Moriah_Conquering_Wind
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If God stuck with justice only, Sis, where would any of US be?

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Sorry you feel the need to unsubscribe. Vaya con dios.
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Wow, this is amazing, I was just thinking of this, squint, I really have to say, you are making God out to be the bad guy, if he created evil and made Satan evil than it's like it's his fault for tempting us and he is a cruel god because we couldn't help it and we had no choice.
Why would God want even one precious human soul to suffer agony and torture for all eternity in hell if he loves us human beings so much?
Why can't God forgive fallen angels if they repent?
Has Lucifer ever repented of his rebellion? I think not.
if humans are forgiven millions of times for all the myriad of sins they commit, why can't angels be forgiven for even one mistake or sin or rebellion?
Jesus did say love your enemies. Does God really love and pity Satan? I pity him because of his future doom in the lake of fire, and an eternity without love.
I know there is nothing in scripture that says Satan or his fallen angels will be saved. So it probably is not true.
I don't understand why God created evil in the first place.
Why does it have to exist? Why do so many people have to hurt, suffer and die so young? Why even create evil and start the ball rolling?
I suppose if God did not create evil, things would be so boring if every thing were perfect there would be nothing to strive for, to fight for, no challenges.
I guess you cannot truly know joy unless you know pain and sorrow as well. Still....Christianity is not the most popular religion in the world today, and when I think of so many people without Christ going to hell.....it breaks my heart, and makes me cry, I cannot stand the though of caring people who try to be good suffering like that for all eternity.
I may be going off on a tangent, if so my apologies, but it occurred to me whilst reading Agapedragons post, that Scripture says that Jesus was made perfect through obedience, so maybe Adam and Eve also had tobe made perfect through obedience--unfortunately they failed. For me , it's difficult enoigh understanding all the ins and outs of Man,s fall, let alone all about Lucifer, though would love to know all the answers.
Try this on for size folks.
Satan/Devil/Lucifer is not a supernatual being.
Now that you've all recovered from that shock......
Lets look at the language and the words used,
Satan (Heb) = The adversary, enemy, accuser.
Devil (Gk) = accuser, slanderer.
Now using these words in context let's have a look at how things read. When Christ rebuked Peter and said 'get behind me Satan.' was he not talking to Peter? By trying to obstruct what had to be done for our redemption Peter was being an adversary to God's plan, hence 'a' satan.
God's word is as God, that is consistent. Nowhere in the old testament is there reference to a personal devil.
In the spirit of the language of the region satan or devil is used as a personification of sin, much as the characters of any parable are used to personify sections of society or attributes.
Before anyone starts with Isiah 14:12-15 or Ezek 28:11-15, these scriptures are prophecies against the King of Babylon and Prince of Tyre. Read the whole chapters to get the appropriate context.
So who was it in the Garden of Eden? We are told, a serpent. Further it is stated that it was a wild creature but was more cunning than the others. No mention of Satan or the Devil. Any altering of the scripture or interpretation of this to mean Satan is fanciful and not backed up by anything in the bible.
Paul tells us in Romans that human nature is at enmity with God.
So human nature is at odds with God.....that would mean that our sin nature, not a mythical third party is what works against us living in God's perfect will.
No one to blame but ourselves, how human is it to look for something to place blame on. Adam did it when questioned by God, he blamed Eve. Eve blamed the serpent for deceiving her.
The reader must remember that the New Testament was written at a time when Grecian philosophy and religion had permeated much of the known world through conquest and trade. The NT was written in Greek! As with any mixing of cultures there is a transferring of ideas and speech. Note the increase in the use of demons etc. in the NT. All the instances where Christ cast out demons can be identified as illnesses, usually mental, which were not understood by the people of the time. Even as recently as 100 years ago people still believed that epileptics were possessed.
God was described as a satan in the old testament, compare 1 Chron 21:1 to 2 Sam 24:1. Who's going to put their hand up and say that God is the same being that Satan or the Devil has been personified as?
Didn't think so.
Your train of thought is rather obscure but I shall endeavor to address you points regardless.Well, using your logic Jesus spoke to Himself AS SATAN in the desert as well eh? lol with that one.
hmmm? A "personal devil?" What does that mean exactly? The serpent certainly "interacted" with God in the Garden of Eden. Satan was clearly depicted in Job. Evil spirits are not without many notations in the Old Testament with even God Himself Directing them.
Didn't know the Prince of Tyre was in the Garden of Eden.
hmmmm....? Only a literal talking deceiving snake then eh? lol
Sorry, the word "human" is your insertion.
Well, ya still got that little problem of Jesus speaking to Satan in the desert...if there is NO SUCH "entity" then JESUS was in effect SATAN...
In addition their is the abundance of scriptures stating that "devils" were cast OUT from mankind.
And Satan "entering" Judas also poses your position some serious issues. Not to mention you making Gods children whom all of Israel are DEVILS if there are no devils but them...that makes God the Father of DEVILS! Yeah, you got it goin' on don't ya? lol
If God in Christ is NOT COUNTING sins against mankind, why are YOU?
Patent falsehood.
Well, that's pretty much the track you are on if you have no other entity(s) besides God and mankind.
Your train of thought is rather obscure but I shall endeavor to address you points regardless.
No, Christ was speaking with an adversary in the desert. That adversary may well have been one or more Pharisees or Saducees who were trying to tempt him through the use of scripture. Christ answered with scripture as we are exhorted to.
A personal devil is what is preached by much of the world, a being of pure evil that exists to ensnare mankind.
Yes, the serpent interacted with God, Adam and Eve in the Garden on Eden. Do you doubt that God has the ability to communicate with all creation?
Again, in Job we have an adversary, someone who was working against him. Check out the root words for the old testament references.
No, the Prince of Tyre was not in Eden. Do not be obtuse. The Ezekial reference is often used by people as a reference to support the existence of a devil in the common understanding.
Yes, a literal talking deceiving snake, read your bible sunshine, it's what it says.
From Roman Ch 8-
6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.
The carnal mind produces our human nature.
Go back to the root of words and passages, the enemy or accuser entered Judas. Enemy or accuser of what? The carnal mind is at enmity with God so one can conclude that Judas was drawn by his carnal mind to betray Christ in return for money. Money being the root of all evil.
If you have a person on the ground having convulsions, frothing at the mouth and soiling themselves what is your first instinct? From your reasoning
you would be having an exorcism as it 'has to be a demon'.
How about an epileptic fit? The many with seven demons in him - multiple personality disorder. You wish me to continue? God gave us minds and intellect to examine and learn, not to be obtuse and rude as you have demonstrated here.
The track I am on is that there are no other entities other than God and mankind!
God was acting as an adversary to Israel. You have exactly the same narrative with God mentioned in Samuel and satan in Chronicles.
Its understandable that you resist the notions of having something other than yourself to blame for your sin
but I suggest you have a good long look at scripture in context and see if your arguments stack up to support the existence of a supernatural satan.
Alrighty then....
Satan as an adversary is illustrated in these passages:
The following verses have the same root word used as either devil or slanderer.
The satan of Job was an unnamed adversary, a man, as he 'walked up and down on the earth.' (Job 1:7)
Job himself attributes his afflictions as having been brought about by God. Job 19 & Job 2
Even Job's family and acquaintences acknowledged this:
(This is a lamentation for the King of Tyre after the proclomation against him is vs 1-10. This passage does not require the king to have lived in the garden of Eden with Adam and Eve, that would be impossible as Tyre is a real place and this was a man who was being proclaimed against. The passage requires the king to have been in Eden at some stage.
Eden is described as an extensive area in Gen 2:8/Ezek 27:23. Perhaps you should brush up on your comprehension skills?)
Serpent in Eden
(Clearly states that the serpent was a beast and it talked)
(God punishes the serpent for what it had done. No mention of a devil here.)
Entrance of satan/devil into Judas
Luke 22
3 Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve.
&
31 And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you (plural word), that he may sift you as wheat.
John 13
2 And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him,
&
27 Now after the piece of bread, Satan entered him. Then Jesus said to him, “What you do, do quickly.”
So, you've got references to the devil and satan in the same chapter here, by the same author. Who's the supernatural one? Why the distinction in language?
The conversation with Peter in Luke suggests that the chief priests were looking to use some of the disciples for their own evil purposes and John suggests that Judas succumbed to an emissary of the chief priests to be used for their evil purposes.
Let's examin this verse in Acts for a parallel passage:
Acts 5
3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? 4 While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.”
(Here we have satan filling his heart and Ananias conceiving sin in his heart. Sin and satan being the same thing.)
Temptation in the wilderness
Matt 4
1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. 3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”[a]
5 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written:
‘ He shall give His angels charge over you,’
and,
‘ In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’”[b]
7 Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God.’”[c]
8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”
10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you,[d] Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’”[e]
11 Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.
The essence of temptation rests in subtelty, do you really think that being confronted with a fallen angel would've been subtle?
Jesus was tempted in all points as we are (Heb 4:15) but who has engaged into a discussion with a fallen angel devil?
A temptation must also be plausible, only God has the power to give to people what he will (Dan 4:32).
These temptations are quite likely subjective, in that these are conflicts within Jesus but presented as a narrative.
James 1
13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.
No reference to anything other than God's existence and power here:
Isaiah 46
9 Remember the former things of old,
For I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like Me,
Isaiah 40
25 “ To whom then will you liken Me,
Or to whom shall I be equal?” says the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes on high,
And see who has created these things,
Who brings out their host by number;
He calls them all by name,
By the greatness of His might
And the strength of His power;
Not one is missing.
Psalm 139
2 You know my sitting down and my rising up;
You understand my thought afar off.
3 You comprehend my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.
4 For there is not a word on my tongue,
But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether.
5 You have hedged me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is high, I cannot attain it.
7 Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
So God is everywhere, is without equal and there is no other. No mention of a devil or satan. If a devil or satan were to exist as in the popular definition it would conflict with these scriptures.
Ps 5
4 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness,
Nor shall evil dwell with You.
5 The boastful shall not stand in Your sight;
and
Hab 1
13 You are of purer eyes than to behold evil,
And cannot look on wickedness.
So if the popular construct of satan were true then God could not look upon it and satan could not be in the sight of God. As God is everywhere then where can satan or the devil be? Answer, nowhere.
Most of issues clearly stem from your inability to understand the nature of language. For one teensy little moment, try to forget your concept of satan being a supernatural being.
Instead, use the meaning of the word combined with the declaration by Paul that the carnal mind is at enmity with God.
Satan/devil in popular belief is portrayed as the one who is at odds with God. Paul declares that this is the carnal mind.
So, satan = carnal mind, yes?
The carnal mind dwells within each one of us, your tangent about God being the father of satan rests on your portrayal of satan as a being, rather than sin.
Again, satan = sin.
Which leads to the conclusion sin = carnal mind.
This is funnily enough supported by:
James 1
13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.
Eden is described as a region and there was a graden in it. So the Prince of Tyre was not a contemporary with Adam and Eve but had been in Eden, the region.
So, you also demonstrate your limited understanding of prophecy with the citing of Rev 20. You are therefore stating that the dragon of Revelation 20 is commensurate with your perception of Satan as a being.
You sir, need to do some study about what the dragon represents. God makes reference to the seed of the serpent in Gen when he sets forth his plan for our redemption. What did the serpent do? He called god a liar.
And once again you fail to support any of your ramblings with scripture.
Grab a concordance and a Bible dictionary and have a look at words, their roots and meanings.
FYI, I am not involved with employment in the mental health sector. Just someone who uses the brain that God has given me.
Still no scripture to back up your position, what a surprise.
squint said:Matt. 12:43