Why someone would choose to ignore ALL that the Bible offers concerning the Devil is BEYOND me. But it's obvious that someone would have to WANT to ignore all the information we've been offered and form their OWN 'religion' in order to eliminate the Devil. The Bible doesn't JUST MENTION the Devil. It often gives intimate detail of this entity. MEC
Proverbs 3:7 (NIV) Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. THE DEVIL A BIBLICAL EXPOSITION OF THE TRUTH; Sherwood & Co., 23 Paternoster Row, London
It is from this cause that such diversities of opinions prevail among professed followers of Christ; an evil, not to be remedied, as the Romanists would remedy it, by squeezing all men’s minds into one universal square, impudently called “the mind of the church”; or, as Milton describes the patent uniforming process, “starching them into the stiffness of uniformity by tradition.”
THE DEVIL 1 Timothy 3v 11. The phrase, not slanderers, is, in the original, me diaboloi, not devils-that is.
As a consequence of being guided by his rule, it will be essential to throw behind us, and, as far as possible, to banish from our thoughts, all the various notions that have been instilled into our minds regarding the existence of a personal immortal Devil by means of stories, pictures, and even by that delightful writer, Bunyan, and by that stupendous-minded poet, Milton. The descriptions, however beautiful, and the notions thence derived, however strong, must be to us, as inquirers after truth, as though they were not.
For it is a principle that all who study the Scriptures regarding them as the product, through human agency, of divine wisdom, must allow, that divine wisdom would never employ two distinct words if one correctly conveyed the meaning. All arguments, therefore, in relation to the Devil, as derived from the passages referred to, would be fallacious, because the Devil is not referred to therein.
These seventy-seven passages can therefore be dismissed for the present, while we consider the remaining passages in which a different word translated “devil” occurs, and from them must be learned what is taught concerning the Devil of Scripture. What, then, is the word rendered “devil” ? It is diabolos. What does this mean? It is derived from diaballo, this itself being compounded or made up, of two words, dia - through, and ballo - to strike, to pierce (as with an arrow): diaballo, therefore, signifies to pierce through: and as, when a man’s character is attacked by the false charges of another, his character is pierced through, this word diaballo means also to calumniate, which is to pierce through with the darts of calumny. And, as the idea of this calumny implies that the accusations are false, the term diabolos means false-accuser, a calumniator. The proper meaning of the word diabolos, is, therefore, false-accuser, calumniator; the improper meaning is “devil” - this improper interpretation having been first given by the translators of the Scriptures into Greek; a rendering Leigh remarks, “nowhere else sampled (i.e., so used) in any Greek author.” The derivation of this word thus proves that false-accuser, calumniator, is the correct translation.
For of our Lord it is written, “All things were made by Him.” Whoever therefore believes that anything can be made, or that any creature can be changed to better or worse, or transformed into another species or likeness, except by God Himself who made everything and through whom all things were made, is beyond a doubt an infidel.’
Charles Lea, ‘A History of the Inquisition In Spain’, volume 4, book 8, chapter 9, page 209
http://bibleapologetics.wordpress.com/christianity-and-the-witch-hunt-era-37/
After the memorable confession to Christ by Peter, “Thou are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” Jesus began to “show unto his disciples how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan,” Matt. 16v 16, 21-23.
“Satan” here is undoubtedly applied to a human being, namely, Peter: and Christ says to him, “Get thee back behind me, adversary:” and the reason given shows that in applying the term to Peter it was to him, not as representing any supernatural being, but as representing a man opposing the course which the Saviour had marked out: “Thou art an offence (a cause of stumbling) to me, for thou savourest not, the things that be of God, but those that be of men,” v. 23. He does not say, “Thou savourest the things that be of invisible spirits.”
Here, then, let it be repeated, is a passage from the New Testament where there cannot exist the slightest doubt that satan is applied to a man, and that man a disciple of the Lord; one to whom the honour was allotted of opening the kingdom of heaven by being the first to proclaim the gospel - to Peter. Here, then, is a human being a satan: in what respect was Peter “Satan”? In what character but this? That he placed himself in opposition to the noble determination of Christ to endure trials for the sake of suffering humanity - in other words, “to go to Jerusalem to suffer many things.” Peter tried, most likely from a motive of kindness, just as one kind friend would try and persuade another not to go into danger., to prevent his Lord exposing himself. He was an. adversary to Christ in reference to his determination: and the all-knowing Lord, knowing that Peter’s regard had its real root in selfishness, addresses him, “Get thee behind me, adversary.”
SATAN, therefore, both in the Old and New Testament, means an adversary.
Mk 5:15 And they came out to Jesus, and they saw him that was vexed with the fiend and had the legion, sit both clothed and in his right mind, and were afraid. Lk 8:29 Then he commanded the foul spirit to come out of the man. For often times he caught him, and he was bound with chains, and kept with fetters: and he brake the bonds, and was carried of the fiend, into wilderness. THE NEW TESTAMENT W TYNDALE Bible
In the Muslem language it means "TRICKSTER".
