God or Satan?

[silverflare]

For those of you who believe in Christianity: Lets say what appeared to be God came to you in a vision, and told you that you are following the wrong path, that Christianity is not the way and that you are not following the true word of God. Would you interpret this to be God afterall, who is revealing himself to you and showing you the error of your ways so that you can truly follow him; believe it is Satan or some demon who is disguising himself as God to intentionally mislead you; dismiss it entirely as a bizzare hallucination; or something else entirely?

 

[Ananel]

For those of you who believe in Christianity: Lets say what appeared to be God came to you in a vision, and told you that you are following the wrong path, that Christianity is not the way and that you are not following the true word of God. Would you interpret this to be God afterall, who is revealing himself to you and showing you the error of your ways so that you can truly follow him; believe it is Satan or some demon who is disguising himself as God to intentionally mislead you; dismiss it entirely as a bizzare hallucination; or something else entirely?

1Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.
4You, 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. 5They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. 6We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

If that passage does not answer your question, then I will say it also in my own words. I would test the word of what is known against what is said.

Now, considering the fact that you may consider the results of such a study to be a moot point (not actually nearly as correct as you might think, despite my being a Scriptural innerancy adherent.), I will give you this. I go with what is known over what is unknown. I would increase my studies in metaphysics, vastly increase my prayer and ponder the question with all due sincerity and depth. Such would be expected of one who faces such a situation.

However, I will not simply bow before the first spirit who comes to me directly and proclaims itself to be God. If anything is consistent among the faiths of the world, that sort of procedure is only done for the purposes of establishing major covenants or inducting new prophets. You don't find deities handling their own evangelism in general. Such a being would, to my mind, sound desperate.

Please don't then throw out another hypothetical of what if it called you its greatest and first prophet. Look, after a while, these hypotheticals will get out and out silly. It hasn't happened yet, and we'll answer that question when it gets asked. I rely upon the revelation of God that is within Scripture, for I see its power with my own eyes when I wake and when I sleep. Mere aparitions are not enough to counter this.

 

[Faithful nonbeliever]

However, I will not simply bow before the first spirit who comes to me directly and proclaims itself to be God. QUOTE]


Interesting, you will not bow before a god that appears to you, but you will bow before a religion built on a book?

 

[Ananel]

However, I will not simply bow before the first spirit who comes to me directly and proclaims itself to be God.

Interesting, you will not bow before a god that appears to you, but you will bow before a religion built on a book?

Your point being? Each will have things sufficient for them. For me, the weight of centuries, the adherence of untold billions, the careful and painstaking metaphysics of more scholars than I care to count have all added up to a metaphysic I can accept. That they all rely upon the revelation of a series of texts dating from around 2000 BC-100 AD really doesn't bother me that much.

(By the way, the distinction of texts v. book is intentional. Though read in conjunction, these are also very separate works. Their meaning is interplayed amongst each other. However, they remain singular works written for singular AND combined purposes. Referring to the vast collection of texts as one 'book' is more than a little flippant and demonstrates a poor grasp of hermeneutics.)

I also draw metaphysical considerations from a variety of other sources, especially where the Scriptures are silent. Many of the systems I draw from are considerably older than my lifespan. I find some value in Thomas Hobbes' writings in the 17th century, in Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu's teachings in the years around 600-300 BC, Sun Tzu's Art of War from the same period, Machiavelli's Prince among a variety of other thinkers. I expect that Soren Kierkegard may end up being one of the most recent writers, along with Jung, to truly attract my attention. All of these have been of value in fleshing out the metaphysic where Scripture remains silent and in giving added weight to readings of a series of texts millenia old.

Tack onto this my own spiritual studies of a more directly metaphysical sense (largely drawn from Jungian systems) and frankly, you're going to have to excuse me if I just don't take your flippant little slight too seriously.

I go back always to the scriptures, but that doesn't make me simply another automoton you can push around saying, "Oh look. He takes a book over spirits. How cute."

Where do you get your eternal fount of wisdom, oh smarmy one? I must ask since you feel so keyed up to deride or question those who study the matters of metaphysics and systematics with care and dilegence.

 

[Ananel]

And before anyone considers that post 1 contradicts post 2, remember the following phrase from post 1, "I would increase my studies in metaphysics, vastly increase my prayer and ponder the question with all due sincerity and depth. Such would be expected of one who faces such a situation."

I am, to one extent or another, always in this situation. I am in constant study of metaphysics and Scripture.

And consider this from post 2, "I go back always to the scriptures..." My studies take me far afield, but I always return to the foundation, as one expects of those firmly convinced of the veracity of that foundation.

 

[somasoma77]

God has power over Satan so those who talk about the devil with all the negativity that goes with it are not true beleivers or Christians. They are trying to manipulate others with fear. I say walk with the Lord and the devil has no power. Love and share your joy without fear. A true Christian will not preach about the devil giving Satan power. He will talk about the all powerful.

 

[God'sgal]

For those of you who believe in Christianity: Lets say what appeared to be God came to you in a vision, and told you that you are following the wrong path, that Christianity is not the way and that you are not following the true word of God. Would you interpret this to be God afterall, who is revealing himself to you and showing you the error of your ways so that you can truly follow him; believe it is Satan or some demon who is disguising himself as God to intentionally mislead you; dismiss it entirely as a bizzare hallucination; or something else entirely?

This reminds me of a story in the bible (wait, don't leave! I promise I'll be quick!) In Matthew chapter 12, when Jesus is brought a demon-possessed man and he healed him, and the people who saw it began to know He was the Son of David. But in vs. 24 "when the Pharisees heard this, they said 'It is only by Beelzebub the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons'. Jesus heard their thoughts and said to them 'Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? And if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you." So in using this story to answer your question, God would never come and deny his own word, in essence denying Himself, and Satan would would never tell you to follow God. Now, for a person who is not totally committed to God, (those who are already have the strength to overthrow demons) a demon could come and convince someone there is no God, or that Jesus is totally false, that would be par for the course though and in complete character, but Satan would not tell anyone to follow God, it would be like John Kerry announcing he's going to vote for Bush even though they are opponents to try and use some kind of reverse phycology. It's not in their nature.

 

[CZzyzx41]

I had always heard an easy test when faced with a celestial being is to ask that being "Can I hug you"? If he offers his arms, it's evil and back off.

seriously though. If it came to me in a dream like that I'm more likely to just think it's a dream and brush it off.

 

[football_chick]

Yeah, I'm inclined to agree with the above ^^^
I mean I realize that God could very well appear to me in a dream, but lots of my dreams are really cracked out (think like... me having tea with a pink elephant with no trunk...)... Chances are I'd think nothing of it to be honest.
But, if something like that DID happen and it was really bothering me, I'd probably just pray about it. Chances are it's just me and my crazy dreams... but who knows.

 

[The-Doctor]

I think I'd wonder what they had put in my coffee and dismiss the whole thing as an hallucination

 

[ChristianMuse]

I was raised Roman Catholic. I left the church. I searched for truth. I found spiritual power. At times I had abilities that would confound science. At times did things that beat the odds 1:2.4X84. I was in touch with a wide varity of spirits and proved to others that my sensing of them was real. In all these things I found the individual flavour of the spirits I was dealing with.

Later I began reading the bible. In time a new voice, an impression, told me that the God of the bible is real. Later that Jesus is also the Word of God. More reading of the bible, more questions, more answers. I knew I found the truth at last.

I have heard the other "voices" speaking to my spirit. You can tell the difference in the heart of the spirit. Even if one shows themself to me... I can know the difference. Why? How?

John 10. 25Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me. 26But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. 27My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.

You have to experience it to know it. This of course is my personal path. Some are better at it and others...

 

[Lithum]

my deepist disire is to conquer this world....ive alraedy completed 2 tasks of the anti-christ......1. Love of satan 2. mark of satan and hopefull the 3d....the rule of SATAN!!!!!'


I am a messenger from him.....change your minds soon, for the end is near and the angles will die at the hand of the anti-christ..........ME!!!!!!!

 

[Lithum]

and you people think im just messing around.....but im dead serious, I am death incarnate....