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Bro. Ostis Wilson Jr.'s Commentary |
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Devil/Lucifer/Spirits |
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Questions Concerning . . . |
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(Click on a heading to read
the respective article.) |
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Origin of the Devil
Question: When or how did the devil come into
existence? Did he always exist as does God, or did God create
him? Also, will you please explain Isaiah 45:5-7?
Answer: This question of the devil's origin often comes
up and seems to never be resolved conclusively in people's
minds. This is possibly due to the fact that there is no
direct scripture stating when and how he came into existence;
also the widespread teaching in Christendom today is that he
was once a bright angel in heaven whose name was Lucifer and
he became exalted and lifted up with pride and through
jealousy and envy started a rebellion in heaven in which he
was the loser and was cast out of heaven and came down to
earth. All of this doctrine is based on a misunderstanding and
wrong conception of certain scriptures. If the questioner in
this case will purchase the booklet Was the Devil Ever in
Heaven? from Faith Publishing House, P. O. Box 518, Guthrie,
OK 73044, it gives a concise treatise on all those scriptures.
I, personally, cannot conceive of a holy God creating an
unholy devil. That runs averse and contrary to the principles
of truth set forth in the Holy Scriptures. Also, the idea of
jealousy and pride ever getting into heaven and producing a
rebellion and war up there is entirely foreign, to my
thinking. If it were so, how could we have any assurance or
find comfort in our hope in Christ of eternal peace,
happiness, joy and security, which are the things that prove
an anchor to our souls in our times of temptations, trials and
sufferings in this world? If such a thing ever, at any time,
got into heaven, could we have any definite assurance that it
could not happen again?
As to the idea of God creating the devil, I will refer the
reader to a few scriptures which in my mind present an
impossibility of this ever having happened. Jesus said in His
sermon on the mount, in Matthew 7:16-18, Ye shall know them by
their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of
thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit;
but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree
cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree
bring forth good fruit. In James 3:11-12 we read, Doth a
fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?
Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a
vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and
fresh. Again we read in Job 14:4, Who can bring a clean thing
out of an unclean? no one. All the foregoing scriptures are
saying the same thing; viz., that an infinitely holy God could
not possibly have created an infinitely unholy devil, and all
scriptures bearing on this subject confirm this. Again in
Genesis 1:31 we read, And God saw every thing that he had
made, and, behold, it was very good....
Could it be then that God created the devil a holy and
righteous being and he fell from that into a degenerate,
corrupt and vile being afterward? For the following reasons, I
hardly think so. Jesus said to certain of the Jews of His day
who were disputing with Him (John 8:44), Ye are of your father
the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a
murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth,
because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he
speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
In I John 3:8 we read, He that committeth sin is of the devil;
for the devil sinneth from the beginning.... We see, then,
that he was a murderer, a liar, and a sinner from the
beginning. He started out that way and has never changed. In
regard to the beginning we read in Genesis 1:1, In the
beginning God created the heaven and the earth. That is as far
back as we can go with any degree of certainty. Everything
before that is purely speculation. I would advise you not to
try to delve into that. Now if that is the devil s beginning
or if he existed back before that point in time is really not
important. This is the first time he appears on the scene of
action. He used the serpent to seduce Eve and through her,
subsequently, to seduce Adam, and from there started the
corrupt stream of sin in all its categories; all the misery,
ruined lives, all sickness, grief, sorrow and trouble that the
world knows or ever has known. So he was an evil being, a
murderer, liar and sinner, at the time of beginning that we
know anything about.
Now in concluding this part of the discussion, I would
admonish every reader that you not waste time trying to figure
out where the devil came from nor how he got here, but rather
recognize that he is here now in very real form and just
settle it in your hearts to steadfastly resist him in the
faith and give no place to the devil lest he gain some
advantage of you and seduce you, too.
Now a few thoughts and scriptures on Isaiah 45:7, ...I make
peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things." Evil
has a meaning of moral evil (sin). But we could never think of
a holy God ever producing or creating that. He gave His only
Begotten Son, Jesus, to save us from that, so we could never
rationally, reasonably think of Him creating that. But there
is another meaning to evil such as famine, pestilence, war,
and various kinds of calamities which God at various times has
used to bring judgment upon people (even His own) because of
their sins and injustices, etc., to punish them and bring them
back in line with Him. In II Chronicles 20:9 Jehoshaphat
prayed, If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment,
or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in
thy presence, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto
thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help. In I
Kings 8:33-34 Solomon prayed at the dedication of the temple,
When thy people Israel be smitten down before the enemy,
because they have sinned against thee, and shall turn again to
thee, and confess thy name, and pray, and make supplication
unto thee in this house: Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive
the sin of thy people Israel, and bring them again unto the
land which thou gavest unto their fathers. This is one of the
things which Jehoshaphat prayed for and classified as evil.
God decreed the overthrow of Nineveh for their wickedness and
sent Jonah to pronounce judgment on them. He did not want to
go on that mission so went the other way. After Jonah had
spent three days and nights in the belly of a great fish which
God had prepared for that purpose, he decided to go, and he
did go to Nineveh and began to announce in their streets the
message, ...Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.
(Jonah 3:4.) The result was astounding! All the Ninevites,
from the king on down, turned from their evil ways and
repented and called mightily on God, and God saw and heard
their repentance and turned from His purpose and spared them.
Jonah 3:10 says, ...And God repented of the evil, that he had
said that he would do unto them; and he did it not. The evil,
in this case, was the destruction of the city of Nineveh by
whatever means God chose.
Job referred to all his trouble and grief the loss of all his
animals, children, and his physical affliction, etc. as evil.
In Job 2:10 he said to his wife, ...What? shall we receive
good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?...
There are numbers of other scriptures on this line, but I will
go no further with it now. These are the kinds of evil God
creates and uses for His purpose in chastising nations,
cities, individuals, etc., for their sins, and to correct
those wandering off-course from the straight and narrow way.
But never moral evil. God forbid. |
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Lucifer
Question: Will you please explain about Lucifer; who he
was? So many people think he was the devil.
Answer: I will insert here an excerpt (the first three
pages) of my small booklet Was the Devil Ever in Heaven? which
was published by Faith Publishing House a few years back and
can still be obtained there. The discussion in these first
three pages focus specifically on Lucifer.
"In Isaiah 14:12 it speaks of Lucifer falling from heaven,
etc. and makes mention of his being 'cut down to the ground'
who DIDST weaken the nations." I will insert here the full
text of Isaiah 14:12, and another thought not in the booklet
which I am quoting. The full verse says, "How art thou fallen
from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut
down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!" The
margin here says "O day star" and "Son of the morning," both
refer to the light bringer. How could the Holy Spirit so
complicate things as to refer to the devil in this text as the
"Day Star" and then refer to Jesus as the "Day Star" in II
Peter 1:19? Another complication would be in referring to the
devil here as "Son of the morning," or light bringer, and in
Ephesians 6:12 refer to him as "The ruler of the darkness of
this world." In Revelation 22:16, Jesus referred to Himself as
the "...Bright and morning star." The Holy Spirit makes no
such mistakes as ascribing to the devil descriptions which
belong to Jesus and it is evident that no reference is made in
this text to the devil at all.
Now going on from the booklet. "To begin in the middle of a
thought always does violence to the thought and causes one to
miss the proper meaning. The thought here of which this 12th
verse is only a part, begins with the 4th verse of this
chapter and continues through the 23rd verse. This puts the
12th verse down in the middle of the thought.
"The 4th verse says, 'That thou shalt take up this proverb
against the king of Babylon, and say,...' This makes it clear
that the remarks made here refer to the king of Babylon and to
no other. The thoughts concerning the proverb against the king
of Babylon are continuous from this 4th verse through the 23rd
verse. I request anyone who does not agree with this
interpretation of this scripture to show where the line of
thought changes and the remarks are directed to another person
other than the king of Babylon. The 4th verse introduces the
proverb against the king of Babylon and continues through the
succeeding verses to tell of his violent acts in the earth
against other nations and peoples for which the judgments of
God are pronounced upon him, and in the 22nd verse he mentions
judgments against Babylon which show clearly that the subject
is still under consideration.
"Now, let us take a direct look at this 12th verse which
mentions Lucifer who is said to have fallen from heaven as
being cut down to the ground who DIDST weaken the nations.
This, then, was some judgment upon him for something he had
done before this came to pass. Could it then refer to the
devil? Could he have weakened the nations while he was still
in heaven and then later been cast out of heaven for having
weakened the nations? Could he have done any evil work in the
earth while he was still a pure angel in heaven? Of course
not!
"On the other hand, the king of Babylon did do these things
and became so exalted in his heart that he said he had done
all these things with his own hand. The Babylonish Kingdom was
the first universal kingdom that history records, and her king
subdued and weakened and brought under subjection all other
nations. Hence the reference to him who DIDST weaken the
nations.
"The 4th chapter of Daniel, verses 12 and 13, will throw much
light on this 14th chapter of Isaiah. In verses 10 to 16 is
given a vision that Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon had. Let
us read it: 'Thus were the visions of mine head in my bed; I
saw, and behold a tree in the midst of the earth, and the
height thereof was great. The tree grew, and was strong, and
the height thereof reached unto heaven, and the sight thereof
to the end of all the earth: The leaves thereof were fair, and
the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all: the beasts
of the field had shadow under it, and the fowls of the heaven
dwelt in the boughs thereof, and all flesh was fed of it. I
saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and, behold, a
watcher and an holy one came down from heaven; He cried aloud,
and said thus, Hew down the tree, and cut off his branches,
shake off his leaves, and scatter his fruit: let the beasts
get away from under it, and the fowls from his branches:
Nevertheless leave the stump of his roots in the earth, even
with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the
field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his
portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth: Let his
heart be changed from man's, and let a beast's heart be given
unto him; and let seven times pass over him.'
"In the 19th verse, Daniel begins to interpret his vision to
him and refers to the tree, etc. and in the 22nd verse he
says, 'It is thou, O king, thou art grown...and reacheth unto
heaven, and thy dominion to the end of the earth.'
"This corresponds exactly with the 13th verse of the 14th
chapter of Isaiah, which reads: 'For thou hast said in thine
heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above
the stars of God:... Nebuchadnezzar was proud in heart and
said the same thing in different words in the 30th verse of
the 4th chapter of Daniel after he had subjected all the
kingdoms of the world to himself. Listen to him: 'The king
spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built
for the house of the kingdom by the might of MY power, and for
the honour of My majesty.'
"In Daniel 4:25, Daniel proclaims unto the king what is the
decree of the most High concerning him. 'That they shall drive
thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of
the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and
they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times
shall pass over thee, till thou know that the most High ruleth
in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.'
"In Daniel 4:31-33, we find that this judgment actually came
on Nebuchadnezzar and just how serious it was because that in
his heart he was lifted up with pride and exalted himself in
his heart even unto heaven to the exclusion of the God of
heaven and did not acknowledge Him but said he had done all
this with HIS OWN HAND, etc. Thus he fell from heaven (the
exalted position he held and attributed unto himself in his
heart) and was cut down to the earth and humiliated beyond any
other man we have any record of."
Let us take note that in numbers of instances in the
Scriptures, ruling monarchs and dignitaries of high rank in
the governments of the kingdoms of men are spoken of as bright
luminaries of the heavens (high places among men) the same as
celestial beings and bright luminaries are in the kingdom of
heaven and in the spiritual realms. |
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Jesus Preaching to Spirits in
Prison I
Question: Please explain I Peter 3:19.
Answer: This text says, "By which also he went and
preached unto the spirits in prison." In order to get a proper
understanding of this verse we must consider it in connection
with the preceding verse (18) and the following verse (20)
which cover the entire thought. The 18th, 19th and 20th verses
read: "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just
for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to
death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also
he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which
sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God
waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing,
wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water."
These three verses belong together to form the complete
thought, and to separate any of them from the others will
leave us adrift with not certain direction. The 19th verse is
the difficult one, but it does not make any sense at all with
relation to the other scriptures if it is singled out and
separated from the 18th and 20th verses. Taken by itself it
would seem to teach something which is entirely incompatible
with the general, overall teachings of the Scriptures in
regard to Christ and to God's dealing with and attitude toward
mankind.
The closing phrase of verse 18 says that Christ was quickened
by the Spirit. Then the first two words of the 19th verse are
"BY WHICH." Here is the key to understanding verse 19. "BY
WHICH" by what? By the same spirit and divine operation that
quickened Christ and made Him alive again after He had died
for our sins; it was the same Spirit and Divine Operation that
carried out the action described in verse 19.
Let us realize that the Holy Spirit didn't just become
operative in this New Testament Dispensation. He was operative
in a lesser degree in Old Testament times, but operative
nevertheless. Peter says in II Peter 1:21, "For the prophecy
came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God
spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." This was true of
all the prophets of Old Testament times. In Acts 1:16, Peter
said: "Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been
fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake
before concerning Judas,..." Here he declares that the Holy
Ghost spake by the mouth of David. This was true of Noah also.
Peter called him a "Preacher of righteousness" (II Peter 2:5),
and the Holy Ghost spake through him as he preached
righteousness to the people while the ark was preparing.
Verse 20 identifies the time of this action "...When once the
longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark
was a preparing,..."
If the phrase, "The spirits in prison," is a sticker to you,
just realize that the souls of men in sin are bound in prison.
A prison is a place where a person's liberty and freedom are
taken away from him and he cannot do as he would. Describing
the condition of the sinner, Jesus said in John 8:34,
"...Whosoever committeth sin is the servant [bond slave] of
sin." Again He said in John 8:44, "Ye are of your father the
devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do...." The devil
is the master of the sinner and rules his life and his
activities. Paul said in Romans 6:16, "Know ye not, that to
whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are
to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience
unto righteousness?" So we see that the person who has yielded
himself to sin is the servant of sin and is not free to do
righteousness. Again Paul said in describing his condition in
his law experience when he could not be free from sin, "For I
delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see
another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind,
and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in
my members." (Romans 7:22-23.) He was not free to do what he
wanted to do because in his mind he wanted to do right and
serve God; but he was captivated by sin and was a servant of
the devil and could not do what he wanted to do. This made him
a miserable, wretched person, and he cried out for deliverance
in verse 24 and found his deliverance through Jesus Christ in
verse 25.
Jesus said in John 8:32, "And ye shall know the truth, and the
truth shall make you free." Again He said in John 8:36, "If
the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free
indeed." Hebrews 7:25 says, "Wherefore he is able also to save
them to the uttermost [completely, entirely, through and
through] that come unto God by him,..." Matthew 1:21 says,
"...Thou shalt call His name Jesus: for he shall save his
people from their sins."
The Psalmist said in Psalm 142:7, "Bring my soul out of
prison,..." Note, he was talking about his soul being in
prison. In such a state and condition his freedom and liberty
was taken away. This is just the condition in which these
ungodly sinners were in Noah's time when God determined to
destroy them all. In Isaiah 42:7, which is contained in a
prophecy concerning Christ and His work and ministry and the
effects of salvation, we read: "To open the blind eyes, to
bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in
darkness out of the prison house." It was to people in this
condition that the Spirit of God through Noah preached while
the ark was a preparing. All souls in sin are in the prison
house, and it is the work of Christ through His salvation and
saving grace to liberate them and set them free from the
bondage and slavery of sin by saving them from their sins, and
this is just what He wanted to do and would have done for
those people in Noah's time if they would have believed and
obeyed the preaching of Noah.
Hebrews 11:7 says that Noah condemned the world. How did he do
it? He condemned the world by preaching righteousness to them
in the power of the Spirit of God and then by believing and
obeying it himself. The preaching of righteousness by the Holy
Ghost had the same effect then that it does now either
condemns or saves either a savor of life unto life or death
unto death. It was a savor of life to Noah and his family
(eight souls) because they believed and obeyed. It was a savor
of death to all the others because they did not believe and
obey.
They had their chance, and God waited on them for 120 years to
repent and turn from their evil ways. Why would it then be
thought, as some say, that people were supposed to be
imprisoned and preach to them and give them a second chance
for salvation? He does not do that for people now, so why
should He be partial to this people who had a chance for
saving themselves the same as people do now and turned it down
as people do now? It is not so. |
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Jesus Preaching to
Spirits in Prison II
Question: I am confused as to the meaning of the
following scriptures: I Peter 3:19-20; Jude 6; and II Peter
2:4. As I look up cross-references, I find nothing that is
very explanatory. I had always thought that heaven or the
angel's abode was completely holy and there would be nothing
to tempt angels. Also, that anyone dying in sin was lost; so I
can't understand Jesus preaching to spirits in prison. Nothing
in the gospels seems to mention any such or else I've missed
it.
Answer: I Peter 3:19-20, reads: "By which also he went
and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were
disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the
days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that
is, eight souls were saved by water."
The thought really begins in verse 18, and this verse holds
part of the key to interpreting the other verses. Verse 18
reads, "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just
for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to
death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit." The "S" in
the word "Spirit" here is capitalized, indicating that it is
the Holy Spirit, the third person of the triune God-head that
is meant here. It was through the power of the Holy Spirit
that Christ was raised from the dead. Then verse 19 says, "BY
WHICH also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison."
Then it was through the power and operation that He preached
unto the spirits in prison. Then verse 20 tells when it was
"...When once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of
Noah, while the rk was a preparing,..."
The preaching to the spirits in prison here was done in the
days while Noah was building the ark and all the while
preaching righteousness unto them the people in the prison
house of sin. Peter said in II Peter 1:21, "For the prophecy
came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God
spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." It was the same
Holy Spirit that raised Christ from the dead that preached
through Noah in his day warning the people to turn from their
wickedness and flee from the wrath of God which was to come.
It was the same Holy Spirit then in Noah, or preaching through
Noah, as in the Holy Spirit-filled ministers today through
whom Christ is preaching His gospel of salvation and warning
sinners to repent of sin, believe the gospel, and thus flee
from the wrath of God which is to come.
These spirits are called "spirits in prison," and rightly so.
Prison is a place where one's liberties are taken away.
Spirits who have yielded themselves to the devil forfeit their
liberties and become slaves to Satan and the power of sin.
Those souls in Noah's day, who had their imaginations of the
thoughts of their hearts only evil continually, were whipped
and lashed by a relentless, tyrannical master (the devil), and
had no power or liberty of their own. Jesus Himself said in
John 8:34, that he that "...committeth sin is the servant
[slave] of sin." But Jesus again said in John 8:32, that you
"...shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
It takes the power of the gospel of Christ to free men from
sin. Paul said in Romans 6:17-18, "But God be thanked, that ye
were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart
that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made
free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness." Any
person who will obey the gospel and believe in the merits of
the blood of Christ to redeem them from sin shall be made free
from sin. Being a servant of righteousness is much different
from being a servant of sin, because when one is a servant of
righteousness, he is living according to the nature God placed
in man in the beginning, which is liberty and freedom in the
fullest degree. Sinful man has had a sinful, fallen, corrupt
nature imposed upon his true nature. This nature tends to
rebellion against God and right, and consequently robs him of
all his liberty and freedom. This is what Jesus came to free
men from by His sacrifice and the power of His blood, and to
restore him back to his true nature (the divine nature) in the
image and likeness of God and thus to full freedom and
deliverance.
The prophet Isaiah, in Isaiah 42:7, said that one of the
particular functions of the ministry of Jesus was "...to bring
out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in
darkness out of the prison house." Even those in solitary
confinement or the dungeon even the worst of them were to be
brought out also. Again, Isaiah 61:1 says, "The Spirit of the
Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me...to
proclaim...the opening of the prison to them that are bound."
In Luke 4:18-19, Jesus read this very prophecy in Isaiah 61:1
concerning Himself, and then said to them in verse 21,
"...This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears." Jesus,
the great liberator, had come to open the prison houses of sin
and let the prisoners come out free men. Ephesians 4:8 says
that when He ascended up on high "...he led captivity
captive,..." The margin here says, "A multitude of captives."
Jesus led a great multitude which no man could number out of
the kingdom of darkness and sin, and translated them into the
kingdom of God's dear Son through the abundance of His grace
and the power of His blood.
This does not mean that He opened up the prison and
penitentiaries and turned the criminals loose on society. No,
not at all. But the psalmist said in Psalm 142:7, "Bring my
soul out of prison,..." So we see that souls can get in prison
the same as bodies and men can be imprisoned spiritually as
well as physically. And it was to those who were imprisoned
spiritually that Jesus in Spirit preached to through Noah, and
it is to those who are imprisoned spiritually today to whom He
preaches in His Holy Spirit-filled ministers, and to whom He
opens the prison doors to liberate them when they obey from
the heart that form of doctrine delivered unto them.
Jude 6 says: "And the angels which kept not their first
estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in
everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the
great day."
I have mulled over this and wrestled around with it at
different times, but never came up with anything that was
satisfactory even to myself. Finally, I came across Bro. C. E.
Orr's interpretation of this text. He said that the angels
referred to in this text were Adam and Eve. That seemed
plausible and correct to me when I considered that they were
created beings just like the angels, and designed for
everlasting life just like the angels so long as they ate of
the tree of life. Before they sinned they were holy just as
the angels. When they sinned, they lost their righteous estate
(kept not their first estate), and were driven from the garden
(left their own habitation). This is the best I have to offer
on this text as of now. |
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