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Is the Devil a Myth?
Is the Devil a Myth?
By C. F. WIMBERLY Author of “The Vulture’s Claw,” “New Clothes for the Old Man,” “The Cry in the Night,” “The Winepress,” “The Lost Legacy,” Etc., Etc. New York Chicago Toronto Fleming H. Revell Company London and Edinburgh Copyright, 1913, by FLEMING H. REVELL COMPANY New York: 158 Fifth Avenue Chicago: 17 North Wabash Ave. London: 21 Paternoster Square Edinburgh: 75 Princes Street With the fondest recollections and appreciation of one, “in age and feebleness extreme,” who taught me the first
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Preface
Preface
It is the writer’s firm conviction, in these days when the most enthusiastic “bookworm” cannot even keep up with the titles of the book output, that an earnest, sensible reason should be given for adding another to the already endless list of books. We have enough books to-day, “good, bad, indifferent,” with which, if they were collected, to build another Cyclops pyramid. The sage of the Old Testament declared in his day, concerning the endless making of books; such a statement, compared with mo
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I
I
THE PROBLEM OF EVIL “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”— Genesis vi. 5. That we may appreciate this discussion, removed as far as possible from theological terminology and theories, and get a concrete view-point, the following head-lines from a single issue of a metropolitan daily will suffice: “War Clouds Hanging Low;” “Men Higher Up Involved;” “Eighty-seven Divorces On Docket;” “Bloo
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II
II
THE ORIGIN OF EVIL “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.”— Revelation xii. 9. It requires but a casual survey of this problem to reach a conclusion that its hideousness cannot be explained by any other hypothesis than the power of an invisible Personality. When we scrutinize the footprints of the race, it will be found that progress has been along a
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III
III
LUCIFER “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which did weaken the nations!”— Isaiah xiv. 12. “And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp.”— Revelation viii. 10. “And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth; and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.”— Revelation ix. 1. It is reasonable to believe that all intelligent beings are morally f
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IV
IV
DEVIL—SATAN—SERPENT—DRAGON “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 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.”— Revelation xii. 7-9. Names were significant in Bible times; they are given to-day at random, but t
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V
V
DIABOLUS—DEMONIA—ABADDON-APOLLYON “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.”— Matthew xxv. 41. “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.”— Revelation ix. 11. We now desire to analyze more minutely the Greek names Diabolus and Demonia; reference was made to this distinction in
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VI
VI
THE DEVIL A “BLOCKADE” “Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again; but Satan hindered us.”— 1 Thessalonians ii. 18. “But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days; but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me.”— Daniel x. 13. We find another striking interpretation couched in the title of devil. The Church in its organization is called militant , because it is engaged in a moral and religious warfare. The writings of Paul bristle
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VII
VII
THE GREAT MAGICIAN “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”— Ephesians vi. 11. “For they are the spirits of devils working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world.”— Revelation xvi. 14. From the earliest records of history men have lived who seemed to possess strange, occult powers. Magicians—performing miracles, setting aside, apparently, well-known physical laws. Moses met the sorcerers and magicians of E
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VIII
VIII
THE ROARING LION “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”— 1 Peter v. 8. Thus far we have studied Diabolus under various titles and cognomens which deal almost exclusively with the secret side of his nature: the propaganda of hidden arts. The caption of this chapter will indicate quite a different proposition. This title swings him into full view, stripped of all deception and legerdemain. The lion walks up and down
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IX
IX
AN ANGEL OF LIGHT “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.”— 2 Corinthians xi. 13-14. The Devil is a person, with a great personality; but like human beings, he is not equally endowed in all the attributes of his nature. However, the Book gives us no information as to his weaknesses. He is all superlative strength; but if at any point there is a special endowed fac
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X
X
THE SOWER OF TARES “The kingdom of heaven is like a man that sowed good seed in his field: but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went away.”— Matthew xiii. 24-25. “The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; the enemy that sowed them is the devil.”— Matthew xiii. 38-39. The parable of the Sower is one of common-sense appeal; the sensible farmer sows only good seed. The growing of tares
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XI
XI
THE ARCH SLANDERER “For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.”— Genesis iii. 5. “But put forth thine hand now and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.”— Job i. 11. It is the first scene of the human drama; the staging is in an earthly Paradise; perfection is written on everything animate and inanimate. With but one restriction man roams through Edenic beauties, a being “good and very go
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XII
XII
THE DOUBLE ACCUSER “Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.”— Job i. 10. “Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.”— Revelation xii. 10. When we consider the Diabolus character—his strength and opportunity
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XIII
XIII
SATAN A SPY “And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.”— Job i. 7. The spy is the most dangerous man in the army; more is he to be feared than the genius of a Napoleon or a Lee. The sphere in which he operates has no duplicate in military activities; his bravery, boldness, and daring are unexcelled. Whether he be called from the ranks, or from among the commissioned officers, h
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XIV
XIV
THE QUACK DOCTOR “Having the form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.”— 2 Timothy iii. 5. We do not agree with some late views of the nature of sin—that it is a physical and mental disorder: the resultant of heredity, food, soil, climate and social environment. If the root of the difficulty springs from these primary causes, the whole problem of evil could be wiped out in one generation by the application of sanitary laws and social betterment. In the Bible sin is k
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XV
XV
THE DEVIL A THEOLOGIAN “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.”— 1 Timothy iv. 1. Theology is defined as “the science which treats of God, His existence, character, government, and doctrines,” or the science of religion—a system of truth derived from the Scriptures. The caption of this article—The Devil a Theologian—jars our spiritual nerve centres. There are three things necessary to
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XVI
XVI
THE DEVIL A THEOLOGIAN ( Continued ) One of the Devil’s tactics is to make much ado about nothing. It is astonishing how sane people can be deluded over childish non-essentials. Think of the doctrine of Abstinence; at certain seasons be holy with a vengeance. It is a mortal sin to let down during certain days and moons; no meats, no riotous gormandizing, no wine, no dancing, no theatre going, when the season is holy. But are we not so commanded concerning the Sabbath day? The Sabbath day must be
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XVII
XVII
THE DEVIL’S RIGHTEOUSNESS “Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain.”— Jude 11. “For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.”— Romans x. 3. We are becoming, according to the canons of this world, a righteous nation; the standard of civic and commercial righteousness is elevated as never before. Sleuth-hounds are scenting every indication of misrule and running to ear
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XVIII
XVIII
THE WORLD’S TEMPTER “Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; and sayeth unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.”— Matthew iv. 8-9. Temptation is a seduction: meaning to allure or entice one to evil. It is submitting a proposition which carries with it inducements of pleasure or gain. The mind that accedes readily and willingly to an act is not tempted. A tempt
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XIX
XIX
THE CONFIDENCE MAN “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.”— 2 Corinthians iv. 4. History is one long, tragic recital of human sorrow and suffering; but there is far more unwritten history than has ever been recorded on the printed page. Along the march of civilization all that has come down to us are the lives and doings of great men; we know little of the h
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XX
XX
THE TRAPPER “And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.”— 2 Timothy ii. 26. “Surely he will deliver thee from the snare of the fowler.”— Psalm xci. 3. To be a trapper requires something more than setting traps and baiting them. The old trapper returns from a season spent among mountains, rivers, and forests—ladened with valuable furs of every kind: beaver, bear, otter, fox, mink, wildcat, coon, opossum, etc. Remember the animal k
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XXI
XXI
THE INCOMPARABLE ARCHER “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God.... Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness.... Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.”— Ephesians vi. 13, 14, 16. When traps, tricks, seductions, and quackery, temptations, etc., fail, Satan adds victims to his long list by destroying them at long range. While in a mountain peak vision of
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XXII
XXII
THE FATHER OF LIARS “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.”— John viii. 44. “Sin has many tools, but a lie is a handle which fits them all.”— O. W. Holmes. Satan opened his propaganda with a slanderous lie; this lie was believed by the innocent parents of the race. Simple and
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XXIII
XXIII
KINGSHIP OF SATAN “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.”— Ephesians ii. 2. “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.”— Ephesians vi. 12. In a former chapter we discussed the origin of Satan, he being an archangel—Lucifer—a great shining leader of the hea
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XXIV
XXIV
THE DEVIL’S HANDMAIDEN “Be not drunk on wine wherein is excess, but be ye filled with the Spirit.”— Ephesians v. 18. “No drunkard shall inherit the kingdom of God.”— 1 Corinthians vi. 10. The fallen Lucifer knew from the beginning that his work must necessarily be in competition with the Son of God; therefore he has invested his genius to originate a duplicate for all that Christ has done for us. Knowing that the letter killeth, but the spirit maketh alive, he seeks to furnish all the appearance
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XXV
XXV
THE ASTUTE AUTHOR “Till I come give heed to reading.”— 1 Timothy iv. 13. “Of the making of books there is no end.”— Ecclesiastes xii. 12. When we remember the crude methods of book making in the days of Solomon, compared with the facilities of modern publishing houses, his statement has in it a touch of humour. To-day manuscripts are turned over to printers and binders, and in two weeks an edition of from five to fifty thousand copies are ready for the market. There are three million volumes in
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XXVI
XXVI
THE HYPNOTIST “Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders.”— 2 Thessalonians ii. 9. “And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast.”— Revelation xiii. 14. “Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead.”— Ephesians v. 14. Just where the natural and the supernatural exists is a most difficult psychological problem. Many marvellous doings and strange apparitions,
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XXVII
XXVII
DEVIL POSSESSION “As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil. And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake.”— Matthew ix. 32-33. “O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things?”— Matthew xii. 34. One characteristic, which has been prominent in the varied manifestations of Satan studied so far, is adaptability. Methods that were available in the days of our Lord cannot be used successfully now. By some secret unknown to us the Devil ente
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XXVIII
XXVIII
DEVIL OPPRESSION “So went Satan forth from the presence of the Lord, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot to his crown.”— Job ii. 7. “Who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil.”— Acts x. 38. A necessary concomitant of demon possession is its influence upon the individual’s moral faculties; an entirely new type of moral tastes are developed: tempers, sympathies, and, especially, doctrines which are diametrically opposed to genuine spiritual rel
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XXIX
XXIX
DEVIL ABDUCTION “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits.”— 1 Timothy iv. 1. “And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.”— 2 Corinthians xi. 14. We used the above Scriptures in a former chapter, but with special reference to “doctrines”; the part we wish to emphasize now, “giving heed to seducing spirits”: that is to say, be led away or abducted by the Devil or demon. There are four
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XXX
XXX
THE RATIONALE OF SUICIDE “And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and went and hanged himself.”— Matthew xxvii. 5. “He drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.”— Acts xvi. 27. The Devil was a murderer from the beginning of human history; his first bloodshed was fratricide—growing out of religious jealousy. He is the father of murder and murderers. This crime, provoked or unprovoked, is monstrous; the passions that incite it were
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XXXI
XXXI
DEVIL WORSHIP “Then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation. They provoked him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations provoked they him to anger. They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not.”— Deuteronomy xxxii. 15-17. “But I say the things which the Gentiles sacrificed, they sacrificed to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of d
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XXXII
XXXII
VICTORY THROUGH THE VICTOR “This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus Christ is the Son of God?”— 1 John v. 4-5. “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.”— 1 John iv. 4. One of the grave dangers of to-day is that Satan is no longer regarded as a Personality. Even among those whose faith is founded on the word of God, the ide
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XXXIII
XXXIII
THE ARREST AND IMPRISONMENT “For the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.”— Revelation xii. 12. “And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 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.”— Revelation xx. 1-3. The fact of a po
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XXXIV
XXXIV
THE FINAL CONSUMMATION “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever.”— Revelation xx. 10. After the long term of imprisonment shall have ended, we are told that Satan shall be loosed out of his prison for a season. This is difficult to explain; but we do not presume to question the administration of God’s government: “Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?” S
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XXXV
XXXV
SATANIC SYMBOL IN NATURE “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made.”— Romans i. 20. The evolution of Christian scholarship, during the recent decades, has wrought wonders in bringing about absolute harmony of science and religion. Under the microscope, and through the telescope, men whose hearts are trained as well as their brains, the great book of Nature is found to be a commentator and expositor of the Book o
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