The word ‘devil’ comes from ‘diabolos‘, which stands for scrambler or blasphemer, divider. (This means literally throwing everything in a mess, in a jumble). The devil, the ‘dragon’, the old serpent, Satan (adversary) and his angels are cast down to earth. This is also a ‘sign’, a divine principle that is repeated over and over again in history. Originally created by God as good and glittering, shining and super-intelligent1 he has become the father of lies, the murderer from the beginning.2 His own ego became the object of his love. Instead of loving his Creator, he directed his love at himself,3 and led man astray to do likewise. He wanted to be like God, but he was cast down on earth.
This is how we encounter him in the good Creation, as the ‘shining one’ who has become the ‘serpent’—the ‘nachash’, the Heavenly being who impressed Eve so deeply. The serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals according to Genesis 3:1. The Hebrew says ‘arum’—subtle, wise. That same word is also used in the previous verse, where it is translated as ‘naked’. Therefore, there is a double meaning: Adam and his wife were both ‘arum’, but the ‘nachash’ was more ‘arum’ than any other ‘living being’. The word for ‘living being’ is the same as ‘zoôn’ (plural ‘zoa’) used to describe the four living beings (‘animals’, ‘living creatures’ NASB) in Revelation 4:6–8. The man and his wife were ‘arum’, wise, innocent, knowing only good, and they had no reason to feel ashamed in front of God. They trusted God and were convinced that He had only good intentions towards them, and that this was the reason He told them they were free to eat from any tree in the garden, except from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.4 If they took from that tree, they would certainly die.5 However, the serpent, the glittering super-intelligent ‘nachash’ was more ‘arum’ (knowing good and evil as a result of his rebellion in Heaven), even more ‘arum’ than the other ‘zoa’, living (Heavenly) beings, the four living creatures. These other ‘living beings’, had remained faithful to the Lord Almighty and were created being perfect by God’s good, creative hands.
He did not create the world to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited, says Isaiah.6 He did not create it a waste place. Some expositors therefore place Satan’s being cast down to earth between Genesis 1:1 and 2, and translate as follows: The earth now became formless and empty, or, had become formless and empty. Spiritual darkness descended on the good Creation, a Creation that had not been created empty but which had indeed become formless and void. But in that darkness a pocket of light: Paradise. But because the fallen angel Lucifer had been cast down to earth, there was in the darkness of this world at that moment also the ‘nachash’, who apparently had free entrance into Paradise. And exactly what happened to the glittering, shining and intelligent ‘nachash’, happened to ‘innocent man’ as well. The ‘nachash’ seduces them to desire to be like God. Just like Lucifer himself once did. This happens very subtly, step by step. That is how temptation works. It begins by casting doubt on God’s words: ‘Did God really say… not eat from any tree?’7 That was not at all what God had said. But Eve in her basic ‘innocence’ did not stick to the Words of God. She wavers because the fruit looked so good. And then she hesitantly adds something to God’s Word, and says that God had said: and you must not touch it.8 Again, God had not said this. And she also weakens the punishment adding as it were a question mark in her voice: or you will die…? Whereas God had said: you will certainly die.9 Then the devil presses on further, because he senses that she does not stand firmly on the Word of God any more. How does he do it? We shall continue tomorrow!
• Even though there is ‘room’ for the fall of Lucifer between verse 1 and verse 2 of Genesis 1, it is not necessary to squeeze ‘millions of years’ in this ‘gap’ in an attempt to solve the problem of Creation or evolution. That does not solve that problem in the least.
Bible References:
1.Ezekiel 28:2 2.John 8:44 3.Isaiah 14:13 4.Genesis 2:16 5.Genesis 2:17 6.Isaiah 45:18 7.Genesis 3:1 8.Genesis 3:3, 2:17 9.Genesis 2:17
