Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries
Satan will attempt to lure believers away from their place of refuge.
Friday, January 16, 2004
The serpent is used instead of Satan or the devil because during the last half of the Tribulation, Satan will attempt to lure or to get the born again Jews to leave their place of refuge.
The word Satan in the Hebrew is Satan, Satanas in the Greek = an adversary, one who withstands; an opponent; a prosecutor, 1CH 21:1, JOB 1:6-12; JOB 2:1-5; ZEC 3:1.
1CH 21:1 Then Satan stood up against Israel and moved David to number Israel.
ZEC 3:1 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him.
When he is called the devil, diabolos, emphasizes his slander, slanderous, accusing falsely, the malignant enemy of God and the Messiah.
JOH 8:44 You are of {your} father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own {nature;} for he is a liar, and the father of lies.
1TI 3:11 Women must likewise be dignified, not malicious gossips [diabolis, not devil’s], but temperate, faithful in all things.
When he is called the great dragon, drakon speaks of his function as a vicious destroyer.
Serpent - ophis = the hiss of the serpent - “the serpent” is a correct translation, unless you want to be modern and say the snake.
Ophis has the idea of being sly and deceitful and being sneaky about it.
As a serpent he is crafty and deceitful -
GEN 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made.
As a serpent he out-rightly denies and contradicts the word of God -
GEN 3:1b And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?”
As a serpent he deceives God’s people -
GEN 3:13b And the woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
As a serpent he leads God’s people astray -
2CO 11:3 But I am afraid, lest as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds should be led astray from the simplicity and purity {of devotion} to Christ.
Star - heylel - translated Lucifer in other passages = the shining one or the star.
ISA 14:12 How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!
- NKJ
ISA 14:12 How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!
- TLB
ISA 14:12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!
- KJV
Lucifer actually comes from the Latin and it means light bearer. It means the shining one, the translucent one, the simulating one.
Two creatures are said to throw out light which made them ultra-attractive; here heylel for Satan, and nachash,
Gen 3, for serpent.
Satan was attractive to at least one third of all the angels. The serpent was attracted to one-half of all mankind.
2CO 11:14-15 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness;
2CO 11:3-4 But I am afraid, lest as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds should be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully.
You must never look at the personality but the content of the message.
No creature has or ever will successfully challenge the creator.
Turn to REV 12:14
Those who are born again are safe as long as they stay in their place of refuge, and this why we have MAT 24:21-30, which has to be applied as a part of the faith-rest drill, on the part of these believers.
Turn to MAT 24:21
The elect are those elected to privilege, the believing Jews, true Israel who have fled to the high desert country, as per MAT 24:15 ff.
Satan knows and realizes that the Jews are safe in that high desert country, therefore he must lure, entice or tempt them out of their place of safety, their place of refuge.
DEU 32:11 Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, That hovers over its young, He spread His wings and caught them, He carried them on His pinions.
RUT 2:12 May the Lord reward your work, and your wages be full from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge.
PSA 17:8 Keep me as the apple of the eye; Hide me in the shadow of Thy wings,
PSA 55:6 And I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest.”
PSA 57:1 Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious to me, For my soul takes refuge in Thee; And in the shadow of Thy wings I will take refuge, Until destruction passes by.
PSA 63:7 For Thou hast been my help, And in the shadow of Thy wings I sing for joy.
PSA 91:4 He will cover you with His pinions, And under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark.
MAL 4:2 But for you who fear My name the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings;
They are tested, and they must be able to refuse to believe what is going to be very appealing.
REV 13:13 And he performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men.
REV 16:14 for they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the whole world,
2TH 2:9 the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders,
Miracles were used by our Lord and by the apostles in order to give them a hearing.
REV 1:7 Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. Even so. Amen.
This blackout is described in Joel 2:10, 30-31; LUK 21:25-27;
ISA 13:9-10, ZEC 14:6, and other passages.
Joel 2:30-31 And I will display wonders in the sky and on the earth, Blood, fire, and columns of smoke. The sun will be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.
The blackout throughout the world makes it possible for everyone to see the Second Advent, because He will come as the light of the world, JOH 8:12, REV 1:7.
They will actually see it when it occurs and therefore they are not to believe the rumors and the false statements, and the miracles, that will be used to tempt them to leave their place of refuge.