This will be a long blog. I want to share the growing disbelief I have been having with religion and their teaching on the devil. I find the present day teaching elevating this devil to the status of being similar to God. Religion perceives the devil as a ruler of this world and so do Hollywood movies but that is a direct smack in the face of God Himself. I find much of the teaching concerning the devil producing fear and uncertainty in believers. I believe the devil is nothing more than another manipulative tactic religion uses to get want they want out of others.
15 Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water.
16 And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not CURE him.
17 Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.
18 And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was CURED from that very hour.
14 For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God which in Judaea are in Christ Jesus: for ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews:
15 Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men:
16 Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins alway: for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost.
17 But we, brethren, being taken from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavoured the more abundantly to see your face with great desire.
18 Wherefore we would have come unto you,even I Paul, once and again; but Satan hindered us.
13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
Read Isaiah 14 without religion speaking into your ear and see the context for yourself. Do not allow religion to snatch the word from your heart with their deception as you need to study this for yourself. Look at verse 4:
13 For thou(who in the context) hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
4 And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.
5 And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.
Here is one on Ephesians 6:10 (Armor of God; Wiles of the Devil):
Have you ever stopped and questioned the existence of the devil? I would have to say that so few of us do because religion has so programmed our thinking. Why would we question him when we see names like the devil, Satan, and demons mentioned in the Bible. We have devils possessing people in the NT. Also, this is something we always were taught in religion. We never bothered to stop and question what religion has taught us when we should.
Please understand, the purpose of my blogs is to help people think outside the religious box. It does not mean that one has to agree but it is good to know what we believe and why. I NEVER will accept the "Pastor Mike said so, and church history supports my belief" as even as an excuse for not checking out what religion claims. Our eyes were programmed by religion to simply see things their way. I was amazed as to how many things I was taught by religion that simply does not exist in scripture. I will be sharing various thoughts in the beginning before expounding, so please read this blog to the very end. It may appear confusing at first but it will all clear up.
This will not be an exhaustive blog on the devil so you will still have questions or even verses popping into your mind concerning things that I am saying. This blog is simply for those willing to challenge what they have been taught. My hope is to arouse enough curiosity on your part to study this further. At the end of this blog I will give a few links to articles or videos to begin your study on the devil.
We need to challenge the whole teaching on the devil because religion argues things nowhere taught or wrestled with in scripture concerning these demonic beings. I can prove that right now to you about arguing things nowhere taught by asking you, “What is the purpose of the devil today? If he is a defeated foe then why is he seeking to deceive people?” Your responses to that question will only come from your “perception” and not scripture.
Those who believe salvation can be lost claim that the purpose of the devil is to take as many to hell with him as possible. They argue logically against those who believe in OSAS/Eternal Security that it makes no sense that the devil would be attacking Christians and their “faith” if salvation could not be lost. Basically, if you are eternally secure and in the palm of the Father/Son's hand then why would the devil waste his time and effort on you is their thinking.
The first thought that goes through my head is how is the above paragraph showing a defeated Satan? They picture that his true defeat is yet coming but Paul preaches that Cross triumphs (not will one day triumph) over principalities and powers in Colossians 2 (actually physical and spiritual).
If religion is honest that claims “majority” is going to some hellfire after death then Satan is the one triumphing over Christ because he is clearly winning the war today. This is what happens when you invent answers to fit your religious beliefs.
I hear people who say, “The devil does not want people to know or believe that he is defeated” but where do you get that from the Bible?
I heard preachers say, “The devil would love for you to not believe in him because that way your guard will be down.” Really? Bible verse???
OSAS/Eternal Security responds to those who believe salvation can be lost and claim that the devil’s purpose is to render believers inoperable. Bible verse??? He seeks to rob them of their assurance and joy and that will make them unusable. Really? No bible verse teaches this but I still like to point out that many believers struggle with assurance and joy but do not consider themselves unusable. They still run around passing out gospel tracts and doing their religious duties in hopes of their religious god granting them assurance and joy. This was a made up answer by OSAS to have a comeback against those who falsely teaching that one loses salvation in the afterlife nonsense.
These are made up answers that come from one’s perception of the devil. Satan is said to be an angel but where in your bible do you find him called some former angelic being? This will be something we are going to look at because your religion is making some so-called created spirit being very powerful even though they claim he is defeated.
How can the devil be a defeated foe and yet still be doing what he has been doing from the beginning? Hollywood movies will picture God as a wimp and the devil as a very powerful force. It is religion who teaches that more go to hell than heaven. Who is winning according to such a view as that? I see 1st Corinthians 15:22 as saying:
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
The same “all” in Adam are the same “all” in Christ. I see Christ the ultimate winner and not Adam. Only religion tries to reverse the above order so that they can twist it to mean, “Only those “in Christ” will be made alive” but the “all” does not precede the words “in Christ.”
I see other verses saying that EVERY knee shall bow and EVERY tongue confess that Jesus is Lord and that sounds like total victory to me. However, only religion says that the one group will be forced to confess before being hurled into the Lake of Fire, but that again is nowhere taught. It is religion who has been making you think their way. Trust me, religion is so powerful that they could get you to bear their mark and worship their image. Remember, nobody thinks they are deceived so do not think that it is impossible for you to be deceived.
In religion, the devil is someone to be feared that hardly pictures a defeated foe. It can kill, steal, and destroy. It is interesting how religion makes God the one who kills, steals, and destroys. I remember years back worrying if the devil would try to crash the plane I was on. I had this devil as so powerful that we would pray for safety on the road so that the devil would not throw a 10 ton truck in our path. Yes, that was extreme thinking years back but what power do you give the devil? What worries you that he might be trying to do with you?
I remember a pastor claiming that the devil might send your way a beautiful woman to tempt you to fornicate or commit adultery to ruin you. Really? Where is that in the Bible? Remember, the devil is a deceiver and can take people captive at will, so why can't he use a beautiful man or female to tempt the opposite sex? People are drawn away by their own lusts and the devil is often the lust personified and not a literal being that we will be discussing. The devil being the deceiver and taking people captive can be a reference to religion or sin. Sin is deceitful. We will look into this further.
Why is this all important? If the devil was sin/death personified then we can truly see him as defeated rather than some spirit creature running around. If we are going to picture him as running from person to person to whisper lies in their ears to take them to hell in some afterlife then do not call him defeated. The cross of Christ did NOTHING for anyone in such a view as that. I'm sure that the religious Satan is thrilled when people are born in countries that have no gospel preachers because that is sure victory for him. What nonsense!
The above is also where religion argues the insane. They try softening their beliefs by saying that the pagans hellfire in the afterlife will not be as bad because they never heard the gospel. No bible verse teaches that. Anyways, if they do go and preach the gospel then their hell becomes much greater they claim if they do not believe. Really? The bible teaches that? Go read about the few stripes verses the many stripes again as it was not some after death light beatings forever verses heavy beatings forever. Few stripes meant being whipped a few times that clearly ends.
Others claim that God will give them a chance to believe in the afterlife. Really? No verse teaches that. If that were the case then what atheist looking at God will say, "Sorry, the evidence for your existence is lacking"? If that were the case then why even preach the gospel when having an after death opportunity would make the reality of Jesus Christ all the more real? This is a bunch of religious nonsense being read back into Scripture.
Now tell me who the devil actually is? I can read about angels personally appearing to man but where did Satan literally appear to anyone in Scripture? People say with Eve. So Satan made just one visible appearance? Look at Genesis 3:14:
14 And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, anddust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
Satan is cursed upon all cattle, beast of the field, and upon his belly he shall go?? He shall even eat dust all the days of “his life”?? So “all the days of his life” is not a reference to a coming death but rather a conscious forever existence in hellfire that the OT never taught once? Strange description of a spirit being who supposedly once lived up in heaven with God. This is when religion will try to whip something up to make it sound that the devil was cast to earth (upon thy belly shalt thou go), and we never question religion. Why???
Anyone who tells you that they have seen the devil are the first ones. Nobody reported the nonsense we are hearing today on Youtube. I see people all the time on Youtube saying, "I had a vision of the devil" or "The devil appeared to me." Bologna! You will find that those who claim such things are into sensationalism type of nonsense.
If we are going to argue religious logic to support these beliefs of the devil then I have one I like to ask. The devil is said to be the deceiver of the “whole world.” He is said to take people captive at will that to me does not sound like a defeated foe. There are approximately 7 billion people upon this planet, so how does Satan and his demons make it to every household? My religion said that the devil was in every church service seeking to prevent people from believing the gospel (not one verse says that). They would cite as proof the verse where the devil would remove the seed to prevent them from believing. Interesting they come up with that in the parable of the sower as the gospel of the death, burial, and resurrection that was not taught or implied there. I honestly believe the ones who snatch the seed (word) from the heart is RELIGION. We are to beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing who deceive many. Religion is a great deceiver.
Look quickly at Luke 8:12:
12 Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.
A literal spirit demon comes and somehow can reach in and remove what they have heard? Why can this not be religious people or the message of darkness (the lie)? What does religion seek to do with you when you share a grace message you have heard? They seek to take that word out of your heart. Devil is a slanderer and one who opposes God. I see them exchanging the truth for a lie as how the seed is removed.
We were taught that the devil whispers lies into our ears. Really? What bible verse actually says that the devil has access to your mind? This is where religion will take a couple of verses (Ananias and Sapphira and Judas "filled thine heart") and will come up with such a theory. One question I used to have when I was in religion was how to tell if it was the flesh or the devil speaking to me. Religion tried answering that one too that came from ZERO verses of scripture.
Now if there are 7 billion people in this world then there must be 7 billion fallen angels too. Let’s pretend we wanted to move to Antarctica. Does that mean the devil will pack his bags and move there too? So this devil can fly or teleport himself to the South Pole at will? Are you going to answer that with theories or with a bible verse? The bible does not support these theories.
Let’s pretend that I am the only one living in Antarctica. I clearly do not pose this devil any threat, and I clearly would be a "useless" Christian because there are no “souls” to win there. Are you saying that now the devil would not even bother with me? Would he just go there to rob me of joy and assurance only? Would he still tempt me with sin? If yes, then why? If you answer that question then does your answer come from religious theories or scripture? Things just do not add up here. How many demons are there and how can they deceive the whole world? It only says that the DEVIL is the deceiver of the whole world and not many of them.
Start noticing that sin is called deceitful because the devil is seen as sin personified. Notice that Adam’s sin brought DEATH and death is seen as personified in Revelation where Death was riding a pale horse (Revelation 6:8). The wages of sin is DEATH. The devil is said to have the power of death. Look at Hebrews 2:14:
Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
The bible speaks of messengers of DEATH. We read about the devil and his angels but the Greek word for angels is “messengers.” We have people called Satan or the devil. Jesus told Peter to “Get thee behind me Satan.” Religion attempts to say that Jesus was not talking to Peter but through Peter to Satan himself but Peter rebuked Jesus and Jesus rebuked Peter as Satan. Jesus said concerning Judas, “One of you has a devil” but the indefinite article for “a” is not there in the Greek. He was saying, “One of you is the devil.”
Look at 1st John 3:8:
8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
The context was SIN. “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested” and we know according to John 1:29 “Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the SIN of the WORLD.” If the devil is sin personified then we can truly see him as a defeated foe. Sin has been conquered (devil/sin has been conquered).
It is sad that so many believers live in great fear of the devil when NOBODY in the NT lived in fear of him.
Does a spirit devil possess the power of death or did sin? Is the devil being personified for sin? We have to consider this carefully. I thought it was ADAM’S SIN that brought DEATH into the world?? If sin and death is what we are saved from then the devil is truly defeated. This is where we can cry, “Death where is your sting? Oh grave, where is thy victory?” God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself that the devil deceived (sin has blinded us). The Law veils our eyes and who veils our eyes??? The “god of this world.” These things are all connected and not separate. The devil is death and sin personified.
Romans 5:12:
12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned
The devil sinneth from the beginning, so I thought the devil was the first one to sin and having been cast down to the earth brought this sin with him. However, "by ONE MAN sin entered into the world" and not some devil being who previously sinned up in heaven and bringing this sin to the world. Sin is what has deceived the whole world. Sin is what blinds the eyes.
Do me a favor and look up every reference you can find on the devil and ask yourself, “Who is he?” Find some personal descriptions of him. Does he have literal horns? What is his skin color? What reasons does God give for sending the devil to the earth to tempt and torment so many people? Jesus cast demons (the illness described in the context) into swine but why did God feel the need to cast Satan as religion teaches out of heaven and into earth that He “so loved” according to John 3:16? A world that He said that He saw "everything was GOOD" in Genesis but somehow felt that the earth was the best place to send this so-called Satan to wreak havoc upon what God saw as good. Does not add up and scripture actually does not teach that.
Ask religion as to why God created the so-called devil when He knew what the devil would do to people? You will NOT get a single answer from scripture but theories. Do you not find that a little strange? God would throw a mass murderer and a deceiver into the world? A Satan that entered little children and possessed them according to the NT?? Would that not be similar to a father throwing their daughter into a room with a pedophile saying, “I want to see if my child will resist him and choose me…If she refuses me then he can have his way with her”?? We would call such reasoning sick? Would we not consider that father as mentally disturbed? However, when it comes to the religious “god” is when people have no problem with it and will call that “god” normal, loving, kind, and just. Give me a break! You have no verse that says why God created any literal devil and that is why you should pursue studying this through. Is the devil sin, death, and other things personified? We must study and see.
The devil is seen in connection with disease. Casting out of demons were many times seen as casting out of some illness. Let’s look at a few demon possession stories. The first one comes from Matthew 17:15-18:
16 And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not CURE him.
17 Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.
18 And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was CURED from that very hour.
We read the above verses as saying, “Cured from the devil himself” but that is not what it was saying. Do we really think that the devil enters someone to simply behave like a crazed person? God created crazy beings who toss themselves around violently? The devil religion claims to deceive you is completely subtle but when he enters a body is when he behaves like a total idiot by thrashing himself around. The problem this child had was an illness and that illness was simply the devil personified. The child was CURED of his illness and not from some wandering demon. We fail to see that epilepsy was probably a huge possibility here. Epilepsy with the foaming of the mouth and violent muscle spasms??? No, we prefer believing some demon who acts as though he is having an epileptic fit for who knows what reason. Look at the parallel passage in Mark 9 about the specific episodes this young boy was having in verse 18:
18 And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not.
Epilepsy is where one foams at the mouth and gnashes their teeth (clench their teeth). It makes a lot more sense than some demon spirit acting like a spastic moron. I've witnessed one so-called demon possession many years and this guy acted in my opinion like a total goof. He tried hissing like a snake and attempted to use a deep scary voice because a Pee Wee Herman voice would not be convincing. If you had the power to enter another body then would you be acting like a spastic mindless person? The devil according to religion is highly intelligent so how does Mark 9:18 picture a highly intelligent person? This is where religion makes up theories.
Look at Mark 9:25:
25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.
This again was a parallel passage to what we just read in Matthew 17. This devil was “dumb and deaf” personified. I am seeing illness and not that some devil came along and gave this person a disease, as this is how religion invents things and makes the devil a "god."
I remember when I was a Pentecostal many years ago, as we believed anger problems were caused by a literal devil. We believed that fear was caused by a literal devil. We would pray, “Come out of him you foul spirit of fear in Jesus name!” Sorry, there is no literal dumb and deaf spirit. The spirit is simply a reference to the type of illness the person was suffering from. Do not see “spirit” as some ghostly apparition that entered a body.
Look at 1st Samuel 16:14:
14 But the Spirit of the Lorddeparted from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him.
The OT that never taught some demon possession once is seen by many to be teaching it here in Samuel 16. God sent an evil spirit (evil spirit FROM the Lord) to trouble him??? The “evil spirit” was not some ghost or demon that followed Saul around. It was referring to his conscience. Look at the very next verse:
16 Let our lord now command thy servants, which are before thee, to seek out a man, who is a cunning player on an harp: and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be well.
Look also at the verse last verse in chapter 16:
23 And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.
So harp music cast out literal demons? No, the Spirit of the Lord departing had to do with him as a king. The spirit that took its place was something that David’s harp playing refreshed. The refreshing had to do with how Saul had been “feeling.” The torment was what Saul had been feeling and the “refreshed” was how he now felt compared to before.
The reason such a spirit is said to be from the Lord is that it “followed” naturally Saul’s disobedience. Many Christians suffer with a spirit of guilt or condemnation. Dr. Dwight Pentecost saw the “evil spirit of the Lord” upon Saul as “irritability” and “weariness” (Life’s Problems/God’s Solutions Chapter 6).
Sin supposedly came from the devil from the beginning but Jesus said that sin comes from the HEART of man (Mark 7:20-23) and not some spirit demon. We are not drawn away by some created demon but by our lusts according to James. Resist the devil and he will flee is referring to such lusts.
Remember, Satan entered the heart of Judas and filled his mind. A literal Satan or something figuratively being stated? Something to think about. Was it his own sinful thinking? He filled his heart it said, but what comes out of the heart according to Jesus in Matthew 15:19? A literal Satan or a sin personified?
Religion says that if Satan only knew what the death of Christ would accomplish then he would never have sought to have Him crucified. NO SUCH VERSE! Sin has no brain and it would have affected us all the same.
Religion makes the devil logical and smarter than God. Religion believes the devil would not have done this to Jesus if he knew what killing Him would have accomplished. I guess the devil was never following Jesus around listening to His message even though religion says that the devil is in every church service trying to prevent people from believing the gospel.
Again, the devil is smarter than God and possesses more logic than Him, how? God not being so wise created the devil and sent him to this planet to deceive so many to hellfire forever nonsense in the afterlife that He knew would be accomplished by such a devil. Where is the logical reasoning in the creation of a literal Satan? Do not give me the, “Well, I am not God and He must have His reasons and we know what He does is always just...” type of response to what I am about to ask you.
Question, would you have created a literal defective Satan that would deceive majority of people to some hellfire forever place? Do you go shopping with the thought, “I will buy this electronic equipment because I know it will go break really soon”? If you somehow knew that your next child would be the next Adolf Hitler then would you and your spouse definitely plan on bringing such a child into the world? The religious god is an idiot. This “god” creates his greatest enemy to take most people to some hellfire forever? What is wrong with raising up more Adolf Hitlers? Do unto others as they would do unto you, so if God is doing this unto us then it is only fear we behave like Him. Think about this “god” you believe in.
I was taught when I was a Pentecostal that the reason we prayed in tongues was because it was a language the devil did not understand. Again, no verse teaches that at all. Paul never said to pray in tongues to prevent the devil from hearing you. I used to think the devil was too busy listening to what I had to say and was there to rob me of answered prayer.
People actually believe that some literal devil can hinder your prayers from being answered. I remembered many times praying in my mind to prevent the devil from hearing the certain requests that were important to me. I used to wonder if he could hear my thoughts. Religion said no but then how could this devil talk to my mind and yet not hear it? This is silly and this is what happens when we do not see who the devil truly is and it shows how people do not see a defeated foe.
The verse people use to support the devil hindering prayers is seen in 1stThessalonians 2:18:
18 Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again; but Satan hindered us.
Now is Paul talking about some literal spirit devil here? I really like to see how the Gentiles ever came to believe in some literal Satan who flies around deceiving people when nobody carried a pocket NT back then and when Paul taught no such nonsense.
How did some spirit demon hinder Paul from coming unto them? Did the devil chain up his feet? No, because no spirit demon did hinder Paul as the context made that abundantly clear. Look now at verses 14-18:
15 Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men:
16 Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins alway: for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost.
17 But we, brethren, being taken from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavoured the more abundantly to see your face with great desire.
18 Wherefore we would have come unto you,even I Paul, once and again; but Satan hindered us.
Satan in the context would ONLY be those (human beings in the context) who are contrary to all men and forbidding them to speak to the Gentiles. I no longer pray silly prayers as, “God, keep the devil away” as some external spirit being created by God looking to stop my prayers before they can reach the supposed all knowing and hearing God. Religion is insane.
Here are the definitions Strong’s Concordance gives for the devil:
1. prone to slander, slanderous, accusing falsely
1. a calumniator, false accuser, slanderer,
2. metaph. 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
Religion has created a very powerful spirit devil but fail to see that everything in man or sin has been the devil personified. The craftiness of man is also said to be the craftiness (subtilty in the KJV from the same Greek word) of Satan. The devil can be referring to man too.
Now look quickly at 2ndCorinthians 12:7:
7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
I was taught in religion that the messenger of Satan was some demon following around Paul. The “thorn in the flesh” was never a disease that religion claims. Thorn never once implied physical illness but we simply believed what religion told us. The “thorn” was a physical person and not some spirit being. Paul in the previous chapter just got through talking about the persecutions he endured. Was it a messenger of a literal Satan or a that man disguising himself as a messenger of righteousness in the previous chapter???
False teachers are said to wear sheep’s clothing but Paul spoke of false teachers when talking about Satan disguising himself as an “angel (MESSENGER) of light.” Look at 2nd Corinthians 11:13-15:
14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
Notice verse 15 says, “if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness.” Look at Matthew 25:41:
41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels
The word for angels is MINISTERS. Stop seeing everything as some literal created spirit devil and his many demon followers. If you look at the context of Matthew 25 is to notice the judgment of NATIONS and not some after death experience. Religion has abused the meaning of the word “aion” and “aionios” in Greek. There is no EVERLASTING FIRE taught in scripture but rather one that lasts for an age. Look at Jude 1:7:
7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
Sodom and Gomorrah are still on fire today because it says that they are suffering the vengeance of “eternal” fire? This is why I prefer Young’s Literal Translation on these verses because the KJV and others have made the word that means “age” to now mean “eternal.” I gave links in my blog on Water Baptism for people to read on aion and aionios. I am not going to go into it here.
This fire was seen as an EARTHLY fire in Jude 1:7 and the passage in Matthew 25 was ONLY an EARTHLY passage and not some after death passage that dealt with NATIONS. The sheep on the right and the goats on the left were specifically called NATIONS. It was a figurative judgment. Read the context. If you believe that Matthew 25 is the result of not believing the death, burial, and resurrection gospel then you will be very shocked to find no reference to such a gospel anywhere in Matthew 25. The nations were judged for its treatment of her (Israel) back then (cup of cold water, visiting me in prison, etc.) It was simply a thrusting out of this kingdom that was seen as EARTHLY.
I shared in my other recent blogs concerning the tree being hewn down and cast into the fire. The judgment facing Israel and the constant reference to a physical fire. The “elements” (Law) shall be burned with fervent heat (see my Youtube video on 2nd Peter 3:10-12):
I think the one question that might come to mind would be, “Who tempted Jesus in the wilderness?” I used to believe years ago that when it read in Matthew 4, “And the devil taketh him up” that the devil flew up into a mountain with Jesus with him. I figured everything was supernatural when I was younger.
The problem is the word “devil” because we immediately think of a created spirit being and not a person. The word “devil” is not a noun but an adjective that many people do not even know. We call the devil the tempter but tempter is not even a noun but a verb. You might say that it is simply description of who he is and that is true but my point is that why do you only think of some spirit rather than some description? Start seeing the description given and stop seeing some red man with a tail and a pitchfork.
The problem is the word “devil” because we immediately think of a created spirit being and not a person. The word “devil” is not a noun but an adjective that many people do not even know. We call the devil the tempter but tempter is not even a noun but a verb. You might say that it is simply description of who he is and that is true but my point is that why do you only think of some spirit rather than some description? Start seeing the description given and stop seeing some red man with a tail and a pitchfork.
I do believe Bible dictionaries tend to read their beliefs into a word but here again is Strong’s definition of devil:
1. prone to slander, slanderous, accusing falsely
1. a calumniator, false accuser, slanderer,
2. metaph. 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
Devil can refer to a man. He would be one who opposes the truth. What caught my eye in the temptation of Jesus are the words, “If thou be the Son of God.” Did an actual spirit devil say, “If thou be the Son of God” to make Jesus doubt whether or not He truly was the Son of God or could it be religious leader(s) questioning it themselves? Look at what the religious leaders said to Jesus when He was nailed to the cross and notice the same wording:
40 And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.
I see the exact same wording “if thou be the Son of God” in the same book of Matthew. I only seen literal human beings asking "If thou be the Son of God" to Jesus and not some devil who NEVER once in the OT actually appeared and said, "If thou be a prophet of God...."
Remember, just after the baptism of Jesus (Matthew 3) was when Jesus went into the wilderness (chapter 4). If you read Matthew 3 is to see that the Pharisees were there at John’s baptism as verse 7 reads:
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
You might say that I am reading words into Matthew 4 but so does the spirit devil belief. Where does the Bible say that the devil owned the “kingdoms of the world”? You were told such things by religion but show me a bible verse where the devil is free to give away something that he simply does not own? It was clear what Jesus was being offered was something physical and not some spiritual thing. This devil was offering what only those in physical power had the earthly rights to enjoy and not some spirit devil.
Tell me where this devil appeared from in Matthew 4? You too will have to throw out an argument as well. I am simply pointing out that the religious leaders were the ones who often tempted Jesus. Jesus even said once to the religious leader, "Why tempt ye me?" in the same book of Matthew (22:18). It was the religious leaders who said, “If thou be the Son of God.” I know the Pharisees were there with Jesus at the baptism in the previous chapter. Only religion makes stuff up. Religion says that the same devil who tempted Adam and Eve had to tempt Jesus but I fail to see such words.
Now look at Matthew 4:8-10:
8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
The words “Get thee hence, Satan” was spoken by Jesus elsewhere to a HUMAN named Peter in the same book of Matthew, as 16:23 almost says the same exact words:
23 But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.
Remember, Jesus turned and said unto PETER those words as religion tries to pretend that Jesus was not really saying it to Peter but some supposed Satan spirit. Who is inferring argument? Religion as they are inserting words and ideas nowhere stated.
Religion to prove that the devil can offer kingdoms (never taught as even a possibility ANYWHERE in Scripture and this elevates the devil to God's level again) focuses on the word “world” and claims that the devil is the “god of this world” but the Greek word for “world” in Matthew 4 is Kosmos but the Greek word for “world” in 2ndCorinthians 4:4 is “aion” (age).
They argue that John 12:31 is proof that some literal devil owns this world:
31 Now isthe judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.
If the "now is" referring to a devil being "cast out" then why do you believe he is still around? If this was a literal spirit devil who owned the world that he somehow was able to seize from God Himself then why does Jesus two chapters later say that the “prince of the world is coming”?
30 Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.
Do you really believe that the world belonged to the devil? God is and always will be the sustainer of life. This was only and always God’s world. Stop reading things into the Bible.
OK, this prince of the WORLD comes from where? The spirit realm? I see that this prince of THIS WORLD can only come from this world. The word “prince” means ruler. The devil is called the ruler of this world? Really? Only if you have a bible version that changes the word “prince” into Satan that some wickedly do. The prince of the world is the ruler of the world from an earthly sense. The word “prince” in the OT NEVER referred to some spirit devil but those who ruled kingdoms (kingdoms as in the offer Jesus was being made by the one tempting Him). Daniel 10:13 reads:
13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persiawithstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.
Study the word “prince” in the entire OT and tell me how “prince of this world” now becomes some literal created devil creature in some spirit realm? You can’t! Remember, someone was offering Jesus the kingdoms and who in all of scripture had rights to the kingdoms? A literal created devil spirit or leaders?
Cannot “prince of this world” have a spiritual reference? Yes, of course it can and does. Sin had spiritual consequences. The purpose of this blog is to examine the existence of some literal created devil who is seeking to take as many to hell as possible nonsense only. I said that this blog will not be exhaustive but one for you to think and study for yourself.
People see the word “worship” and assume some spirit devil wanted Jesus to worship him. Where do you EVER see any devil wanting worship? You have to argue things nowhere taught. Now look at how Strong’s defines the word worship:
1. used of homage shown to men and beings of superior rank
1. to the Jewish high priests
2. to God
3. to Christ
4. to heavenly beings
5. to demons
Your eyes probably focused on #5 “to demons” but the worship of devils/demons was connected to idol worship. Is there really some spirit being worshipped when it was an idol? Idol worship was seen as something false as they literally were worshiping nothing. Baal was an idol but was there really a Baal spirit living inside a statue? No, as God never said that a literal devil assumes the role of some idol.
I see the religious leaders trying to get Jesus on their side and for a good reason. Jesus was causing many to turn from the Pharisees. It is my opinion that to win Jesus over would have won a people back over to the religious leaders. Jesus growing popularity caused the Pharisees to say this later in John 12:19:
19 The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? behold, the world is gone after him.
I simply do not see the temptation of Jesus to be by some ghostly devil appearing in bodily form and walking around with Him to tempt Him. Only religion says that a literal devil was seeking to ruin God’s big plan. Only religion teaches how the devil was trying to get the whole world to go with him to some after death hellfire nonsense with him. All made up teachings. You have been believing religion. This nonsense is how they manipulate you. They make you think that questioning them has the devil behind it and it scares you from challenging anything you believe.
Look now at Revelation 20:13:
10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
This is when religion comes along and says that the above is literal inside a book full of figurative and symbolic language. The lake of fire was not literal unless you believe Revelation 9 is literal too:
17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.
18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.
I see fire, smoke, and brimstone in the above and even coming out of a horses nose, so that is literal?
People assume that a literal Satan is bound up for a 1000 years in the bottomless pit they call hell. However, this “bottomless pit” was also not literal because Revelation 9 shows an EARTHLY picture of it:
9 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.
2 And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkenedby reason of the smoke of the pit.
The smoke darkened the sun and air that is only on planet earth. Compare the above to Revelation 20:
2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
Now if we are going to argue a literal spirit Satan bound up then we need to question the God of love on this one. Imagine I had the power to raise up the dead. I actually found a cure for dead people. I decide to raise up Adolf Hitler and give him the right to go and kill as many people as possible. Am I a good person? Would you have the utmost respect for me? Would you sing my praises? No, you would say that I am psychotic and that I am supporting the greatest mass murderer and I should be convicted and jailed for my crime.
OK, why release a literal Satan to deceive nations where people end up going to this so-called religious hellfire forever because they listened to him? Do not give me the freewill choice nonsense. It specifically says that he was shut up to deceive nations no more for 1000 years, so why do people only enjoy 1000 years and not permanently? I thought we execute people to stop their crime spree but I guess that does not apply with Satan. God knows he will deceive again so why let him out when everyone was enjoying not being deceived? Do you like to be deceived? We can be assured that how religion has taught us to view the devil and Revelation 20 is simply them playing games with the figurative and symbolic language. Religion is the great deceiver.
Now Revelation 20:13 says that the devil, beast, and false prophet were cast into the lake of fire. Is there a literal beast? The answer is “no” and most will admit that. The beast often represents a political or religious system. The Beast of Babylon is one. Is the false prophet literal? No, as many know he was pictured as the one with 2 heads. It was all figurative. Let me repeat:
Notice that it says the “beast” was cast into this lake of fire. The beast is accepted by most as figurative and not literal. If you think the beast is literal then something with 7 heads and 10 horns is frying away in agony forever and ever.
Notice that it says, “false prophet” as well. People assume that the “false prophet” was some man proclaiming a false gospel. Some think he was the anti-christ. The false prophet was actually a two horned beast (Revelation 13). The false prophet was not a literal person. It can picture religion.
The devil here is figurative as well, as he was the deceiver. If you cannot see the figurative language then look at verse 14:
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
How is a literal death and how is a literal hades (hell) cast into a so-called literal lake of fire? Are death and hades literal spirit beings? Then how is the beast who was never a literal person or spirit being cast into the lake of fire?
The second death is simply death to the first death (Adam sin brought death but Jesus brought life). The DEAD are said to be cast into this lake and not the conscious living. It is all figurative language. Notice that the devil, beast, and false prophet are said to be tormented day and night (day and night is an earthly reference and it is figurative here). However, the dead cast into it are not said to be tormented here. However, people will throw out Revelation 14 that reads and I will need to sidetrack from what I have been talking about:
8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
Where is one said to have died here and gone to some place of torment? The words “for ever and ever” do not mean that in the Greek. This is why I prefer Young’s Literal Translation in such verses:
11 and the smoke of their torment doth go up to ages of ages; and they have no rest day and night, who are bowing before the beast and his image, also if any doth receive the mark of his name.
This torment is seen as figurative and here on planet earth. Remember, religion tells you that there is no “day or night” in their hellfire. The "have no rest” is not an after death picture at all. Only religion inserts words nowhere taught in scripture that one goes to this hellfire after they die and will never have rest from the constant burning of fire (not taught) but “God is love” they say and “His love never fails” and “His mercy endures forever” and that is contradictory nonsense. I can only hope that you will stop believing their insane contradictory nonsense. If you ever stop to think how contradictory they are then you will no longer call what you are doing as “faith” but insanity as that was the conclusion I came to realize.
One needs to pay attention to the context because religion makes the above verses apply to everyone who ever lived. Bablyon falls…that is here on PLANET EARTH. Worship the BEAST (figurative) as Babylon was that Beast that KJVO and other deceivers are calling the pope or the Catholic Church (shame on them). This Bablyon (does not exist today) made NATIONS (talking about planet earth again) to drink of the wrath of her fornication. My question to those who are worried that they are going to this scary fire to be somehow literally tormented night and day as to whom gets tormented only in the context??? Those only who received this mark and worshipped this beast of Bablyon that religion twists to mean anything they like (Catholic Church, sin in general, etc.) These verses are past but religion makes them all future because they wish to read symbolic language as literal.
Just like the message in Revelation 19:
19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, having been gathered together to make war with him who is sitting upon the horse, and with his army;
20 and the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet who did the signs before him, in which he led astray those who did receive the mark of the beast, and those who did bow before his image; living they were cast -- the two -- to the lake of the fire, that is burning with brimstone;
21 and the rest were killed with the sword of him who is sitting on the horse, which [sword] is proceeding out of his mouth, and all the birds were filled out of their flesh.
It again was figurative language. They were cast alive into this lake of fire (figurative) but the rest were killed with the sword that again is figurative. It is figurative unless you believe a sword was literally coming out of his mouth. The “kings of the earth” however are read again in Revelation 21 as not making war but now:
24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.
I had someone try telling me that the “kings of the earth” in Revelation 19 was kings of certain places but the “kings of the earth” in Revelation 21 was kings of other places. The bad “kings of the earth” were removed and only the good “kings of the earth” remained was what he attempted to reason. That is a nice attempt to read words nowhere stated back into scripture. Revelation dealt only with the “kings of the earth” and not two types of “kings of the earth” groups. It was all figurative language and it was ALL upon planet earth and not some after death or out-of-body experience.
We are dealing with “NATIONS” and nobody was allowed to enter this "city" unless their name was written in the book of life (Rev. 21:27) but the NATIONS of the saved (physical salvation) were allowed to go in and out of this city. Stop making Revelation 20 an after death experience or some other dimension because the verses do not support you. Stop making what John himself did not many times understand as something your religion has all the answers for. Anyone can take symbolic language and make it apply to just about anything. I was at Bible Conference at Bob Jones University years ago and heard a guest speaker claim that some verse in Revelation addressed the state of California. Good grief!
Again, the torment is figurative. Only religion takes the word "torment" and will read the most unheard of type of torture possible and people believe religion. If the torment is literal then a literal beast is tormented but we know that the beast is figurative. Only religion reads unspeakable agony into the word "torment" but here is how Strong's Concordance defines "torment":
Do not go reading more into the word than there is.
Again, the torment is figurative. Only religion takes the word "torment" and will read the most unheard of type of torture possible and people believe religion. If the torment is literal then a literal beast is tormented but we know that the beast is figurative. Only religion reads unspeakable agony into the word "torment" but here is how Strong's Concordance defines "torment":
- to torture, a testing by the touchstone, which is a black siliceous stone used to test the purity of gold or silver by the colour of the streak produced on it by rubbing it with either metal
- torment, torture
- the act of tormenting
- the state or condition of those tormented
Let’s continue back to our study about the devil.
Look at James 2:19:
19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
Literal devils believe and tremble at the Shema of Israel, “Our Lord is one”? It amazes me how religion claims that the verse is somehow proving that one can have the faith of some literal spirit created devils and not be saved. I never knew the “Believe God is one” was the gospel. I never knew the so-called created devils had some chance to be saved. If the devils had no hope of being saved then why compare them to humans? The fact is that James was comparing humans to humans and not humans to some literal devils in the context at all. It makes no sense to compare humans to that of some literally created devils in James 2. It only makes sense to compare humans to humans.
James 4:7 reads:
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
I was taught that this was the actual devil coming after me but the context does not even argue that some literal created devil was responsible for what was happening in the immediate context. Resisting the devil here had only to do with what was going on in the context as that sort of spirit must be resisted (that specific lust. The devil would be the lust personified).
I heard someone argue that the occult practices prove the existence of a literal demon realm. I guess the devil is waiting to answer requests of people who summon him but we know that is nonsense.
What people do not realize is that the occult makes this “devil” a god because he now has the power to grant wishes. Years ago, I was heavily involved in the occult and was no novice when it came to the occult.
I had my own Satanic Bible, book on Necronomicon, and "many" books on the occult. I had books on black magic and even white magic and studied all I could at a library. I went about trying to raise spirits. I attempted to do this before lakes, rivers, and deep within a forest preserve to bring forth demons. I went with a group of friends to the city of Chicago to meet with those of a brotherhood who practiced these arts to learn from them. I sat down and talked with a woman for about 2 hours who was a traffic security guard in Chicago that was said to be quite gifted with the arts.
I was into astral projection and other forms of the occult. I was into burning incense and lighting candles while listening and letting my mind go with a song designed specifically for some spiritual experience.
I was into Silva Mind Control. I used to practice Silva Mind Control every night at bedtime to go into my Alpha level and eventually Theta to supposedly improve myself. I would go to the “laboratory in my mind” where I had my movie screen and file cabinets in there as instructed by Silva Method. I would also seek out my so-called spirit guide in this laboratory. I had a door in this laboratory for my so-called spirit guide to come to greet me.
I did the Ouija Board thing as well as Tarot Cards. I worked at developing my 3rd eye of bologna. I tried table tilting and even psychometry.
I used to dress in a black hooded robe as I rang a bell to the 4 corners of the earth surrounded by a circle of salt (or flour as I cannot remember since that was years ago). This circle would have satanic symbols on the ground within and without the circle for so-called protection with black and white candles trying to stay lit outside. I started chanting words in a foreign language (words written in a book) inside of this circle with friends late at night to call upon a demon.
You would never guess what I saw in raising up of these spirits? I saw the spirit of NOTHING. My spirit guide even had a name as he called himself Oscar Mayer Bologna. It was a bunch of mind messing nonsense that will leave you paranoid believing demons and spirits are following you around. Yes, I was a complete nut.
If the occult worked then diseases would be cured. If the occult worked then people would be winning the lotto. If the occult worked then people would get that dream job. If the occult worked then personal enemies would vanish or die.
Many people turn to the occult because they have less faith in God. Some try to mix the occult in with their belief of God. The occult is nothing more than hocus pocus bogus. My flesh wants to meet with a so-called witch and say, “I will stop pouncing your head the moment those demons you call for help ends up rescuing you” and I say that jokingly of course. I say that to prove that the witch would know that hope would not come because deep down they know (as I once did) that it is all full of prunes. It is the "I WANT TO BELIEVE" and they will convince themselves of what it is they want to believe.
I will say this, when I practiced spirit raising alone produced some intense scary feelings and moments. If I practiced it with someone else who believed the same nonsense then we often felt the same scary feelings. A dark cemetery could really enhance those scary emotions that we would convince ourselves was a presence of an unknown spirit being. However, try doing that in front of a group of spectators is when NOTHING happens and any scary feelings you will encounter will be those of making a fool out of yourself in a room full of people seeing you are full of prunes. My point is this, if anyone claims to raise the dead then say, “Let’s see” because it will never happen in front of you but only in the realm of “stories” people like to tell.
If you still have a mother or father that is alive today then try this experiment. Ask a so-called psychic that you have never met and you know that this psychic never had a chance to research you this question, “My mother died 3 months ago and I want to know if she is OK.” You will now find your living mother speaking to you from the dead. Imagine that??
You have to outsmart the psychics to prove them to be full of prunes. I would love for someone that has a relative who died with a difficult name to pronounce. I would love to see them ask the psychic, “My relative died and wanted to know if he/she was trying to contact me?” Never begin asking for a name because that is when they will claim that they do not have a strong connection with your relative. When the psychic claims to have made contact is when you ask for the name of that relative and that is when you will have a Whoopie Goldberg type of psychic in front of you. If you are not sure what I am talking about when I say Whoopie Goldberg then watch this short and funny clip from the movie Ghost:
If they are literally talking to the dead then a name should be the easiest thing to get as I doubt any ghost would forget their name. However, the dead always has a load of other info he/she would like to get across but for some reason they forget their names. This is when the psychic will mention a common name and will hope you will fill in the details. Example was when Whoopie Goldberg said,“Maria” and the lady made a connection, “Si, it’s his mama.”
All the stories you hear always seem to happen to some friend or they share something they heard (all unverifiable). It might come from someone who seems to be obsessed with ghosts already (they want to believe). They might even share what happened to them but always without reliable witnesses. The stories of how the Ouija Board screamed when thrown into the fire but mystically reappeared on one’s shelf in their bedroom was nonsense I heard when I was a teenager and that story is still floating around today. They are stories of pure nonsense. If you can raise up a demon then be sure to have a television crew and a live audience because NOTHING is going to happen and you are full of nonsense.
The occult does mess with the mind. I did the occult due to my anger issues as weird as that might sound. It was how I coped as it was like a drug escaping reality. It filled a void in my life at the time. I know of people who are in a very angry home who listen to extreme types of rock music when angry as it somehow helps them to cope and that is what the occult did for me. It actually messed my head up more as it works like a drug where you desire more of it.
The occult does require drugs in many cases to make it more real as the “mind” needs to be altered. Witchcraft in scripture comes from the Greek word pharmakeia where we get the English word “Pharmacy.” It is tied with the use or the administering of drugs. Witchcraft is also connected with idolatry but we know that there are NO gods beside Him. It is simply making up a “god” like a “golden calf” and then worshiping it. Devil worship is the same as Baal worship. You might as well praise the manure of cattle as it will have the same power and influence over you as some made up demon name. It was only viewed as idolatry and not an actual reality in scripture. Obviously idolatry is not the worship of any literal being but rather something that is false. The occult is only proof that idolatry still continues. People have worshiped cats so does a demon feline spirit possess them? There are religions who worship the male penis and have created statues of large penises as disgusting as that sounds. I am simply making a point here. It is all bologna.
People tell me that they have seen ghosts or demons. I would say, “Congratulations! You have experienced something nobody in the Bible experienced.” Tell me, who in the Bible saw some supposed real devil that appeared to them where they panicked because they saw a ghost? When people tell me that they have seen a ghost is when I tell them that I saw Humpty Dumpty in the tree of my backyard late one night as a child (no joke). My brother still laughs about that to this day. I was lying in bed looking out the bedroom window and swore I saw Humpty Dumpty up in the tree looking at me. I told my brother who was in his bed in the same room, “I see Humpty Dumpty.” When I turned back was when Humpty Dumpty must have had a great fall because he was gone. Now if your ghost experience was real because you saw it then Humpty Dumpty really came to see me as a little boy.
We were taught that Satan fell literally out of heaven and took a 1/3 of the angels with him. Where do we get this nonsense? People assume Lucifer (Latin word KJV has in its version) is Satan. Most quote Isaiah 14:12 to prove that a literal Satan fell out of heaven:
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
The above is taught that Lucifer was once in heaven but has fallen. The belief is that the devil wanted to be like God and have his own throne (see verse 13). One needs to read the entire context because Isaiah 14 was NOT talking about some spirit devil nonsense. We are dealing with the earthly realm here and not the spiritual.
It is funny how KJV onlyist will hoot and howl over the NIV for changing the LATIN word “Lucifer” to “morning star.” They quote 2nd Peter 1:19 where it reads “day star” (morning star) believing it represents Jesus Christ and the NIV calling Lucifer “morning star” makes Jesus and Satan one and the same. The reason it is funny to me is that “Lucifer” is actually a Latin word that clearly means “light bearer” or “morning star” and it was borrowed from Jerome’s translation of the Bible (Latin Vulgate that KJVO despise). I am not going to bother with the silliness of the KJV onlyism nonsense but will say that “Lucifer” in Isaiah 14 was not some spirit demon as it most certainly was not Satan for there is no Satan in Isaiah 14. Only religion inserts a "Satan" into that passage.
YLT renders verse 12:
12 How hast thou fallen from the heavens, O shining one, son of the dawn! Thou hast been cut down to earth, O weakener of nations.
Would the above translation make you think that it was the devil in that verse being addressed? It would not because your eyes were not trained by religion to see “shining one” as some demonic being as they have done with your eyes concerning the word Lucifer. You only find one time the word “Lucifer” used in the King James “Version” of the Bible. The ONLY reason you believe Lucifer is Satan is because religion told you that and you never bothered to verify it. You accepted their word for it.
4 That thou shalt take up this proverb AGAINST THE KING OF BABYLON, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased!
This “proverb” is “against the KING OF BABYLON.” Notice how the “king of Babylon” was to be addressed, “How hath the oppressor ceased! The golden city ceased!” (the heaven he fell from). Now compare that wording to what you read in verse 12:
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
It is still the same talk addressing the “king of Babylon.” The one cast down was this King.
Look at verses 13-14:
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
People read that and see some literal spirit realm of heaven being described out of those words. Sorry, we read about the weakening of NATIONS. Fallen to the GROUND. This is a PROVERB. We are dealing with the physical realm. KING OF BABLYON. It is all right there in front of you. Read the chapter and pay attention to verse 4 and beyond and ask how a spirit demon named Lucifer came into the picture here about his so-call fall from being in heaven as some former angel???
Verse 16 reads:
16 They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the MAN that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;
Is this the MAN? The king of Babylon or some spirit demon? This king who once caused the earth to tremble was said to have fell and not Satan. There is no Satan in the entire context.
People see the word “heaven” and assume God’s dwelling place in the spirit realm. Look at Genesis 11:4-5 and notice the word “heaven” that did not mean God’s dwelling place:
5 And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.
Ezekiel 28:12-17 is seen by religion to be a description of Satan as a former angel:
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.
16 By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.
17 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.
Where do you see the name Satan? I only see a message for the King of Tyrus. I see the message as, “say unto HIM” (an actual person).
Religion tries making this to be a dual comparison to both a man and also Satan who is failed to be mentioned at all here. So the story begins about how Satan (nowhere mentioned here) was a beautiful angel and a guardian cherub. Then pride got to Satan and he wanted to raise up a throne above God. Let’s stop right there and ask, “Was Satan that stupid to think that it was even remotely possible to do such a thing?" We know that would be impossible so why would Satan who supposedly was God’s presence guardian not know that? With religion, you will have to insert words into a passage to make it mean whatever it is you like.
There is no shift going from the physical to the spiritual here (man compared to Satan). The man to be addressed was never being compared to some fallen angel. How would this king even know that he was compared to some Satan? Satan is called man here? Satan has riches of silver and gold among other forms of riches as the passage suggests?
The prince of Tyrus was addressed from verse one and on up, so how will Satan be put to death by the hands of men that verse 10 states:
10 Thou shalt die the deaths of the uncircumcised by the hand of strangers: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord God.
If this is a dual truth or prophesy then Satan is going to be killed by humans.
What you read in Ezekiel 28 was some king with a big head. Some think that such a man could not have thought that “Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God” by a few commentators. Really? A big head problem seemed common with kings as we read this in Daniel 4:30:
30 The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?
Nowhere do I find Satan doing any speaking in Ezekiel 28. NOBODY reading Ezekiel would have concluded with what religion has taught it to mean today. Religion inserted words into a passage nowhere stated and many believes religion. Welcome to the world of religion, the great deceiver! What religion did with Ezekiel 28 is what we call an inferred argument to prove the fallen from heaven Satan nonsense.
Verse 15 throws some off:
15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
The word “perfect” has the meaning of blameless (often translated “without blemish” in the OT) and is ascribed to people. Paul said that he was blameless when it came to the Law. A bishop must be “blameless” Paul said but people here read the above as one without sin. Satan was perfect they said until he sinned but there is no reference here to a Satan. Stop putting a Satan into a Satan-less passage. Let’s be honest, Noah and Job were called blameless. We have people in the NT called blameless (Zechariah and Elizabeth in Luke 1:6). Are we saying that blameless cannot be applied to a King as well?
Just read the entire context and ask yourself, “If I were stranded on an island then would I see a dual prophecy here? Would this passage reveal a Satan?” The chapter was judgment against Sidon and the restoration of Israel. The passage never talked about some created spirit Satan. Verse 17 reads:
17 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.
Literal Satan cast before kings so that they may behold him?
Where does your so-called created Satan come from? The only 2 verses that religion uses to support their created fallen angel Satan never talks about Satan. I typically do not care what theologians believe but “many” do not teach or believe that Isaiah 14 or Ezekiel 28 was referring to Satan. The fact is, there are NO verses that support the fall of Satan. Everything you read is directed to a KING and about him only and not about some fallen angel nonsense. If this be true then where does your religious Satan come from???
Now look at a New Testament passage with similar words. Luke 10 reads:
13 Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in you, they had a great while ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.
14 But it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment, than for you.
15 And thou, Capernaum, which art EXALTED TO HEAVEN, shalt be thrust down to hell.
16 He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me.
17 And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.
18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan (adversary) as lightning FALL FROM HEAVEN.
A literal Satan fall from heaven where God resides? So if Isaiah 14 was the devil falling from heaven back before the world was created (read into Isaiah by religion) then I guess Satan fell again from the same heaven according to Luke 10. Here is one video to watch that presents a different way of thinking than what religion has been dishing out:
I’ve learned that people love hellfire, the devil, judgment, and KJVO. If you find a person defending such things to the point of name calling then be sure to visit their website or Youtube channel and notice all the judgment and doom and gloom sites they belong too. You will find them calling Catholic’s names or homosexuals names. The hotter the hell the angrier that person tends to be. Attack their precious devil and they get upset. They will claim that denying the existence of a literal created devil means you go to hell. I never knew, “Believe upon a created devil and thou shalt be saved” existed, as this is what some invent out of thin air. Religion is wicked and do not allow them to keep inserting things into your mind. Start reading the context and assume that everything you heard is subject to error. Do not be the blind following the blind. Do not be closed minded!
I no longer have to wonder, “Why would God create such a horrific being called Satan that would take majority of people to some hellfire forever (nonsense) for all eternity?” I can with Paul say, "O Death (personified), where is they sting? O Grave (personified), where is thy victory?" (1st Corinthians 15:56). The sting of death was SIN. The devil, death, and hades were cast into the lake of fire as that is why we can shout VICTORY! This is why 1st Corinthians 15:57 says:
57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Some literal devil does not hinder my prayers from reaching God’s ears. Satan is a defeated foe when we see him for what he actually is and no longer some created spirit being that clearly is not defeated by how religion defines him. My knowing who the devil truly is allows me to use my shield of faith properly that I might withstand those fiery darts.
Sin is defeated and death is defeated. If you do not make the connection of those things with the devil then you will be assuming that the devil is out right now trying to steal your joy and assurance to supposedly render you useless that is NOWHERE taught. You will be assuming that some literal Satan is trying to rob you of salvation that is NOWHERE taught. You will be fearing that some literal Satan is trying to kill you and your family and plague you all with disease because of what religion has taught you concerning Job in the OT. See the devil for who is really is and see him as defeated. This devil has zero power over you. He is not what religion has created where this devil comes literaly to you to destroy you when you least expect it. How resisting is when he goes away for a little while as that was NOT what James was teaching. If you were the devil then how long would you keep prying away at someone to break them down? A day? A few days? I doubt that very much. That was a thought that used to concern me when I was a literal devil believer. It was the, "What if the devil does not stop harassing me?" Does that picture a defeated foe? No it does not.
Again, you might have many questions as this blog was not meant to answer them all. Just spend the time yourself reading various articles, videos, or books on the subject. I have a list of things you can read but I never investigating their backgrounds. This means that you are to read the article or watch the videos but know that it does not mean that I support such people. The problem with religious people is that they assume that anyone “outside” their religion can only be teaching error and can never be trusted. It’s sad how religious people justify closed mindedness. I do not care if a Jehovah Witness had written an excellent article. I can agree with the parts that are correct but that does not mean that I support him or her other beliefs. We can learn from one another if we are willing to not be so closed minded and rigid with our beliefs.
Rejoice, the devil is truly defeated! There is no created evil spirit trying to possess you, hinder your prayers, make you do things, or seeking to give you a disease. There is no devil trying to drag you to his so-called hell. There is no demon ghost coming into your home or trying to kill your children. Stop living in bondage to the religious Satan who clearly is not a defeated foe in their beliefs. Again, this is why those who believe that salvation as some after death experience will see some so-called created Satan going after believers to bring them back to some hell when they die. It is all purely ridiculous.
It is time to dethrone the god of religion called the devil. Religion has made this "thing" extremely powerful and it is time to cast him below your feet. See the religious devil as defeated and dethroned once and for all. Stop making some so-called devil a "god" that has amazing powers. See him for who he truly is because then you will be able to withstand him.
It is time to dethrone the god of religion called the devil. Religion has made this "thing" extremely powerful and it is time to cast him below your feet. See the religious devil as defeated and dethroned once and for all. Stop making some so-called devil a "god" that has amazing powers. See him for who he truly is because then you will be able to withstand him.
Articles:
http://www.the-gospel-truth.info/bible-teachings/the-true-identity-of-the-devil-satan/
http://www.thisisyourbible.com/index.php?page=library&task=show&mediaid=3019
Here are some videos you may enjoy:
Here is one on Ephesians 6:10 (Armor of God; Wiles of the Devil):
]
You will notice the same above author/Youtube individual but my beliefs were not changed due to him. I simply found him doing a good job explaining things but I certainly do not subscribe to his other beliefs (he believes in annihilationism). I have not watched all his videos but only a few but these videos/articles are simply for you to take your studies a step further.
Again, the above list does not mean that I agree with everything they say or even their other beliefs. If you decide to investigate them to see their particular religion then it is possible that you see your religion as superior to all. This is how closed mindedness works. Do not write someone off because they do not subscribe to your particular religion. Just read the articles and learn.
Again, the above list does not mean that I agree with everything they say or even their other beliefs. If you decide to investigate them to see their particular religion then it is possible that you see your religion as superior to all. This is how closed mindedness works. Do not write someone off because they do not subscribe to your particular religion. Just read the articles and learn.