- Jan 27, 2013
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I used to think that Satan was the Devil, because that is what I was taught, without ever actually studying the Bible to find out why, and whether or not it is true. I no longer believe that. Here's why...
Satan, in the OT, is nothing more than an angel of God. His name is not actually a name, but a title in Hebrew: Ha-SaTan. It means "the accuser, or the adversary." His job, his duty, is to find sinners, accuse them before God, and then God passes judgment. He follows God's orders, nothing more.
Satan is powerless to act without God's permission. Satan does not have godlike powers unto himself, otherwise there would be more than one god. No where in the OT is Satan accused of or implied to be a fallen angel, the devil, evil or anything else that Christianity has painted him to be. Judaism would agree with this statement, especially since the OT is their Bible, their history, their genealogy, and the basis of their laws.
Don't even try and say that Isaiah 14:12 points to the NT fall of Satan that is described. Isaiah 14:12 is talking about a Babylonian king (Nebuchadnezzar II) and if you read the entire chapter, you'll see that. Nor is Lucifer the name for Satan, because of this same chapter/verse if taken in context. Learn to read the Bible in context.
The NT writers seem to have this gnostic dualism approach. There's good, so there MUST be evil! They made Satan public enemy #1, and gave people an excuse for why bad things happen. Bah!
We have too much mythology surrounding Satan thanks to Dante's Inferno, Paradise Lost, numerous books, movies, bad teachings, and of course the KJV errors in translation/interpretation. People can't seem to separate fact from fiction.
1. God is the only god. He is all powerful. The angels serve Him.
2. Satan is subject to God's will and authority. If Satan were free to act on his own, and has godlike powers, this contradicts #1.
Satan, in the OT, is nothing more than an angel of God. His name is not actually a name, but a title in Hebrew: Ha-SaTan. It means "the accuser, or the adversary." His job, his duty, is to find sinners, accuse them before God, and then God passes judgment. He follows God's orders, nothing more.
Satan is powerless to act without God's permission. Satan does not have godlike powers unto himself, otherwise there would be more than one god. No where in the OT is Satan accused of or implied to be a fallen angel, the devil, evil or anything else that Christianity has painted him to be. Judaism would agree with this statement, especially since the OT is their Bible, their history, their genealogy, and the basis of their laws.
Don't even try and say that Isaiah 14:12 points to the NT fall of Satan that is described. Isaiah 14:12 is talking about a Babylonian king (Nebuchadnezzar II) and if you read the entire chapter, you'll see that. Nor is Lucifer the name for Satan, because of this same chapter/verse if taken in context. Learn to read the Bible in context.
The NT writers seem to have this gnostic dualism approach. There's good, so there MUST be evil! They made Satan public enemy #1, and gave people an excuse for why bad things happen. Bah!
We have too much mythology surrounding Satan thanks to Dante's Inferno, Paradise Lost, numerous books, movies, bad teachings, and of course the KJV errors in translation/interpretation. People can't seem to separate fact from fiction.
1. God is the only god. He is all powerful. The angels serve Him.
2. Satan is subject to God's will and authority. If Satan were free to act on his own, and has godlike powers, this contradicts #1.