The Origin & Demise of Satan

AuthorHouse

Contents

1. Inquiry Concerning Evil.......................................12. Emerging of the Kingdom.......................................153. How the Devil Came into Existence.............................334. How Belief in Satan Has Changed...............................435. The Destiny of the Church.....................................516. Spirit of Truth Binds Evil (Satan)............................637. Evil: A Choice................................................778. Evil in the Dark Ages.........................................819. Past Decisions of Councils....................................9310. "Angel" Generally Means "Messenger"...........................9911. Jesus Tempted by Lust?........................................10712. Evil: an Act of Disobedience..................................11313. Belief Affects Interpretation.................................12314. Tradition Versus the Mystery..................................13315. Day of Increasing Knowledge...................................14316. Love Eliminates Fear..........................................15517. Increasing Kingdom Conditions.................................17318. Why Evil is Called Satan......................................18919. Transition into the Kingdom...................................19720. Scriptures Related to the Lord's Presence.....................21521. Truth Transforms Christians...................................23322. Search for Truth..............................................24723. Differences in Interpretation.................................26524. Leviathan, the Serpent........................................29925. Holy Spirit Versus Evil Spirit................................31526. Our Emotions..................................................33127. Exorcism......................................................34328. Promise of God's Love and Justice.............................35729. The Battle of Armageddon......................................38730. God's Loving Plan.............................................407

Chapter One

A preacher once said, "The Bible has undoubtedly endured greatest abuse and misunderstanding from rationalistic higher criticism and skepticism."

This may be so, but it also can happen that the Bible, investigated with rational criticism and skepticism, will bring forth revelation and inspiration. Over the centuries, critics and skeptics have experienced a changed life because the message of God's Word produced unexpected hope and trust within their hearts. Such inquiring minds have found the words of the prophets and apostles authentic and inspirational in that both writer and reader are motivated by God's spirit of justice, righteousness, love, and mercy. The apostle Peter understood this, saying:

"For no prophecy ever originated in human will, but men, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, spoke for God." -2 Peter 1:21 (Gspd1)

It is my hope that in reading this book, you will allow its contents to be judged in a fair and reasonable manner, for the objective is to present a delightful perspective as to what the future holds for the world of mankind, both the living and the dead. Even skeptical minds, searching for answers to present life and future existence, can find the Bible inspirational, comforting, and a guide in the present, while offering strong hope and faith in the future, for it presents a logical and reasonable foundation for human existence in an all-encompassing scenario that not only covers man's creation and his experience with evil and death, but also the resurrection with restitution opportunity for life upon earth. Over a century ago, a well known pastor in his day offered a reasonable explanation for why God allowed evil, which has brought so much suffering and death. He wrote:

"God first made his creatures acquainted with good, surrounding them with it in Eden; and afterward, as penalty for disobedience, he gave them a severe knowledge of evil. Expelled from Eden and deprived of fellowship with Him, God let them experience sickness, pain, and death, that they might thus forever know evil and the expediency and exceeding sinfulness of sin. By comparison of results they came to an appreciation and proper estimate of both 'And the Lord said: Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil.' -Gen. 3:22 In this their posterity share, except that they first obtain their knowledge of evil, and cannot fully realize what good is until they experience it in the Millennium, as a result of their redemption by him who will then be their judge and King."

Some Christians have little desire to examine interpretations of Scripture if they are not in harmony with tradition. Hopefully, this book will help improve the reader's spiritual perception of Scriptural truths and increase overall knowledge of God's plan and purpose for this earth and humanity. A century ago, perception among Christians was unanimous that God allowed a powerful spirit being to become evil, who then enticed and converted other spirit beings into following the path of evil.

Thus, hordes of evil spirit beings were thought to exist to assist the powerful, evil spirit being called Satan to tempt people to sin. This long-held doctrine, based upon fear, will disappear under Kingdom conditions as the 'restitution of all things' continues to increase.

For now, the following question is to be addressed: Why would God create the human race with the ability to conceive good and evil, but also create an evil spirit being who conceives only evil to entice people into doing evil? In other words, is it necessary for an evil spirit being to tempt people into choosing evil if such emotions as lust, greed, anger, jealousy, envy, etc., triggered in the minds of people, give people the option to conceive evil or good? Why would it then be necessary to be plagued by enticements of an evil spirit being? Jeremiah reminds us that:

"The heart [is] deceitful above all [things], and desperately wicked: who can know it -Jeremiah 17:9

And the apostle James wrote:

"But every man (and woman) is tempted, when he (or she) is drawn away of his (or her) own lust, and enticed." -James 1:14

Isn't acting upon feelings of lust, hate, anger, envy, etc. a learned behavior? Otherwise, how is it that people are to learn righteousness? Also, why would God, in knowing the future, have a plan of salvation for humanity while supposedly sinful, "evil" angelic hosts are to be destroyed without a ransom or opportunity for salvation? Doesn't that concept indicate a double standard? God blesses us, if we have the interest, to perceive rational answers from the Bible to questions about God's wisdom, power, love, and justice.

There are many questions; for example, why do such names as Satan, Devil, Serpent, and Dragon produce frightening images in the minds of people? Has the Bible, in the context of man's fear, been misinterpreted to say that evil spirit beings exist to cause believers to do evil? Could it be that the human mind assumes or imagines that evil spirit beings exist in order to escape responsibility for sin? Why are books written to describe why and how evil spirit beings communicate with or cause harm to humans? Can an objective and rational investigation of Scripture bring forth enough evidence to convince unprejudiced, reasoning minds that fear of evil spirit beings over the centuries is psychological, mythical, and born of misinterpretation? Doesn't the Bible tell us it is God's purpose, through His son Jesus the Christ in his Kingdom, to bring blessings of restitution to humanity without fear of a Satan, Devil, Serpent, Dragon?

"And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years." -Revelation 20:2

(Further explanation of this scripture is provided in this book.)

For many centuries, people have believed that temptation comes through the influence of evil spirit beings, even though the Bible and history of mankind overwhelmingly confirms that wicked thoughts and evil activity are conceived in the minds of people. The apostle Paul wrote:

"Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are [these]; fornication, impurity, debauchery, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, quarrels, jealousies, resentments, altercations, factions, sects, envyings, inebrieties, revellings, and things similar to these: respecting which I tell you before, even as I previously told you, that they who practice such things shall not inherit God's Kingdom." -Galatians 5:19-21, Diaglott

(The Emphatic Diaglott; by Benjamin Wilson, an interlinear translation from Greek to English, is a word-for-word translation of the Vatican Manuscript #1209 and is well recognized among Bible students and scholars.)

In regards to works of the flesh, Paul also wrote:

"Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof."-Romans 6:12

This statement by the apostle points to evil as conceived and acted upon by people, not induced or inspired by evil spirit beings.

Paul also said:

"Study to show thyself approved unto God." -2 Timothy 2:15

Wouldn't Paul's directive involve questioning the why and how of evil? The prophet Jeremiah wrote,

"I the LORD search the heart, [I] try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, [and] according to the fruit of his doings." -Jeremiah 17:1

God has created men and women with the ability to reason; to dream; to have visions and imagination; to do righteously; and to seek justice, love, and mercy. He allows them talents to be used for good, but He also created them with the ability to act upon such emotions as pride, anger, greed, fear, hate, ignorance, and superstition, which leads to choices between good and evil.

Thus, negative thoughts can lead to evil acts, a characteristic that has dominated the minds of many people; the Bible describes it as darkness in people.

Proverbs tells us:

"The way of the wicked [is] as darkness: they know not at what they stumble." -Proverbs 4:19

Isaiah wrote:

"For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people." -Isaiah 60:2

Thus, the word "darkness" depicts willfully wicked and ignorant thoughts that blank out the light of truth, justice, righteousness, and love. Under this darkness of wickedness and willful ignorance, descriptive names for evil were devised, such as Satan, Devil, Demon, Serpent, Dragon, and Lucifer-names invented by translators followed customary beliefs of the unknown and with fear-inspired superstitions that were projected as a persona or illusion of an evil spirit being who directs humans to think and act evil.

Interestingly, there's historical indication of how the principle of an "evil" spirit called a serpent, as first coming from Egyptian folklore, was accepted and brought along by the Hebrews in the Exodus, fortified under bondage in Babylon, became Satan and Devil, and was introduced into the Christian religion. Unfortunately, even today, after decades of enlightenment, to question the existence of a Satan and evil spirit beings meets strong resistance from traditional-minded Christians who forget or choose to ignore the fundamental reason why God has brought people into this world as told in Genesis:

"So God created man in his [own] image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth."-Genesis 1:27-28

Then later in Jeremiah, centuries after evil was conceived and acted upon by Adam, we read:

"I the LORD search the heart, [I] try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, [and] according to the fruit of his doings -Jeremiah 17:1

Today, signs abound that indicate that the increase of knowledge is changing an evil world into the Kingdom of Jesus the Christ. Though the activities of evil, wickedness, sin, immorality, injustice, etc. are headlined and focused upon, the spirit of justice and righteousness in the hearts of most people desire the end of evil, which has been predicted in a number of prophecies. One such prophecy is found in Psalms:

"Yea, all kings (heads of state) shall fall down (worship) before Him (God): all nations shall serve him. For He shall deliver the needy when he cries; the poor also, and [him] that hath no helper. He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls (lives) of the needy. He shall redeem their soul (life) from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight." -Psalms 72:11-14

This prophecy pictures the spirit of the Lord working in the hearts of people when they express compassion, justice, mercy, love, righteousness, truth, and the like. Since people are free, moral agents, they are able to choose between good and evil. However, over the centuries, evil, conceived and acted upon by humans, has been blamed on an evil spirit being. This belief has often induced people to exonerate themselves of personal responsibility for evil actions. But the increase of knowledge is changing this old belief. People now perceive in greater measure their responsibility for evil and blame their evil actions on poor choices rather than imaginary, evil spirit beings. Perceptive Christians are able to recognize that the increase of travel and of knowledge; prophesied by Daniel, is a major factor not only in eliminating the fear of Satan, but also in changing this world. The Prophet Daniel heard a voice say,

"But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, [even] to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased."-Daniel 12:4

Thus, the tremendous increase of "running to and fro" (travel) and increase of knowledge throughout the world literally brings change to every culture. Consequently, increasing travel and knowledge are key aspects in people to learn to refrain from evil and to recognize the need for virtuous conditions in society. The Internet, satellites, television, radio, cell phones, mail, and publications are major inventions that not only communicate immorality, vice, and other evils, but also are instruments that conduct or are means of utilizing the virtues of righteousness, justice, love, truth, and mercy in the medical, religious, political, financial, or social context.

It is the growing exchange of information between people that escalates change and desire for good over evil, important criteria in the establishing of the Kingdom of God. The new restrictions by the US Congress regarding cigarette sales still allows people to make a choice in their health. Another example is that today's business and social system functions on trust; people trust one another to do what is expected or paid for. If trust evaporated from society, there would be total chaos. Banks would fail; governments would break down; people would stop relying on neighbors, financial gurus, doctors, and pastors. But, as knowledge increases, greater numbers of people find ways to trust, which often improves their lives and helps them avoid evil.

The rule of law and liberty operating through trust and cooperation can require years for this spirit or attitude to fully develop because people usually must feel convinced before they trust. The majority of people are still learning to trust their leaders thus, as knowledge increases, people learn how and who to trust, which reveals increasing, worldwide, pent-up desire and hope by many peace-seeking people for leadership in righteousness, truth, justice, and mercy. This comes about through knowledge and enlightenment of the spirit, which overcomes evil, Satan, Devil, Serpent, Dragon. There are exceptions to the rule, but as knowledge increases and communication grows, evil activity is facing unprecedented scrutiny under the spectrum of truth, righteousness, wisdom, justice, love, and mercy, which is the spirit of our Creator.

Over the centuries, these positive characteristics have been, and in many cases still are, overruled by the evils of greed, lust, hate, jealousy, envy, and the like. The black cloud of evil has been the major troubling, destructive dynamic throughout the world ever since Adam, but today we see increasing efforts for peace, justice, righteousness, love and mercy, of which Jesus the Christ, the apostles, and prophets prophesied, which is today, advancing in numerous societies. These virtuous efforts are intensifying and, in time, will purge from society the works of evil, for supporters and messengers of evil will learn and change or else disappear from society by their self-destructive attitudes.

Thus, gradually, a new world order is to materialize over the centuries (about nine hundred years), during which the Kingdom of our Lord is to increasingly cover the earth. This is seen in greater numbers of people looking for justice and righteousness from government and leaders. Knowledge and quick communication allow many movements for righteousness and justice to rise up, even as some people choose to destroy in order to attain power or control. This is still happening in some countries today. But, in God's due time, those choosing to continue in evil activity will build such a hardened character that it will be too difficult for them to overcome as the Kingdom grows. Thus, they will self-destruct, bringing upon their selves; the second death as the apostle John prophesied:

"But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake (condemned) which burns with fire and brimstone (eternal destruction): which is the second death." -Revelation 21:8

(Continues...)

Excerpted from The Origin & Demise of Satanby Jacob Poelman Copyright © 2009 by Jacob Poelman. Excerpted by permission.
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