Could "Devil" mean a man or a person?

[throughfiierytrial]

Isaiah 14 was a proverb taken up against the king of Babylon. Saying otherwise is cherry-picking verses out of context.

I believe you have not seen the prophecy in Old Testament or do not understand it yet. Jesus clearly testifies to the fact of prophecy. I hope you'll be bless with further understanding.

 

[I'm_Sorry]

This is why the selection process is extremely stringent.

Jesus wasn't kidding when He said "only few will find it"..... FEW.

Aren't we going to be living in a new heaven and earth?

Where the Holy Jerusalem will descend and will have gates?

Gates for what?

There will be kings visiting the Holy city? Kings from where?

This is after the 1000 year reign of Christ with the devil involved for only a short time.

 

[throughfiierytrial]

This is why the selection process is extremely stringent.

Jesus wasn't kidding when He said "only few will find it"..... FEW.

It did then...was part of God's plan. But God is making everything New after the Judgement Day. It appears everything to take place prior to the resurrection was and is a system of judging and perfecting us.

 

[timewerx]

Wow, give me some time to process this!

One thing that pops out is "non-evil (non-malevolent) spiritual entities" they're are still demonic.

I actually haven't seen it for nearly a year until a few nights ago.

I was rushing a job and I haven't slept for two days. I tried to get a nap and somehow forgot to set the alarm. After 30 minutes, it pulled my leg and got me wide awake!

Ironically, I badly needed to get up to finish a job before the deadline. It only manifests to help me out.

It also pulled my leg one time to wake me up when I was having a nightmare.

It is extremely helpful so far and once I get help, it also leaves instantly. It doesn't hang around.

 

[I'm_Sorry]

I actually haven't seen it for nearly a year until a few nights ago.

I was rushing a job and I haven't slept for two days. I tried to get a nap and somehow forgot to set the alarm. After 30 minutes, it pulled my leg and got me wide awake!

Ironically, I badly needed to get up to finish a job before the deadline. It only manifests to help me out.

It also pulled my leg one time to wake me up when I was having a nightmare.

It is extremely helpful so far and once I get help, it also leaves instantly. It doesn't hang around.

Cast it out of your presence in Jesus name in His Authority.

Its not an Angel, its not God.

 

[RaymondG]

Cast it out of your presence in Jesus name in His Authority.

Its not an Angel, its not God.

How are you so sure?

 

[I'm_Sorry]

How are you so sure?

If it responds to Jesus name and Authority and leaves. I'll be sure.

Until then it has "no message", "no anything" other than providing a personal experience that is making one trust in a foreign spirit.

It needs to be tested, and that test is the Authority and Name of Jesus

 

[claninja]

This is why the selection process is extremely stringent.

Jesus wasn't kidding when He said "only few will find it"..... FEW.

Depends on what you believe about the selection process.

So you are saying sin can happen in the domain of God?

 

[timewerx]

Cast it out of your presence in Jesus name in His Authority.

Its not an Angel, its not God.

It's probably not an angel because angels are not supposed to do things like that...

...However, the Holy Spirit does and it seems to match the qualities of the Holy Spirit.

 

[WilliamBo]

I was doing some study on James 4:7.

It says: "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.".


And how do you make an evil person who's going to do evil to you flee from you?? Well obviously, you have to bare some teeth, even fight them off if necessary!

Ephesians 6:11 [AMP] says ''Put on the full armor of God [for His precepts are like the splendid armor of a heavily-armed soldier], so that you may be able to [successfully] stand up against all the schemes and the strategies and the deceits of the devil.''

The world is full of lies and deceptions and satan will use anyone and everyone around you to try and manipulate and hurt you. We resist these spiritual attacks by submitting to God in righteousness. The devil will constantly send people with low integrity to try and drain yours. We all know the fallen human nature and as soon as you start submitting to God, everyone around you is going to start acting different. Some will show you favor while others will hurl abuse and insults at you. These insults are from the devil and we must learn to get around them without letting them hurt or influence us, kind of like the phrase 'rise above it' or 'dont stoop to their level'

 

[dqhall]

I was doing some study on James 4:7.

It says: "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.".

The "devil" in Greek in that verse is: διαβόλῳ or diabolo.

In Thayer definition:
1) prone to slander, slanderous, accusing falsely
1a) a calumniator, false accuser, slanderer
2) metaphorically applied to a man who, by opposing the cause of God, may be said to act the part of the devil or to side with him
Part of Speech: adjective
Citing in TDNT: 2:72, 150

In Strong defintion:
From G1225; a traducer; specifically Satan (compare [H7854]): - false accuser, devil, slanderer.

Any of these definitions could also mean a person, is it not?

Also "resist" ἀντίστητε in Greek means to oppose, stand against, resist in Strongs.


Also that Jesus at one time called Peter "Satan" and told some of the Jews that their father is the "devil".

While Jesus submitted to God, He did oppose and stood up against the religious authorities in confirmation of James 4:7.

In other applications, this could mean a more extreme approach - I'm talking about self-defense and even active opposition of evil. Don't think that Jesus didn't do such thing. Remember the instance the angry crowd tried to push Jesus off a cliff to kill Him. Jesus slipped among them unseen. Obvious, there's something supernatural going on in there and it wasn't time for Jesus to die yet.

And then when Jesus violently drove off the merchants off the temple....

It would seem in context of James 4:7. the "devil" may include people.

And how do you make an evil person who's going to do evil to you flee from you?? Well obviously, you have to bare some teeth, even fight them off if necessary!

In the Book of Job, the devil tempted Job to curse God. Job once lived a very prosperous and healthy life. After losing everything, he was tempted to denounce God. He did not denounce God and was able to recover from his misfortunes.

Sometimes we forget all that God has done for us and others. Ingratitude is a dangerous place to be.

The devil is a metaphor. Some neurological disorders were described as demon possession. Jesus healed a boy who was having seizures like an epileptic. His seizures were described attributed to an evil spirit.

Jesus Heals a Boy with an Evil Spirit -- World English Bible (Public Domain)

Mark 9:14 Coming to the disciples, he saw a great multitude around them, and scribes questioning them. 15 Immediately all the multitude, when they saw him, were greatly amazed, and running to him greeted him. 16 He asked the scribes, "What are you asking them?" 17 One of the multitude answered, "Teacher, I brought to you my son, who has a mute spirit; 18 and wherever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams at the mouth, and grinds his teeth, and wastes away. I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they weren't able." 19 He answered him, "Unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to me." 20 They brought him to him, and when he saw him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground, wallowing and foaming at the mouth. 21 He asked his father, "How long has it been since this has come to him?" He said, "From childhood. 22 Often it has cast him both into the fire and into the water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us, and help us." 23cJesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes." 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out with tears, "I believe. Help my unbelief!" 25 When Jesus saw that a multitude came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to him, "You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him, and never enter him again!" 26 Having cried out, and convulsed greatly, it came out of him. The boy became like one dead; so much that most of them said, "He is dead." 27 But Jesus took him by the hand, and raised him up; and he arose.

 

[CrystalDragon]

How about

Ezekiel 28:1-19

"
11 Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

12 Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord God; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.

13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.

14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.

15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee."

That's all a proverb. A metaphor. It says right in the passage it's a lamentation against the King of Tyre.

When someone says that someone's a snake, it just means they're crafty. When someone says another person's a lion on the battlefield, it means they're strong and fierce. It's the exact same thing. It's just a proverb and nothing more.

 

[DennisTate]

I was doing some study on James 4:7.

It says: "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.".

The "devil" in Greek in that verse is: διαβόλῳ or diabolo.

In Thayer definition:
1) prone to slander, slanderous, accusing falsely
1a) a calumniator, false accuser, slanderer
2) metaphorically applied to a man who, by opposing the cause of God, may be said to act the part of the devil or to side with him
Part of Speech: adjective
Citing in TDNT: 2:72, 150

In Strong defintion:
From G1225; a traducer; specifically Satan (compare [H7854]): - false accuser, devil, slanderer.

Any of these definitions could also mean a person, is it not?

Also "resist" ἀντίστητε in Greek means to oppose, stand against, resist in Strongs.


Also that Jesus at one time called Peter "Satan" and told some of the Jews that their father is the "devil".

While Jesus submitted to God, He did oppose and stood up against the religious authorities in confirmation of James 4:7.

In other applications, this could mean a more extreme approach - I'm talking about self-defense and even active opposition of evil. Don't think that Jesus didn't do such thing. Remember the instance the angry crowd tried to push Jesus off a cliff to kill Him. Jesus slipped among them unseen. Obvious, there's something supernatural going on in there and it wasn't time for Jesus to die yet.

And then when Jesus violently drove off the merchants off the temple....

It would seem in context of James 4:7. the "devil" may include people.

And how do you make an evil person who's going to do evil to you flee from you?? Well obviously, you have to bare some teeth, even fight them off if necessary!

"One of you is a devil"........
I wonder what that means????????

 

[jamespyles]

I was doing some study on James 4:7.

It says: "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.".

The "devil" in Greek in that verse is: διαβόλῳ or diabolo.

In Thayer definition:
1) prone to slander, slanderous, accusing falsely
1a) a calumniator, false accuser, slanderer
2) metaphorically applied to a man who, by opposing the cause of God, may be said to act the part of the devil or to side with him
Part of Speech: adjective
Citing in TDNT: 2:72, 150

In Strong defintion:
From G1225; a traducer; specifically Satan (compare [H7854]): - false accuser, devil, slanderer.

Any of these definitions could also mean a person, is it not?

Also "resist" ἀντίστητε in Greek means to oppose, stand against, resist in Strongs.


Also that Jesus at one time called Peter "Satan" and told some of the Jews that their father is the "devil".

While Jesus submitted to God, He did oppose and stood up against the religious authorities in confirmation of James 4:7.

In other applications, this could mean a more extreme approach - I'm talking about self-defense and even active opposition of evil. Don't think that Jesus didn't do such thing. Remember the instance the angry crowd tried to push Jesus off a cliff to kill Him. Jesus slipped among them unseen. Obvious, there's something supernatural going on in there and it wasn't time for Jesus to die yet.

And then when Jesus violently drove off the merchants off the temple....

It would seem in context of James 4:7. the "devil" may include people.

And how do you make an evil person who's going to do evil to you flee from you?? Well obviously, you have to bare some teeth, even fight them off if necessary!

While the Apostolic Scriptures were written in Greek, the authors were native Hebrew and Aramaic speakers, so what we read in English as "devil" would have been to them "Ha Satan" which literally means "The Adversary." He is considered, at least in modern Judaism, as the ultimate tempter, but whether we sin or not is totally on us.

 

[BobRyan]

So sin can occur In heaven? If this can happen to the angels who have been In The presence of God, what hope do we have that this will not happen to us Since we will be like the angels one day?

The 6000 years of our sin history will be the "compelling evidence" to prevent intelligent free-will beings from ever sinning again.

 

[stealthsaint]

Lucifer was never Satan, just an arrogant Babylonian king and that's all. There is nothing about Satan taking a third of the Angels with him either.

Lucifer convinced a third of the angels in heaven to join him in rebellion against God -- his name is now "Satan" - he is "the devil" and his fallen angel comrades are his fellow devils.

I add to the comment on the Bible not revealing a third of the angels were with Lucifer in rebellion.
CHRISTIAN FORUM study: ONE THIRD OF HEAVENLY ANGELS WERE CAST TO EARTH
Job 38:7 When the *morning stars sang together / And all the sons of God shouted for joy?

Is 14:12 How you have fallen from heaven, / O Daystar, son of the dawn! / How you have been hewn down to earth, / You who made nations fall prostrate!

Rv 12:4 And his tail drags away the third part of the stars of heaven, and he cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bring forth, so that when she brings forth he might devour her child.

Rv 12:9 And the great dragon was cast down, the ancient serpent, he who is called the Devil and Satan, he who deceives the whole inhabited earth; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast down with him devour her child.

I suggest: *morning references: When God created the universe, He first stretched forth the heavens (Isa. 42:5; Zech. 12:1). Then He created the stars and certain living things in the heavens, including the angels. The earth was created somewhat later. Thus, at the time when God was creating the earth, the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God (the angels — 1:6; 2:1) shouted for joy because of God’s beautiful building of the earth.

IF one-third of the angels of heaven joined Satan in his rebellion. They too must have been judged by God (Matt. 25:41), and after being judged they became the fallen angels, Satan’s subordinates in Ephesians 6:as the rulers, the authorities, the world-rulers of this darkness, the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenlies. Satan as a single spirit force has many comrades that reinforce the devils agenda to deceive man from the power of loving relationships, where his agenda of giving man thoughts that create fear, unforgiveness, hate, resentments etc.

 

[LadyCrosstalk]

Yea, the lines seemed to have blurred in the New Testament and it would seem to mean anyone or anything that is doing evil or opposing God can be called "devil"

In John 8, the Jews were discussing about who their ancestral fathers are and claiming Abraham to be their father. Abraham is a person. But Jesus said their father is the devil. Now this could be or likely to be figurative/metaphorical.

But if Abraham is your father, then you belong to mankind. But if your father is the devil, well, technically, someone may call you "devil" right?




The Old Testament of the Bible is mostly Jewish (Judaic) content....

It's intriguing when Jesus told the Jews (Judaists who were formerly Pharisee) that their father is the devil in John 8.

Anyway, it's just a thought.

Actually, Judas Iscariot is called, "a devil" by Jesus, in John 6:70.

 

[I'm_Sorry]

It's probably not an angel because angels are not supposed to do things like that...

...However, the Holy Spirit does and it seems to match the qualities of the Holy Spirit.

Do you mind listing it's qualities that you believe match the HS?

 

[claninja]

The 6000 years of our sin history will be the "compelling evidence" to prevent intelligent free-will beings from ever sinning again.

What?......

 

[5thKingdom]

I was doing some study on James 4:7.

It says: "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.".

The "devil" in Greek in that verse is: διαβόλῳ or diabolo.

In Thayer definition:
1) prone to slander, slanderous, accusing falsely
1a) a calumniator, false accuser, slanderer
2) metaphorically applied to a man who, by opposing the cause of God, may be said to act the part of the devil or to side with him
Part of Speech: adjective
Citing in TDNT: 2:72, 150

In Strong defintion:
From G1225; a traducer; specifically Satan (compare [H7854]): - false accuser, devil, slanderer.

Any of these definitions could also mean a person, is it not?

Also "resist" ἀντίστητε in Greek means to oppose, stand against, resist in Strongs.


Also that Jesus at one time called Peter "Satan" and told some of the Jews that their father is the "devil".

While Jesus submitted to God, He did oppose and stood up against the religious authorities in confirmation of James 4:7.

In other applications, this could mean a more extreme approach - I'm talking about self-defense and even active opposition of evil. Don't think that Jesus didn't do such thing. Remember the instance the angry crowd tried to push Jesus off a cliff to kill Him. Jesus slipped among them unseen. Obvious, there's something supernatural going on in there and it wasn't time for Jesus to die yet.

And then when Jesus violently drove off the merchants off the temple....

It would seem in context of James 4:7. the "devil" may include people.

And how do you make an evil person who's going to do evil to you flee from you?? Well obviously, you have to bare some teeth, even fight them off if necessary!

I am just curious.... why in the world would you not want to accept the Biblical teaching that Satan
is a fallen angel who rebelled against God? The Bible teaches that all unsaved people are "children of Satan",
and Peter had been overcome by Satan at that moment.

But this all flows from the teaching that Satan is a fallen angel who WON rule over mankind in the Garden...
in fact he is called the "god of this world". Why not just accept what the Bible says... Satan is a fallen angel?


.