Part 16
Is it wrong to not use your gift if you know what it is? Since all gifts are given to build up the church, and you are a part of that church, then if you are able to use your gift and have opportunity to do so, but refuse, then it would be wrong. You would be limiting the overall effectiveness of the assembly.
Does every congregation have all of the gifts present? No, for at times some congregations are without pastors. (Unless there is a non-practicing pastor-teacher present.)
If you look at the finances of the churches you may wonder where the gifted people are that have the gift of giving.
Does the individual congregation have all of the gifts present that are required to run the church adequately? There is no verse for this, but it seems logical that if the Lord has raised up the church to do His work that He would supply all the gifted people needed for that job. This is not to say that some non-functioning, or non-attending believers wouldn't short the local congregation at times. If I as a teacher was the only teacher a church had then, if I decided to take a month or two off during the summer
— I would be wrong and they might well be less effective than the Lord desires for a time.
Are all of the gifts present and functioning at all times during the church age? No. There were some gifts that were foundational and used to bring the church into existence. (Ephesians 2:19-22 mentions that the apostles and prophets were foundational to the church.) There is no indication that there are any apostles left. If there are, they should be on Social Security by now. They would be almost two thousand years old.
I might mention that some in Fundamental/Evangelical circles feel that the gift of prophecy has become the gift of preaching.
Were the Old Testament saints gifted? As such, no. The times when they were given special abilities may have been similar to the gifting of the New Testament, but there was no indwelling Spirit, and no indication that there was a gifting of all believers.
Can a gifted person that is not filled by the Spirit use his spiritual gift? I don't think that the Scripture tells us anything about this. I would assume so. The effects of the judgment by fire upon anything that arose out of that ministry might be questionable. The effectiveness of the gift might also be in question. The Spirit may well limit the effect when He is not in control.
Will the gift be used as effectively as it could be if it is used when you are not filled with the Spirit? I would assume not. Example: If you had a gift of giving and you were not attending on a regular basis and your giving was on the slide. You are still giving but not as much as you could.
Can you have a gift and not use it to the fullest? Yes. You may use it a little or a lot. The emphasis should be on the lot however, so that you are as big a benefit to the church as possible.
1. The emphasis is not to be on "Which one do I have?", but on the use of the one I have.
2. The emphasis is not to be on which one do I have, but on what can I do to find out what I can do.
3. Every Christian has a gift. This demands an answer to the believer that comes to church and sits doing nothing.
True, the gifts can function outside the church, however there should be some fruit from that ministry without, which benefits the within of the church. The gifts are for the benefit of the church not the outside world.
If a person does nothing outside the church and does nothing inside the church, then there is error. It may be his, in that he does nothing, or it may be the churches, in that they do not allow him to exercise his gift.
4. Since the gifts are for the betterment of the church it would seem that the pastor of a given church would be encouraging his members to find out what their gift is and to begin to practice it. This would indicate the need of seminars on gifts now and then, especially for relatively new believers.
5. Since some may have more than one gift you might encourage that person with helps to scratch around and see if he might also have the gift of teaching.
6. If you are short of a teacher, might it not be a proper time to mention that the Lord normally supplies each church with enough of each gift to maintain the church and encourage the folks to see if they aren't the one that is gifted. If nothing comes up from this then you should begin to pray for a new member with that gift, or reevaluate your need of a teacher.
I have seen times in churches when teachers would move away and within days a new family would begin to come and guess what — yes, a new teacher.
7. Now, if you know that you are the person to fill the teaching position, that is great and you can be overjoyed about it, but don't you ever feel that you are God's gift to that church. It is your gift that is God's gift to the church and NOT you.
THE HOLY SPIRIT AN HISTORICAL VIEW
When I was a new Christian I was sitting in a preaching service when a pastor mentioned that he didn't think that the "outer darkness" of the New Testament was the eternal state, or hell.
Based on that comment, I was off and running on a study of my own to find out what "outer darkness" meant. As I studied, I set down some very correct observations of the term. I finally formed a thinking that this was an intermediate place between heaven and hell where the not so good, but not so bad people went. It wasn't hell for they were pretty nice people, but it wasn't heaven because they weren't that nice.
I mentioned this to a pastor a year or so later and he went off the deep end, telling me that I was teaching Catholicism and purgatory. I wasn't sure what purgatory was much less the other big word he used.
I finally mentioned all that had gone on to an older layman that took time to look into the word and explain to me that the Gospels were given to the Jewish people and that my interpretation was probably incorrect.
Now, if I had lived in the AD 300-400 days I would have been called to a council and condemned a heretic by the pastor. I made my mistake in trying to interpret the texts, out of the context of the entire Bible, and what God is doing in different times. I did not want to go into an area of false doctrine, I just stumbled in because I had no training in how to study the Word.
In the early church even the theologians were untrained in the finer points of interpretation, indeed, interpretation came along later in time as well. (the principles and theories of.)
We want to look briefly at the history of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. We will not go into the liberal or Neoorthodox positions. (Walvoord has a section on Liberal and Neoorthodox views of the Holy Spirit. pp 253ff. He
also lists a group of books that deal with this topic in detail in note one on p 237.)
EARLY CHURCH
The early church carried through with a belief in the Holy Spirit by their use of the name in relation to the baptismal formula however there wasn't a Theology 101 on Pneumatology in the Bible College of Ephesus. The doctrine of the Spirit came about slowly. Probably the reason for this was that there were other doctrines that were coming under fire. The deity of Christ was a major problem that had to be dealt with.
Many of the early converts probably had a knowledge of the Old Testament and they would have known a little, if not a lot of information about God the Father. They had known much of the Lord Jesus through the Gospels and the things that they had heard. The Holy Spirit would have been a natural topic not to come up for awhile.
I'll be quite honest, as I have taught through Theology there are many areas of study that we haven't been able to touch on, in all the generations since the Lord was here. I'm sure pastors and teachers have studied in some of these areas, but their work has never been placed into print for others to read and interact with.
Each time I state that something would make a good research paper, I'm saying that I have yet to see info on the subject and haven't had time to get into it myself.
A side note for free: I think it is very sad that anyone can write a self help book and get it published, even if it isn't a proven principle, and yet we have many men of God out there researching in areas that we haven't even discussed and they can't get it into print. This work on theology went to publishers, and the reason for rejection at one publisher was that they could not make a proper profit on such a project. PROFIT is the motivator for most publishers today, not Spreading the Word and information concerning It.
THE CHURCH FATHERS
Some of the early witnesses to the Spirit are found in the writings of the Fathers.
This information comes from Walvoord. (Walvoord, John F., A.M., Th.D.; "THE HOLY SPIRIT;" Grand Rapids: Dunham Publishing Co.; 1958, pp 238-239)
"The personality and distinct office of the Holy Spirit are clearly set forth in Ignatius."
"Have we not one God, and one Christ, and one Spirit of Grace that was shed for us?" Clement, (c. 100) (Epistle of Clement of Rome to the Corinthians, ch 46, v.6.)
"Justin Martyr, according to Smeaton, 'is an emphatic witness to the distinct personality of the Holy Spirit."
Walvoord quotes Fisher stating that Irenaeus held to the deity and eternality of the Spirit even though he felt there was a subordination to the Son as there was of the Son to the Father. Fisher also mentions that Clement of Alexandria (150-c. 215) speaks of the Spirit, Father, and the Son as the "Holy Triad".
H.B. Swete in "The Holy Spirit In The Ancient Church" tells that the Spirit was active and evident in the church life and individual lives long before it was dogma to the church.
"The Shepherd" was written by Hermas the brother of the Bishop of Rome, Bishop Pius. (Bettenson, Henry; "Documents Of The Christian Church"; New York: Oxford University Press, p 41; used by permission of Oxford University Press) This was written in the area of 150 AD and is full of symbols. Some liken it to the Revelation. In it Hermas mentions, "And when I had walked a little, I fell asleep. And the spirit caught me away, and carried me through a certain place..." (Visions I vs. 3) In vs. 20 he mentions a servant of God having the approval of the "Spirit". Little can be learned of the doctrine of the Spirit from this source, but he is mentioned.
The rise of the doctrine of the Spirit came around 170 AD from the followers of Montanus. He and two women named Prisca and Maximilla declared the age of the Paraclete and with it new revelations from God. They held to a very high moral standard which drew men like Tertullian to the movement. They were called the Montanists.
They were moving away from a formal church to a Spirit type of church life, but their insistence on new revelation brought them ultimate rejection. Even with this, the doctrine of the Spirit was not formulated to any great degree.
Sabellianism (AD 215) presented the thought that God was one God and that He presented Himself in three modes. This gave some definition to the trinity and the relationship between the Father, Son and Holy Ghost even though it was error. This was the first major error that was set forth concerning the Spirit.
Arius (325 AD) a presbyter of Alexandria picked up on the heresy of Monarchianism which held to one God in three modes, but that the Father was crucified.
Arius held that God was first and that He generated the Son and then the Son created the Spirit because the Word told him that the Son created all things.
The Council of Nicaea was set to settle the dispute over the trinity. Athanasius was the one that had been opposing Arius. The Council of Nicaea made the following statement concerning the Trinity: "We believe in one God, the Father All-sovereign, the maker of all things visible and invisible;
"And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Word of God, God of God, Light of Light, Life of Life, Son only-begotten, First born of all creation, begotten of the Father before all the ages, through whom also all things were make; who was made flesh for our salvation and lived among men, and suffered, and rose again on the third day, and ascended to the Father, and shall come again in glory to judge the living and dead;
"We believe also in one Holy Spirit." (Bettenson, Henry; "Documents Of The Christian Church"; New York: Oxford University Press, p 35; used by permission of Oxford University Press)
We still see no real statement of the doctrine of the Spirit.
The council of Nicaea did not declare the Spirit to be God but implied such by linking the Holy Spirit to such a statement about the Father and the Son.
The Council of Nicaea was a minority of the church leaders and when 90 bishops later gathered to dedicate a Church they issued "THE DEDICATION CREED, 341 which is more specific about the Spirit. They were also more lengthy on Christ.
"In accordance with the tradition of the Gospel and of the Apostles we believe in one God, Father...."
"And in one Lord Jesus Christ his son,...."
"And in the Holy Spirit, who is given to them that believe for comfort, hallowing and perfecting, as also our Lord Jesus Christ commissioned his disciples, saying, 'Go ye forth and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit'; namely, of a Father who is truly Father, a Son who is truly Son and a Holy Spirit who is truly Holy Spirit, the titles not being given in a vague or meaningless way but accurately denoting the particular existence [or personality] and rank and glory of each that is so named, so that they are three in existence [personality] but one in agreement." (Bettenson, Henry; "DOCUMENTS OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH"; New York: Oxford University Press, pp 58-59; used by permission of Oxford University Press)
The creed of Constantinople in 381 AD mentions the deity of the Holy Spirit. The cause of this creed speaking to the subject is that there were some followers of a man by the name of Macedonius that began to detract from the deity of the Spirit. His followers held that the Spirit was a creature under the control of the Son. They were called Macedonians or Pneumatomachians or "evil
speakers against the Spirit". (Taken from: "A Survey Of Bible Doctrine"; Ryrie, Charles C.; Copyright 1972, Moody Bible Institute of Chicago; Moody Press. Used by permission. p 71)
The statement was as follows: "And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Life-giving, who proceeds from the Father, who is to be glorified with the Father and the Son, and who speaks through the prophets."
Augustine (354-430) Wrote the DeTrinitate a work on the Spirit. He presented the Spirit as God very clearly.
The Council of Chalcedon in 451 confirmed the work of Nicaea and Constantinople.
The Synod of Toledo in 589 after studying the topic added the phrase, "and the Son" after the Father in the creed of Nicaea and Constantinople. This was to show that the Father and the Son were one and that the Spirit proceeded from both. The Eastern church rejected this change and continues with just the "father" in the statement. (An earlier Council of Toledo in 447 AD used this phrase but the 589 session evidently made it official. The statement was called the FILIOQUE CLAUSE. Fili has to do with "son".) This meeting was to determine if the Spirit proceeded from the Father and the Son or only the Father.
Ryrie has a quote that is of interest. "The deity of the Son was settled at the Council of Nicaea; the deity of the Spirit at Constantinople; and the procession of the Spirit from the Father and the Son at the Synod of Toledo. The presence of heresy had forced the church to settle these great doctrinal matters." (Reprinted by permission: Ryrie, Charles C.; "BASIC THEOLOGY"; Wheaton: Victor Books, 1986, pp 386-87)
From this point on, the main thought of comment is on the personality and deity of the Spirit. Little concerning his work appears until the reformation, when Augustine's writings became a basis of interest. During the reformation there was an emphasis on the work of the Spirit in regeneration. The reformers also laid emphasis on the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit to counter the idea that the priest was the only one that could explain the Bible.
RECENT FINDINGS
A man by the name of John Owen (1616-1683) wrote a book Discourse Concerning The Holy Spirit and it is still held as a classic work on the Spirit. He was a puritan. (The Holy Spirit, His Works and His Power are listed by the same author in a 1954 Kregel release and may be the same one. Ryrie mentions it in his Bibliography in the Holy Spirit book and mentions that Kuyper held it very highly.)
Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920) also wrote a work on the Spirit.
The Plymouth Brethren (1825) were very instrumental in the understanding of the baptizing work of the Spirit as well as His illumination of the believer.
Neoorthodoxy (which rose out of liberalism) sees the Spirit as only an operation of God and not a person of the Godhead. (Reprinted by permission: Ryrie, Charles C.; "BASIC THEOLOGY"; Wheaton: Victor Books, 1986, p 389)
Neoliberalism is the old liberalism that takes sin a bit more seriously to paraphrase Ryrie, also teaches that the Spirit is only an operation of God. They reject both the deity of Christ and the Spirit.
Pentecostalism has probably done more to harm the doctrine of the Spirit in some ways. They have perverted it greatly, yet out of the false doctrine has come the need to refute it and the doctrine of the Spirit has been more closely defined in recent years.
1. The heresy that you may face in your future ministries will feel like the roof is caving in on you, yet you will rise to the occasion as did the fathers, and Scripturally refute all comers. Do not fear false doctrine. The falsehood of the early days did not stop God's program.
If, and we believe we do, hold the truth, the very Word of God, then we have the answers that we need to refute false doctrine no matter when or where it comes. We have only to go into the Word and find those answers.
Might we draw some simple application. Some say the Gospel is the important thing, so we don't need to major on minors. This is true to a point yet proper doctrine is called for in Scripture. We might wonder, however if some of us don't get tied up in the detail of the doctrine and fail to live it? Indeed, might we get so tied up in the detail of doctrine that we forget to reproduce spiritually as the Lord has commanded us?
2. We need to watch for new falsehood and counter it as soon as possible. Now, mark my words, I am not advocating denominations, yet there is something to say of the councils of the past. They united many, many churches in many doctrines over the early years.
I tend to wonder if the proliferation of so many types of church government and styles of churches and doctrines aren't from the fact that the church has no standard to go by. Many churches assume what pastor tells them is right. It may or may not be.
I think there is some benefit in this area to the fellowships that have sprung up in recent years that allow the churches to be autonomous, and yet have a group of believers and churches to fellowship with, as well as discuss beliefs.
There may be a bit of dampening to the progress of error in these fellowships, such as General Association of Regular Baptists, Independent Fundamental Churches of America etc.
3. Don't be afraid to go against the tide if you are convinced that what you believe is correctly based on the Word. You need to seek out the advice of church fathers, commentaries etc. Yet, if you feel the church is in error you need to go forward. Write an article, discuss it with other pastors or past classmates.
There have been some like Athanasius that have had to stand against some strong tide and let the waves buffet them for the truth of Scripture.
Beware, however that you aren't on a wrong wavelength. Don't jump in with both feet. Take time and pray and consider long and hard. You may have missed finding that one verse that will blow you out of the water.
4. There may be a time when you will have to make a decision concerning a group with which you work. You may see changes being made that are not
in keeping with the Word. When you have prayerfully considered things before the Lord, and you have made a good study of the Word, if you continue to feel the group is in error and it is an error that you do not desire to be associated with, then you must take steps to separate yourself from the group. This may well be a very hard thing to do.
A pastor in a certain group of churches lead me to the Lord many years ago. I was forced to not attend one of those churches recently due to the doctrinal error that I was hearing from their constitution and teachers.
When some of the Baptist conventions went liberal there were many good men that disagreed with the new doctrines. Some of them formed and/or joined other groups of pastors of like faith.
Others, usually the older men, had invested their lives in the conventions and they thought they could turn them around. Since their churches, parsonages, and retirement funds were controlled by the conventions, they stayed to do what they could. (Which turned out to be very little.)
This item of application grows out of my needing to take a stand at different times of my life. I have changed colleges of attendance, and left institutions that I felt were moving away from what was Biblical. It was not easy, but I felt that it was needed.
5. There is one further point to be made. Just because you disagree with something that you are introduced to, don't automatically reject it as false doctrine. Take some time to properly understand what this new point is and then go to the Word to see if there is any validity. If the new point or teaching is based on scripture, look it over and compare it to other Scripture and see if it be true. Just because it is new, many in our day reject it — just because we've never believed that way before.
6. Write and hopefully some day the publishers will begin to publish some of your information.
7. The fathers and the creeds are not inspired, yet they can give us some good information if we take time to read them and consider them.
8. You are the future's history and theology writers. Get busy. You may feel that you have nothing to contribute, but you may well develop a line of thinking that has never been studied before. Example: I have been
thinking and studying the thought of where the garden of Eden was, and I have amassed a lot of information. Some day as I continue, I may submit it somewhere for scholars to consider. Indeed, as I present it to classes I am given new ideas and references that may well relate. I take these and work with them and develop my thinking. I am at the point in my study that I feel that I can almost state that I know where the Garden of Eden was located. (You might find this an interesting study.)
WRITE IT — YOU'LL LIKE IT.
THE HOLY SPIRIT OFFENDED
There are a number of ways that man can go against the Holy Spirit. Evans follows the outline given below. I would like to follow this format in this section. ("The Great Doctrines Of The Bible")
Offences Against The Holy Spirit
By The Sinner
Resisting
Insulting
Blaspheming
By The Believer
Grieving
Lying To
Quenching
SINS AGAINST THE SPIRIT COMMITTED BY THE SINNER
Resisting The Spirit: Resist according to Funk and Wagnall is, ".....to strive against; act counter to." ("FUNK AND Wagnalls STANDARD Desk Dictionary"; New York: Funk and Wagnalls Inc., 1977)
Stephen in his sermon told his listeners that they were resisting the Holy Spirit as did their fathers (Acts 7:51).
The context mentions the fathers: They persecuted the prophets, they killed the prophets, they betrayed and murdered Christ, and they received the law but didn't keep it (vs. 52,53). They even rejected Stephen's teaching and killed him (vs. 54-60).
The term used here is Strong's number 496 and is the Greek word "antipipto". This is the only usage of the word in the New Testament.
Young's concordance tells us it means, "to fall over against". Vine mentions, "to fall against or upon". (Vine, W. E.; "An Expository Dictionary Of New Testament Words"; Old Tappan, NJ: Fleming H. Revell Co.)
Vincent mentions that it is used in classical Greek of someone falling upon an enemy in war. (Vincent, M.R.; "Word Studies In The New Testament"; Mac Dill AFB, Florida, MacDonald Publishing)
In the context it would be the rejection of the message: In what Stephen said, the rejection of the fathers was not listening to the message of the prophets, and the rejection of the listener was the rejection of the message of Stephen.
When used of the Spirit then it is the rejection of God's message as delivered via the Holy Spirit. The rejection of the Gospel would be Resisting The Holy Spirit.
In the outworking of our doctrine it would be the rejection of common grace as delivered by the Spirit. The grace extended to these men and their fathers was quite specific.
Can the believer resist the Holy Spirit? In the context of Stephen we were speaking of non-believers, yet there is a distinct possibility of the concept of rejecting the Word of God in the believers life as well. The believer does not reject what the Word tells of salvation, indeed, if the person is a believer they have accepted that Word. The problem comes when we speak of the person receiving the Word in other areas of life and the person not listening or in essence rejecting the Word.
Example: When teaching I saw students that were in rebellion against the school, but were really rebelling against the Lord. These people could hear lessons and messages that directly applied to them, yet they would not change their actions. This to me is resisting the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit desires to do all that He can in each life, but when the life is unresponsive then the Holy Spirit is resisted.
Insulting The Spirit: To insult is, ".....to treat with insolence or contempt; disparage; abuse; affront....." according to Funk and wagnalls.
Hebrews 10:29 uses the word, "enubrizo" the only time that it is used in the Scripture. "Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of god, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, with which he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?" (despite is the term under consideration. It is Strong's number 1796: ".....to treat insultingly....." according to Vine.)
Newell in his commentary on Hebrews mentions that this term is an intensified version of a term that is used in Luke 18:32. "for he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully treated, and spit on;" (spitefully is the term mentioned.)
The Hebrews text seems to have to do with contempt for and abuse of Christ's work and shed blood. Newell mentions that the people in Hebrews were knowledgeable of things, but unregenerate and had rejected the Spirit's work, and that work to them had diminished in importance till they counted the Spirit as not present. (Taken from: "Hebrews Verse By Verse"; Newell, William R.; Copyright 1947, Moody Bible Institute of Chicago; Moody Press. Used by permission.) (This is drawn from the fact that "unholy thing" can be translated "common thing." Scofield mentions this also in his side note. They have counted the blood of Christ a common thing — they have ignored the Spirit's application of this truth.)
Have you ever been talking to someone and have them walk away in midsentence? Have you met someone eyeball to eyeball — said hello and have them totally ignore you? We would be insulted and this is in essence what these people were doing. They were viewing the Spirit as insignificant. They were looking the Spirit in the eye, eyeball to eyeball, and walking away.
Blaspheming The Spirit: Funk and Wagnalls says of blaspheming, ".....to speak in an impious manner of (god or sacred things). 2. To speak ill of; malign."
Years ago in the Navy we used to play touch football for something to do. One day the officers and enlisted men went to the field to play some football, but the officers noticed that we enlisted men weren't really being open and serious about going after an officer. One of the officers stopped
the game and said, "Now look, we are here to play football and not to stand on military etiquette. You play football just like you would if we were all enlisted men." To which one of the enlisted men said, "Shut up you stupid knotheaded idiot, we want to play football." Now, in military etiquette that would have been insubordination to an officer and punishable. That was speaking in an impious manner.
The term used in scripture is, "blasphemeo" Strong's number 987. Young defines it as ".....to speak injuriously....."
The main usage of this term is in the synoptic gospels. Matthew 12:31; Mark 3:22-30; Luke 11:14-21. The other mentions of the word are found as follows: Romans 2:24 speaking of the name of God being blasphemed; 1 Timothy 6:1 where not only the name of God, but the doctrine of God is blasphemed; Titus 2:5 mentions the Word of God in relation to blasphemy; James 2:7 speaking of the name of Christ being blasphemed; Revelation 16:11,21 speaking of God of heaven being blasphemed.
The Matthew text mentions that the attributing of miracles to the Devil is the blaspheming. The Pharisees had accused Christ of casting out demons by the power of Satan. "Wherefore, I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven men; but the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit shall not be forgiven men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him; but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this age, neither in the age to come." (Something for free that is unrelated, this is one of the verses that the Roman Catholics build their doctrine of purgatory on. The age to come is purgatory but all can be forgiven in the age after that, speaking of eternity.)
In vs. 31 we are told that blaspheming of the Spirit won't be forgiven. In vs. 32 we are told that speaking against the Spirit won't be forgiven.
Let us consider some facts from the texts.
Matthew mentions that these are lost men involved. He also mentions that they have rejected the works of the Spirit. They spoke evil of the Spirit's work. Mark tells us that eternal damnation is the result (3:29). Mark also mentions that ".....all sins shall be forgiven....." except this one.
The rejection of the Work of the Spirit unto Salvation is the only thing that really fits these facts. They are rejecting his revelation to them of God's grace and salvation. The miracles were to validate Christ as the Messiah. This they attributed to Satan.
The question comes up quite often today — Can you blaspheme the Spirit today? Yes, and indeed many do every day as they reject Christ.
Another question comes to mind. Why will God allow his Son, Himself, His name, His Word, His Son's name and His doctrine to be blasphemed yet not the Spirit? It would seem that He would allow anyone to blaspheme as they wish, just to be sure they have opportunity to be saved. The rejection of the Gospel is that final blaspheme against the Spirit that He cannot overlook or tolerate. It is that fact that when they reject the Spirit's ministry they are rejecting the gospel and thus condemning themselves to eternal torment. They have rejected God's authority over them and the possibility of God's mercy having effect upon them.
The blaspheme comes only when they have rejected the Spirit's ministry ultimately, and finally. This was the case of the Pharisees. They had been rejecting for so long and this was the final blast so to speak.
Be sure that you understand this thought that believers cannot blaspheme the Spirit, and be sure you can communicate it to another believer. You will probably have people come to you fearing that they have committed this unforgivable sin.
We should teach this in our churches. I have had older Christians that were fearful that their sin was the unforgivable one. They do not understand the text and doctrine, so fear out of ignorance.
SINS AGAINST THE SPIRIT COMMITTED BY THE BELIEVER
Grieving The Spirit: There were few things in life as a teacher that grieved me more than to have to flunk a student. I'm sure that my students found that one hard to believe, but it is true. When a student doesn't turn in work that he needs to pass a class, it hurts me deeply. Not that they are doing anything to me because they aren't, but that they are wasting all that work and money because they are too lazy to do the work as required.
It also hurts to see God call a student to a school for a purpose and see the student sitting around like a zombie wasting God's time, money and talents. I grieve to a point in this case. It sorrows me greatly.
Funk and Wagnalls states of grieve, ".....to cause to feel sorrow or grief." Ephesians 4:30 uses the term, "...Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God," The term used is "lupio." The context of this statement in Ephesians is in the middle of a list of vile things. Lying, anger, give place to the devil, stealing, corrupt communications, etc. Grieve Not The Holy Spirit. I suspect from the inclusion of this phrase in this list of sins would indicate that any sin in the believers life is grief to the Spirit.
Grieving the Spirit then is sin. Any sin in the believers life is going to grieve the Spirit.
The first step of grieving is when we take control from Him and impose our own control upon our life. Each additional sin adds to that grief. 1 John 1:9 is the only remedy for grieving of the Spirit. 1 John 1:9 assumes that you will attempt to rectify the problem.
One walking in a state of sin will only continue to deepen his sin and assume more and more the appearance and action of an unsaved man. There will be no fruit of the Spirit — no peace of the Spirit — no activity of the Spirit. In other words if you are walking in sin do not assume that you will be comforted, taught or led by the Spirit. You Won't Be.
Unmarried young people. Let this be clear. If you have sin in your life on a continuing basis, don't you dare tell anyone God is Leading you to get married. To be led you need to be filled. Mark it down in stone if you need to. To be led you need to be filled. I have had teenagers tell me that they have been praying that the Lord would lead them in their relationship. They now believe that the Lord has directed them to be married. This sounds so spiritual and is neat in the cases where the teens are walking with God in a manner in which the Spirit has freedom to lead them.
The problem is that some of these "lead" Christians are openly defying their parents in marriage, or are allowing other sins to continue on in their life. These Young People Are Not Lead Of The Spirit When They Are In Control.
Lying To The Spirit: Funk and Wagnalls states of lying, "The act of telling lies; untruthfulness." A lie is "An untrue statement made with the intent of deceiving; a false impression." (Funk and Wagnalls) One of the classic texts on lying to the Spirit is Acts 5:1-11. Take time to read this passage. (John 8:44 also relates)
The context of Acts 5 tells us that some had sold all their belongings and given all to the church for distribution to the saints. Ananias, with Sapphira sold and gave part of the money. They then told someone that it was all of the money. We aren't told whether they told the apostles, the people or the Lord in prayer. The indications are that they told at least the apostles and possibly the people.
Verse four mentions that their lie was not to men but unto God. "...Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God." Vs. 9 mentions specifically the Holy Spirit.
The question comes, "If they lied to men how is it a lie to God?" There are a couple of possibilities.
a. They were lying to church leadership — lying to them was the same as lying to the Spirit. You Think About That One Folks. Have you ever lied to the church leaders? Have you ever told them you didn't have time to do something, just to get out of doing it?
b. In prayers, they may have indicated before men that they had given all. (Verse eight might indicate that this is not the case.)
The first possibility seems the best to me. There are some scriptural passages that might add weight to this thought.
1 Thessalonians 4:6-8,
"That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also haveforewarned
you and testified. For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. He, therefore, that despiseth, despiseth not man but
God, who hath also given unto us his Holy Spirit."
Luke 10:13-16, shows that those that heareth or despise the apostles heareth or despise Christ himself. The next phrase (last part of 5:16)
mentions that anyone that despises Christ despises the one that sent Christ.
1 Samuel 8:7,
"And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee; for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them."
Numbers 16:1-11, The people gathered against Moses, but God took it personally. AAAAAWWWWSSSOOMEE... The indication is that lying to the Lord's leadership, if not to any believer, is lying to the Lord Himself. If this be true and if we realized this throughout Christianity would we not revolutionize the lifestyle of the average believer?
Quenching The Spirit: Funk and Wagnalls defines quench thusly, "To put out or extinguish, as a fire. 2. To put an end to."
The term is "sbennumi." (Strong's 4570) Young defines it as, ".....to quench." (It is used in I Th. 5:19 of the Spirit.)
Hebrews 11:34 mentions the violence of the fire of Shadrach, Mechach, and Abednego being quenched. In this context you might gain the idea that the fire isn't put out, only that the effects of the fire on the person were nullified. Indeed, the fire continued to burn, because others were confronted with the fire and killed (Daniel 3:21-25).
In Ephesians 6:16 the term is used with the Armor of God, specifically the shield of faith. It is to be used for the quenching of the fiery darts of Satan. Again fire extinguisher isn't the idea, but nullifying the effect of, would be the idea.
1 Thessalonians 5:19 states simply, "Quench not the Spirit." It should be observed that this is in the midst of simple statements of proper Christian activity which is introduced by the phrase, ".....furthermore, then, we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more." 4:1
Thayer tells us that it means ".....to suppress, stifle." (Thayer, Joseph Henry, D.D.; "Greek-English Lexicon Of The New Testament"; Grand Rapids: Zondervan, p 572)
Walvoord indicates the belief that it means to say no, or not yield to the Spirit.
To compile all of these thoughts we might assume that quenching of the Spirit is either the extinguishing of His ministry to us, or more exactly, the nullifying of His effects upon us. It would seem that if we aren't being controlled by Him that we are, in effect, nullifying His effect upon us. It would also seem that if we are not filled or controlled by the Spirit we are quenching Him.
The conclusion must be that quenching the Spirit is directly related to the control, or no control of the Spirit in the individual life. The cure: Restore Him to control of your life.
God Leads — unless you quench Him.
God Teaches — unless you quench Him.
God Comforts — unless you quench Him.
God Fellowships — unless you quench Him.
God Prays — unless you quench Him.
Man. That Really Puts The Monkey On Our Back. If God Isn't Working In Our Life We Know Why. Don't We?
If He has led you to give, and you don't — You Quench.
If He has led you to go, and you wait — You Quench.
If He has taught, and you don't obey — You Quench.
In conclusion may we consider one more verse?
"Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh."
(Galatians 516)
What a promise to the believer.
This phrase "walk in the Spirit: is a present tense, thus if we continue to walk in the Spirit we Will Not Fulfill The Lust Of The Flesh. As believers we are told to avoid the walk of the flesh and here we have an iron clad promise and answer as to how to avoid it.
Again, we see that the monkey is on our back. It is a conscious decision of our own, as to how we walk the Christian walk. We have a will that must decide to allow Spirit control on a continued basis. We must decide who is running our life.
Does this give new meaning to that old tried and true text of James 1:13-15?
"Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man; but every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringth forth sin...."
Vs. 17 is usually left out, but is the stark contrast to our walking in the flesh in what was just read. James 1:17,
"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above,
and cometh down from the Father...."
We reject all that is good, for all that is bad, when we assume control of our lives and tell the Spirit to go back into his corner.
Think on these things, to quote a famous author. Think on these things.
THE HOLY SPIRIT'S EMPOWERMENT OF
THE BELIEVER
"And, behold, I send the promise of my father upon you; but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until Ye be endued with power from on high." Luke 24:49
The term relates usually to the putting on of clothing or garments. Thus, it would relate to the putting on of power in some way. (endued is Strong's 1746, "enduo") The term is used of putting on armor in Ephesians 6:11; of putting on royal apparel in Acts 12:21; and John the Baptist being clothed with camels hair in Mark 1:6.
Paul in Romans 13:12, 14 mentions that we are to put on the armor of light and the Lord Jesus Christ. This may relate to the idea of the armor of Ephesians 6 and the warfare that we are in at the present time.
Acts 1:8 uses the term as well. "But ye shall receive power, after the Holy Spirit is come upon you; and ye shall be witnesses unto me...."
It would seem that this is something we do, or that we can control. It seems to me that this is a result of the Spirit controlling us and working through us. If this is true then as we are filled we have this power available to us.
The promise of Luke 24:49 is for the disciples and they received that power on the day of pentecost. As a sidelight, let's look at a question for a moment. What happened on the Day of Pentecost? We all know that the Holy Spirit came upon the people in the upper room after the sound of a wind, and there appeared tongues of fire over their heads. So what? What happened?
Were they empowered? Yes, Acts 1:8; Luke 24:49
Were they indwelt? Since they hadn't been, and since they were promised indwelling it would seem that yes, they were.
Were they filled? Yes, they were controlled and the gifts were operative.
Were they sealed? Since they were indwelt and this is the seal, yes they were sealed.
Believers after the book of Acts experienced the indwelling and sealing at salvation and the filling and empowerment as they were controlled by the Spirit. Filling and empowerment come as the believer allows the Spirit to control them.
FACTS CONCERNING POWER
The power is from God. The power is for the propagation of the Gospel. The power is secondary to the receiving of the Holy Spirit.
The term is quite descriptive. It is Strong's 1411 and is the Greek word dunamis, which we gain our current word dynamite from. It is translated a number of ways. Wonderful works Matthew 7:22; mighty works Matthew 11:20; power of God Matthew 22:29; power Matthew 22:30; ability Matthew 25:15; virtue Mark 5:30; miracle Mark 9:39; miracles Acts 2:22; power Acts 4:33; miracles Acts 19:11, 1 Corinthians 12:10, 28; power Romans 1:20; principalities nor POWERS Romans 8:38; etc.
1 Corinthians 2:3-5 uses the term in stark contrast to our own power. "And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power; That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God." We must learn that we have no power in and of our own. We must learn that the power that is available to us is from God. What A Kick In The Pride.
And what might we assume that this power is for? Since we have this power for evangelism and the furtherance of the Gospel, then we need not expect to see this power at any other time in life. In short when you go out to buy a car, don't wait for the power to dicker to come upon you cuz it won't.
When might we expect the empowerment? When witnessing, when teaching/preaching, and when writing if the communication of the
information is to further the Gospel, or any time preceding and leading up to any of the above.
Epp asks a question, then answers it for us. "We have the assurance that the Spirit is given to comfort us. Why does He teach us? Why does He guide us? Why does He set us apart for Himself? Why does He provide power? For our personal joy and satisfaction? Not primarily. There is satisfaction and joy in receiving these things from the Spirit of God, but these are only a means to an end. The primary goal is something higher and better. It is all to make us better witnesses for Christ." (Epp, Theodore H.; "The Other Comforter"; Lincoln: Back to the Bible Broadcast, 1966, p 249)
In all that Mark Epp mentions, I think there may be far more than even he indicates. I think that we need to think back over our study of the Spirit and consider some of the things that we have learned.
True the power in Acts 1:8 is for witness however from a brief look at the term power there are other items of business that the Spirit is into with the term power. He indwells us and offers many ministries to us that are in essence an empowerment.
1. Grace: What benefit do we derive from grace which involves the Spirit? Salvation — that takes power.
2. Conviction: We as believers are convicted of the sin in our lives and as such are brought forth to be holy people prepared for a purpose. His conviction is powerful at times.
3. Indwelling: We are indwelt by God Himself and all that implies. Personal protection from all foes. As we look at the Devil and demons we will see this protection takes power.
4. Filling: We can be controlled by the Spirit and produce in our lives the fruit of the Spirit and maintain holy and pure lives. Knowing man's nature, I think that we can safely say that takes power.
5. Sealing: We can be ever sure of our salvation and ever sure that He will one day finish the redemptive work that He has begun in us. We can also know that there is nothing that can keep these things from happening.
6. Comfort: We saw that He comforts us so that we might comfort others that are in the same infirmities. Many can speak from experience and state that to properly comfort someone else, there is a cost to the comforter. They become involved and begin to share in the hurt. Power to commit one's self to this is needed. The Spirit, voluntarily placed Himself in the hurt of the believer.
7. Teaching: He is teaching us through the Word so that we can know the Lord's will and what direction our lives should take in reference to Him and His holiness.
8. Communion: We can have fellowship with Him that is as close as any fellowship that we can find with man, indeed it should be closer, in that His side of our fellowship will be of a perfect nature.
9. Praying: He is interceding in our prayers for us with the Father so that all that is requested will be within the Lord's will.
10. Gifting: He has gifted some to train us to do the work of the Lord. Not only evangelism but all work of the Lord. 2 Timothy 2:2 tells us that we are to be teaching faithful men so that they can teach faithful men. Etc.
11. Leading: He is leading us into different types of work and ministry so that we can minister to the lost as a witness, and to minister to the saved as a part of the body of Christ.
12. Baptism: He has baptized us into the body of Christ so that we are a part of a large organism that is dependant upon each and every member. We have value to the body even though we may have the smallest of jobs to perform.
In all of these areas, we can see the power of the Holy Spirit. To what conclusion have we come?
We are being ministered to by the Spirit so that we can minister the Gospel to the lost and minister in a number of ways to the saved. We are to be trained within the local church to do that job and the Holy Spirit gives a large portion of that training, not only directly but indirectly through teachers and ministers.
All this is backed up by the power of the Holy Spirit as it is manifested to the lost and to the body of Christ through Spirit controlled individuals.
As We Used To Say In The Navy — Stick That In Your Pipe And Smoke It. Since That Phrase Isn't Fitting For Our Setting, May I Suggest That You Stick That In Your Mind And Meditate Upon It.
So What? There are 2.5 billion lost people in the world, the majority of present missionary workers are coming home, and others that are ready to go to the field can't raise support.
So where is the POWER of the Spirit?
We see little evidence of His power in the church today. Part of the reason may be found in the following.
In People: People are not being filled — people are not in the business of furthering the Gospel.
In Churches: There are no missions programs. The churches are filled with people that are not interested in missions.
In Mission Agencies: They are wrapped up in mechanics and organizationalism.
In Missionaries: Materialism/meism/strategies/programs
"Lighting Central Fires"
"Dr. E. Stanley Jones said: 'Whenever we have been troubled in conscience about our spiritual impotence we have added a new wheel, a new commission or a new committee, a new plan or program, and in the end we have discovered that we have added one more wheel, but with little or no power to run either the old or the new. we are busy turning old and new wheels with hand power instead of lighting central fires.'
"If those early disciples had not received the gift of the Holy Spirit they would have scattered and their cause would have come to naught. They had the gospel but they lacked that impelling power that sends all of us out as living witnesses of that which we have seen and felt. Prior to the Day of Pentecost they were timid and
fearful, now they were courageous and willing to die for Jesus if need be. On the Day of Pentecost they learned nothing new about Jesus but they received a divine unction which completely transformed them. They were different afterward and the world has never been the same since the Day of Pentecost. It is very interesting to observe what took place on the Day of Pentecost, but it is far more interesting to observe all that has taken place through the lives of spirit-filled men since that great day." A. R. Clippinger (Stuber, Stanley I. and Clark, Thomas Curtis; "TREASURY OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH"; New York: Association Press, 1949)
You have read this information concerning the Spirit and His relationship to you. What are you going to do? Are you going to move forward in your life? Are you going to leave control up to Him?
The knowledge you have places you in a position of needing to respond one way or another. I trust that this study will bring some into that precious, close, walk with the Lord that so many desire, and that so many reject.
THE CHOICE IS YOURS, NOT HIS. HIS CHOICE IS TO WALK
WITH YOU. WHAT IS YOUR CHOICE?
THE DEVIL
A BIOGRAPHICAL OF THE DIABOLICAL
To properly know him, and to properly know about him we must know where he came from. It would seem from all indications that he was an angel that had higher aspirations. He took a big step and fell flat on his face. (Luke 10:18, "And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.") We are not told that he is not an angel, so we must assume that he is of that class of being. There are other indications, such as the fact that he was a part of the heavenly throne scene, which is controlled by the angelic host. He was booted out of his heavenly abode and he has been very upset since.
His name was Lucifer in the beginning.
To begin with we need to know something about angels themselves to know about the devil.
1. Angels are created beings: Psalm 148:2-5 Verse 5 mentions of angels and the heavens, "...for he commanded, and they were created." As created beings they are not to be worshiped and John mentions this quite clearly in the book of Revelation.
They are close to us, in that God created them for His purposes, as we. Part of their ministry is to us also. This would show a close relationship, even though we have no knowledge of their presence around us.
2. Angels are everlasting but not eternal: Luke 20:36 mentions that the angels never die which indicates their everlasting nature. The fact that they were created, shows that they were not in eternity past, thus not eternal. It is good that the Lord defeated the Devil or he would continue as he is for eternity future.
3. Angels are spirit beings: Hebrews 1:13,14 tells us that they are ministering "spirits," yet they do seem to appear as humans at times. That is a point to contemplate some time. Just how do they minister, just how
do they function as spirit beings in a physical world. We will touch upon some of these things later.
4. Angels are powerful: 2 Thessalonians 1:7 Christ will appear with "mighty angels". The term translated mighty is the term from which we gain the term dynamite. They are shown in Daniel as warring with others, which also demonstrates their might. 2 Peter 2:11 tells that some have "power and might". See also Psalm 103:20 which speaks of their strength.
As We Continue Along Remember That Satan Has These Qualities As Well As The Angels, So You Aren't Dealing With A Pushover. He and His, are mighty and powerful.
5. Angels are wise: 2 Samuel 14:20, "...and my lord is wise, according to the wisdom of an angel of God...." The Devil also is wise in his work. He can make sin look like ice cream.
Although the Devil is an angel, he is referred to as a person, and he has personality. Let us look specifically at his characteristics and consider his personality.
1. His personality is seen by the pronouns used. Many personal pronouns are used in describing the Devil. (Isaiah 14:16 "thee"; Job 1:8 "thou"; Job 2:1,2 "himself" & "thou"; Zechariah 3:2 "thee"; Matthew 12:26 "he"; Luke 11:18 "his")
2. His personality is seen by his attributes.
a. He has intelligence: 2 Corinthians 2:11, "Lest Satan should get an advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices." We see here that we can know some of his tools so that we can prepare. Since we can know his tools, and know how to counter him, Why Don't We? Ephesians 6:11 — We are told to put on the armor of God so that we can stand against his wiles. This is a command and not something that is optional. We are to be confronting the Devil, not giving in to his every whim. He is a deceiver as well as intelligent. Revelation 12:9 "...Satan, who deceiveth the whole world...."
You can mark your minds that he will be visiting you through every tool that he can muster up. He will try to sneak up on you when you least expect it. He will attempt to damage, delay, hinder, or stop your ministry.
b. He has memory: Matthew 4:6 When tempting Christ he quoted scripture. Unless he carries around a computer Bible, he was quoting from memory. That is a scary item to consider. The Devil has committed Scripture to memory. He will use it whenever he can. How much Scripture do you have in your on board memory banks?
He is going to remember all those weak points that you have, he is going to remember all those bad things you did so that he can remind the Lord of them, and he will remember to come see you from time to time even if you resist him and find the victory. The passage concerning the Lord's temptation indicates that the Devil returned to tempt the Lord at other times. He likes to just check you out now and then.
c. He has knowledge: Revelation 12:12 tells us that he knows "...that he hath but a short time." He can reason and think and know all that he can observe about you, so give him a Godly Example To Stick Into His Memory Banks. He knows you. He knows your weaknesses. He knows what angers you. He knows what tempts you toward sin.
d. He has will: 2 Timothy 2:26,
"And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the
devil, who are taken captive by him at his will."
See also the I wills of Isaiah 14:13. He has a will and that will is bent on usurping God in any manner that he can. He wills to destroy you, he wills to destroy anything that we can build, and he wills to destroy anything that will help in God's overall program.
e. He has desire: Luke 22:31
"And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to
have you, that he may sift you as wheat;"
He desires to work us over. He desires to defeat us. He desires to corrupt us. He desires to deceive us. He desires to do all that He can to stop us from serving God in a proper manner.
f. He has pride: Ezkiel 28:17, "Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty...." 1 Timothy 3:6 warns that the elder should not be a novice lest he fall into the same problem that the Devil had — pride.
Knowing that the Devil was prideful, and that he is full of pride is one of the best deterrents to the believer being prideful. If the Devil is the seat and beginning of pride then the believer should shun it like a plague.
I don't see many prideful pastors, yet I see some arrogant pastors. What is the difference? Pride is being proud of who and what you are. Arrogance is being proud of who and what you think you are, and letting everyone else know who and what you think you are.
g. He has wrath: Revelation 12:12,
"...Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea. For the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath...."
That wrath will be unleashed in the end time. I am joyful that we believers will not be here to suffer under that wrath.
You might also remember that as you walk with God, he becomes angry with you. It is the Lord that protects us, via His ministering angels.
h. He has lust: John 8:44 tells us that the devil has lusts and that his children have the same lusts. A good study some time might be to see what he desires, and then make sure that you do not desire the same things. Some of the things he desires, are for believers to stumble, for you to sin, and for others to sin. He desires power, he desires to usurp God (by the way that is what we do when we take control of our lives from the Holy Spirit), and he desires many other things as well.
i. He has speech: Job. 1:6-12 is the conversation between God and the Devil concerning Job. He communicates quite well with his coworkers as well.
j. He has power: Revelation 13:1-4 tells of the power of the dragon that is given to the beast.
3. His personality is seen by the fact that Jesus treated and dealt with him as a person. Matthew 4:1-11 tells of the temptation of the Lord and the use of personal pronouns would indicate Christ felt the Devil had personality. If the Lord treated him with care and wisdom, then we that are not divine ought to take even greater care, and seek more wisdom so that we may face him when he approaches.
4. His personality is seen in the fact that the Biblical writers treated him as a person. James uses a personal pronoun when he tells his readers to resist the Devil, James 4:7. John also uses personal pronouns in describing the binding of the Devil for the Millennium, Revelation 20:1-7. Zechariah describes a scene where the Devil is involved and waiting to cause problems. Zechariah 3:1, "And he showed me Joshua, the high priest, standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him."
5. His personality is seen in his described possession of parts of the human anatomy. He is mentioned as having a heart. Isaiah 14:13, "For thou hast said in thine heart, I will...." Ezekiel 28:17 also mentions the heart.
6. His personality is seen in the description of him as a beautiful person. Ezekiel 28:11-17 Vs. 17 mentions, "Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty...."
7. His personality is seen in the fact that he communicates with people and angels.
a. Christ himself during the temptations. Matthew 4:1-10
b. Jude 1:9 Michael rebuked the Devil when they disputed over the body of Moses.
SATAN IS SEEN IN TWO MAIN PASSAGES OF SCRIPTURE
We are given information about Satan in Ezekiel 28:12-15 and Isaiah 14:1217.
Ezekiel 28:12-15. This text speaks specifically to the king of Tyre however most agree that some of the terminology demands that the text go further than the literal king and extend to the Devil, the power behind the king.
Terms that indicate the Devil: perfect in beauty, vs 12; full of wisdom, vs 12; you were in Eden, the garden of God, vs 13; you were blameless in you ways from the day you were created, until unrighteousness was found in you, vs 15; his former state was full of wisdom and perfect in beauty, Vs 12.
There are some other items of information that we can learn from this text as well.
He was richly covered with jewels. God did not spare expense when dealing with His angels. It might be good to realize that if the angelic host deserved jewels, what might the believer expect when he arrives in the eternal state. I suspect that we will be surprised.
He was into music. This may relate to Genesis 4:21 and Cain's line. Many believe that the first mention of music in Cain's line is significant. Not that all music is bad, but that the line of Cain found it and worked with it. It seems evident in our day that the line which is spiritually dead, has twisted music to the limits.
Verse fourteen seems to indicate that he may have been involved in the throne area of the Lord. It may relate to the four creature scene that Ezekiel and Revelation mention. Many writers feel that Lucifer may have been in charge of this heavenly scene before his fall.
He was perfect until iniquity was found in him. Contemplate that moment in eternity past when Lucifer rebelled, the moment God saw Lucifer fall. The moment Lucifer realized God knew of His evil.
Isaiah 14:12-17 gives us further information as well.
Vs. 12 — Fallen from heaven. Luke 10:18 talks of Satan falling as lightning from heaven. (The context is the Lord discussing the disciple's shock over the demons obeying their commands.) Revelation 12:7-9 speaks of his being thrown out of heaven. Revelation 12:4 indicates that he took some with him.
The phrase, "...who didst weaken the nations." is used by some to prove that there was a pre-Adamic race that fell and was destroyed. This allows for the cave men of science to have a niche in the Biblical scheme.
The term used for nations (go'ee = strong 1471) is a general term that can mean as little as a massing of people. It is used of nations, however it probably refers to the angelic host that the Lord had created not some preAdamic race.
The phrase "cut down to the ground" would indicate that he is limited to this world. Job shows us that there is access to the Lord, but this is the only other area of operation that he has.
The cause of the fall was pride and his desire to be more than he was 1 Timothy 3:6. Now you know where that phrase, "Pride goeth before the fall." came from.
Vs 13,14 mention the I wills of Satan:
1. "I Will Ascend Into Heaven" This is his bold declaration of his overall intention, that is, to take over heaven. He desires all that God has and all that God is.
2. "I Will Exalt My Throne Above The Stars Of God" The stars may refer to the angels. Fallen angels are termed stars in Revelation 12:4.
3. "I Will Sit Also Upon The Mount Of The Congregation, In The Sides Of The North," This probably is referring to the heavenly throne scene in some way. (Some suggest Psalm 48:1,2 as a possible interpretation. This would probably better refer to the Millennium but has possibilities if reference to Satan.)
4. "I Will Ascend Above The Heights Of The Clouds"
5. "I Will Be Like The Most High" It seems that he had in mind that he was going to replace God.
It has always crossed my mind that the Lord must have given Lucifer a tremendous amount of power; otherwise Lucifer would have known that he couldn't usurp the Lord. There must have been in his mind that possibility, or he wouldn't have attempted such a thing. When you combine his great wisdom, great power and great pride, you must wonder in his conquest of God's domain, if he were really using the wisdom that had been given to him. This may give us indication of how strong the effects of pride can become. It can give us unreal levels of confidence and make us feel we can do more than we can.