Hebrews 2:14 Why does the devil hold the "power of death"

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Hebrews 2:14

Because God's children are human beings--made of flesh and blood--the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death.

Why does the devil have this power? Shouldn't God hold the power of death?
 

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Hebrews 2:14

Because God's children are human beings--made of flesh and blood--the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death.

Why does the devil have this power? Shouldn't God hold the power of death?

It said "had" not "has". Keep in mind Paul is writing to Jews here trying to reach them.

Clarke:

Him that had the power of death - This is spoken in conformity to an opinion prevalent among the Jews, that there was a certain fallen angel who was called מלאך המות malak hammaveth, the angel of death; i.e. one who had the power of separating the soul from the body, when God decreed that the person should die.

So he is trying to reason with them using their own beliefs to make a point.
 
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John Hyperspace

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1Co 15:56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
Joh 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
2Ti 1:10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death.
2Co 3:7 But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be abolished. 11 For if that which is abolished was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.
Joh 5:45 Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust.
Heb 7:19 For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.
Ro 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

Lu 11:52 Woe unto you, lawyers!
 
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having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. (bold mine, Colossians 2:14-15, 1984 NIV)

Jesus speaking:

I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. (Revelation 1:18, 1984 NIV)

There's a ton of Scripture like this:

... This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. (1 John 4:3b-4, 1984 NIV)

In Christ we also have overcome death.
 
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Hebrews 2:14

Because God's children are human beings--made of flesh and blood--the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death.

Why does the devil have this power? Shouldn't God hold the power of death?

Revelation 1:18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
 
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Hebrews 2:14

Because God's children are human beings--made of flesh and blood--the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death.

Why does the devil have this power? Shouldn't God hold the power of death?
It has all to do with the definition of "death". Our physical bodies are subject to decay because of the Fall and they will grow old and wear out. In that sense, for the believer, physical death will be like the insect that sheds its old skin and emerges brand new. This is what will happen to us. We will shed our old worn out bodies and be resurrected in brand new bodies that are not subject to delay. Paul said, absent from the body, present with the Lord. I believe the "near death" experiences of people who have said they have left their bodies on the operating table and floated around the room, and some have actually gone to a glorious place, met loved ones and the Lord and then have been told to return to their bodies. I believe that death will be like that, except that we won't return. But the death that the devil used to have power over but has now lost is a different kind of death.

The scripture says that the sting of death is sin. When Jesus died on the cross and rose again, the real pain and fear of death has been removed from all those who believe on Christ. Satan is longer in charge of death and of hell. Our lives and future are now in the hands of Christ, and the devil has no place in that. All the devil can do is to use bluff, smoke, and mirrors to try and dislodge a Christian's faith in Christ. The devil has lost his authority, and therefore every Christian believer has absolutely authority over the devil.
 
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Hebrews 2:14

Because God's children are human beings--made of flesh and blood--the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death.

Why does the devil have this power? Shouldn't God hold the power of death?
It has all to do with the definition of "death". Our physical bodies are subject to decay because of the Fall and they will grow old and wear out. In that sense, for the believer, physical death will be like the insect that sheds its old skin and emerges brand new. This is what will happen to us. We will shed our old worn out bodies and be resurrected in brand new bodies that are not subject to delay. Paul said, absent from the body, present with the Lord. I believe the "near death" experiences of people who have said they have left their bodies on the operating table and floated around the room, and some have actually gone to a glorious place, met loved ones and the Lord and then have been told to return to their bodies. I believe that death will be like that, except that we won't return. But the death that the devil used to have power over but has now lost is a different kind of death.

The scripture says that the sting of death is sin. When Jesus died on the cross and rose again, the real pain and fear of death has been removed from all those who believe on Christ. Satan is longer in charge of death and of hell. Our lives and future are now in the hands of Christ, and the devil has no place in that. All the devil can do is to use bluff, smoke, and mirrors to try and dislodge a Christian's faith in Christ. The devil has lost his authority, and therefore every Christian believer has absolutely authority over the devil.
 
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Achilles6129

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Hebrews 2:14

Because God's children are human beings--made of flesh and blood--the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death.

Why does the devil have this power? Shouldn't God hold the power of death?

Of course God has the power of death, that's why Christ says he has the 'keys of Death and Hades.' The idea, I think, is that the devil is king over the realm of death, and therefore in that sense is said to have 'the power of death.'
 
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StevenBelievin

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Hebrews 2:14

Because God's children are human beings--made of flesh and blood--the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death.

Why does the devil have this power? Shouldn't God hold the power of death?

The question should be why DID the devil have the power of death. Jesus now has the keys to death and hell because He took them from the devil when He triumphed over him through His death and resurrection.
 
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Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. (John 8:34, 1984 NIV)

God gave authority over the earth (IMO the physical realm) to mankind. Then when Adam sinned, he gave himself and everything under his authority to Satan. This does not mean God lost his overarching authority over everything (Psalms 24:1-2). (He remained The Creator.) It means men acquired a spiritual nature descended from Satan—and they also reinforced their submission to Satan whenever they sinned.

When Jesus paid for the sin of the world, the sin which separated people and creation from God died with Jesus and authority over mankind and the world went to the Redeemer, Jesus.

Even though everyone's sins have been paid for, people are not forgiven of their sins unless they genuinely seek forgiveness (2 Corinthians 7:10a and others), otherwise they continue to affirm that they want someone/something to be their master other than God (who is our morality). Repenting and accepting God as one's God means yielding to and accepting his Lordship. When someone does this, God grants the truly priceless gift of rebirth in Christ (since they were dead to God). Being reborn in Christ grants us a nature descended from God (no longer Satan or Adam) which is without sin, is perfect, holy, and is eternal life. Jesus fulfilled the Law and being reborn in Christ means that one in no longer under Law and has come under God's grace (because God loves us) (Romans 8). Sin no longer has any power, and there is no longer such as thing death for that person (John 11:26).

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. (1 Corinthians 15:56, 1984 NIV)

See Colossians 2:10-15. (Jesus also redeemed our physical bodies, but our experience of that is delayed until the resurrection—the reason being getting new bodies prematurely would interfere with some people getting saved, Matthew 13:24-30. The rapture has Christians' bodies dying and being given new ones at essentially the same time.)
 
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God gave authority over the earth (IMO the physical realm) to mankind. Then when Adam sinned, he gave himself and everything under his authority to Satan.

Why Satan exactly? Why not another spiritual being? Why this particular one?
 
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Greg J.

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There's fully inside the house and not fully inside the house. There isn't any other way to be located in relation to the house. God is the Creator of everything, the "artist" of everything, all perfectly made the way he wanted to in his image. Satan was the first to corrupt this perfection, and so became the father of all that is not according to God. We choose to follow what is perfect or what is corrupt. There just isn't anything else we might call another option.
 
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Ron Gurley

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God is all everything and is in control of all. Look at the END!
God allows satan and his followers to bring glory to him until then.

Rev 20
14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire.
This is the second death, the lake of fire.
15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the (Lamb's) book of life (saved believers),
he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Revelation 19:20 [ Doom of the Beast (anti-christ) and False Prophet anti-spirit]
And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence,
by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image;
these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone.

Revelation 20:10
And the devil (satan/Lucifer/dragon) who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
 
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It seems to me that the translation of Hebrew 2:14 concerning “power of death” or “power over death” is not accurate. A rendering such as “cause/influence over death” is more appropriate.

Satan’s rebellion and subsequent wickedness of lies and deceit have caused death because Adam sinned and passed sin and death on to the human family.-Romans 5:12.

Therefore, he is called “a manslayer” (John 8:44), not necessarily because he kills directly but because he does so by deceit and seduction that leads to sin and subsequent wrongdoing and death . Compare John 8:40-44, 59; 13:2; James 3:14-16; 4:1, 2.

To consider otherwise, Satan would have unlimited ability to kill at random. Certainly, he would kill all worshippers of God.


]
 
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The devil is the "boss" fallen angel, Lucifer. When he was cast down from heaven, he and his following demons landed on spiritual "earth". The devil's head was crushed at the Cross, a death blow. BUT he/his now has spiritual power to lie, deceive, etc and flail about.

1 John 3:8
the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning.(EDEN/serpent) The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.
 
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