20. Did he lie when he took Jesus up into an exceeding high mountain, etc., and saith unto him, “All these will I give thee,” etc.? ([Mat. 4 : 8].) It is claimed that old Beelzebub lied on this occasion. It would hit the bull’s eye in the center if we were to say that the writer of this story about Jesus being carried off bodily into an exceeding high mountain, was the boy responsible for this lie. But without resting the case there let us see how it opens out. It is urged that “the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof;” but it may be urged that the Devil is called “the prince of this world,” implying that he has just claims both by conquest and possession; and therefore he could have given at least a quitclaim deed.
The Devil is an expensive luxury of the church. It costs about $1,000,000,000 annually for preaching against the Devil. Even if there is less said derogatory to his Satanic Majesty now-adays, yet it costs just as much, and more too, for drawing it mild, than it did formerly, for describing the split hoof, horns, and spear-headed tail, hell, etc. Notwithstanding the fact that the people want less Devil and more bread and beef, yet they must have some Devil. Hence the church clings to its Devil-idol with which to scare the people. To give up the Devil is to break up house-keeping all around. If there be no Devil then there is no hell; and if no hell, there is no salvation; and if no salvation there is no need of preaching; and “no preach no pay.” How could a fat minister with a fat salary, look such a ghost as that in the face? Yes, it would be impossible for the church to survive without the Devil. The clergy have to fall back upon him in times of revival to stir up the fears of uninformed people.
The Devil has had many hard names heaped upon him, for example: The Tempter; the Adversary or Satan; Beelzebub; the Prince of Devils; the Strong One; the Enemy, or the Hostile One; the Serpent; Lying Spirit; Lucifer; Son of the Morning; Prince of Darkness; Prince of the Power of the Air; the Accuser; Angel of the Bottomless Pit; Angel of Light; Mammon; Belial; Legion; the Foul Spirit; the Unclean Spirit; the God of this World; the Great Red Dragon; Abaddon; Apollyon, the Destroyer, etc. Besides these sacred titles, he is equally well known by certain house-hold names, as, Old Nick; Old Splitfoot; the Old Scratch; Old Harry; Old Horny; the Old Boy; the Deuce; the Dickens; auld Clouty; Nickie; Ben; his Satanic Majesty, etc. It must be confessed that these names do not carry much sanctity with them, nor do they leave us in love with the character they represent. But before we proceed further, it is only simple justice (that is giving the Devil his due), to call attention to the various names by which God has been known.
The early Hebrew literature speaks of gods, not God. We find the following names ascribed to them: El; Elohim; El Shaddai; Shaddai; Elvoh; Yahve, or Jah. The following is a personal photograph as nearly as we can draw it, of the Jewish Jehovah as described in the Bible: “There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.” ([Ps. 18 : 8].) “Round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.” ([Ps. 18 : 11].) “His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire.” ([Rev. 1 : 14].) “And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace.” ([Rev. 1 : 15].) “He had horns coming out of his hand.” ([Hab. 3 : 4].) “And burning coals went forth at his feet.” ([Hab. 3 : 5].) “In the midst of the seven candle-sticks one like unto the son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.” ([Rev. 1 : 13].) “And he had in his right hand seven stars; and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword.” ([Rev. 1 : 16].)
This God has violated all the moral laws he ever gave to man. He approved of lying, robbing, adultery, murder, war, and all the great crimes known to man.
Is it any wonder that Theodore Parker should say to the Calvinist who was trying to convert him, “The difference between us is simple,—your God is my Devil.”
The reader has his choice—or he may say “good Lord good Devil,” and float with the current. There is, however, no disguising the fact that between God and the Devil, as described in the Bible, the Devil sustains the better moral character of the two. He is not spotless and clean, it is true, but he has infinitely less bloodshed to answer for than Jehovah.
Where the Devil did he come from? I am reminded of this form of expression by a little incident related of a Scotch preacher, who took for his text, on one occasion, the following passage: “The Devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour.” ([1 Peter 5 : 8].) It must be borne in mind, in order to better understand the full force and beauty of the preacher’s division of the text into three heads, that it was common in earlier times to repeat the pronoun in a sentence, for example, John Smith, his book, Mary she has come home, etc. In charming accord with this old style, the minister divided his text into three parts. He said, “My brethren, we will first inquire where the Devil he was walking to? and secondly, who the Devil he wanted to devour? and thirdly, what the Devil he was roaring about?”
Having gratuitously thrown in this gem, we proceed to answer the question, “Where the Devil, did he come from?”
It is evident that the earlier Hebrew literature is almost wholly free from any traces of a personal Devil, and that later writings of the same people show strong outline of such a personality of evil.