I've never been too clear on this one. Is Satan a god of some sort and if so where did he come from?
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Who is The Devil, an evil god or what?
- Thread starter nnmartin
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artybloke
Well-Known Member
Satan originated as a god in Zoroastrianism - where he was the 'evil twin' of the good god in their dualistic religion. It was picked up by the Jews when in exile (which is when most of the OT was written/compiled/edited. The Jews made him into an angel, which is where the early Christians picked him up from.
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LivetoLove
Follower of a Beautiful Saviour
Based on Biblical teaching (Isaiah 14 and Ezekial 28, as well as other references throughout the New Testament), Satan was a highest ranked angel, whose name was Lucifer. He became arrogant in his beauty, and wanted to sit on the throne above God. Thus, his pride was his fall and God cast him out of heaven, along with the other angels (now demons) who worshipped him over God.
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So how much power does Satan have?
for instance, some people blame the evil in the world on the Devil - really I just see this as the evil inherent in Man. All evil acts , including the holocaust are man made events.
So does Hell exist? - in my viewpoint no.
for instance, some people blame the evil in the world on the Devil - really I just see this as the evil inherent in Man. All evil acts , including the holocaust are man made events.
So does Hell exist? - in my viewpoint no.
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Satan is a created being, and thus has only the power that God allows him to have. He cannot create, but only corrupt and distort. He is a liar and deceiver, as evidenced by his attempts to pull Jesus from his goal and calling during the forty days in the desert.
Satan does not have any power over us aside from the power that we give him. Regardless of the bonds he puts you in, there is freedom in Christ.
Satan does not have any power over us aside from the power that we give him. Regardless of the bonds he puts you in, there is freedom in Christ.
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Dear nnmartin. Strong`s Exhaustive Concordance Of The Bible says that Satan`s origin is unknown. We know that Satan/Devil is Evil and flees from all Good/Love. We know that Jesus vanquished Satan on Golgotha, and Satan has no power, but he is a great and powerful pretender. Give him an inch and he will possess you, he promises all you want, but he will keep nothing but crafty deception. Our greatest protection is the Name of Jesus, and selfless Love, Satan will run away from that. The Bible warns us: " Satan is prowling about like a hungry Lion, looking for the unwary to devour." We may be sure that wherever God is not, Satan Will Be. I say this with love, martin. Greetings from Emmy, sister in Christ.
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Incorrect. Satan is not, nor has he ever been Lucifer. Lucifer was the title of a Babylonian King in Isaiah 14. The name originates from the Latin for Light bringer, which in Roman days was the planet Venus. The KJV stuck with the Lucifer title, as opposed to other translations switching to the more accurate Day star or morning star.
Lucifer is not an entity. That is pure Christian mythology.
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Satan is Hebrew for "adversary". In the Old Testament, Satan is part of God's divine council. He serves solely at God's discretion as a tempter and challenger of humanity. Satan has no free will and cannot do anything God doesn't want him to do.
The evil, dualistic view of Satan developed later following the Babylonian Exile, when Persian theology influenced Judaism.
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Cuddles333
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The scriptures teach that Satan is a fallen angel. He is very powerful and during the time he was allowed to 'flex his muscle' (so to speak) Jesus and the Apostles were allowed to show God's power by expelling him and his demons. The only power he and his demons were left with (after the Apostles died) was the power of mental influence. This influence is the mimicking of our mental voice. This is used to tempt us away from God.
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ViaCrucis
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Satan is a creature. Not an all-powerful god or god-like being.
The reason why the devil is evil is the same reason any other creature could be evil, by doing evil acts.
There is no such thing as ontological evil. Evil is not a thing unto itself, but is the deprivation of substance. I.e. the deprivation of good. The same way that darkness is the deprivation of light. Light exists, darkness doesn't; we can only speak of something being dark in how it is gradually deprived of being filled with light.
The devil is simply a creature who has fallen. He can tempt, he can use our base instincts to encourage us away from God, but he can't make us do anything we don't want to do ourselves. He doesn't have "power", he is no more powerful than any other creature.
God alone has power, God alone is God.
Dualism is heretical.
-CryptoLutheran
The reason why the devil is evil is the same reason any other creature could be evil, by doing evil acts.
There is no such thing as ontological evil. Evil is not a thing unto itself, but is the deprivation of substance. I.e. the deprivation of good. The same way that darkness is the deprivation of light. Light exists, darkness doesn't; we can only speak of something being dark in how it is gradually deprived of being filled with light.
The devil is simply a creature who has fallen. He can tempt, he can use our base instincts to encourage us away from God, but he can't make us do anything we don't want to do ourselves. He doesn't have "power", he is no more powerful than any other creature.
God alone has power, God alone is God.
Dualism is heretical.
-CryptoLutheran
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Ave Maria
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The devil is not a god. There is only one God that being the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit who are three persons in one God, the Holy Trinity. Satan is a fallen angel.
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It's clear that Satan was an angel (his rank does not matter) who is now under a contract. You could say he's a hitman.
The serpent in Gen. 3:14 going onto his belly signifies losing his capability to go where he pleases with ease. The serpent eating dust signifies taking commandments from God (and anticipates demons being subject to man in Jesus' name).
And that is exactly what the Scriptures reveal. Satan doing God's will while being permitted to ask for something, although even that is limited.
Best case of demons cooperating with God is Mark 5 and the destroying angel (Psalm 78:49).
The serpent in Gen. 3:14 going onto his belly signifies losing his capability to go where he pleases with ease. The serpent eating dust signifies taking commandments from God (and anticipates demons being subject to man in Jesus' name).
And that is exactly what the Scriptures reveal. Satan doing God's will while being permitted to ask for something, although even that is limited.
Best case of demons cooperating with God is Mark 5 and the destroying angel (Psalm 78:49).
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PaladinValer
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Thank you so much for posting this. With all the Manicheanism going on in some threads, it is so refreshing to see someone post orthodoxy.
God bless you.
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chingchang
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If indeed he is a physical being...then he was created by the Most High God. He was therefore given power by the Most High God. He was given free will...he is not a robot. Some humans may perceive Satan as a God (a light-being)...but this is a relative view. There is but one God...the Most High. Satan is full of pride and his plan will ultimately fail.
CC
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juvenissun
... and God saw that it was good.
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I think you have big problem in Christian theology.
Is there a figure in Christianity which is comparable to satan? If yes, what is his name? Is it OK to call that figure satan?
If not, your problem is even more obvious. Who is the one described in the Book of Job (and may other places)?
May be what you really want to say is that many Books in the Scripture are imagined. Is that right?
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