Messengers of Darkness
By Jonathan Mitchell

During His earthly ministry Jesus confronted the religious authorities of His day: the scribes and the Pharisees. They were the institutional leaders of what had been God's called-out people, Israel. They were the Bible scholars, teachers and those who set the standards for leading a "godly life."

Even a casual reading of the gospels reveals how God considered these representatives of orthodoxy: He called them "whitewashed tombs" that were full of dead people's bones (Matt. 23:27); He constantly referred to them as hypocrites (often thought to mean "actors," but more literally: hyper-critical scholars who nitpick about the meanings of texts and become judgmental of others); He said that they were a generation of snakes and were evil (Matt. 12:34); He said that they were from out of "[their] father, the devil" (John 8:44). These were the leaders of the church of the Jews. We find the risen Christ referring to them as "the synagogue of Satan" in Rev. 3:9.

Now these had been God's representatives, His messengers of Light (those who had care of and responsibility for the Word of God), yet they had become messengers of darkness. Darkness was the environment of Israel when God sent John the Baptist. He was to give light to them that sat in darkness, in the shadow of death (Lu. 1:79). The true Light came, after John, but these folks loved their darkness rather than the Light (John 3:19), and the light that was in them was darkness (Matt. 6:23). Then, at the end of His ministry, Jesus said to them "this is your hour, even the authority of the darkness" (Lu. 22:53).

History has a way of repeating itself. Light came via Jesus and His emissaries, yet as we view church history we see that in the generations that followed, the Light was again changed to become darkness. Christ's disciples who were to be identified by love became those who killed and persecuted "infidels" and "heretics (those who held a belief that was different from the majority)." He came to deliver folks from "the authority of darkness" (Col. 1:13) which at that time was either Judaism or paganism. But now the orthodox institution had become another "authority of darkness." Rather than laying down their lives for others, they became adversarial and took the lives of others. And the beat goes on...

Paul made a curious statement in 2 Cor. 11:14. The verb "transform" can be either a middle voice or a passive, so I have given both options, and with our subject in mind, let us consider the context of this verse:

13. For such folks [are] false emissaries (pseudo-representatives) – fraudulent and deceitful workers – constantly changing their outward fashion and transforming themselves into emissaries of Christ (representatives of [the] Anointed One).
14. And no wonder ([it is] no marvel or cause for astonishment), for the adversary (opponent; satan) itself is repeatedly changing its form and outward fashion (transforming itself; or, as a passive: being transformed and changed in its outward expression) into a messenger of light (or: an agent from [the] Light).
15. Therefore, [it is] no great thing if its attending servants and dispensers also repeatedly change their form and outward fashion (or: are habitually transformed) as attending servants of fairness and equity (dispensers of the way pointed out) – whose finish (or: end in view; finished product; attained goal; consummation; accomplished end) will be in accord with, along the line of, to the level of and corresponding to their works and actions (or: = their outcome will be what they deserve from their deeds).

Here we have both "the adversary" and "its attending servants and dispensers." Let us first look at this from the middle voice, where the adversary and company are transforming themselves into "messengers of light." Institutional orthodoxy had become an adversary to humanity, killing all who disagreed with it. They became the Pharisees of their time, and like Saul of Tarsus they persecuted those who held the Light with a contrasting view, or who were "infidels." Being of an antichrist spirit they "changed their form and outward fashion" into that of messengers of the Light. History paints the bloody picture.

We see another change of form and outward fashion with the coming of the Reformation, yet Calvin still displays the controlling adversarial spirit in having one that he considered to be a heretic to be burned at the stake. That same spirit continues today, using social means to emotionally slay those who read the Scriptures in a different light – casting them out of their churches, or excluding them from "team membership" and "leadership positions." It is that same spirit, joined with a spirit of fear: "these folks will contaminate our group!"

But let us view this passage where "satan" is transformed. A passive voice means that the subject (here, the adversary, satan) is being acted upon. But by whom? I suggest that the Actor here is God, as He works all in accordance with the counsel of His own will (Eph. 1:11). Note, above, that in vs. 14 satan can be transformed into an agent "from" [the] Light. This suggests that this adversarial spirit can be used as a tool. Here we see that God can use satan, in the guise of a messenger of light, to effect His will and to teach/train His people. We, viewing 2000 years of church history, as well as the history of our own experiences, can learn and be purified by the same spirit that taught and then slew Christ (recall: He learned obedience through the things which He suffered – Heb. 5:8). Through our own deaths, we can bring forth resurrection Life to share with others, as He emerges from our crushed clay pots. He works all into good.

I recently shared an email with friends, using the title "satan's job description." I will share the verse from which this phrase came, in 1 Tim. chapter 1:20.

of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I gave (or: hand) over to the adversary (or: satan) to the end that they would be child-trained, educated and disciplined with a view toward maturity, [so as] not to constantly blaspheme (speak abusively or slanderously).

We see another function of satan in 1 Cor. 5:5.

[you are] to hand over such a man, with the adversarial [spirit] (or: in the adversary; by the opponent; or: to satan), into a loss of the flesh (or: an undoing and destruction of this [estranged human nature]; a loss of [his “dominated existence” – Walter Wink]) – to the end that the spirit may be saved (rescued; delivered; restored to health, wholeness and its original state and condition): within the midst of and in union with the Day of the Lord [= Christ or Yahweh; other MSS add: Jesus; others read: our Lord, Jesus Christ].

As with Christ (using Judas, the Jewish leadership and the Romans) and the work of the cross, satan also has a part in the loss and destruction of "flesh" to the end that folks' spirits may be delivered.

So we see that messengers of darkness have their place in God's plan. And what is our proper attitude and position toward these dark agents? I suggest that it is the same as that of Jesus (let this way of thinking be in you that was in Christ): "Father, forgive them (and He will), for they do not know what they are doing."

Jonathan

ADDENDUM:

John Gavazzoni has commented:

“This is a great summary of this subject that you introduced to our discussion group Jonathan. The focus of my attention keeps returning to the instrumentality of the adversary in the reconciliation of the world. On one hand, it was darkness which was at the heart of, and lead to mankind's alienation from God, yet that same darkness, powerfully at work in the crucifixion of Christ, defeated itself by its own working. Within the containment field of Christ, death is made to benefit life. It serves the (may I coin a word?) abundantizing of life. In the end, its servitude shall have accomplished its God-ordained purpose, and even it, shall be reconciled to the light of life which by its discipline of withholding Itself patiently, It created the necessary pressure for the release of Life's and Light's fulness.

“It's very clear that Paul understood that principle, in re: to turning certain ones over to Satan for the loss/destruction of the flesh. Made to participate in this divine principle, he bound certain ones to the ultimate consequences of their works of darkness, which became instrumental for their restoration.

“I've several times pointed out that the opening scene of Genesis, confronts us with that very principle, in that it was out from the midst of the darkness that was upon the face of the deep, that God called forth light. I can't help thinking how this is what "binding and loosing" is all about. According to what is already in heaven, we bind Satan to accomplish his service, and release the blessed result.

“The summary is that Satan's success is his downfall. Satan entered Judas to initiate the process that led to the crucifixion of Christ. He succeeded in doing so, and that success was what, as operative in the passion of Christ, defeated him/it.” End of quotation.

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