| |
|
|
The article examines a widespread misconception held by the modern Church: that
the devil is supposedly bound for a thousand years, that he is cast into the bottomless pit.
It is shown, using examples taken from the Holy Scriptures, that he is
“on the earth and in the sea”
(Rev 12:12).
Moreover, he is
“the god of this world”
(2 Cor 4:4),
“and no marvel;
for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light”
(2 Cor 11:14).
This means that
the millennium
(Rev 20:4),
which is
the first resurrection
(Rev 20:5),
has not yet begun. Quotes from the works of Augustine of Hippo are given showing that Satan is not at all bound, but
is waging a fierce battle against us.
Content
Introduction
Faith in the coming resurrection is destroyed
Satan is not bound on land or sea
Prayers
Conclusion
Saint Augustine and Cerinthus
The Devil and the Nations
Quotes from the works of St. Augustine of Hippo
Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light
Introduction
7
And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon;
and the dragon fought and his angels,
Dan 10:13.
Dan 12:1.
8
And prevailed not;
neither was their place found any more in heaven.
9
And
the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan,
which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Luke 10:18.
…
12
Therefore rejoice,
ye
heavens, and ye that dwell in them.
Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea!
for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
Isa 49:13.
1
And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
Luke 8:31.
Rev 1:18.
2
And he laid hold on
the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan,
and
bound him a thousand years,
2 Peter 2:4.
Jude 1:6.
Rev 12:9.
3
And
cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him,
that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
4
And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and
I saw
the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received
his
mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands;
and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Dan 7:9,22.
Dan 8:17.
Matt 19:28.
1 Cor 6:2.
2 Tim 2:12.
Rev 6:11.
5
But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished.
This
is
the first resurrection.
6
Blessed and holy
is
he that hath part in the first resurrection:
on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
Isa 61:6.
Rev 1:6.
Rev 21:7.
7
And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
Eze 38:2.
Eze 39:1.
Rev 16:14.
8
Be sober, be vigilant;
because your adversary the
devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
Job 1:7.
Job 2:2.
Luke 22:31.
9
Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
Acts 14:22.
10
But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle
you.
2 Cor 4:17.
11
Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand
against the wiles of the devil.
Rom 13:12.
1 Thess 5:8.
12
For we
wrestle
not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world,
against spiritual wickedness in high
places.
John 12:31.
John 14:30.
Eph 2:2.
18
Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again;
but
Satan hindered us.
3
But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
1 Cor 1:18.
4
In whom
the god of this world
hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
John 14:9.
Col 1:15.
Heb 1:3.
13
For such
are
false apostles, deceitful workers,
transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
Acts 15:24.
14
And no marvel;
for
Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
15
Therefore
it is
no great thing if
his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness;
whose end shall be according to their works.
Matt 7:15.
13
And lead us not into temptation, but
deliver us from evil:
(ῥῦσαι ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ)
…
Referring to Mat 6:13:
"Although the KJV renders this 'deliver us from evil,' the presence of the article indicates not evil in general, but the evil one himself.[**]
If the devil is bound,
really bound
[“And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that
he should deceive the nations no more,
till the thousand years should be fulfilled“
(Rev 20:2-3)], then why does Jesus Christ suggest that we ask the Father:
“deliver us from the evil one”
(Matt 6:13)?
This means that the devil is
NOT
yet
bound
(Rev 20:2-3)
and
the millennium
(Rev 20:4)
has
NOT
yet begun.
Faith in the coming resurrection is destroyed
Apostle Paul warns that the assertion
that the resurrection is past already
(2 Tim 2:18)
destroys the faith in the
coming resurrection.
Now no one believes in the
coming resurrection.
Everyone longs for the
Last Judgment,
which will fall upon the unrecovered (practically defeated by Satan)
Church.
16
But shun profane
and
vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
1 Tim 4:7.
1 Tim 6:20.
Tit 1:14.
Tit 3:9.
17
And
their word will eat as doth a canker:
of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;
1 Tim 1:20.
18
Who concerning the truth have erred,
saying that the resurrection is past already;
and overthrow the faith of some.
Satan is not bound on land or sea
7
And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon;
and the dragon fought and his angels,
Dan 10:13.
Dan 12:1.
8
And prevailed not;
neither was their place found any more in heaven.
9
And
the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan,
which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Luke 10:18.
…
12
Therefore rejoice,
ye
heavens, and ye that dwell in them.
Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea!
for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
Isa 49:13.
18
And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.
The devil is indeed
cast out of heaven
and is
on earth and sea.
Next we will experience the time when
the Angel will come down from heaven
and
imprison him in the abyss.
1
And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
Luke 8:31.
Rev 1:18.
2
And he laid hold on
the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
2 Peter 2:4.
Jude 1:6.
Rev 12:9.
3
And
cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him,
that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
Prayers
… But let the Fiery Coal of Thy Most Pure Body and Thy Most Precious Blood bring me …
protection against every action of the devil,
…
“… bring me …
protection against every action of the devil,
…” we ask before receiving the Holy Mysteries. This means that
any devilish influence
is present even before Communion. This means that the devil is
NOT
yet
bound
(Rev 20:2-3)
and
the millennium
(Rev 20:4)
has
NOT
yet begun.
… Bury in me
the evil devices of the devil
with good thoughts, and destroy
the spirits of evil!
…
“Bury in me
the evil devices of the devil
… and destroy
the spirits of evil!” we pray before receiving the Holy Mysteries. This means that
the evil devices of the devil
are present even before Communion. And also means that
attacks by evil spirits
are present even before Communion. This means that the devil is
NOT
yet
bound
(Rev 20:2-3)
and
the millennium
(Rev 20:4)
has
NOT
yet begun.
… let Thy Holy Things be for my purification and healing, for enlightenment and protection,
for the repulsion of every tempting thought and action of the devil which works spiritually in my fleshly members.
…
“Let Thy Holy Things be
for the repulsion of every … action of the devil
we ask before receiving the Holy Mysteries. This means that
actions of the devil
are present even before Communion. This means that the devil is
NOT
yet
bound
(Rev 20:2-3)
and
the millennium
(Rev 20:4)
has
NOT
yet begun.
Conclusion
The millennium is a period of time on earth that has not yet happened, and then
the devil will be bound
(Rev 20:2)
and will not
as roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour
(1 Peter 5:8). In this time of grace, we will not need to wrestle
against spiritual wickedness in high places
(Eph 6:12),
since
the devil will be truly bound. But there has never been such a time in the history of the Church.
Saint Augustine and Cerinthus
This is what St. Augustine wrote about the millennial kingdom (sensual chiliasm): “And this opinion would not be objectionable, if it were believed that the joys of the saints in that Sabbath shall be spiritual, and consequent on the presence of God;
for I myself, too, once held this opinion. But, as they assert that those who then rise again shall enjoy the leisure of immoderate carnal banquets, furnished with an amount of meat and drink such as not only to shock the feeling of the temperate, but even to surpass the measure of credulity itself, such assertions can be believed only by the carnal”
(Saint Augustine).
The Millennial Kingdom was interpreted
spiritually
in the works of: Hieromartyr
Papias of Hierapolis,
St.
Irenaeus of Lyons,
St.
Justin Martyr,
St.
Hippolytus of Rome,
Tertullian,
St.
Methodius of Olympus,
Commodian, Lactantius.
Sensual
chiliasm, in turn, was developed by the Gnostic Cerinthos and Apollinaris of Laodicea. And no one forces us to concentrate only on the concept of the heretic Cerinthos and reject the
spiritual
interpretation of
St. Papius of Hierapolis,
St. Irenaeus of Lyons,
St. Justin Martyr,
St. Hippolytus of Rome,
Tertullian
and
St. Methodius of Olympus.
“The devil, then, is bound and shut up in the abyss that he may not seduce the nations from which the Church is gathered, and which he formerly seduced before the Church existed”
(Saint Augustine).
St. Peter means the Church, i.e. the nations of which the Church consists, when he says that
“the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour”
(1 Peter 5:8),
and according to St. Peter it turns out that
the devil is not bound and not imprisoned in the abyss,
but
walks like a roaring lion.
Again, there is a discrepancy between St. Augustine and the Apostle Peter.
Book XX. Chapter VII
What is Written in the Revelation of John Regarding the
Two Resurrections,
and the Thousand Years, and What May Reasonably Be Held on These Points.
The evangelist John has spoken of these
two resurrections
in the book which is called the Apocalypse, but in such a way that some Christians do not understand the first of the two, and so construe the passage into ridiculous fancies. For the Apostle John says in the foresaid book, “And I saw an angel come down from heaven. … Blessed and holy is he that has part in the
first resurrection:
on such the second death has no power;
but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years”
(Rev 20:1-6).
Those who, on the strength of this passage, have suspected that the
first resurrection
is future and bodily, have been moved, among other things, specially by the number of a thousand years, as if it were a fit thing that the saints should thus enjoy a kind of Sabbath-rest during that period, a holy leisure after the labors of the six thousand years since man was created, and was on account of his great sin dismissed from the blessedness of paradise into the woes of this mortal life, so that thus, as it is written, “One day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day,”
2 Peter 3:8
there should follow on the completion of six thousand years, as of six days, a kind of seventh-day Sabbath in the succeeding thousand years;
and that it is for this purpose the saints rise, viz., to celebrate this Sabbath.
And this opinion would not be objectionable, if it were believed that the joys of the saints in that Sabbath shall be spiritual, and consequent on the presence of God;
for I myself, too, once held this opinion. But, as they assert that those who then rise again shall enjoy the leisure of immoderate carnal banquets, furnished with an amount of meat and drink such as not only to shock the feeling of the temperate, but even to surpass the measure of credulity itself, such assertions can be believed only by the carnal. They who do believe them are called by the spiritual Chiliasts, which we may literally reproduce by the name Millenarians. It were a tedious process to refute these opinions point by point: we prefer proceeding to show how that passage of Scripture should be understood.
…
“And he cast him into the abyss,” — i.e., cast the devil into the abyss. By the abyss is meant the countless multitude of the wicked whose hearts are unfathomably deep in malignity against the Church of God;
not that the devil was not there before, but he is said to be cast in there, because, when prevented from harming believers, he takes more complete possession of the ungodly.
For
that man is more abundantly possessed by the devil who is not only alienated from God, but also gratuitously hates those who serve God.
“And shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years should be fulfilled.”
“Shut him up,” — i.e., prohibited him from going out, from doing what was forbidden. And the addition of
"set a seal upon him” seems to me to mean that it was designed to keep it a secret who belonged to the devil's party and who did not. For in this world this is a secret, for we cannot tell whether even the man who seems to stand shall fall, or whether he who seems to lie shall rise again. But by the chain and prison-house of this interdict the devil is prohibited and restrained from seducing those nations which belong to Christ, but which he formerly seduced or held in subjection. For before the foundation of the world God chose to rescue these from the power of darkness, and to translate them into the kingdom of the Son of His love, as the apostle says.
Colossians 1:13
For what Christian is not aware that
he seduces nations even now, and draws them with himself to eternal punishment, but not those predestined to eternal life?
And let no one be dismayed by the circumstance that the devil often seduces even those who have been regenerated in Christ, and begun to walk in God's way.
For “the Lord knows them that are His,”
2 Timothy 2:19
and of these the devil seduces none to eternal damnation. For it is as God, from whom nothing is hid even of things future, that the Lord knows them;
not as a man, who sees a man at the present time (if he can be said to see one whose heart he does not see), but does not see even himself so far as to be able to know what kind of person he is to be.
The devil, then, is bound and shut up in the abyss that he may not seduce the nations from which the Church is gathered, and which he formerly seduced before the Church existed.
For it is not said “that he should not seduce any man,” but “that he should not seduce the nations” — meaning, no doubt, those among which the Church exists — “till the thousand years should be fulfilled,” — i.e., either what remains of the sixth day which consists of a thousand years, or all the years which are to elapse till the end of the world.
“And let no one be dismayed by the circumstance that
the devil often seduces even those who have been regenerated in Christ, and begun to walk in God's way,”
says Augustine,
and then
he contradicts himself,
asserting that “the devil, then, is bound and shut up in the abyss that
he may not seduce the nations from which the Church is gathered.”
“The devil, then, is bound and shut up in the abyss
that he may not seduce the nations,” and suddenly — “the devil often seduces.”
Let us remember that when the devil is bound in the abyss,
he will not seduce the nations at all:
“And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that
he should deceive the nations no more,
till the thousand years should be fulfilled“
(Rev 20:2-3).
This means that
the devil is
NOT
yet bound and
NOT
yet shut up in the abyss!
Archpriest Andrei Tkachev, who apparently noticed the above mentioned discrepancy, warns us that the devil is crawling among us
with great wrath, “seeking whom he may devour”
(1 Peter 5:8).
Well, it goes on to say, “Rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them!
Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea!
for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time”
(Rev 12:12).
… and
in great wrath
he creepeth among us
“seeking whom he may devour”
(1 Peter 5:8).
The Devil and the Nations
Augustine
said: “'And he cast him into the abyss,' — i.e., cast the devil into the abyss. By the abyss is meant the countless multitude of the wicked whose hearts are unfathomably deep in malignity against the Church of God;
not that the devil was not there before, but he is said to be cast in there, because, when
prevented from harming believers,
he takes more complete possession of the ungodly. For that man is more abundantly possessed by the devil who is not only alienated from God, but also gratuitously hates those who serve God. 'And shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years should be fulfilled.'
'Shut him up,' — i.e., prohibited him from going out, from doing what was forbidden.”
First, Augustine
claims that
the Angel “'Shut him up,' — i.e., prohibited him
[the devil]
from going out
[from the countless multitude of the wicked hearts],
from doing what was forbidden.” This directly contradicts the words of the Savior: “go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you”
(Matt 28:19-20),
i.e. it contradicts the spread of Christianity: after all, the devil “cannot go out”
[from the countless multitude of wicked hearts].
Secondly, the Apostle John insists: “he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him,
that he should deceive the nations
(τὰ ἔθνη)
no more,
till the thousand years should be fulfilled”
(Rev 20:2-3).
Precisely “that he should deceive the nations no more,” i.e. “all nations.” If the Apostle had in mind only Christians, he would have said “My people”
(Rev 18:4).
Thirdly, Augustine of Hippo operates with the concept of
nation. He
said that
the devil “seduces
nations
even now, and draws them with himself to eternal punishment” and in another plaice he
asserts that
“the devil, then, is bound and shut up in the abyss that
he may not seduce the nations from which the Church is gathered.”
Here Augustine is being disingenuous. He knows that the question of salvation is decided
not at the level of nations,
but
at the personal level.
34
I tell you, in that night there shall be two
men
in one bed;
the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.
35
Two
women
shall be grinding together;
the one shall be taken, and the other left.
Matt 24:41.
36
Two
men
shall be in the field;
the one shall be taken, and the other left.
He knows that
except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God
(John 3:3)
and that
the wind bloweth where it listeth
(John 3:8). Being
born again
is a personal birth.
3
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee,
Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Jas 1:18.
1 Peter 1:23.
2 Cor 5:17.
Gal 6:15.
Titus 3:5.
…
8
The wind bloweth where it listeth,
and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
Col 3:3.
Further, following the logic of Blessed Augustine, Western man is still confident (as follows from the poem of the
Nobel Prize
winner)
that he is acting for the good of Christianity, ruling over
fluttered folk and wild:
half demons,
half children.
Take up the White Man's burden —
Send forth the best ye breed
Go bind your sons to exile
To serve your captives' need;
To wait in heavy harness
On fluttered folk and wild —
Your new-caught sullen peoples,
Half devil
and
half child.
The French Prime Minister, member of the French Academy, Georges Clemenceau, haughtily remarked:
America is the only nation in history which miraculously has gone directly
from barbarism
to degeneration
without the usual interval of
civilization.
Again, according to Augustine, “that man is more abundantly possessed by the devil
who is not only alienated from God, but also gratuitously hates those who serve God…
[and God]
prohibited him
[the devil]
from going out
[of those people].” In that case, we should treat other nations only as
half devil and half child.
How then should we relate to the
“Golden Rule of Morality”
which states:
treat others as you would like others to treat you?
28
And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?
Мatt 22:35.
Luke 10:25.
29
And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments
is, Hear, O Israel;
The Lord our God is one Lord:
Matt 22:37.
Luke 10:27.
30
And
thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength:
this
is
the first commandment.
Deu 6:4-5.
31
And the second
is
like,
namely
this,
Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
There is none other commandment greater than these.
Lev 19:18.
Matt 5:43.
Jas 2:8.
Rom 13:9.
Gal 5:14.
43
Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
Lev 19:18.
Мatt 22:39.
Мark 12:31.
Jas 2:8.
Rom 13:9.
44
But I say unto you,
Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Luke 6:27.
Luke 23:34.
Acts 7:60.
1 Cor 4:12.
45
That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
Luke 6:35.
46
For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye?
do not even the publicans the same?
47
And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more
than others?
do not even the publicans so?
48
Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
Quotes from the works of St. Augustine of Hippo
Several quotations from Augustine's work are given to show how the author deliberately distorts the meaning of the expression of Revelation 20:2-3.
The devil, then, is not bound during the whole time which this book embraces — that is, from the first coming of Christ to the end of the world, when He shall come the second time —
not bound in this sense, that during this interval, which goes by the name of a thousand years, he shall not seduce the Church,
…
Augustine: “The devil …
not bound in this sense,
that … he shall not seduce the Church”.
Although it is clearly stated: Angel “shut him
[the devil]
up, … that
he should deceive the nations no more,
till the thousand years should be fulfilled”
(Rev 20:3).
'And when the thousand years are finished, Satan shall be loosed from his prison, and shall go out to seduce the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, and shall draw them to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea.' This then, is his purpose in seducing them, to draw them to this battle.
For even before this he was wont to use as many and various seductions as he could continue.
Augustine: “'And when the thousand years are finished, …
' …
For even before this
he
[the devil]
was wont to use as many and various seductions as he could continue”. That is, even during the millennium “he
[the devil]
was wont to use as many and various seductions as he could continue”.
Again it is clearly stated: Angel “shut him
[the devil]
up, … that
he should deceive the nations no more,
till the thousand years should be fulfilled”
(Rev 20:3).
For what Christian is not aware that
he seduces nations even now, and draws them with himself to eternal punishment,
but not those predestined to eternal life?
St. John of Kronstadt: “O, thrice accursed Satan,
who has
precipitated us,
and still
precipitates us,
through food, into thousands of evils!”
Saint John,
destined for eternal life,
curses the devil for the fact that he “still
precipitates us,
through food, into thousands of evils!
And let no one be dismayed by the circumstance that the devil often seduces even those who have been regenerated in Christ, and begun to walk in God's way. For “the Lord knows them that are His,”
2 Timothy 2:19
and of these
the devil seduces none to eternal damnation.
For it is as God, from whom nothing is hid even of things future, that the Lord knows them;
not as a man, who sees a man at the present time (if he can be said to see one whose heart he does not see), but does not see even himself so far as to be able to know what kind of person he is to be.
The devil, then, is bound and shut up in the abyss that he may not seduce the nations from which the Church is gathered,
and which he formerly seduced before the Church existed. For it is not said “that he should not seduce any man,” but “that he should not seduce the nations” — meaning, no doubt, those among which the Church exists — “till the thousand years should be fulfilled,” — i.e., either what remains of the sixth day which consists of a thousand years, or all the years which are to elapse till the end of the world.
It is stated quite clearly: Angel “shut him
[the devil]
up, … that
he should deceive the nations no more,
till the thousand years should be fulfilled”
(Rev 20:3).
The point is not whether or not
the devil will be able to entice someone
into eternal damnation, but that the devil will be bound and will not have the ability to entice anyone.
Augustine:
The devil, then, is bound and shut up in the abyss
that he may not seduce
the nations from which the Church is gathered.
Here Augustine inserts the phrase “the nations of which the Church is composed” instead of the word “nations,” which completely changes the meaning. Angel “shut him
[the devil]
up, … that
he should deceive the nations no more,
till the thousand years should be fulfilled”
(Rev 20:3),
so that he will
no longer deceive
any of the nations.
Satan himself is transformed into
an angel of light
Satan cannot be
cast into the bottomless pit, sealed and bound,
and at the same time
take the form of an angel of light.
This means that he
has
NOT
yet been cast into the bottomless pit,
NOT
locked, and a seal has
NOT
been placed upon him.
This means
the millennium has
NOT
yet begun.
1
And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
Luke 8:31.
Rev 1:18.
2
And
he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
2 Peter 2:4.
Jude 1:6.
Rev 12:9.
3
And
cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him,
that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
13
For such
are
false apostles, deceitful workers,
transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
Acts 15:24.
14
And no marvel;
for
Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
15
Therefore
it is
no great thing if
his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness;
whose end shall be according to their works.
Matt 7:15.
Question:
What should we do when the devil transforms himself into an angel of light (cf
2 Cor. 11:14)
and tries to seduce us?
Answer:
You need great discrimination in order
to distinguish between good and evil.
So do not readily or lightly put your trust in appearances, but weigh things well, and after testing everything carefully cleave to what is good and reject what is evil (cf.
1 Thess. 5:21-22). You must test and discriminate before you give credence to anything. You must also be aware that the effects of grace are self-evident, and that even if the devil does transform himself he cannot produce these effects:
he cannot induce you to be gentle, or forbearing, or humble, or joyful, or serene, or stable in your thoughts;
he cannot make you hate what is worldly, or cut off sensual indulgence and the working of the passions,
as grace does. He produces
vanity, haughtiness, cowardice and every kind of evil.
Thus you can tell from its effects whether the light shining in your soul is from God or from Satan. The lettuce is similar in appearance to the endive, and vinegar, to wine;
but when you taste them the palate discerns and recognizes the differences between each. In the same way the soul, if it possesses the power of discrimination,
can distinguish with its noetic sense between the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the illusions of Satan.
Published:
February 25, 2025
See also
|
