then? that the idol is anything? or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is anything?" (verse 19). This is conclusive. Paul applies the word "demons" to idols, of which he says: "We know that an idol is nothing in the world" (1 Cor 8:4). Thus the word "demons" as used by Paul, lends no countenance to the popular view. The universal extension of the Greek language, Daimon, as understood by the Greeks, the Romans,—a “departed human ‘spirit’,” Natural gods of the heathens. The Cerriti and the Larvati. Beelzebub. Paul’s speech at Athens. Demons believe. The worship of demons. Paul’s answer to the expediency, sham charity men of his day.
The word was born of superstition, a superstition still current among many people. Some backward people still believe that certain kinds of illnesses are due to the malignant influence of the spirit of a departed human being, taking possession of the afflicted person.
In some eastern countries, the same idea persists, and doctors find that their use of modern scientific methods is often useless unless the hypothetical "demon", the creation of imagination and superstition, is first "destroyed" or "cast out". It is not unusual for modern medical men in the East to thus speak, in all seriousness, of "casting out a demon" when referring to the healing of such an afflicted person. They accommodate their description to an expression which conveys something to the mind of the natives. Norman Lewis in a book on Burma entitled Golden Earth records that such ideas are common among the Burmese.
Hippocrates, the physician of ancient Greece, wrote an essay on epilepsy, which was called the "sacred disease" because people believed the priests' teaching, that epileptics were possessed, and because priests, magicians, and impostors derived considerable revenue from attempting to cure the disease by expiations and charms. The essay was written to expose this delusion, he seeking to prove that this disease was neither more divine nor sacred than any other.
the Anointed One's conformity to popular language did not commit him to popular delusions. In one case, he apparently recognises the god of the Philistines: "You say that I cast out demons through Beelzebub: if I by Beelzebub cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them. out?" (Luke 11:18, 19). Now, Beelzebub signifies the god of flies, a god worshipped by the Philistines of Ekron (2 Kings 1:6), and the Anointed One, in. using the name, takes no pains to dwell upon the fact that Beelzebub was a heathen fiction, but seems rather to assume, for the sake of argument, that Beelzebub was a reality; it was a mere accommodation to the language of his opponents. Yet this might, with as much reason, be taken as a proof of his belief in Beelzebub, as his accommodation to popular speech on the subject of demons is taken to sanction the common idea of "demons."
The casting out of demons spoken of in the Nazoraean Scriptures was nothing more or less than the curing of epileptic fits and brain disorders, as distinct from bodily diseases. Of this, any one may be satisfied by an attentive reading of the narrative and a close consideration of the symptoms, as recorded:--"Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire, and often into the water. And I brought him to your disciples, and they could not cure him. . . . And Yahshua rebuked the demon and he departed out of him (Matt 17:15-18).
From this, the identity of lunacy with supposed diabolical possession is apparent. The expulsion of the malarious influence which deranged the child's faculties was the casting out of the demon.
"Then was brought unto him one possessed with a demon, blind and dumb; and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spoke and saw" (Matt 12:22).
"And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto you my son, because he has a speechless spirit" (Mark 9:17).
There is no case of demoniacal possession mentioned in the Nazoraean Scriptures, which has not its parallel in hundreds of instances in the medical experience of the present time. The symptoms are precisely identical--tearing, foaming at the mouth, crying out, abnormal strength, etc. True, there are no exclamations about the Messiah, because there is no popular excitement on the subject for them to reflect in an aberrated form, as there was in the days of Yahshua, when the whole Jewish community was pervaded by an intense expectation of the Messiah, and agitated by the wonderful works of the Anointed One.
The transference of "the demons" to the swine, is only an instance in which the Messiah vindicated the Law (which prohibited the culture of the pig), by acting on the suggestion of a madman in transferring an aberrating influence from the latter to the swine, and causing their destruction. The statement that the demons made request, or the demons cried out this or that, must be interpreted in the light of a self-evident fact, that it was the person possessed who spoke, and not the abstract derangement. The insane utterances were attributable to the insanifying influence, and, therefore, it is an allowable liberty of speech to say that the influence---called in the popular phrase of these times, demon or demons--spoke them; but, in judging of the theory of possession, we must carefully separate between critical statements of truth and rough popular forms of speech, which merely embody an aspect, and not the essence of truth.
The Bible, therefore in using such terms as "casting out demons", merely accommodated its expressions to the current vernacular. To "cast out a demon" was to cure an illness.
Dragon Dragons are imaginary beasts with a long history in the folklore of many cultures. Usually the dragon is a crafty creature that represents evil. The word dragon, as used in some translations of the Bible, is often confusing. Occasionally this word is used when the intended meaning was probably jackal (Lam 4:3, NRSV), sea serpent or serpents (Ps. 91:13, NRSV), or even crocodile (Ezek 29:34). In the church of early Christian history, dragons represented sin. Christian art often depicts a dragon at the feet of Yahshua to show his triumph over sin. Therefore the dragon is a symbol of the Old Serpent which is a symbol of sin or “sinful flesh” which is the “mind of the flesh” or “the thinking of the flesh” hence the “physical outlook“, or thinking of the flesh, unenlightened by the truth, is the serpent in the flesh. (Job 20:14,16).
Also the dragon is a symbol of the Roman Empire See Dan 7:7, 20; Rev 13:1; 17:3, 9-12; 5:6; 1 Sam 2:10; Deut 33:17; 1 Kings 22:11. In chapter 20:2 of Revelation, it is not a supernatural being that is chained up in the abyss but the iniquitous system of religious, civil and political government, which has associated with it the principle of holding the masses in subjection by preying upon their fears in this life and beyond (i.e. Heaven and Hell).
Gehenna means valley of Hinnom for it is the Greek form of the Hebrew geh hin-nom. It occurs 12 times in the Nazoraean Scriptures. The valley of Hinnom became the dumping place and incinerator for the filth of Jerusalem. Bodies of dead animals were thrown in to be consumed in the fires to which sulphur or brimstone was added to assist the burning. Also bodies of executed criminals who were considered undeserving of a decent burial in a memorial tomb were thrown in. If such dead bodies landed in the fire they were consumed but if their carcasses landed upon a ledge of the deep ravine their putrefying flesh became infested with worms or maggots which did not die until they had consumed the fleshy parts leaving only the skeletons. No living animals or human creatures were thrown into Gehenna to be burned alive or tormented. Hence the place could never symbolize an invisible region where human souls are tormented eternally in literal fire or attacked forever by undying worms. Because the dead criminals cast there were denied a decent burial in a memorial tomb the symbol of the hope of a resurrection Gehenna was used by Yahshua and his disciples to symbolize everlasting destruction annihilation from God’s universe or “second death” an eternal punishment.
Satan and the Devil. “Satan” is a Hebrew word, and transferred to the English Bible untranslated from the original tongue. Cruden (himself a believer in the popular devil) defines it as follows: “Satan Sathan, Sathanas: this is a mere Hebrew word, and means an adversary, an enemy, an accuser.” Now if Satan is a mere Hebrew word, signifying adversary obviously it does not in itself import the evil being which it represents to the common run of English ears. This conclusion is borne out by its uses in the Hebrew Scriptures. The first place where it occurs is Numbers 22:22. It next occurs in the same chapter, verse 32. In this case, Satan was a holy angel. Understanding “Satan” to mean adversary in its simple and general sense, we can see how this could be; but, understanding it as the evil being of popular belief, it would be a different matter. The following are other cases in which the word is translated “adversary.” in the Authorized King James Version of the Scriptures: 1 Samuel 24:4; 2 Samuel 19:22; 1 Kings 5:4; 11:14, 23, 25. In these cases, the translators have translated the word, and by this means have fenced off the notion of diabolical interference in the matters recorded, which would certainly have sprung up if the word had been “Satan” instead of adversary. In one or two other cases, however, they have not translated the word, but simply transferred it in its Hebrew form, unaltered, to the English version, thus mystifying the idea of the original, and giving countenance to the popular Satanic theory.
In light of usage of "Satan" or "adversary" in the Hebrew Scriptures it is always a human enemy, probably a nearby nation (or sometimes individuals see 1 Sam 24:4; 2 Sam 19:22;) the lone exception being Num 22:22, 32, where the angel of Yahweh assumes the role of an adversary to Balaam. in the case of 1 Chronicles 21:1 it was a nearby nation whose hostility against Israel pressured David into numbering the people so he could assess his military strength it refers to a personal or national adversary in the human sphere, (compare 2 Samuel 24:1 The Samuel version gives an underlying theological perspective, while the Chronicler simply describes what happened from a human perspective).
Now we must pass on to consider the word “devil.” First, then, with regard to the word “devil,” This word comes from the Greek diabolos, which means a calumniator, a slanderer or accuser. If we illustrate by referring to 1 Tim 3:11; 2 Tim 3:3; Titus 2:3: in all of which, as the reader will perceive by perusing the passages, it is applied to human beings. From this it will be perceived that the word “devil,” properly understood, is a general term, and not a proper name. It is a word that is, and may be, applied in any case where slander, accusation, or falsehood is exemplified. As Yahshua applied “Satan” to Peter, so he applied “devil” to Judas (John 6:70). However, the terms Satan and the Devil are a personification of sin or “sin in the flesh” or “sinful flesh," human nature! This is the accuser, adversary, and calumniator of God, whose stronghold is the flesh. It is the devil and Satan within human nature; so that “when a man is tempted, he is drawn away of his own evil lust and desires.” James 1:13-15.
Serpent The immediate context pictures the serpent as simply one of the animals of the field created by God (see Genesis 3:1, 14). An ancient Jewish interpretation explains the reference to the serpent in a literal manner, attributing the capacity to speak to all the animals in the Garden. This text (Jub. 3:28) states, “On that day [the day the man and woman were expelled from the Garden] the mouth of all the beasts and cattle and birds and whatever walked or moved was stopped from speaking because all of them used to speak to one another with one speech and one language [presumed to be Hebrew, see Genesis 12:26].” Josephus, Ant. 1.1.4 (1.41) attributes the serpent’s actions to jealousy. He writes that “the serpent, living in the company of Adam and his wife, grew jealous of the blessings which he supposed were destined for them if they obeyed God’s behests, and, believing that disobedience would bring trouble on them, he maliciously persuaded the woman to taste of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”
This account of the temptation and fall of humankind helps us understand many of the references to serpents throughout Scripture. Serpents are mentioned under various names (for example, asp, cobra, and viper), and they pose a life-threatening danger to people because of their poisonous bite (Deut. 8:15). They are also mentioned as instruments of Gods wrath upon rebellion or apostasy (Jer. 8:17). The best-known incident of this kind happened during the wilderness journey to the Promised Land when Yahweh sent fiery serpents among the people (Num. 21:56). Wicked and rebellious persons are addressed as serpents or are compared to serpents because of their destructive influence (Ps 58:4; Matt 3:7). In line with the theme of Genesis 3:15, redemption is sometimes described as the destruction or subduing of serpents (Isa 27:1; Mic 7:17). In Numbers 21, the threat of the fiery serpents was overcome when, at the command of Yahweh, Moses fashioned a serpent of bronze and put it on a pole: And so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived (Num 21:9). The bronze serpent raised up by Moses in the wilderness serves as a symbol of the saving power of the Messiah on the cross (Jn 3:14). By his crucifixion and resurrection, the Anointed One has crushed the head of the serpent (Gen 3:15; Rom 16:17). The prophet Isaiah used the taming of the serpent to describe the peace that will prevail in the messianic kingdom (Isa 11:8; 65:25). And Yahshua gave his disciples authority to trample on serpents and scorpions (Luke 10:19).
Sheol/Hades The derivation of the Hebrew word sheohl is uncertain. According to one derivation it means the “place of inquiry” according to another the “hollow place” or “resting-place” according to still another “the place that asks for and demands all without distinction of persons.” It is in the earth and is always associated with the dead and plainly means the common grave of mankind gravedom or the earthy (not sea) region of the dead. In contrast the Hebrew word qever means an individual grave or burial place. Genesis 23:4, 6, 9, 20. In Acts 2:27 Peter’s quotation of Psalm 16:10 shows Hades is the equivalent of Sheol and is applied to the common grave of mankind (in contrast with the Greek word taphos an individual grave). The Latin word corresponding to Hades is infernus (sometimes inferus). It means “that which lies beneath; the lower region” and well applies to the grave. It is thus a fitting approximation of the Greek and Hebrew terms.
Sin The word sin is used in two principal acceptations in the scriptures. It signifies in the first place, “the transgression of the Law ”; and in the next, it represents that physical principle of the animal nature, which is the cause of all its diseases, death, and resolution into dust. It is that in the flesh “which has the power of death”; and it is called sin, because the development, or fixation, of this evil in the flesh, was the result of transgression. Inasmuch as this evil principle pervades every part of the flesh, the animal nature is styled “sinful flesh” that is “flesh full of sin” so that sin, in the sacred style, came to stand for the substance called man. In human flesh “dwells no good thing” and all the evil a man does is the result dwelling in him. Romans 7:17,18. Sin is a synonym for human nature. Hence, the flesh is invariably regarded as unclean. It is therefore written “How can he be clean who is born of a woman?” Job 25:4. “Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one.” Job 14:4. Sin in the flesh is hereditary; and entailed upon mankind as the consequence of Adam’s violation of Eden law.
Human nature or “sinful flesh,” has three principal channels through which it displays its waywardness against the Law of God. These are expressed by “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.” All that is in the world stands related to these points of our nature; and there is no temptation that can be devised, but what assails it in one, or more, of these three particulars. The world without is the seducer, which finds in all animal men, unsubdued by the Law and testimony of God, a sympathizing and friendly principle, ready at all times to eat of its forbidden fruit. This sinful nature we inherit. It is our misfortune, not our crime, that we possess it. We are only blameworthy when, being supplied with the power of subduing it, we permit it to reign over us. This power of subduing it resides in “the testimony of God” so that we “are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.” Sin and evil are as cause and effect. God is the author of evil, but not of sin; for the evil is the punishment of sin. "I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I, the Lord, do all these things." (Isa. 45:7) "Shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it?" (Amos 3:6) The evil then to which man is subjected is the Lord's doing. War, famine, pestilence, flood, earthquake, disease, and death, are the terrible evils which God inflicts upon mankind for their transgressions. Nations cannot go to war when they please, any more than they can shake the earth at their will and pleasure; neither can they preserve peace, when He proclaims war. Evil is the artillery with which He combats the enemies of His law, and of His saints; consequently, there will be neither peace nor blessedness for the nations, until sin is put down, His people avenged, and truth and righteousness be established in the earth.
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