SOME modern scholars say that Satan is not a real person. They claim that he was merely created in the imagination of men. This controversy is nothing new. "The Devil's deepest wile," wrote 19th-century poet Charles-Pierre Baudelaire, "is to persuade us that he does not exist."
Is Satan a real person? If so, where did he come from? Is he the unseen power behind the problems plaguing our world? How can you avoid his evil influence?
Is Satan the unseen power behind the problems plaguing our world?
The Bible describes Satan as a real person who exists in the invisible spirit realm. (Job 1:6) It tells us about his vicious and ruthless qualities as well as his evil actions. (Job 1:13-19; 2:7, 8; 2 Timothy 2:26) It even records conversations that Satan had with God and with Jesus.-Job 1:7-12; Matthew 4:1-11.
Where did such an evil being come from? Long before man existed, God created his "firstborn" Son, who eventually came to be known as Jesus. (Colossians 1:15) In time, other "sons of God," called angels, were created. (Job 38:4-7) All were perfect and righteous. However, one of those angels would become Satan.
Satan was not his given name at the time of his creation. It is a descriptive name, which means "Adversary; Enemy; Accuser." He came to be called Satan because he chose a life course in opposition to God.
Feelings of pride and rivalry toward God grew within this spirit creature. He wanted others to worship him. When God's firstborn Son, Jesus, was on the earth, Satan even attempted to get Jesus to "do an act of worship" to him.-Matthew 4:9.
Satan "did not stand fast in the truth." (John 8:44) He implied that God was a liar, when, in fact, he was the liar. He told Eve that she could be like God, whereas he wanted to be like God. And through his deceitful ways, he achieved his selfish desire. To Eve, he made himself higher than God. By obeying Satan, Eve accepted Satan as her god.-Genesis 3:1-7.
By fomenting rebellion, this once trusted angel made himself Satan-an adversary and enemy of God and man. The designation "Devil," which means "Slanderer," was also added to this wicked one's description. This leader of sin eventually influenced other angels to disobey God and join his rebellion. (Genesis 6:1, 2; 1 Peter 3:19, 20) These angels did not make mankind's situation better. Because of their imitating Satan's selfish ways, "the earth became filled with violence."-Genesis 6:11; Matthew 12:24.
How Powerful Is Satan's Influence?
A criminal may wipe his fingerprints from the crime scene in an attempt to leave no trace of his identity. However, when the police arrive, they realize that if a crime has been committed, there must be a criminal. Satan, the original "manslayer," tries to leave no trace of his identity. (John 8:44; Hebrews 2:14) When speaking with Eve, Satan hid his identity behind a serpent. He is still trying to hide today. He "has blinded the minds of the unbelievers" so as to conceal the extent of his powerful influence.-2 Corinthians 4:4.
However, Jesus identified Satan as the criminal mastermind behind the corrupt world we live in. He called him "the ruler of this world." (John 12:31; 16:11) "The whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one," wrote the apostle John. (1 John 5:19) Satan effectively uses "the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the showy display of one's means of life" in "misleading the entire inhabited earth." (1 John 2:16; Revelation 12:9) He is the one whom mankind in general obeys.
As was the case with Eve, those obeying Satan, in effect, make him their god. Hence, Satan is "the god of this system of things." (2 Corinthians 4:4) The effects of his rule include hypocrisy and lies; war, torture and destruction; crime, greed and corruption.
How You Can Avoid His Influence
The Bible warns: "Keep your senses, be watchful." Why? Because "your adversary, the Devil, walks about like a roaring lion, seeking to devour someone." (1 Peter 5:8) Though this scripture is sobering, it is reassuring to know that only those who do not keep their senses-those not keeping on the watch-will be "overreached by Satan."-2 Corinthians 2:11.
It is vital that we accept the reality of Satan's existence and allow God to `make us firm' and `make us strong.' In that way we can take a "stand against [Satan]" and put ourselves on God's side.-1 Peter 5:9, 10.
HAVE YOU WONDERED?
Where did Satan come from? (Job 38:4-7; John 8:44)
How much does Satan influence the world? (John 12:31; 1 John 5:19; Revelation 12:9)
What can we do to protect ourselves from Satan's evil designs? (1 Peter 5:8-10)
Did God Create the Devil?
The Bible shows that God did not create the Devil. Instead, He created the person who became the Devil. Regarding God, the Bible says: "Perfect is his activity, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness, with whom there is no injustice; righteous and upright is he." (Deuteronomy 32:3-5) From that statement, we can conclude that Satan the Devil was at one time perfect and righteous, namely, one of God's angelic sons.
At John 8:44, Jesus said that the Devil "did not stand fast in the truth," implying that Satan had at one time been truthful and guiltless.
However, like the rest of Jehovah's intelligent creatures, the angel who became Satan had the freedom to choose between right and wrong. By choosing a course in opposition to God and inciting the first human couple to join him, he made himself Satan, which means "Resister."-Genesis 3:1-5; Revelation 12:9.
Why did not God destroy Satan promptly after he rebelled?
Serious issues were raised by Satan: (1) The righteousness and rightfulness of Jehovah's sovereignty. Was Jehovah withholding from mankind freedom that would contribute to their happiness? Were mankind's ability to govern their affairs successfully and their continued life truly dependent on their obedience to God? Had Jehovah been dishonest in giving a law that stated that disobedience would lead to their death? (Gen. 2:16, 17, 3:3-5) So, did Jehovah really have the right to rule? (2) The integrity of intelligent creatures toward Jehovah. By the deflection of Adam and Eve the question was raised: Did Jehovah's servants really obey him out of love or might all of them abandon God and follow the lead being given by Satan? This latter issue was further developed by Satan in the days of Job. (Gen. 3:6, Job 1:8-11, 2:3-5 see also Luke 22:31) These issues could not be settled by merely executing the rebels.
So although it may seem horrible that Jehovah couldn't just destroy his enemies on the spot and prevent all this evil from befalling the planet. Jehovah had to allow it in-order to prevent any future questioning of his right to rule, and thus create a perfect paradise free from opposition or doubt. This 6000 year time period has proven without question that any attempt for humans to be peaceful and live in harmony with one another is impossible to achieve without Jehovah lovingly guiding us.
6000 years of pain > 100,000,000,000,000 years x Infinity of awesomeness.
If you were a father sat at a table with your family. And one of your sons walked up to you in-front of everyone and questioned your ability / right to guide the family.. Would you simply kill the son in-front of everyone? Or would that just lead to questions such as: Maybe he was right, Is he trying to hide something? No.. The ultimately wise decision would be to allow the Son to try and guide the family.
Not to mention the fact that 1/3rd of the Angels joined Satan in the rebellion. So how could Jehovah have destroyed such ones before they even rebelled against him?
The 6000 year period that Jehovah allocated to Satan to rule is about to run out.. And as you can see his rulership has brought nothing but misery, chaos and pain.. Therefor showing that God is the rightful ruler.
And right now in this horrible world we can be tempted to say you should have just destroyed him and lived alone.. Who cares about living forever. Once Jehovah welcomes us all in paradise and wipes the tears from our face.. Grants us the desires of our hearts. We'll be glad he didn't
Is Satan a real person? If so, where did he come from? Is he the unseen power behind the problems plaguing our world? How can you avoid his evil influence?
Is Satan the unseen power behind the problems plaguing our world?
The Bible describes Satan as a real person who exists in the invisible spirit realm. (Job 1:6) It tells us about his vicious and ruthless qualities as well as his evil actions. (Job 1:13-19; 2:7, 8; 2 Timothy 2:26) It even records conversations that Satan had with God and with Jesus.-Job 1:7-12; Matthew 4:1-11.
Where did such an evil being come from? Long before man existed, God created his "firstborn" Son, who eventually came to be known as Jesus. (Colossians 1:15) In time, other "sons of God," called angels, were created. (Job 38:4-7) All were perfect and righteous. However, one of those angels would become Satan.
Satan was not his given name at the time of his creation. It is a descriptive name, which means "Adversary; Enemy; Accuser." He came to be called Satan because he chose a life course in opposition to God.
Feelings of pride and rivalry toward God grew within this spirit creature. He wanted others to worship him. When God's firstborn Son, Jesus, was on the earth, Satan even attempted to get Jesus to "do an act of worship" to him.-Matthew 4:9.
Satan "did not stand fast in the truth." (John 8:44) He implied that God was a liar, when, in fact, he was the liar. He told Eve that she could be like God, whereas he wanted to be like God. And through his deceitful ways, he achieved his selfish desire. To Eve, he made himself higher than God. By obeying Satan, Eve accepted Satan as her god.-Genesis 3:1-7.
By fomenting rebellion, this once trusted angel made himself Satan-an adversary and enemy of God and man. The designation "Devil," which means "Slanderer," was also added to this wicked one's description. This leader of sin eventually influenced other angels to disobey God and join his rebellion. (Genesis 6:1, 2; 1 Peter 3:19, 20) These angels did not make mankind's situation better. Because of their imitating Satan's selfish ways, "the earth became filled with violence."-Genesis 6:11; Matthew 12:24.
How Powerful Is Satan's Influence?
A criminal may wipe his fingerprints from the crime scene in an attempt to leave no trace of his identity. However, when the police arrive, they realize that if a crime has been committed, there must be a criminal. Satan, the original "manslayer," tries to leave no trace of his identity. (John 8:44; Hebrews 2:14) When speaking with Eve, Satan hid his identity behind a serpent. He is still trying to hide today. He "has blinded the minds of the unbelievers" so as to conceal the extent of his powerful influence.-2 Corinthians 4:4.
However, Jesus identified Satan as the criminal mastermind behind the corrupt world we live in. He called him "the ruler of this world." (John 12:31; 16:11) "The whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one," wrote the apostle John. (1 John 5:19) Satan effectively uses "the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the showy display of one's means of life" in "misleading the entire inhabited earth." (1 John 2:16; Revelation 12:9) He is the one whom mankind in general obeys.
As was the case with Eve, those obeying Satan, in effect, make him their god. Hence, Satan is "the god of this system of things." (2 Corinthians 4:4) The effects of his rule include hypocrisy and lies; war, torture and destruction; crime, greed and corruption.
How You Can Avoid His Influence
The Bible warns: "Keep your senses, be watchful." Why? Because "your adversary, the Devil, walks about like a roaring lion, seeking to devour someone." (1 Peter 5:8) Though this scripture is sobering, it is reassuring to know that only those who do not keep their senses-those not keeping on the watch-will be "overreached by Satan."-2 Corinthians 2:11.
It is vital that we accept the reality of Satan's existence and allow God to `make us firm' and `make us strong.' In that way we can take a "stand against [Satan]" and put ourselves on God's side.-1 Peter 5:9, 10.
HAVE YOU WONDERED?
Where did Satan come from? (Job 38:4-7; John 8:44)
How much does Satan influence the world? (John 12:31; 1 John 5:19; Revelation 12:9)
What can we do to protect ourselves from Satan's evil designs? (1 Peter 5:8-10)
Did God Create the Devil?
The Bible shows that God did not create the Devil. Instead, He created the person who became the Devil. Regarding God, the Bible says: "Perfect is his activity, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness, with whom there is no injustice; righteous and upright is he." (Deuteronomy 32:3-5) From that statement, we can conclude that Satan the Devil was at one time perfect and righteous, namely, one of God's angelic sons.
At John 8:44, Jesus said that the Devil "did not stand fast in the truth," implying that Satan had at one time been truthful and guiltless.
However, like the rest of Jehovah's intelligent creatures, the angel who became Satan had the freedom to choose between right and wrong. By choosing a course in opposition to God and inciting the first human couple to join him, he made himself Satan, which means "Resister."-Genesis 3:1-5; Revelation 12:9.
Why did not God destroy Satan promptly after he rebelled?
Serious issues were raised by Satan: (1) The righteousness and rightfulness of Jehovah's sovereignty. Was Jehovah withholding from mankind freedom that would contribute to their happiness? Were mankind's ability to govern their affairs successfully and their continued life truly dependent on their obedience to God? Had Jehovah been dishonest in giving a law that stated that disobedience would lead to their death? (Gen. 2:16, 17, 3:3-5) So, did Jehovah really have the right to rule? (2) The integrity of intelligent creatures toward Jehovah. By the deflection of Adam and Eve the question was raised: Did Jehovah's servants really obey him out of love or might all of them abandon God and follow the lead being given by Satan? This latter issue was further developed by Satan in the days of Job. (Gen. 3:6, Job 1:8-11, 2:3-5 see also Luke 22:31) These issues could not be settled by merely executing the rebels.
So although it may seem horrible that Jehovah couldn't just destroy his enemies on the spot and prevent all this evil from befalling the planet. Jehovah had to allow it in-order to prevent any future questioning of his right to rule, and thus create a perfect paradise free from opposition or doubt. This 6000 year time period has proven without question that any attempt for humans to be peaceful and live in harmony with one another is impossible to achieve without Jehovah lovingly guiding us.
6000 years of pain > 100,000,000,000,000 years x Infinity of awesomeness.
If you were a father sat at a table with your family. And one of your sons walked up to you in-front of everyone and questioned your ability / right to guide the family.. Would you simply kill the son in-front of everyone? Or would that just lead to questions such as: Maybe he was right, Is he trying to hide something? No.. The ultimately wise decision would be to allow the Son to try and guide the family.
Not to mention the fact that 1/3rd of the Angels joined Satan in the rebellion. So how could Jehovah have destroyed such ones before they even rebelled against him?
The 6000 year period that Jehovah allocated to Satan to rule is about to run out.. And as you can see his rulership has brought nothing but misery, chaos and pain.. Therefor showing that God is the rightful ruler.
And right now in this horrible world we can be tempted to say you should have just destroyed him and lived alone.. Who cares about living forever. Once Jehovah welcomes us all in paradise and wipes the tears from our face.. Grants us the desires of our hearts. We'll be glad he didn't
