By Jim Stockstill

The Structure of Darkness – the realm of evil

March 9, 2023

Evil Spirits and Rebellious Angels

 

Proverbs 25:2 “It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honor of kings is to search out a matter.”

Luke 12:48 “But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him, they will ask the more.”

Matthew 13:12 “For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.” [Sunday 5, 2023 – afternoon nap]

2 Corinthians 4:18 “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal [G 4340: for a time, seasonal] but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

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Review from March 2, 2023: Behind the Veil of Evil

We began this series to provide answers to three questions.

1. Have we (earth) ever been visited by extraterrestrials?
2. If so, is there documentation?
3. If documented, did they impart knowledge and/or technology?

The Seed War

With the declaration of war in Genesis 3:15, Satan continues to oppose the redemptive plan of God.  When God announced the Savior would be the seed of the woman, Satan polluted the seed of man with reprobate angels cohabiting with women and giving birth to half breeds – the Nephilim [Genesis 6:1-2 evil spirits).  Following the flood (Genesis 6:4), with the commitment to Abram to be a great nation [Genesis 12:1] and gave all the land he could see [Genesis 13:15] to his seed, Satan once again polluted the gene pool of six tribes [Deuteronomy 20:17] in the promised land with Nephilim [Numbers 13:33] and giants [Anak descendants of Esau].

Satan – the Devil

Devil [G 38]: namely, Satan, the prince of demons, the author of evil, persecuting good men estranging mankind from God and enticing them to sin, and afflicting them with diseases using demons who take possession of their bodies at his bidding; the malignant enemy of God and the Messiah.

• Luke 10:18 Satan as lightning being “thrust down” from heaven.
• Revelation 12:3-4 4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven
• John 12:31 Prince of this World
• Ephesians 2:2 Prince of the Power of the Air
• 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 God of this World

 Matthew 13:37-39 “37 He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; 38 the field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one [evil one, Devil]; 39 the enemy that sowed them is the devil [G 38]; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.”

The consequence of Turning Away from God

2 Timothy 4:10 “For Demas hath forsaken [G 1459: abandon, leave in straits] me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica…”

Myths of Demigods:

• Anunnaki
• The Greek Titans
• Olympians

Benei Elohim Wicked Angels of Noah’s Day

• Origination of Evil Spirits

Enoch 15:8-12 “8 But now the giants who were begotten by the spirits [Angels] and flesh— they will call them evil spirits on the earth, for their dwelling, will be on the earth. 9 The spirits that have gone forth from the body of their flesh are evil spirits, for from humans they came into being, and from the holy watchers was the origin of their creation. Evil spirits will be on the earth, and evil spirits they will be called. 10 The spirits of heaven, in heaven is their dwelling; but the spirits begotten on the earth, on the earth is their dwelling. 11 And the spirits of the giants [Nephilim], do violence, make desolate, and attack and wrestle and hurl upon the earth and they eat nothing, but abstain from food and are thirsty and smite. 12 These spirits (will) rise up against the sons of men and the women, for they have come forth from them.”

Evil Spirits in the New Covenant [Testament]

• Demon or Demons does not appear in the KJV

Evil Spirits

Occurs 4 times in 4 verses

• Luke 7:21
• Luke 8:2
• Acts 19:12-13

The Reason Hell was Created

Matthew 25:41 “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire [Gehenna], prepared for the devil and his angels.”

• Sheol
• Hades
• Gehenna [Greek: New Testament]
• Tartarus
• The Bottomless Pit

Hell [H 7592]: Sheol, underworld, grave, hell, pit. Hades or the world of the dead its and inmates.

• Isaiah 14 11, 15
• Ezekiel 28:8
• Ezekiel 31:16
• Habakkuk 2:5

Hell [G 86 (11x)]: Hades, (Greek mythology – Pluto, god of the lower regions), the nether world, the realm of the dead.  To Hebrews, a dismal place.  As used in the Old Testament: Sheol.

• 1 Corinthians 15:50-56
• Revelation 1:18
• Revelation 6:8
• Revelation 20:13
  

Hell [G 1067 (12x)]: Gehenna or Gehenna of fire.  The Valley of the son of Hinnom (lamentations) – Jerusalem, a place of everlasting punishment.

• Matthew 10:28
• Matthew 23:31
• Luke 12:5

Hell – Tartarus

• 2 Peter 2:4-9 “For if God spared not the angels that sinned but cast them down to hell [G 5020 (1x): Tartarus], and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment.”

Bottomless Pit [G 12 (9x)]: “Abussos”, Abyssos, bottomless pit, deep or bottomless

• Luke 8:31 “And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep“ [G 12].
• Revelation 9:2,11 “2 And he opened the bottomless pit [Abyssos]; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit. 11 And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.”
• Proverbs 30:27 “The locusts have no king yet go they forth all of them by bands.”

• Revelation 17:8 “The beast [Lawless One] that thou saw was and is not and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit.” [Abyssos]

The Rich man and Lazarus 

Luke 16:19-31 “19 There was a certain rich man who clothed himself in purple and fine linen and reveled and feasted and made merry in splendor every day. 20 And at his gate there was [carelessly] dropped down and left a certain utterly destitute man named Lazarus, [reduced to begging alms and] covered with [ulcerated] sores. 21 He [eagerly] desired to be satisfied with what fell from the rich man’s table; moreover, the dogs even came and licked his sores. 22 And it occurred that the man begging died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 And in Hades (the realm of the dead), being in torment, he lifted his eyes and saw Abraham far away, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 And he cried out and said, Father Abraham, have pity and mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame. 25 But Abraham said, Child, remember that you in your lifetime fully received comforts and delights, and Lazarus in like manner the discomforts and distresses; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great gulf [G5490 (1x) chasm, a gaping opening] has been fixed, in order that those who want to pass from this [place] to you may not be able, and no one may pass from there to us. 27 And [the man] said, then, father, I beseech you to send him to my father’s house 28 for I have five brothers so that he may give [solemn] testimony and warn them, lest they too come into this place of torment. 29 But Abraham said, They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear and listen to them. 30 But he answered, No, Father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent. 31 He said to him if they do not hear and listen to Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded and convinced and believe [even] if someone should rise from the dead.”

Paradise [G 2859 (6x)]: to be partaker of the same blessedness as Abraham in paradise.

Paradise [G 3857 (3x)]: that part of Hades which was thought by the later Jews to be the abode of the souls of the pious until the resurrection.

Luke 23:43 “And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with me in paradise.” [G 3857].”

2 Corinthians 12:4 “How that he was caught up into paradise [G 3857], and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.”

Revelation 2:7 “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcomes will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise [G 3857] of God.”

Isaiah 42:6-7 “6 I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold your hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles. 7 To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.”

Isaiah 61:1-2 ”1 the Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound, 2 to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn.”

Luke 4:17-21 “17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, 18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. 20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all of them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 And he began to say unto them, this day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.”

Lessons of the Parable [real people with names]

Sheol or Hades: the place of the dead:

1. All souls are eternal and will die.
2. Death is final and there is no more time or chances to change (repent and accept Christ).
3. There is no hope – to be hopeless.
4. The rich man recognized Abraham and Lazarus.
5. He was in anguish from his suffering and desired a drop or drip of water from Lazarus’s finger.
6. The additional pain is recalling the opportunities and rejection of the gospel they had in life.
7. He could not mitigate the pain.
8. He did not ask that someone pray for him – his fate was final.  Purgatory.
9. When Abraham responded, he did not argue or justify his previous life.  He knew why he was in hades.
10. No mention of demonic or angelic guards between the chasms.
11. He knew his family and the sinful condition of his brothers.
12. He understood what could save, keep, his brothers from his fate – this place of torment.

Bereans: Trumpets and the Ekklesia

Bereans: Habitation, House and not being found Naked.

• Jude 1:6 “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.”

• 2 Corinthians 5:2-3 “2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven. 3 If so, be that thus being clothed we shall not be found naked.”  (line through mine)

Habitation/House [G 3613 (2x)] oikētērion, a dwelling place for the spirit.

 

Naked [G 1131 (1 in this tense)]: of the soul, whose garment is the body, stripped of the body, without a body.

Adam and Eve Lost their Glory

• Genesis 2:25 “And they were both naked [H 6174], the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.”

• Genesis 3:7-11 “7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked [H 5903]; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons. 8 And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. 9 And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? 10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked [H 5903]; and I hid. 11 And he said, Who told thee that thou are naked [H 5903]? Have thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?”

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Begin Part 7

March 9, 2023

Spirit vs Angel: the Greek Septuagint

Acts 23:9 “And there arose a great cry: and the scribes that were of the Pharisees’ part arose, and strove, saying, We find no evil in this man: but if a spirit [G 4151: pneuma] or an angel [G 32: messenger] hath spoken to him, let us not fight against God.”

Hebrews 1:14 “Are they not all ministering [G 3010 (1x): angels executing God’s behest] spirits [G 4151], sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?”

• Spirits [Hebrew 7307]: ruah, pronounced rooakh.  Wind, breath, and separate Holy Spirit.
• Spirits [Greek 4151]: pneuma, pronounced: “pnyoomah.”  A small s is often noted of an evil spirit or the spirit of man [spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak, etc.], and a capital S is associated with God.

Demonic Possession

There is debate among scholars regarding angels and spirits being able to possess a human or animal body.  Avoiding speculation or theories of various commentators I will give you my perspective and provide scriptural references.  The rebellious and deviant angels maintain tremendous power and knowledge as created beings, Bene Elohim, of God (Jesus).  Understanding the cosmos (universe) and the world (earth dwellers), we know angels have studied mankind for unknown millennia.  [extraterrestrial and the coming deception].  The Satanic kingdom is structured [an organizational chart if you will] as a government but better identified as a military state with officially assigned geographic jurisdictions, responsibilities (i.e., specialties), and status or rank.  We can see national [an empire] jurisdiction in Daniel 10:20 where the angel identifies the Price of Persia and Greece who opposed his dispatch from God.

This is not the place, but we can deduce in the realm of darkness there is communication, jurisdiction [geographic and/or specialization], and a high level of power as with the Prince of Persia who withstood this angel [not Gabriel] for 21 days.  We know the duration of the battle in physical time and space, but the angelic battle was likely in another parallel dimension – i.e., Narnia.  We will cover dimensions, gateways, and portals in scripture and ancient writings, and rock carvings.

There are two basic types of rock art: petroglyphs and pictographs.

• A petroglyph is an image that is carved into a rock.  This “carving” can produce a visible indentation in the rock, or it can simply be the scratching away of a weathered surface to reveal un-weathered material of a distinct color below.
• A pictograph is a drawing or painting that is created on a rock.  Because they are merely surface coating, pictographs tend to be less durable than petroglyphs.  The ones that survive are most often found in caves, rock shelters, and areas with dry climates.

With that said, I can only confirm two instances in scripture directly identifying an angel (in this case a cherub) who possessed a person.

 

 

Human Possession

John 17:12 “While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gave me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.”

• Luke 22:3 “Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve.”

2 Thessalonians 2:3 “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there comes a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.”

• Revelation 11:7 “And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast [G 2342: son of perdition] that ascended out of the bottomless pit [G 12: Abussos] shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.” [Revelation 13:1 beast out of the sea]
• Revelation 12:9 “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceives the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”

• Revelation 13:4 “And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?”

Greek: For the Devil and Satan

Devil [G 1228 (38x)]: Satan, the prince of demons, the author of evil, persecuting good men, estranging mankind from God, enticing them to sin, and afflicting them with diseases by means of demons who take possession of their bodies by his bidding; the malignant enemy of God and the Messiah.

Satan [G 4567]: circumventing men by stratagems (false prophets and doctrines of devils), the worshippers of idols are said to be under his control, (Acts 26:18; Revelation 12:9), and by his demons to take possession of the bodies of men and to afflict them with diseases.

Matthew 4:1 “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.” [G 1228]

Matthew 13:39 “The enemy that sowed (tares, children of the devil) them is the devil [G 1228]; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.” Some of the 38 uses in the New Testament:

• The tempter of Christ. [Matthew 4]
• Wicked one takes away the good seed sown [word of God]; fowls of the air [evil bird]. Devoured [G 2719] the word as a dragon. [Matthew 13:4, 19)
• Sowed the tares – children of the evil one [Matthew 13:38-39]
• Judas Iscariot was a devil [John 6:70]
• Pharisees were the children of the devil [John 8:44]
• Oppressing with diseases. Demons under his control [Actos 10:38]
• Elymas the sorcerer withstood the Apostle Paul – child of the devil [Acts 13:10]
• Snares the saints of God [1 Timothy 3:7]
• Slanders and false accusers are translated as devil [1 Timothy 3:11, 2 Timothy 3:3]
• As a roaring lion [1 Peter 5:8]
• Sinned from the beginning [1 John 3:8]
  

Angels

The scriptures identify evil spirits, devils, or demons, and the third of the wicked angels who were led in treason/rebellion by Lucifer.  In studying both the original Hebrew text and the Septuagint [Babylonian Talmud and the Kabbalah], I see no link to demons being the same created beings as angels.

• Revelation 12:4 “And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman, which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.”
• Kabbalah (Splendor or Radiance) is a foundational work in the literature of Jewish mystical which studies fiery chariots and horses, the Cherubim, demonology, and related topics from traditional and original Hebrew writings.
• Kabbalah is an esoteric method, discipline, and school of thought in Jewish mysticism or occult knowledge [Keys of Solomon, and the Lesser Keys of Solomon].  It is a book of black magic, called a grimoire, written in Latin in the 1300 or 1400s.  This book of spells and designs, translated into several languages, says that King Solomon wrote it for his son Rehoboam, but then had him hide it in Solomon’s tomb when he died.  A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal (a “receiver’).

The Holy Spirit states that God (or better, Christ, Colossians 1:16-1) created angels as spirits and ministers a flame of fire (Hebrews 1:7) and that Satan can transform into an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:13-14).

• Transform [G 3345 (5x)]: to transform oneself into someone, to assume one’s appearance, transfigure or disguise.

The same word for false apostles, deceitful workers, and ministers transforming themselves into ministers of righteousness.

Unique attributes of angels. [Occurs 94 times in 92 verses]

Angles, righteous (light) and evil (darkness) were:

1. created by God (Genesis 2;1, Colossians 1:16),
2. live for eternity (Luke 20:36),
3. present when God created the world (Job 38:1-7),
4. do not marry (Matthew 22:30),
5. are wise and intelligent (2 Samuel 14:17),
6. have an interest in human affairs (Luke 15:10),
7. are swift and fly (Daniel 9:21, Revelation 14:6),
8. are spiritual beings – a flame of fire (Psalm 104:4),
9. are subject to Christ (1 Peter 3:22),
10. have a will (Isaiah 14:12-14),
11. can choose to leave their habitation (Jude 1:6),
12. express emotions of joy and longing (Job 38:7, 1 Peter 1:12),
13. there is a hierarchy or ranking of angels (Seraphim Isaiah 6:1-8, Anointed Cherub Ezekiel 28:14, Cherubim Genesis 3:24, Cherub Ezekiel 9:3)
14. have bodies and can appear as men:
15. Sodom and Gomorrah: (Genesis 19:1).  Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening.
16. Tomb of Jesus: (John 20:12).  Two angels in white.
17. Ascension of Jesus (Acts 1:9).  Two men in white.
18. Opened prison doors for Peter (Acts 5:19)
19. And lastly, we are told in Hebrews 13:2 “not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”

Scripture Provides a Glimpse into the Ranking of Angels

Ephesians 6:12, Paul lists principalities [G 746], powers [G 1849: regal authority], rulers [G 2888] of the darkness of this world and spiritual [G 4152: demonic] wickedness [G 4189: depravity, evil purposes, and desires] in high [G 2032: lower heaven] places.

• Colossians 1:16 “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him.”
• Colossians 2:10 “And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principalities [G 746] and power [G 1849].”

Territorial [Continents, Countries, Provinces, Cities, towns, and tribes]

• Daniel 10:20 “Then said he, Know thou wherefore I come unto thee? and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come.”
• Jude 1:6 “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.”
• First Estate [G 746]: principality, rule, magistracy

Paul from Ephesians refers also to the angels which held dominions entrusted to them in the order of the Kingdom of God and the cosmos.

Angels Food

• Exodus 16:15 “And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they did not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat.”
• Psalm 78:25 “Man did eat angels’ food: he sent them meat to the full.”

Angel Prepared A Meal (twice)

1 Kings 19:4-8 “4 But he went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers. 5 And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat. 6 And he looked, and behold, there was a cake [cake of corn meal baked in hot ashes] baked on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink and laid him down again. 7 And the angel of the Lord came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for thee. 8 And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.”

Evil Spirits [Demons] from of Pentateuch and Septuagint

The term “Mishnah” originally referred to a method of teaching by presenting topics in a systematic order, as contrasted with Midrash, which followed the order of the Bible.  As a written compilation, the order of the Mishnah is by subject matter and includes a much broader selection of halakhic subjects and discusses individual subjects more thoroughly than the Midrash.

So, halakhic is the collective body of Jewish religious laws that are derived from the written and Oral Torah.  Halakha is based on biblical commandments (mitzvot), subsequent Talmudic and rabbinic laws, and the customs and traditions which were compiled in the many books such as the Shulchan Aruch.

The Mishnah constituted the Talmud.  There are two versions of the Gemara.  The Jerusalem Talmud, also known as the Palestinian Talmud, was compiled by Jewish scholars of the Land of Israel, primarily of the academies of Tiberias and Caesarea, and was published between about 350–400 CE.  The Talmud Bavli was published about 500 CE by scholars of Babylonia, primarily of the academies of Sura, Pumbedita, and Nehardea. [Wikipedia]

The Gemara is the component of the Talmud comprising rabbinical analysis of and commentary on the Mishnah written in 63 books.  At first, Gemara was only transmitted orally and was forbidden to be written down, however after the Mishnah was published by Judah the Prince, the work was studied exhaustively by generation after generation of rabbis in Babylonia and the Land of Israel.  Their discussions were written down in a series of books that became the Gemara.

It was in the year 1720 that a young prodigy and genius was born.  The Gaon (Hebrew for “genius”), Rabbi Elijah ben Shlomo Zalman was to become the most influential Jewish leader in modern history.  He would be known as the most renowned Ashkenazi Torah authority in the past thousand years.  His vast skills in memorization, extraordinary talents, great wisdom, and comprehension of all branches of Torah and secular knowledge were early recognized.

By the age of seven, he gave his first public discourse on the Torah demonstrating an intellect that was fully developed to abstract thinking as an adult.  By the age of ten years, his wisdom in the understanding of the Torah was so renowned for he no longer could find a teacher with the command of the Torah as he.  Known as “The Gra”, this prodigious Torah giant set the standard of Torah study, absolute devotion to G-d, and a character perfection emulated by centuries of later students of his manuscripts and books.

The Vilna Gaon says yes, there are “Shaydim.”  If the Gemorra talks about them they must exist.  Maimonides/”Rambam” takes a more philosophical approach. -heard from Rabbi Yitzchok Breitowitz, Ohr Somayach, Jerusalem.

As reported by Rabbi Lazer Brody with Lazer Beams in late March 2014, titled, “Rabbi Moshe Shternbuch: We Hear the Footsteps of Moshiach.”

• Rabbi Lazer Brody – “Rav Shternbuch received a closely guarded secret that came to him from Rabbi Yitzchak Chever zatza,” who received it from Rabbi Chaim of Volozhyn zatza”, who received it from the Gaon of Vilna himself, who revealed it shortly before his death:
• “When you hear that the Russians have captured the city of Crimea, you should know that the times of the Messiah have started, that his steps are being heard. And when you hear that the Russians have reached the city of Constantinople (today’s Istanbul), you should put on your Shabbat clothes and do not take them off, because it means that the Messiah is about to come any minute.”

Demons

Evil Spirits [Devils or in original text Demons]

Shedim are spirits or demons in the Tanakh and Jewish mythology.  They do not, however, correspond exactly to the modern conception of demons as evil entities.  Evil spirits were thought to be the cause of maladies, differing conceptually from the shedim, who were not evil demigods but the Elohim of foreigners.

They appear only two times in the Tanakh: Deuteronomy 32:17, and Psalm 106:37.  In both instances, the text deals with child sacrifice or animal sacrifice.  Shedim is traditionally derived from the root šwd /shud conveys the meaning of “acting with violence” or “laying waste.”  With the translation of Hebrew texts into Greek, under the influence of Zoroastrian dualism, the term shedim was translated into Greek as daimonia with implicit connotations of negativity.  Later, in Judeo-Islamic culture, shedim became the Hebrew word for Jinn.

According to one legend, the shedim are the descendants of serpents, or demons in serpent form, in allusion to the story of the serpent in Eden, as related in Genesis.  A second view is that they are the offspring of Lilith, from her union with Adam or other men, while a third was that the shedim had their origins among the builders of the Tower of Babel.

• The Zohar: The bird-footed night shedah (goddess/she-devil) of the Burney relief (Isin-Larsa or Old Babylonian period circa 1800 BCE).  Shedim are said to have had the feet and claws of a rooster.  To see if the shedim were present, ashes were thrown to the ground or floor, which rendered their footsteps visible.

Shedim can shapeshift, sometimes assuming a human form, the Talmud tells of the sheyd Asmodeus assuming King Solomon’s form and ruling in his place for a time, although he had to take care never to be seen barefoot because he could not disguise his clawed feet.

Jinns in Islam.  [WorldAtlas (2020)]: World’s second most widely practiced religion and the fasting growing with approximately 1.7 followers] There are at least 87% Sunnis and Shiites are the minority at 13% including Iran, Iraq, and Bahrain, Lebanon, and some in predominately Sunni nations.  Saddam Hussein (Nebuchadnezzar 2) was a Sunni who killed many Shia Muslims.

Islam and the Jinn in the Quran are invisible creatures [djinn or anglicized as genies] in early pre-Islamic Arabian religious systems and later in Islamic culture and beliefs.  Although generally invisible, Jinns are supposed to be composed of thin and subtle bodies (ad̲j̲sām), and they can change at will.  They favor snake form, but can also choose to appear as scorpions, lizards, or humans.  They may even engage in sexual affairs with humans and produce offspring.  If they are injured by someone, they usually seek revenge or possess the assailant’s body, refusing to leave it until forced to do so by exorcism.

• Tafsir for the group of verses 72:1 “Allah commands His Messenger to inform his people that the Jinns listened to the Qur’an, believed in it, affirmed its truthfulness and adhered to it.”

Shiva “The Auspicious One” is one of the principal deities of Hinduism.  He is also known as the “destroyer” and is known to slay demons.  The Hindu population around the world as of 2020 is about 1.2 billion (making it the world’s third-largest religion after Christianity and Islam ), of which nearly around 1.1 billion Hindus live in India.  There are demons in the Hindu religion as well.

Shedim/Demons: Torah

Deuteronomy 32:17 “They sacrificed unto devils [H 7700: demons (2x)] not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not.”

Psalm 106:37 “Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils [H 7700: demons (2x)].”

Goat Demons

Leviticus 17:7 “And they shall no more offer [H 8163: satyr, hairy demons, demon goat], after whom they have gone a whoring. This shall be a statute forever unto them throughout their generations.”

2 Chronicles 11:13-15 “13 And the priests and the Levites that were in all Israel resorted to him [Rehoboam] out of all their coasts. 14 For the Levites left their suburbs and their possession and came to Judah and Jerusalem for Jeroboam and his sons had cast them off from executing the priest’s office unto the Lord. 15 And he ordained him, priests, for the high places, and the devils [H 8163], and for the calves which he had made.”

• Satyr [H 8163]: a shaggy, hairy, he-goat.  A demon-possessed goat.

Isaiah 13:21 “But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there, and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures and owls shall dwell there and satyrs [H 8163] shall dance there.”

Hebrew Breakdown

• Isaiah 13:21 “But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there, and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures [H 255 Howling creature, hyena (1x)] and owls [H 3284: “daughters of the owl’, and unclean fowl: Leviticus 11:16 and Deuteronomy 14:15] shall dwell there and satyrs [H 8163] shall dance [H 7540: 3^rd person masculine plural] there.”
• Job 30:29 “I am a brother to dragons and a companion to owls.”
• Micah 1:8 “Therefore I will wail and howl, I will go stripped and naked. I will make a wailing like the dragons and mourning as the owls.”

Isaiah 34:14 “The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the wild beasts of the island, and the satyr [H 8163] shall cry to his fellow; the screech owl also shall rest there and find for herself a place of rest.”

Devils/Demons: New Covenant (Testament):       

Underlined Scripture is the first mention –

Matthew 4:24 “And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with various diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils [G 1139], and those which were lunatic, and those that had the palsy, and he healed them.”

• Devils [G 1139 (13x)]: to be under the power of a demon.  [Matthew 8:16, 23, 33, 12:22, Mark 1:32, 5:15 -18, Luke 6:18, 8:36, John 10:21, Acts 5:16, 10:38, and Philemon 1].

Matthew 7:22 “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils [G 1140]? and in thy name done many wonderful works.”

• Devils [G 1140 (60x)]: evil spirits or the messenger and ministers of the devil. [Mark 1:34, 39, Mark 3:15, 22, Luke 4:35, 41, Luke 7:33, and many others.]
  

Matthew 9:34 “But the Pharisees said, He casts out devils [G 1140] through the prince of the devils.”

Matthew 12:24 “But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince [G 758: ruler, commander] of the devils [G 1140].”

Luke 11:15 “But some of them said, He casts out devils through Beelzebub [G 954: Lord of Flies] the chief of the devils [G 1140].”

• 2 Kings 1:1-2 “1 Then Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab. 2 And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria, and was sick: and he sent messengers, and said unto them, Go, enquire of Baalzebub [H 1176] the god of Ekron whether I shall recover of this disease.” [Elijah intervenes; he was a hairy man and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins.]

1 Timothy 4:1 “Now the Spirit speaks expressly, that in the latter times, some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils [G 1140].” 

Matthew 8:31 “So the devils [G 1142] besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine.”

• Devils [G 1142 (5x)]: “Daimon” where we get the word Demon in Greek – an evil spirit.  [Mark 5:12, Luke 8:29, Revelation 18:2]

Revelation 16:14 “For they are the spirits of devils [G 1142], working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.”

 

Evil Spirits and Devils are better defined as Demons in Scripture

1. Angels have bodies, demons do not:

The Book of Enoch [Chapter 15:8-12]

The Book of Jubilees [Chapter 10]

Matthew 8:29-31 “29 And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment [G 928: vex with grievous pains] us before the time [G 2540: Kairos]? 30 And there was a good way off from them a herd of many swine feeding. 31 So the devils [G 1142: evil spirits] besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine.”

• Evil spirits knew who Jesus was, their destiny of torment and torture and that it was at a set time.  They desired to possess a body – even an animal’s earth shell.

Matthew 12:43-45 “43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. 44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he has come, he finds it empty, swept, and garnished. 45 Then goes he and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so, shall it be also unto this wicked generation.”

• Evil spirits seek dry places, will return to the host to see if it is occupied (Holy Spirit), and there are levels of wickedness.  Seven is the number for perfection or being complete – totally consumed.

2. Angels are able to manifest or appear in physical form and interact with mankind.  These are the shapeshifters of myth and actual sightings of man in early civilization [Sumerians, Assyrians, Egyptians, Babylonians, Aztecs, and many indigenous Indian tribes (nations)], and millions since the beginning of the common era.  More on the UAPs/UFOs/USOs (underwater submerged objects) – and demonic deception next broadcast.

The Book of Tobit [Archangel Raphael]

We covered Old Testament appearances of the Theophany of Christ, Archangels, and angels.

2 Corinthians 11:14 “And no marvel, for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.”

Hebrews 13:2 “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”

3. Now, as we have verified in Scripture when referring to holy angels, the wicked angels, and the Bene Elohim (watchers) the term devils, demons, or evil spirits is never used.  There is a clear distinction between the two.

Matthew 12:24 “But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.” [Recall the Prince of Persia and Babylon]

Revelation 9:11 “And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.”

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Addendum 1

Idols

4000-3500 B.C. Some of the major Mesopotamian civilizations include the Sumerian, Assyrian, Akkadian, and Babylonian civilizations.  Around 3100 B.C. these were followed by Ancient Egypt perhaps the most romanticized of past civilizations.  Set along the fertile Nile River the powerful realm of Pharaohs stood for more than 3,000 years.  Archaeologists have found evidence of extensive use of technology, literature, legal codes, philosophy, religion, and architecture in these societies.

What is the point as we review the worship of idols and demigods in the culture of the earliest empires?  Their idols were more than wood, stone, silver, or gold made by man.  Intelligent, though ignorant (foolish: 1 Romans 8:5-10; Corinthians 2:14), they offered sacrifices and worshiped the spirit (demons) of the idol.

For Israel, following the miraculous exodus from Egypt, they began to worship the Golden Calf (Exodus 32 and then again with Jeroboam in 1 Kings 12) and later King Hezekiah (2 Kings 18:3-4) had to break in pieces the bronze serpent Moses had made in the wilderness (Numbers 21:0).  Tragically Baal (the Sun god), Ashtoreth (the moon goddess), Chemosh (fish god, destroyer), and many others ensnared the Israelites.

“Idol” comes from the Greek word [G 1497] eidolon meaning “appearance, reflection in water or in a mirror.”  An idol is simply the reflection of the wicked heart of a person who hand-made the idol.  The Bible consistently condemns the making or worshipping of idols starting with the second of the Ten Commandments (1500 BC): Exodus 20:4-5 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them.”

 

Blessings in Christ,

Joseph “Jim” Stockstill
“National War Council” – Founder and Chairman
Jim5555@nationalwarcouncil.org
P.O. Box 931
Argyle, TX 76226

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“He hath shown thee what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.”
Micah 6:8