Last week we noted the jealousy of the devil regarding the woman the boēthos. We also noted that the devil is imitating the man and the woman by creating his own seed, sperma. We noted that there were several sons of God in on this plan to overthrow the adam, such as the satan, the Grigori, Gadreel, and many other fallen angels. The result of this mutiny gave the devil the rulership of the earth, and eventually sons, the Nephilim. However, they are not the only sons the devil adopts. Since the devil/dragon does not procreate via his own sperma, he adopts sons and daughters. The devil has a nanny who manages his children and his evil spirits. We find the name of these other “sons” of the devil in the Bible noted as “sons of Belial” or Beliar. We have studied sons of Belial in the past. We want to take another look at these people and see if we can learn anything else regarding them. We want to look at one of the prevailing tricks of the satan, Belial/Beliar used against humans. Reuben makes a wonderful point for all of us to remember. Zadok priests also give us some warnings with the three nets of Belial.
If we remember, the Old Testament King James and other modern texts are translated from the Masoretic Text, therefore we can see their alteration of the Greek. The phrase “children of Belial” or “sons of Belial” is a way of saying evil men. But it is more than someone simply behaving with evil intent, it is meant to denote someone who is born or reborn as a child of the devil. The Greek Texts call them lawbreakers, evil, pestilent, transgressors. The Masoretes were trying to communicate that a person who behaves this way is a child of the devil, but the original wording is not quite so dramatic. The Masoretes were portraying these people in black and white terms, but there is a lot of gray area here. Someone who commits an evil act can become saved, born again, spirit filled, and redeemed for the kingdom of Jesus. For example consider the apostle Paul. Did Paul intentionally work for the devil? No.
The first alteration of this phrase “children of Belial” shows up in Deuteronomy. Moses has some very strong words for evil men. There can also be evil women as well, this is not gender specific.
Deuteronomy 13:13 KJV
13 Certain men, the children of Belial, are gone out from among you, and have withdrawn the inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which ye have not known;
Deuteronomy 13:12 And if in one of thy cities which the Lord God gives thee to dwell therein, thou shalt hear men saying, 13 Evil men have gone out from you, and have caused all the inhabitants of their land to fall away, saying, Let us go and worship other gods, whom ye knew not, 14 then thou shalt enquire and ask, and search diligently, and behold, if the thing is clearly true, and this abomination has taken place among you, 15 thou shalt utterly destroy all the dwellers in that land with the edge of the sword; ye shall solemnly curse it, and all things in it. 16 And all its spoils thou shalt gather into its public ways, and thou shalt burn the city with fire, and all its spoils publicly before the Lord thy God; and it shall be uninhabited for ever, it shall not be built again. 17 And there shall nothing of the cursed thing cleave to thy hand, that the Lord may turn from his fierce anger, and shew thee mercy, and pity thee, and multiply thee, as he sware to thy fathers; 18 if thou wilt hear the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep his commandments, all that I charge thee this day, to do that which is good and pleasing before the Lord thy God. http://ecmarsh.com/lxx/Deuteronomy/index.htm
Remember the timeline here. The children of Israel are still in the desert. Moses is giving them rules and guidelines to live by. If evil men draw people into worshipping other gods, they were to find them, kill everyone in the land, then burn it down. Moses tells them to keep this command. But by the time the children are settled into the promised land, evil is taking root all over.
The Book of Judges tells us of an incident that was so horrific that the children of Israel rose up and killed their own bothers and burnt their city. A Levite and his wife had a disagreement and she went home to her family. After four months, the Levite and a servant of the Levite went to her father’s house to get her. Her family was in Bethlehem Judah and he was in the hill country of Ephraim. The distance was not far but because of the hills and valleys it would have taken some time to travel there. Once they reconciled the Levite and his servant, they stayed for three days in his father-in-laws house and then wanted to leave. In the culture of that time period, Levites were like a “good luck charm” and people wanted to have a Levite live with them so that they would have God’s favor.
On the fifth day the three departed in the afternoon and made it to Jebus. Jebus was like Switzerland, a neutral country in the midst of Israel. It was an independent nation whose people were not driven out of the land as they were heirs of Shem and Eber. This is where Shem/Melchizedek and Eber had a school, and the very place where David bought Ornan’s threshing floor and merged the Zadok priesthood with the Levites. This is the place that the Temple was built, where Solomon was coronated over the Gihon Springs. Picture this, they left Bethlehem, got to Jeru-salem (Jebus) and continued north to Gibeah. The Levite’s servant suggested staying in Jebus, but the Levite wanted to go further into the land of Benjamin because he felt the people of Jebus were aliens, or not related to them.
As was the custom in those days, if someone needed lodging he would go to the city center and wait for someone to offer lodging. Because it was late in the evening, the sun had already set and there wasn’t anyone around. An old man came by and asked the Levite where he was going. The Levite replied and explained that he had his own provisions for his wife, servant, animals, and for the old man’s servants. The old man welcomed him and offered his own provisions for the Levite and his crew. While they ate and rested, the males of the city encircled the house and demanded that the old man send out the Levite because they wanted to rape him. When the Bible uses the phrase “we may know him” it means to know sexually, in this case the males in Gibeah wanted to gang rape the Levite.
Certainly this is disturbing as the males were behaving like the Sodomites during Abraham’s time. This was a culture of domination. The men of Benjamin were not behaving according to the Law of Moses. The old man asked them not to do evil. The word for evil here is a form of ponēria and ponēros meaning depravity, malice, wickedness, degeneracy, derelict, or vicious.
Judges 19:22 (KJV)
22 Now as they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, certain sons of Belial, beset the house round about, and beat at the door, and spake to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that came into thine house, that we may know him.
Judges 19:22 And they were comforting their heart, when, behold, the men of the city, sons of transgressors, compassed the house, knocking at the door: and they spoke to the old man the owner of the house, saying, Bring out the man who came into thy house, that we may know him.
The old man offers the males of Benjamin his virgin daughter and the Levite’s wife to tapeinoō, to humiliate or bring low. But the males of Benjamin don’t want the women. The Levite grabs his wife and leads her outside. This Levite, the lucky charm, was almost gang raped. Instead the courageous lucky charm threw out his wife to be gang raped.
At this point we can see why the woman may have left her husband the Levite, in the first place. He presumed himself to be far more self important. He was not interested in protecting her or caring for her.
Judges 19:25 But the men would not consent to hearken to him; so the man laid hold of his concubine, and brought her out to them; and they knew her, and abused her all night till the morning, and let her go when the morning dawned.
Judges 19:25 G2532 And G3756 [3did not G2309 4want G3588 1the G435 2men] G191 to hear G1473 him. G2532 And G1949 [3took hold G3588 1the G435 2man] G3588 G3825.1 of his concubine, G1473 G2532 and G1806 led G1473 her G4314 to G1473 them G1854 outside. G2532 And G1097 they knew G1473 her, G2532 and G1702 sported G1473 with her G3650 the entire G3588 G3571 night G2193 until G4404 the morning. G2532 And G1821 they sent G1473 her G260 at the same time G3588 the G305 [2ascended G3588 G3722 1dawn].
How many men were there? Almost all the men in the city of Gibeah. The woman was gang raped and abused all night long, and at dawn thrown on the old man’s porch, where she died. Were these men children of the devil? Some of them may have been, but remember that they were of the tribe of Benjamin. They had not been in the land of Israel for very long. Why did they have this practice among them?
Something else is strange here. The Levite’s servant is no longer mentioned. The servant traveled to Bethlehem with the Levite, suggested staying in Jebus, then entered the old man’s house. As a servant he may have been staying outside with the animals. But after the men of Gibeah get to the old man’s house we don’t hear about the servant anymore. He disappeared. Was he raped and murdered? Maybe. He is no longer mentioned as going back to Ephraim with the Levite.
The Levite then does something dramatic to get the attention of the rest of the tribes of Israel. He cuts up his wife’s body into twelve pieces and sends a piece of her body to each tribe. The tribes gather together to hear what happened. The lucky charm Levite does not mention his servant and he says the men of Gibeah wanted to kill him. They didn’t want to kill him, they wanted to rape him. They may very well have killed his servant and that might be why he says this, but technically they may not have killed the lucky charm Levite. They may have done to him what they did to his wife, humbled him and sported with him, but he may not have died.
Judges 20:5 G2532 And G450 [3rose up G1909 4against G1473 5me G3588 1the G435 2men], G3588 the ones G3588 G* of Gibeah, G2532 and G4033 they encircled G1909 upon G1473 me, G1909 upon G3588 the G3614 house G3571 at night; G2532 and G1473 [3me G2309 1they wanted G615 2to kill], G2532 and G3588 G3825.1 [2my concubine G1473 G5013 1they humbled], G2532 and G1702 sported with G1473 her, G2532 and G599 she died.
There is no mention of the servant, so we might assume he didn’t return to Ephraim. The culture of rape when an outsider enters a city is a practice from Sodom. Sodom went so far as to have public beds for raping people. This is one of the reasons Sodom was destroyed.
Judges 20:13-14 (KJV)
13 Now therefore deliver us the men, the children of Belial, which are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death, and put away evil from Israel. But the children of Benjamin would not hearken to the voice of their brethren the children of Israel:
13 Now then give up the men the sons of transgressors that are in Gabaa, and we will put them to death, and purge out wickedness from Israel: but the children of Benjamin consented not to hearken to the voice of their brethren the children of Israel. 14 And the children of Benjamin were gathered from their cities to Gabaa, to go forth to fight with the children of Israel. http://ecmarsh.com/lxx/Judges/index.htm
The tribe of Benjamin refused to give up the men from Gibeah. They protected them. This was a difficult area to conduct a war in due to the hills and valleys. On the third day of battle Yahweh told them how to overcome the men of Benjamin and Gibeah by drawing them out of the city, circling around behind them, then destroying the city and cutting them off. Of the 25,000 men of Benjamin who went to war, all but 600 were killed. The six hundred hid in the wilderness, a place called rock Rimmon, for four months.
The tribe of Benjamin is noted for it’s sexually horrific acts and was nearly brought to extinction. Therefore other tribes would not inter marry with this tribe because of it’s sins. They had to find other people to reestablish the tribe. Because the people of the city of Jabesh-gilead from the tribe of Gad did not go to war against Benjamin with the rest of Israel, Israel went to war with them; killing all but 400 women. They brought the 400 women to the 600 men in hiding and made peace with them.
Technically, the tribe of Benjamin is a mixed tribe, not a pure tribe. The first king, Saul, was from this tribe. Also the apostle Paul was from the tribe of Benjamin, and as we know he was a Pharisee under Gamaliel before he became a follower of Jesus.
As we move forward in history, Eli had two sons that were called sons of Belial.
1 Samuel 2:12 (KJV)
12 Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the LORD.
Again the phrase “sons of Belial” was a common identification for evil people. Obviously Eli’s sons must have known the Lord because they were priests. They were priests who were taking advantage of the people and their offerings. It is not unusual for power to corrupt. The priesthood is something Hophni and Phinehas did not work for. They did not go to priest school. They were granted the right to be priests, but the power and abundance lured their hearts from Yahweh to the devil. Once someone makes that journey they are then called a son of Belial.
(1 Samuel 2:12) I Kings 2:12 And the sons of Heli the priest were evil sons, not knowing the Lord. http://ecmarsh.com/lxx/Kings%20I/index.htm
1 Samuel 2:12 G2532 And G3588 the G5207 sons G* of Eli G3588 the G2409 priest G5207 [2sons G3061 1 were mischievous], G3756 not G1492 knowing G3588 the G2962 lord .
5207 LSJ Gloss:υἱός A son
Dodson:υἱός a son, descendent.
Thayer:
1) a son
1a) rarely used for the young of animals
1b) generally used of the offspring of men
1c) in a restricted sense, the male offspring (one born by a father and of a mother)
1d) in a wider sense, a descendant, one of the posterity of any one,
1d1) the
υἱός
uihos hwee-os' Apparently a primary word; a “son” (sometimes of animals), used very widely of immediate, remote or figurative kinship KJV Usage: child, foal, son.
3061 LSJ Gloss:λοιμός a plague, pestilence
Dodson:λοιμός a pestilence (a) a pestilence, (b) a pestilent fellow.
Thayer:
1) pestilence
2) a pestilent fellow, pest, plague
λοιμός
loimos loy-mos' Of uncertain affinity; a plague (literally the disease, or figuratively a pest) KJV Usage: pestilence (-t).
Hophni and Phinehas were pestilent men, they were destructive to people’s faith. It is the same thing that we sometimes see today. A corrupted religious leader will overthrow the faith of some people. Our faith in Yahweh should never be about what men do or don’t do, but about what Yahweh does. We seldom teach people this. Instead we almost make religious leaders idols. The Hebrew considers people who are sons of Belial worthless.
1 Samuel 2:12 H1121 ובני Now the sons H5941 עלי of Eli H1121 בני sons H1100 בליעל of Belial; H3808 לא not H3045 ידעו they knew H853 את H3068 יהוה׃ the LORD.
H1100
בּליּעל
be lı̂ya‛al bel-e-yah'-al From H1097 and H3276; without profit, worthlessness; by extension destruction, wickedness (often in connection with H376, H802, H1121, etc.)
KJV Usage: Belial, evil, naughty, ungodly (men), wicked.
Brown-Driver-Briggs' Hebrew Definitions
בּליּעל
1. worthlessness
a. worthless, good for nothing, unprofitable, base fellow
b. wicked
c. ruin, destruction (construct)
TWOT: 246g
Parts of Speech: Noun Masculine
We see that Eli’s sons were people who once may have known Yahweh, but they may have become worthless and wicked because of their power. To look a little further into the story of Hopni and Phinehas, we find a phrase from the Masoretic Text regarding Eli’s sons laying with women.
1 Samuel 2:22 (KJV)
22 Now Eli was very old, and heard all that his sons did unto all Israel; and how they lay with the women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
We don’t know what their sins may have actually been, but the Septuagint which is older and more accurate does not attribute their sins as sexual.
1 Samuel 2:22 And Heli was very old, and he heard what his sons did to the children of Israel. 23 And he said to them, Why do ye according to this thing, which I hear from the mouth of all the people of the Lord? 24 Nay my sons, for the report which I hear is not good; do not so, for the reports which I hear are not good, so that the people do not serve God. 25 If a man should at all sin against another, then shall they pray for him to the Lord; but if a man sin against the Lord, who shall intreat for him? But they hearkened not to the voice of their father, because the Lord would by all means destroy them. https://studybible.info/Brenton/1%20Samuel%202
Eli’s sons turned away from the Lord, and when confronted by Eli they did not change. That is a key point. If someone makes a mistake and is confronted with the result that they change, then they are not children of the devil. If someone chooses to not repent from their mistakes, they may be on the path to adoption by the devil.
Eli met Hannah at the tabernacle and saw her mourning over her bareness. Hannah responds in an interesting way. She says that she is not a daughter of Belial.
1 Samuel 1:15-16 (KJV)
15 And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD.
16 Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial: for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto.
1 Samuel 1:16 G3361 You should not G1325 grant G3588 G1399 your maidservant G1473 G1519 for G2364 [2daughter G3061 1mischievous]. G3754 For G1537 from G4128 the amount G96.2 of my meditation, G1473 G2532 and G1537 from G4128 the amount G120.1 of my depression, G1614 I have been stretched out G2193 until G3588 the G3568 present.
And again we see that Hannah said she was not a mischievous daughter. What is it that the Masoretes want us to believe? They would like us to believe that a son, daughter, or child of Belial is one born of the devil. Yet not every person who commits an evil act is a child of the devil. Some people become devoted to evil. Then they are likely the children of the devil.
The apostle Paul gives us some understanding regarding what we are to do about children of the devil. We are not to be yoked or joined to those who reject Jesus.
2 Corinthians 6:14 G3361 Do not G1096 become G2086 yoked with a different kind -- G571 unbelievers. G5100 For what G1063 G3352 sharing G1343 righteousness G2532 and G458 lawlessness? G5100 And what G1161 G2842 fellowship G5457 light G4314 with G4655 darkness?
15 G5100 And what G1161 G4857 harmony G5547 Christ G4314 with G* {G955} Belial? G2228 Or G5100 what G3310 portion G4103 believing G3326 with G571 unbelieving?
G955 Dodson:Βελίαρ Beliar Belial, a demon, and in fact a name for Satan.
Thayer:
1) a name of Satan
Literal: Belial = "worthless or wicked"
Βελίαλ
Belial bel-ee'-al Of Hebrew origin [H1100]; worthlessness; Belial, as an epithet of Satan KJV Usage: Belial.
Because some translators believe the word Belial or Beliar to be a name, they do not translate it as a word. Here we see that some believe the name to be the name of the satan, Satanail. The word satan is not a name, it is a title, “adversary”. Satanail is a name. If the devil is fathering children then the satan is the nanny, or the one who teaches and guides people into satanism and the adoption by the devil. If we remember our previous studies, if the devil/dragon had appeared to Eve, then she would have run, and the adam would have guarded the garden. But if the serpent/snake had come to Eve then she would not have thought anything was wrong, as serpents/snakes were already in the garden. If we also remember that the satan transforms into an angel of light, then we will understand how the satan baits and lures people to evil. This is another way of making children for the devil. The first way was the fallen angels that the satan enticed to procreate with women. The second way is to cause humans to reject Jesus through the enjoyment of evil. Notice what Jesus says.
John 8:43-44 (KJV)
43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.
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.
Jesus calls the Pharisees “of their father the devil” because they can’t hear him. Jesus calls the devil the father of lies. The devil used a team of fallen sons of God to overthrow the adam’s rule. How could the devil get other sons of God to follow him if he didn’t lie to them? We don’t know what he promised the fallen sons of God, but we know what he schooled Gadreel to say to Eve. We also know what the satan says to people today. He tempts people to follow the devil by promising riches, fulfillment of lusts, and prominent positions over others. The devil has limited time on earth to give these things, but he cannot give any power or privilege in the grave because Jesus has the keys to hades and death.
Let’s look at a few extra Biblical works that use this idea of Belial and see what we can learn. The fragments from a work by one or more Zadok priests references Isaiah and Levi, son of Jacob.
FRAGMENTS OF A ZADOKITE WORK also known as The Damascus Document Translated by R. H Charles in R. H. Charles, ed., The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament in English, vol. 2: Pseudepigrapha (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1913): pp. 799-834.
Zadok 6:9 And during all these years Belial shall be let loose against Israel, as God spake through Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amos, saying: ‘Fear and the pit and the snare are upon thee, O inhabitant of the land.’ 10 This means the three nets of Belial, concerning which Levi the son of Jacob spake, by which he caught Israel and directed their faces to three kinds of righteousness. 11 The first is fornication, the second is the wealth (of wickedness), the third is the pollution of the Sanctuary. 12 He that cometh up from this shall be caught by that, and he that escapeth from this shall be caught by that.
The three nets of Belial are fornication, wealth, and spiritual pollution. This is the net that Levi says Belial lays for people. It is not that different from the traps set for us.
Zadok 7:19 For aforetime arose Moses and Aaron through the prince of the Lights. But Belial raised Jochanneh (Jannes) and his brother
with his evil device when the former delivered Israel.
Here a Zadok priest mentions Jannes and Jambres. Moses and Aaron (brothers) were raised up by the prince of the Lights. Jannes and Jambres (also brothers), were raised by Belial. Notice what Paul says about them.
2 Timothy 3:8 (AMP)
8 Now just as Jannes and Jambres were hostile to and resisted Moses, so these men also are hostile to and oppose the Truth. They have depraved and distorted minds, and are reprobate and counterfeit and to be rejected as far as the faith is concerned.
It is interesting to note that Jannes and Jambres are not mentioned in the Old Testament, but somehow Paul knew about these two brothers and knew their names. Did Paul know of Jannes and Jambres through reading this work of the Zadok Priests? It is quite possible as after Paul became born-again in Damascus he went into the desert for fourteen years to study. Who lived in the desert, especially in Damascus? The Essenes/Nazarenes/Therapeutaes/Damascus Community/Zadok Priests/Prophets. Remember that Paul was a Pharisee, and Jesus said that the Pharisees were children of the devil. Paul went into the desert to learn from those who Jesus was affiliated with. Therefore it seems Paul knew the names of the two magician brothers because he read and studied documents such as the Zadok Priests’ writings.
Zadok 9:11 Just as it was during the period of the first visitation, concerning which He spake through Ezekiel’ to set a mark upon the foreheads of them that sigh and cry’, but the rest were delivered to ‘the sword that avengeth with the vengeance of the covenant’. 12 And this also shall be the judgment of all them that have entered into His covenant, who will not hold fast to these statutes: they shall be visited for destruction through the hand of belial.
This is a very important point: visited for destruction through the hand of belial. The Cherubim and Ophanim came to remove the glory from the temple in the time of Ezekiel. An angel was to go out and mark those who mourned. Those who did not mourn, who did not have the mark, were to be killed.
Ezekiel 9:4-7 (AMP)
4 And the Lord said to him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in the midst of it.
5 And to the others He said in my hearing, Follow [the man with the ink bottle] through the city and smite; let not your eye spare, neither have any pity.
6 Slay outright the elderly, the young man and the virgin, the infant and the women; but do not touch or go near anyone on whom is the mark. Begin at My sanctuary. So they began with the old men who were in front of the temple [who did not have the Lord's mark on their foreheads].
7 And He said to [the executioners], Defile the temple and fill its courts with the slain. Go forth! And they went forth and slew in the city.
People who enter into a covenant with Yahweh, yet do not hold fast to his statutes will be visited for destruction through the hand of belial, just as it was in the time of Ezekiel. We have a time coming when the devil and the satan will be orchestrating the events on the earth after the harpazo. Peter adds some insight.
1 Peter 4:17-18 (AMP)
17 For the time [has arrived] for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will [be] the end of those who do not respect or believe or obey the good news (the Gospel) of God?
18 And if the righteous are barely saved, what will become of the godless and wicked?
Zadok says something interesting, read this carefully.
Zadok 14:5 Any man who is ruled by the spirits of Belial and speaks rebellion shall be judged by the judgement of the necromancer and wizard.
People who are controlled by the spirits of Belial (the demons under the command of the satan) and who also speak rebellion (meaning they say things against the Living God Most High), will be judged by the same judgement as the people who practice black magic and witchcraft. Why? Because people who are ruled by the spirits of Belial are intentionally leading people astray with their words. Their words are as powerful a persuasion as people who are casting spells. They all get the same judgment.
Remember what Jubilees tells us about Mastema, the satan?
Jubilees 10:8 The chief of the spirits, Mastema, came and said, “Lord, Creator, let some of them remain before me, and let them listen to my voice, and do all that I shall say to them; for if some of them are not left to me, I shall not be able to execute the power of my will on the sons of men, for these are for corruption and leading astray before my judgment, for great is the wickedness of the sons of men.”
Lumpkin, Joseph. Enoch, Jubilees, Jasher: Banned from the Bible (p. 128). Fifth Estate. Kindle Edition.
There is an intentional plan to cause man to sin and be led astray. Once a person is tempted to sin, he is then punished by the satan for sinning. Look what happened in Ur. Malicious spirits assisted and seduced men into sin.
Jubilees 11:3 Ur, the son of Kesed, built the city of Ara of the Chaldees, and called its name after his own name and the name of his father. 4 And they made themselves molten images, and they worshipped the idols and the molten image they had made for themselves, and they began to make graven images and unclean and shadowy presence, and malevolent and malicious spirits assisted and seduced them into committing transgression and uncleanness. 5 Prince Mastema exerted himself to do all this, and he sent out other spirits, which were put under his control, to do all manner of wrong and sin, and all manner of transgression, to corrupt and destroy, and to shed blood on the earth. 6 For this reason he called the name of Seroh, Serug, for every one turned to do all manner of sin and transgression.
Lumpkin, Joseph. Enoch, Jubilees, Jasher: Banned from the Bible (p. 130). Fifth Estate. Kindle Edition.
The satan is here to corrupt, destroy, and shed blood on the earth. Zadok tells us this history.
Zadok 3-4 1. Exhortation to choose God’s Will and to shun the evil Inclination,1-2; through it fell the mighty Men of old, the Watchers and their Children 3-5; and all Flesh and also the Sons of Noah, 6-4
3:1 Now therefore, children, hearken unto me,
And I will open your eyes to see,
And to understand the works of God.
And to choose what He approveth,
And to reject what He hateth:
2 To walk uprightly in all His ways,
And not to go about in the thoughts of an evil imagination
And (with) eyes (full) of fornication.
3 For many were led astray by them,
And mighty men of valor stumbled by them from of old [and until this day].
4 Because they walked in the stubbornness of their heart the watchers of heaven fell.
By them were they caught because they kept not the commandment of God.
5 And their children whose height was like the loftiness of the cedars
And whose bodies were like the mountains fell thereby.
6 All flesh that was on dry land perished thereby.
And they were as though they had not been.
7 Because they did their own will,
and kept not the commandment of their Maker,
Until His wrath was kindled against them.
4:1 By them went astray the sons of Noah and their families:
Because of them they were cut off.
Everyone did their own will, everyone did their own manner of sin and transgression. Noah asked for the evil spirits to be bound, but the satan, Mastema, was allowed ten percent for his purposes. The fall of the angels, the Grigori, caused the spirits of their heirs, the Nephil, to be demonic spirits on the earth under the command of the satan, Satanial, Belial, Beliar, Mastema. The devil uses the satan to try and fill humans with demons, to control their minds and their behavior. Jesus exposed this in his instruction on binding the strongman.
The sons of Jacob also wrote testaments to help guide their heirs. Reuben wrote regarding fornication from a position of personal experience.
Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs
Reuben 4:6. For a pit unto the soul is the sin of fornication, separating it from God, and bringing it near to idols, because it deceiveth the mind and understanding, and leadeth down young men into Hades before their time. 7. For many hath fornication destroyed; because, though a man be oldor noble or rich or poor, he bringeth reproach upon himself with the sons of men and derision with Beliar. 8. For hear ye regarding Joseph how he guarded himself from a woman, and purged his thoughts from all fornication, and found favour in the sight of God and men. 9. For the Egyptian woman did many things unto him, and summoned magicians, and offered him love potions, but the purpose of his soul admitted no evil desire. 10. Therefore the God of your fathers delivered him from every evil (and) hidden death. 11. For if fornication overcomes not your mind, neither can Beliar overcome you.
Charles, R. H. (Robert Henry), 1855-1931; Oesterley, W. O. E. (William Oscar Emil), 1866-1950. The Testaments of the twelve patriarchs (Kindle Location 1280). London, A. and C. Black.
Notice this last thought; if fornication does not overcome your mind, then Beliar will not overcome you. If you can control your own mind then satan will not get an advantage over you. Jubilees says this regarding Reuben:
Jubilees 33:2 Reuben saw Bilhah, Rachel’s maid, the concubine of his father, bathing in water in a secret place, and he loved her. 3 He hid himself at night, and he entered the house of Bilhah at night. He found her sleeping alone on a bed in her house. 4 He had sex with her. She awoke and saw that is was Reuben lying with her in the bed. She uncovered the border of her covering and grabbed him and cried out when she discovered that it was Reuben. 5 She was ashamed because of him and released her hand from him, and he fled. 6 Because of this, she mourned greatly and did not tell it to any one. 7 When Jacob returned and sought her, she said to him, “I am not clean for you. I have been defiled in regard to you. Reuben has defiled me, and has had sex with me in the night. I was asleep and did not realize he was there until he uncovered my skirt and had sex with me.” 8 Jacob was very angry with Reuben because he had sex with Bilhah, because he had uncovered his father’s skirt. 9 Jacob did not approach her again because Reuben had defiled her. And as for any man who uncovers his father’s skirt his deed is greatly wicked, for he is disgusting to the Lord. 10 For this reason it is written and ordained on the heavenly tablets that a man should not lie with his father’s wife, and should not uncover his father’s skirt. This is unclean and they shall surely die together, the man who lies with his father’s wife and the woman also, for they have committed uncleanness on the earth.
Lumpkin, Joseph. Enoch, Jubilees, Jasher: Banned from the Bible (p. 156). Fifth Estate. Kindle Edition.
There might be more to the story. It might be that Reuben felt badly that Jacob loved Rachel more than his mother Leah. Jasher adds a little to Reuben’s testament.
Jasher 36:13 It was after the death of Rachel that Jacob pitched his tent in the tent of her handmaid Bilhah. 14 And Reuben was jealous for his mother Leah on account of this; he was filled with anger, and he rose up in his anger and went and entered the tent of Bilhah and then removed his father's bed. 15 At that time the portion of birthright, together with the kingly and priestly offices, was removed from the sons of Reuben for he had profaned his father's bed; the birthright was given to Joseph, the kingly office to Judah, and the priesthood to Levi, because Reuben had defiled his father's bed.
Lumpkin, Joseph. Enoch, Jubilees, Jasher: Banned from the Bible (p. 245). Fifth Estate. Kindle Edition.
Remember Reuben’s example of Joseph? Fornication destroys people. It also brings derision or mockery, and ridicule with Beliar. The satan tempts people to sin, then judges them for it, laughing the whole time. Reuben is explaining that Joseph overcame Potiphar’s wife. This is why Joseph received the birthright of Reuben. Levi tells us of the victory ahead.
Levi 3:3. The second heaven contains the angelic armies who are to destroy Beliar and his angels. Hosts of the armies, etc. Such an armies which are ordained for the day of judgment, to work vengeance on the spirits of deceit and of Beliar. And above them are the holy ones. armies which are ordained for the day of judgment, to work vengeance on the spirits of deceit and of Beliar. And those in the fourth who are above these are holy.
Charles, R. H. (Robert Henry), 1855-1931; Oesterley, W. O. E. (William Oscar Emil), 1866-1950. The Testaments of the twelve patriarchs (Kindle Locations 1672-1673). London, A. and C. Black.
Levi tells us of angelic armies who will destroy Beliar and his angels, all the spirits of deceit. Levi asks his sons to make a choice.
Levi 18:14. Then shall Abraham and Isaac and Jacob exult, And I will be glad. And all the saints shall clothe themselves with joy.XIX. And now, my children, ye have heard all; choose, therefore, for yourselves either the light or the darkness, either the law of the Lord or the works of Beliar. 2. And his sons answered him, saying, Before the Lord we will walk according to His law.
Charles, R. H. (Robert Henry), 1855-1931; Oesterley, W. O. E. (William Oscar Emil), 1866-1950. The Testaments of the twelve patriarchs (Kindle Locations 2427-2430). London, A. and C. Black.
The Essenes/Nazarenes/Therapeutaes/Damascus Community/Zadok Priests/Prophets had a great idea for community prayer and worship. They regularly cursed Belial and his guilty lot.
4Q286 (4Q287, FR. 6) = 4QBERAKHOTB
CURSES OF BELIAL Fr. 7 ii … II council of the Community shall all say together, Amen, amen. Afterwards [they] shall damn Belial and all his guilty lot. They shall answer and say, Cursed be [B] elial in his hostile design, and damned in his guilty dominion. Cursed be all the spirits of his [lo] t in their wicked design, and damned in their thoughts of unclean impurity. For they are the lot of darkness and their visitation is for eternal destruction. Amen, amen. Cursed be the Wicke[ d One in all the ages ] of his dominions, and may all the sons of Belial be damned in all the works of their service until their annihilation [for ever, Amen, amen.] And [they shall continue to say: Be cursed, Ang] el of Perdition and Spir[ it of Dest] ruction, in all the thoughts of your g[ uilty] inclination [and all your abomina] ble [plots] and [your] wicked design, [and] may you be [da] mned … Amen, am[ en]. [Cursed be a] ll those who practi[ se] their [wicked designs] and establish [in their heart] their (evil) devices, [plotting against Go] d’[ s Covenant] … to exchange the judgemen[ ts of truth for folly.]
The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English (7th Edition) (Penguin Classics) (p. 394). Penguin Books Ltd. Kindle Edition.
The Essene Communities all practiced cursing the satan (Belial), the evil spirits, the wicked one in all the ages (the devil), the angel of perdition, the spirit of destruction, and all those who practice their wicked designs. This is how the Essene/Nazarene/Therapeutae/Damascus Community all lived. This is the way that they prayed. This is their authority on this earth. This is our authority on this earth. This is also why they were successful and their order survived from the time of Shem through to today.
We can see that the Masoretes wanted us to think in black and white terms, so they changed some words and added phrases. This certainly does a disservice to the apostle Paul as he was not necessarily a child of the devil just because he was a Pharisee and a murderer. Although if he was, he is a poster child for leaving the devil’s family for the family of the Most High God. We also see that sexual sin is one way that the satan gets people to sin. Fornication and gang rape cause a lot of destruction for humans, as Reuben lost his birthright, his kingship, and his priesthood. Eli’s sons may not have committed sexual sins as we see the Masoretes added that. The nanny of the children of the devil is the satan, Belial, who commands the disembodied spirits of the Nephilim to obstruct humans. Anyone who allows him or her self to be used by the spirits of Belial will suffer the same judgement as black magicians and witches. If we can control our own mind, not allowing the satan to attack us with thoughts of fornication, we can overcome him. We can also take a cue from the Essenes/Nazarenes/Therapeutaes/ Damascus Community and go on the offense. We can utilize our exousia and dunamis to bind evil people working for Belial.
