Don't be caught off guard.
As an engineer by trade, I always learned that before solving any problem, you must first clearly define the situation in as much detail as possible. This allows you to account for all scenarios and solve a problem in the best way possible.
This is the stance all Christians should take. Instead of being afraid of learning about Hell and the Devil - learning all you can about him will enable you to avoid his tactics and be better prepared for when you face him. One of my favourite sayings is - Don't be scared, be prepared.
In this teaching, we will try and see if we can define who this entity is by diving into his origins and his role throughout the Bible and in our times today.
Let's go!
The Devil's Name
The Devil is known by many names, here are the most common:
- Lucifer
- Satan
- Devil
- Beelzebub
- Serpent
- Accuser
- Destroyer
- Enemy
But which one is his true name? Most will say Lucifer, as this sounds like an actual name, but this is actually wrong. The name Lucifer appears once in the whole Bible, and nowhere in the New Testament. It originates from the book of Isaiah. Interestingly, only certain translations (e.g. King James Version) have the name Lucifer. Most modern English translations do not mention that name anywhere.
Isa 14:12 (NIV) How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!
Isa 14:12 (KJV) 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!
Using our favourite tool, the Blue Letter Bible, we can see what the word Lucifer means:
hêylêl, hay-lale'; from H1984 (in the sense of brightness); the morning-star:—lucifer. (Lucifer = "light-bearer")
Looking at H1984 to get more clarity:
H1984 - hâlal, haw-lal'; a primitive root; to be clear (orig. of sound, but usually of color); to shine; hence, to make a show, to boast; and thus to be (clamorously) foolish;
So based on these definitions, Lucifer is a word that people use to refer to something that shines. This makes the NIV translation make sense, as they translated "Lucifer" to "Morning star": ("...How you have fallen from heaven, morning star...").
So lucifer is not a name - it is a descriptive word used to describe someone or something. Besides, no one reading an NIV Bible would even know the name Lucifer since "Morning Star" is used instead. Clearly, this is not the name to define our enemy. Let's see if any of the other names can pass as a true name:
Satan - This is another popular one. Let's see its true meaning:
sâṭân, saw-tawn'; from H7853; an opponent; especially (with the article prefixed) Satan, the arch-enemy of good:—adversary, Satan, withstand.
H7853 - sâṭan, saw-tan'; a primitive root; to attack, (figuratively) accuse:—(be an) adversary, resist.
Again, this is a descriptive word, used to describe an opponent. The name "saw-tawn" is not our enemy's name.
This is further backed up in the Bible, because "saw-tawn" is used to describe David in 1 Sam 29:4. This further highlights that this word is merely descriptive, and is a term used for an opponent. Another example is when Yeshua (Jesus true name) also called Peter 'Satan'. Yeshua is actually referring to Peter as an opponent, because Peter did not want Yeshua to die, standing in the way of God's plan.
Devil - Let's do the same thing as above:
diábolos, dee-ab'-ol-os; from G1225; a traducer; specially, Satan (compare H7854):—false accuser, devil, slanderer.
G1225 - diabállō, dee-ab-al'-lo; from G1223 and G906; (figuratively) to traduce:—accuse.
Now we have a Greek word, diábolos, which means accuser. This has some promise, but the word diábolos is used as "False Accuser" and "Slanderer" all over the New Testament and is not exclusive to our enemy. This is a descriptive word used for someone who accuses.
Beelzebub
Rooted in the Old Testament, and also found in Luke's gospel:
Luk 11:15 But some of them said, “By Beelzebub, the prince of demons, he is driving out demons.”
Beelzebub translates to:
Beelzeboúl, beh-el-zeb-ool'; of Chaldee origin (by parody on H1176); dung-god; Beelzebul, a name of Satan:—Beelzebub.
H1176 - Baʻal Zᵉbûwb, bah'-al zeb-oob'; from H1168 and H2070; Baal of (the) Fly; Baal-Zebub, a special deity of the Ekronites:—Baal-zebub.
As we can see, Beelzebub has its roots in the pagan god, Baal. Baal is a false god, not our main enemy, so this name also fails.
The other names:
- Serpent or Beast - Is simply a creature/animal. This is not a name
- Accuser - The same meaning as "Devil"
- Destroyer - Mentioned in Revelation 9:11 as the Angel of Death, Abaddon or Apollyon - Apollýōn, ap-ol-loo'-ohn; active participle of G622; a destroyer (i.e. Satan):—Apollyon.
- It just refers to "A destroyer" - another descriptive word.
So What Is his Name?
After examining the scripture, we can draw a clear conclusion - our enemy is nameless. (For now) We do not know his name. Whether you call him Satan, the Devil, Snake, Beast, or any other word, it doesn't matter. They all are just descriptions of his character. Satan has no name (At least in the modern day Bible), and pop culture has crept into Christianity, bringing in ideas of this figure who reigns in Hell with red hues everywhere with a pitch fork and tail. The reality is that this does not exist. So do not be afraid when you hear these names, because they are just descriptive words.
Where Do We Go From Here?
Since analyzing the enemy's names did not give us much, we need a new way forward. Let's point our compass towards the very beginning, where we first encounter the enemy - Genesis.
Did Satan Deceive Adam & Eve as a Serpent?
Let's revisit Genesis to see the fall of humanity again and check if we can get a better understanding of Satan (I will refer to the enemy as Satan from now on to make this easier to follow)
Gen 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
Here, Satan is referred to as a serpent. Ask yourself - do normal snakes talk? Unlikely! Examining the word "serpent":
nâchâsh, naw-khawsh'; from H5172; a snake (from its hiss):—serpent.
(The Root Word) H5172 - nâchash, naw-khash'; a primitive root; properly, to hiss, i.e. whisper a (magic) spell; generally, to prognosticate:—× certainly, divine, enchanter, (use) × enchantment, learn by experience, × indeed, diligently observe.
Examining the original word indicates a snake, but the root word is entirely different - it points to divinity, magic, and enchantment.
Things get more confusing as you read the Old Testament, The word nâchâsh, naw-khawsh appears again in the Bible a few times, and is translated as DIVINATION instead (Previously translated as serpent)
Lev 19:26 “ ‘Do not eat any meat with the blood still in it. “ ‘Do not practice divination (naw-khawsh) or seek omens.
Deu 18:10 Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination (naw-khawsh) or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft,
So in conclusion, this word, Naw-khwash, points not only to a snake, but something more. Something divine in nature.
More Confusion About Satan
Investigating the word "serpent" further in the Bible leads us somewhere interesting. If we instead look for the word "snake", we see it in Exodus in two places. One in Exodus 4:3 and then shortly after in Exodus 7:9/10:
Exo 4:3 The LORD said, “Throw it on the ground.” Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it
Exo 7:9 “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Perform a miracle,’ then say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh,’ and it will become a snake.”
Exo 7:10 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the LORD commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake.
The word "snake" in Exo 4 gives a different meaning than in Exo 7:
In Exo 4, it translates snake the same way it did in Genesis, as naw-khawsh (Magical snake)
But in Exo 7, the word snake is defined differently, it translates to tan-neen:
tannîyn, tan-neen'; or תַּנִּים tannîym, intensive from the same as H8565; a marine or land monster, i.e. sea-serpent or jackal:—dragon, sea-monster, serpent, whale.
The word snake here is defined as a sea-monster, serpent or dragon.
This seems quite confusing, and it gets worse. If we search further into the Bible for snakes or serpents, we arrive at the Book of Numbers:
Num 21:6 Then the LORD sent fiery serpents among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died.
Num 21:8 The LORD said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.”
Fiery serpents! You would assume that serpent / snakes would be translated to either naw-khawsh (magical serpent) or at least tan-neen (serpent/dragon/monster), but this is not the case. We see a third type of creature:
sârâph, saw-rawf'; from H8313; burning, i.e. (figuratively) poisonous (serpent); specifically, a saraph or symbolical creature (from their copper color):—fiery (serpent), seraph.
We see saw-rawf or Seraphim in many more books. These creatures are connected to both naw-khawsh (Divine serpents) and tan-neen (Dragon / Beast)
Isaiah gives us some more info on these fiery snakes, or Seraphim as he quotes (This is from the NIV):
Isa 6:2 Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying.
Isa 6:6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar.
Isa 6:7 With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”
Isa 14:29 Do not rejoice, all you Philistines, that the rod that struck you is broken; from the root of that snake will spring up a viper, its fruit will be a darting, venomous serpent (Translated from Seraphim).
Isa 30:6 A prophecy concerning the animals of the Negev: Through a land of hardship and distress, of lions and lionesses, of adders and darting snakes (Translated from Seraphim), the envoys carry their riches on donkeys’ backs, their treasures on the humps of camels, to that unprofitable nation,
So to summarize, the Bible translates snakes/serpents in 3 different ways.
- naw-khawsh - Magical/Divine Serpent
- tan-neen - Dragon/Serpent Beast
- saw-rawf/Seraphim - Fiery Serpent
Following these translations, and seeing words such as fiery, enchanting, and dragons, one could arrive at an interesting conclusion - that these Seraphim might be Dragons.
Indeed, it is interesting that almost all cultures around the world have some indication of a fiery beast that flew in the sky. After all, the Lunar New Year is a celebration of one of 12 "normal" animals and one mystical one - the Dragon.
Whilst it is unlikely that the dragons depicted in modern culture are the same ones the Bible speaks of, it is clear that a kind of fiery beast existed, and will return. This is stated in Revelation:
Rev 12:7 Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back.
Rev 12:8 But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven.
Rev 12:9 The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
drákōn, drak'-own; probably from an alternate form of δέρκομαι dérkomai (to look); a fabulous kind of serpent (perhaps as supposed to fascinate):—dragon.
This beast is clearly different from the small talking snake we think of when we picture the Garden of Eden and the fall of humanity. Most likely the entity that deceived Eve was something like a mystical creature, such as a dragon or a kind of serpent. If God cursed snakes to forever slither on the ground, what were the snakes doing before...?
Have We Uncovered Satan?
So far we know that Satan does not have a name (yet) and that the entity that deceived Eve in the Garden of Eden, was something more related to divine/enchanting serpent than a simple snake. We also saw that there are multiple kinds of evil serpents, some with fire, and some with more beast-like appearances. While I am still conducting research, it does seem clear that we are not dealing with a single 'Satan', but instead we have MULTIPLE 'satans' who we are working against. This does not mean that the legion of 'satans' we face are without a leader. In fact, the passage in Revelation indicates the 'great dragon':
Rev 12:9 The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray...The
This does imply that the 'satans' do have a leader. However, the modern-day Bible does not give any clues as to who or what this ruling entity is.
Conclusion
In this teaching, we attempted to better understand who the "Devil" is by examining the names given to him throughout the Bible. After analyzing the Hebrew and Greek words for each of the common names, we concluded that they are all descriptive words, and are not genuine names of our enemy. Our enemy is nameless and we do not know if there is any name associated with him. This is never disclosed in (modern-day) Bibles.
Afterwards, we investigated the fall of humanity - The first place we encounter Satan, to try see if we can get some more information. Often we are told that a talking snake deceived Eve. However, looking at the root Hebrew words revealed that this was no ordinary snake, but a divine, enchanting beast. This beast is connected to the Seraphim, which revealed that these beasts are dragons. This lines up with scripture in Revelation, as it is written that the angels will fight a dragon. This dragon is probably not the dragon we know from movies, which backed up by the description of the Seraphim in the Book of Isaiah.
In conclusion, whilst we did not find a name for Satan, we have deduced that we instead are facing a multi-faceted enemy. These 'satans' have multiple appearances, such as serpents, beasts, and dragons, and are typically divine and enchanting with the ability to possess. Whilst it is implied that the 'satans' we face, have a leader, the modern-day Bible does not indicate who or what this entity is. However, that is not to say that there is no way forward. In future entries, we will turn our compass to another time in the Bible. A time that very few Christians tend to explore - The time before Noah.
