No....If I don't believe in God I surely do not believe in the Devil... Although I do enjoy sacrificing Goats and Virgins to him...hahaha...a little inside I guess

No it is mearly the personification of evil so that people living in the first millenium would be able to have some way of viewing evil. It was also used to allow for an easy way to blame pagans who worshiped a symbol of similar features and to convert pagans over to christianity since paganism was the main faith system of the time. Like most things in the bible, satan is a metaphor.

The devil is not some red man with a pitch fork and two red horns. so i learned in religion class. The devil is the personification of evil. The devil is what is known as the seven deadly sins (Lust, Sloth, Gluttony, etc.). One could also say that God is just the personification of good. (but i'm too afraid to say that)

No. I don't believe in the anthropomorphic encapsulized personification of evil. Or of good, for that matter. I believe these concepts were created to explain natural phenomena in the world around us and within ourselves.

you would have to believe in god to believe in the devil, either one is not proven!

MT

Yes, I believe in the devil. I don't believe he is evil as we know him though. The devil was also created by god to give those a space(Gehena) who are not welcomed with the true god or who didnt have room for god in their hearts to believe in him/her.

Yes, I do believe there are evil spirits that are in opposition to God and his faithful angels. The biggest insult to the head honcho of devils is that we will only know him by the title Satan and never know his actual name. Same was true for Nimrod.

When I was a youngster my Parents and my grandparets all told me I was the DEVIL himself. AS you can well inmagine I needed therapy so I went to a Psyhciatrist and He told me I had low self esteem. So I needed to believe in my self so I went home thought about it and decide YE I DI BELIEVE IN ME !!!! so your answer is yes I do believe in the DEVIL !!!

Yes I do. I believe that the Bible is the inspired and persevered Word of God and Satan the devil is revealed to be a real, and dangerous angel who is real. The way that Satan is described is clear that he is not some allegorical or symbolic figure. Jesus Christ said of him: "That one was a manslayer when he began, and he did not stand fast in the truth, because truth is not in him." (Joh 8:44; 1Jo 3:8) Jesus here shows that Satan was once in the truth, but forsook it. Beginning with his first overt act in turning Adam and Eve away from God, he was a manslayer, for he thereby brought about the death of Adam and Eve, which, in turn, brought sin and death to their offspring. (Ro 5:12) Throughout the Scriptures the qualities and actions attributed to him could be attributed only to a person, not to an abstract principle of evil. It is clear that the Jews, and Jesus and his disciples, knew that Satan existed as a person.

I believe in "the devil" that exist inside of all of us. I believe that in less scientific times, characteristics of ourselves might have gotten personified into gods and demons, in order for the less sophisticated human mind to be able to analyze and come to grips with these characteristics. Hence: our amorousness = Aphrodite; our pugilistic nature becomes the Roman god of war, Mars; and on and on. Please see Joseph Campbell's work that indicates that the old myths duplicate themselves over and over again in many, many cultures. I believe that "the devil" indicates both the minor capability for minor evils and white lies inherent in all of us AND the major league evil that even the ancients had been exposed to, i.e.: allowing humans to be eaten alive by lions, Hitler making lamp shades out of human skin, Ted Bundy, and on and on. Without criminoligists, sociologists, pyschologists, etc., the ancients needed a way to discuss, analyze and teach about evil. They did so in stories that included devils.

Yes, I do believe in him and I do believe his greatest accomplishment is in fooling people into thinking he does not exist. Just my opinion, no one has to share it.

I believe the devil, or satan, as I call him, is real, but I do not believe IN him.

I dont belive in god or the devil

No. But me and james have both been known to sacrafice stuff to the all mighty Lucifer. Hmm...

yes

I do not believe in personified evil, as is said to be the devil. I do not believe in the good vs. evil dualistic approach to religion or spirituality. I think that evil is an imbalance between the interests of self and the interests of others. (Meaning: you can be evil to yourself by giving too much.)

I believe in God, and God knows there is a devil. Therefore, I believe in it.

Well duh, im like not afraid of him though, but i can sometimes see him slipping tricks up his sleeve, and i really hate it when he enters a body

Yes, I do believe in him and believe that his greatest gift is in convincing people that he does not exist.

Well I don't BELIEVE in him, but I do believe that he exists. That's the greatest trick that he has ever tried to do, is to fool people into thinking that he doesn't exists, but sorry to say he ain't got me fooled!!!

In the original Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) God does both good AND evil deeds, rather than the evil being done by any totally evil Satan (see Isaiah 45:6-7, Job 9:22-23, Lamentations 3:37-38). Satan was a concept that was originally introduced circa 2000 BCE by the Kurgan people, however at that time he was only an assistant to God, performing the deeds that God commanded him to do. Judaism when originally started, cira 1100 BCE, did not have this dualistic concept of good and evil (see above scripture references), however the Zoroastrianism belief that started around the same time as Judaism did have the world divided into "good" and "evil", and this concept along with Satan eventually made its way into the Jewish traditions and we see Satan emerge as a totally evil being with God as only good during the last 3 centuries before the birth of Jesus. It should also be noted that Satan is a creation of the Judeo-Christian religions only, so is less than 3000 years old. Pagans for instance have no Satan or "devil" within their beliefs, despite what some may claim! There are gods of the underworld, and Pagans understand that for light there must be dark, for good there must be evil, but there is no totally evil god-like being that causes evil deeds, if a Pagan performs an evil deed then it is they that is personally responsible and must suffer the 3 fold law. Just another humble response... ;-)

He is very real,i don't believe in him,i believe of him.

No, nor do I beleive in God or Santa.

I believe in both God and the devil. I don't see how anyone could logically believe in one and not the other.

yes, devil is who dont believe in Mary the Mother of God.

Only on the one within...

I believe the devil or satan,is taken from midevil beleifs and still persist today.For instance the Greek or Roman God ,Pan, looked alot like satan with his horns.The other half of his body was that of a goat with hooves.His character was that of a mischievious boy.If one looks through thousands of years of mythology they will we that an imaginary figure turns into a biblical figure.Coincidential,I do not think so,it was planted in the bible.

yes, he goes to starbucks all the time

which one? in any case, no.

I believe there is evil, call it the devil or whatever you want but there are choices that need to be made and I hope we all pick the right ones for us.

Yes I do, but I do not worship him....He's a meanie

I only believe in the devil as a metaphor.

Assuredly so! I once met either him or someone very close to him...total spook out. MY DOG REACTED to what ever "it" was as well.

I definitely believe in the Devil/ negative energies. Negative energies usually come to earth to satisfy their desires (alcohol, sex, drugs etc) through people. In short they possess people. Sometime last year I went into deep depression. I then started the spiritual practice of chanting the name of God (according to the religion of birth) and doing various spiritual remedies to get rid of negative energies within me. Please visit www.spiritualresearchfoundation.org/spiritualresearch/difficulties/Ghosts_Demons/ for more info. Within a short time I was completely healed. In short, Negative energies have a general disposition to harm, 100% of the population is effected by negative energies. It is just that we are not aware of it. I suggest you try the spiritual remedy of salt water treatment. It is an inexpensive and simple method of removal of black covering, pls visit http://www.spiritualresearchfoundation.org/spiritualresearch/spiritualhealing/saltwaterremedy/index.php. Trust me it works!

There is an awful lot of organized calamity for it not to have some head over it...

yes its called the temper that lives in side of me and comes out when i fight

have you SEEN George Bush? we are all God and the Devil

no

Yes, I do. Seek information in the concordance of a bible, and look up devil; enemy; deciever; all of these pertain to the devil. Also look in the concordance for Lucifer; he was the fallen angel (the devil). Hope this helps.

Yes I do believe the devil exists.

No. I do not believe in the devil. This is against my humanist beliefs.

No.

I DO... I believe he WAS a angel... And for all I know I coulda married that bastard cause my wife acts like a demon sometimes :-)!!

i disagree with the whole concept that you can simply catagorize things in to good and bad. the values of good and bad are highly abstract and i'll only concede to labeling things as constructive and destructive as those values can be observed. even with this it's not so black and white. eastern concepts include situations where things can be both good and bad. for instance, the ideogram for the word crisis is made up of the characters danger and opportunity. the concept of yin and yang are not separated and percieved as a principal for all things. it is the nature of all things to have the integration of both. personally, i think the concept of the devil is dangerous and does not cultivate a sense of responsibility for oneself, neither does labeling something evil encourage further learning. if somthing is simply it's label, there is no need for further understand it. dao te ching: "The name that can be named is not the enduring and unchanging name" to me, this means once you label somthing it becomes somthing other than was is ultimate truth. youve boxed it and limited its meaning.

No

Not after I began to believe that our spirit (me and every personality that is spirit, mind and body). Until then, I believed the New Testament. And I believe that the history of the Old Testament except THE TEACHING OF CREATIONISM. Prior to early 1990'S I had been a Southern Baptist then a charismatic Christian believer. Therefore, believed the teaching from the Bible that the Bible was the "inspired Word of God." Now I do not. The first and only place the devil was mentioned was in Genesis 1 in the Garden of Eden. I now do not believe that Genesis is valid. I do not believe there is a D-evil, but I believe that there is evil in people in the world. Evil is not a regular and normal personality but people like Hitler and Ide Amin and Stalin become evil and add their learned evil to the world, usually in their childhood, they were not evil. It seems that from the beginning of human-kind that there has been the opposite of "good" and it is "evil" or "devil, Satan," in Genesis 1. As a believer of "life after life" called "reincarnation" I believe that we, as our true being, is spirit and that spirit when on the Other Side, the spirit, side of life, reviews whether we learned the lesson of life and spirit that we had planned to learn before that birth. Therefore, I believe that before each return to physical with spirit form, we make a plan with the help of a wiser spirit guide just what we want to learn in the next life before we are born into the physical. That plan is why now, when I see people who have died early but not sudden like in war, or people with disabilities, or people who join one who plans a disability to be the parent of a disabled person. I do believe that the spirit NEVER includes evil such as Hitler and Ide Amin. An example of learning: Perhaps in an earlier life, my wonderful grandmother who died at 85, might have been a slave owner or slave trader, therefore, that her plan for the life finished in 1985 was to change her attitude toward black people. When I was 13 in 1951 and moved from a highly prejudiced state to California that was not prejudiced, Grandmother was more worried about the fact that we woule have to be in school with those "N....". After a few years, she lost that prejudice. In fact, at the end of her life, her very best friend was a wonderful African American woman. Therefore, I believe that was in her life plan before she was born into her next life. Too many Christians, Catholics and others who believe that the devil/Satan exists have a really great reason for an excuse for their negative and hurtfull attitudes and actions That they are NOT learning as in their life plan. Scott Peck, in his book The People of the Lie that was written after The Road Less Traveled that is the living with LOVE as life's guide, explains about EVIL more than anything else said or written. Read it or go to Blurtit.com and read abstracts or summaries of the book to understand what he wrote.

No more than I belive in Jesus H. Christ

I don't believe in the personification of the devil, however I believe in evil as a force.

No, the idea of a devil is a little hard to swallow for me.

I certainly believe in God, whoieheartedly. All that we see and are could not have created itself. I walk and talk with Him daily.

John 10:10 say, "The devil comes to steal, kill and destroy, but I (Jesus) have come that you might have life". The devil is a deciever.

Yes. If you believe in God then you have to believe in satan. As there is good there is evil.

Nope, not my relgion. We don't have a Devil. We place Evil on the heads of the ones really responsable-People.

yes.

Yes, I believe in a fictional devil that brainwashed people believe in that will torture them in hell because their mythical father figure doesn't like that they swore a little to much.

Yes because soon I discovered that this rock thing was true, Jesus was the devil. All of a sudden I found myself in love with the world, so there was only one thing that I could do was ding a ding dang my dang a long ling long.

To believe in Satan is to believe in God. So, no.

"But deliver us from evil." The last petition to our Father is also included in Jesus' prayer: "I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one." (Jn 17:15) In this petition, evil is not an abstraction, but refers to a person, Satan, the Evil One, the angel who opposes God. The devil is the one who "throws himself across" God's plan and his work of salvation accomplished in Christ. The Bible teaches that Satan is a fallen angel. Scripture sees in this being a fallen angel, called "Satan" or the "devil". (Cf. Jn 8:44; Rev 12:9) Satan was at first a good angel, made by God: "The devil and the other demons were indeed created naturally good by God, but they became evil by their own doing." Scripture speaks of a sin of these angels. (2 Pet 2:4) This "fall" consists in the free choice of these created spirits, who radically and irrevocably rejected God and his reign. The devil "has sinned from the beginning"; he is "a liar and the father of lies." (1 Jn 3:8; Jn 8:44) It is the irrevocable character of their choice, and not a defect in the infinite divine mercy, that makes the angels' sin unforgivable. "There is no repentance for the angels after their fall, just as there is no repentance for men after death." Scripture witnesses to the disastrous influence of the one Jesus calls "a murderer from the beginning," who would even try to divert Jesus from the mission received from his Father. (Jn 8:44; cf. Mt 4:1-11) "The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil." (1 Jn 3:8) The power of Satan is, nonetheless, not infinite. He is only a creature, powerful from the fact that he is pure spirit, but still a creature. He cannot prevent the building up of God's reign. For more information, see Catechism of the Catholic Church, sections 391-395: http://www.nccbuscc.org/catechism/text/pt1sect2chpt1art1p7.htm#391 With love in Christ.

Does he believe in me?

nope. hell and the devil are a man made deterant against bad behavior(sins). heaven is the flip side, made as an insetive for good behavior.

No,...nor the easter bunny, nor Santa Clause, nor the "troll" under the bridge. But I do believe that Evil exists. All you have to do is turn on the TV or read the newspapers. The human "bean" is full of evil. Want to see the "devil"? Look in the mirror, you ugly sob!

Absolutely.

I believe he exists but I do not beleive in him.

Absolutely! And Sunday seems to be the day that he is around me the most. He knows when we are getting ready for church and he tries his best to cause some kind of conflict. At one point, I started dreading Sundays just for that fact, but I did not let him overcome us. Now we pray before we start getting ready church and that keeps the devil away. I will NOT give him credit for anything.

Of course i do. If you believe in god then how can you not believe in the devil?

No. It's kind of hard to believe in the Devil when there is no God.

I do not believe the devil exists. In my opinion, the devil is a symbol of what is bad and what happens to people who defy god, the symbol of what is good.

The devil is an old recipe that was conjured up by a clever individul to control the masses. This was very impressive considering they weren't educated in psychology. Religion is the most fascinating of human inventions. Whats the difference between someone who believes in the devil versus some little child who believes in Santa? People will believe what they want to believe.

I really don't think humans need one.

Yes I do.

Nope, not the Devil or god..

No.

nope

devil means "accuser", as compared to "satan" which means "enemy". as a christian, yes, i believe in the devil, whose purpose is, as you may well guess, to accuse us of the things we have done/are doing. according to my beliefs, satan, the devil, the snake in the garden of eden, and the beast of the apocalypse are all one in the same. and his purpose is to deceive, confuse and lead people away from God and doing what is right

Enjoy! John DOCTRINE OF SATANIC STRATEGY A. The Person of Satan. 1. He was the highest ranking of all angels, and ruler of all fallen angels Mt 8:28, 9:34, 12:26; Lk 11:18-19. He is the most perfect and beautiful creature to come from the hand of God. Ezek 28:12, "Son of man [Ezekiel], take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyre and say to him, 'Thus says the Lord God, "You were the one sealing a pattern of perfection, full of wisdom and great beauty." He has a voice like a pipe organ. He is superior in genius, beauty, personality, persuasiveness, and is invisible. As a creature Satan had a throne, "I will raise my throne above the stars [angels] of God." a. He was the chief of angels and his name was Lucifer, the Bright Morning Star. He was the most spiritual being that ever existed. This is why as even a fallen angel he can transfer himself into an angel of light, 2 Cor 12:11-14. b. Satan is his name as the enemy of God. c. Angels were created for the purpose of serving and praising God, Ps 103:20-21. d. According to Ps 8:5, angels are superior to mankind and have rank and organization. (1) Cherubs or covering angels guard God's holiness, Isa 17:16; Ezek 1:10. (2) Seraphim or the burning ones lead in worship, Isa 6:2-3. (3) The archangel is the commanding general of angelic armies, 1 Thes 4:16. (4) The heavenly host and the demon armies are in continuous unseen warfare, Dan 10:13; Eph 6:12. e. Angels are confined to the earth (the atmosphere around the earth is the first heaven) and the universe (second heavens) except when there are special convocations of all angels in the third heaven, Job 1:6; 2:1. The third heaven is the abode of God, Eph 1:20-22; 4:10. 2. He is a prehistoric super-creature, Isa 14:12-17; Ezek 28:11-19. He was so brilliant in his defense during God's trial that God created man to resolve the conflict. 3. He has three falls; two are in the future. a. His angelic sin of arrogance in which he said, "I will be like the Most High God." He revolted against God, taking one-third of all angels with him, Isa 14:13-14; Ezek 28:12-19. b. He is cast out of heaven in the middle of the Tribulation, Rev 12:7,9,20. c. He is cast into the lake of fire, Isa 14; Ezek 28; Rev 12,20. (1) Rev 12:9-17, "Then the great dragon, the ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, who keeps on deceiving the entire world was thrown out [of heaven]; he was hurled to the earth; furthermore his angels were thrown out with him. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, which said, 'Now the deliverance has come, also the power [Jesus Christ in Hypostatic Union], even the kingdom of our God [Father] and the authority of His Christ [millennial reign of Christ], because the accuser of our fellow believers, who constantly brings charges against them before our God day and night, has been thrown out [of heaven]. Furthermore, they [Tribulational saints] overcame him [Satan] because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of doctrine by means of their testimony, in fact they did not love their life to the point of death. For this reason, keep celebrating, You heavens [elect angels and Church Age believers] and you [Old Testament saints and Tribulational martyrs] who dwell in them [the heavens (in interim bodies)]. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down face-to-face with you, and he foams with fury, knowing that his time is short. Now when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he persecutes the woman [Israel] who gave birth to the male child [the humanity of Christ]. Nevertheless, the two wings [logistical grace divine protection of Israel, Ex 19:4; Deut 32:9-12] of the great eagle had been given to the woman [regenerate Israel], so that she might fly to her place of refuge [Edom, Moab, Ammon, Dan 11:41; Mt 24:16; Rev 12:6] where in that place she will be sustained for three and a half years from the presence of the serpent. Then the serpent [Satan] projected from his mouth water [third demon army] like the rapids [tidal wave, or floods] to overtake the woman [Israel], in order that he might cause her to be swept away by the flood [tidal wave, rapids]. Nevertheless, the land mass [the army of Israel with divine power] helped the woman [Israel], in fact the land mass opened its mouth and swallowed the flood waters [attack of third demon assault army], which the dragon projected from his mouth. Then the dragon was enraged with the woman, consequently he went off to make war against the survivors of her posterity, those who keep observing the mandates of God and who keep on having the testimony of Jesus." (2) Rev 20:1-10, "Then I saw an angel [officer of arms] descending from heaven, and he had the key to the Abyss [the prison for all fallen angels during the millennium] and a great chain in his hand [a pair of giant handcuffs]. Then he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, even Satan, and bound [incarcerated] him for a thousand years. Then he cast him into the Abyss, he both locked and sealed over him, that he should no longer deceive the nations until the thousand years were completed. After these things, he must be released for a short time. Then I saw the thrones and they [Tribulational martyrs] sat on them, and judgment was given to them; furthermore I saw the souls of those who had been decapitated because of the witness for Jesus, really because of doctrine from God; and these who are such a category as who do not worship the beast, nor his image and do not receive the mark on the forehead or on their hand, they both came to life and ruled with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead unbelievers did not come to life until the thousand years was completed. This is the first resurrection. Happy and holy [sanctified] is he who has part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no jurisdiction, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ; in fact they shall rule with Him for a thousand years. Now when the thousand years shall be completed, Satan shall be released from his prison, then he will appear to deceive the nations which are in the four hemispheres of the earth, Gog [code name for Satan] and Magog [code name for Satan's followers], to concentrate them for battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. Then they marched [came up] over the wide terrain of the land and they surrounded the bivouac of the saints and the beloved city [Jerusalem], then fire came down from heaven and destroyed [devoured] them. Then the devil who had deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and burning sulfur, where both the beast [dictator of the Revived Roman Emperor] and the false prophet [the dictator of Israel] are located; and they shall be tormented day and night forever and ever." 4. He has two advents. a. His first advent is in the Garden of Eden, Gen 3. b. His second advent is when he returns at the end of the Millennium to start a revolt against perfect environment, Rev 20:8. His advents are always related to perfect environment. 5. He is the central antagonist of the angelic conflict, Heb 1-2; Gen 6; 1 Pet 3:18-22. 6. He is an organizational genius with a great organization of demons, Eph 6:10-12. There are four major demon attacks on the human race. a. The genetic attack on the antediluvian civilization in Gen 6:1-13. b. The attack of demon possession. c. The attack of demon influence, which involves cosmic one and cosmic two. d. The attack of demon armies in the Tribulation, Rev 9. 7. He is the origin of murder and violence in the human race, Gen 6:4-11; Jn 8:44. He doesn't play by any rules. 8. He is the enemy of Bible doctrine, Mt 13:9, 39, Rev 12:13,15 and attacks your capacity for life. 9. He is the enemy of the Church (the royal family), Rev 2:9-13, 24. 10. He is the enemy of Christ, Rev 12:4. 11. He is called the Anointed Cherub. As such, he held the highest position of all angelic creatures. He is now lower than the Seraphim which are in command of the elect angels. 12. He is the greatest deceiver of history. To be such a deceiver the devil must be the greatest and most effective liar in history, Jn 8:44, "You are from your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand for the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature; because he is a liar, and the father of lies." a. When there is no doctrine or establishment truth circulating in the stream of consciousness of either believers or unbelievers, they will automatically lie. When Satan is the mentor of anyone, they have no truth and follow in the function of the mentor. Satan never tells the truth. The power of the truth in your soul as a believer is one of the greatest factors in insulating you against the power of Satan. b. Satan works through human beings who are liars, 2 Thes 2:9-10, "that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with every deception of unrighteousness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love for the truth with the result that they might be delivered." Believers are deceived as easily as unbelievers by the satanic strategy. c. Two illustrations of the satanic lie. (1) Socialism. The basis for socialism in modern history goes back to Sir Thomas Moore in his book Utopia where there was political and social perfection. This is the Devil's lie. Utopia, therefore, became a synonym for any visionary system of political or social perfection or perfect environment. The theory of utopian socialism is a lie, an economic tinkering with the laws of divine establishment, whereby a false premise is inculcated--that if capitalism voluntarily surrendered its ownership of the means of production to the State or to workers, unemployment and poverty would be abolished. This is a lie because people do not understand that capital and investment creates jobs, not government. The theory establishes slavery to the State rather than freedom of self-determination with the government protecting that freedom. (2) Christian Activism. The Devil sponsors Christian activism on the one hand, while arrogance skills sponsor Christian activism on the other hand. 2 Cor 11:3, "But I am afraid, lest as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds should be led astray from the purity and virtue which belongs to Christ." Truth brings purity and virtue to the unbeliever and believer respectively. Our Lord did not become involved in activism ("Deliver us from the Romans.") and we take our precedence for the Church Age from the dispensation of the Hypostatic union. Satan's objective is to distract you from the spiritual skills to the political solution. Truth causes Satan to flee, Jam 4:7, "Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." (a) Christian activism combines the arrogance skills with legalism--self-righteous arrogance plus crusader arrogance. Christians involved in activism think they are serving God when they are serving Satan. This is self- deception. Temporal solutions to the problems of life are not spiritual solutions. (b) Paul's warning against the arrogance skills is found in Rom 12:2-3, "Stop being conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renovation of your thought, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. For I say through the grace which has been given to me to every one who is among you stop thinking of self in terms of arrogance beyond what you ought to think; but think in terms of sanity for the purpose of being rational without illusion, as God has assigned to each one of us a standard of thinking from doctrine." The basis for all satanic religions has always been human sacrifice and the basis for human sacrifice is always a satanic lie. Activism is a way of thinking of self in terms of arrogance. Thinking in terms of sanity is thinking truth. 13. In relationship to the angelic conflict Satan also has certain principles of activity and power. a. Satan gets at believers by intruding into their prayer life through religion and legalism, Ps 109:7. b. He has the power to shorten life within the framework of God's permissive will, Ps 109:8a. This power has to do with our punishment when we fail. c. He has the power to remove people from authority, Ps 109:8b. d. He even has the power to kill under certain circumstances, Ps 109:9 e. He has the power to persecute children, Ps 109:10. f. He can remove wealth, Ps 109:11. g. He can turn people against you, Ps 109:12. h. He can cut off the posterity of families, Ps 109:13 i. He can cause disease, Job 2:6-8; 2 Cor 12:7. j. He can cause the infiltration of false doctrines in the concepts of the human soul, such as human good, religion, legalism, resulting in garbage in the subconscious, 1 Tim 4:1. k. Satan can use none of this power apart from the sovereign will of God. God permits Satan to test or punish believers. God is always under control of the situation. (1) The permissive will of God is always related to the testing of believers. (2) While Satan is involved, he cannot use the power involved apart from God's permission, especially in the case of death. God never lets it go beyond the boundaries of the punishment He has already ordained. (3) Each of these satanic strategies to get at the believer must be regarded in relationship to certain categories. (4) Is Satan permitted to execute power as punishment, or does Satan have the power of testing? (5) There is constant satanic attack against believers in the form of condemnation as a part of Satan's appeal trial. He always picks on carnal believers for punishment and mature believers for testing. (6) It is necessary for the believer to examine his own life privately in regard to the ten points of satanic strategy listed above. (7) It is necessary for the believer to under these things categorically in the light of God's punishment, in the light of divine blessing, in the light of advancing to the high ground, or in the light of the testimony of all angelic creatures. (8) Believers must understand that the appeal trial of Satan is a constant and on-going function both in heaven and on earth. (9) God is never unfair. (a) All of us will experience the possibility of punishment for perpetual carnality through the permissive will of God. God permits certain evil forces to attack us as a means of punishment for perpetual carnality. (b) However, through rebound and the double column advance we experience the fantastic blessings of glorification of God. (c) God must have all your attention at all times. (d) If we do not give God our attention, God will take steps to get our attention. (e) God's grace extends to severity to bring us back in line and to teach us lessons the hard way, as in Heb 12:6-7, "For those whom the Lord loves He punishes, And He skins alive with a whip every son whom He receives. It is for discipline that you must endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not punish?" (f) God never changes whether He is blessing us or whether he is disciplining us. He always loves us. (g) Where believers are concerned, it is impossible for God to do anything apart from grace, which means, apart from love. (h) The punishment is designed under the love of God under the principle of a fair shake. Under the principle of a fair shake, God often uses wicked people or even Satan himself as a means of bringing us around. (i) This means that Satan enters into the permissive will of God and punishes us in hatred. God punishes us in love. Satan is always willing to punish any believer. (j) True love for God is built on foundation of the combination of humility and respect. Humility is recognition of and obedience to the authority of God. This humility forms a respect, which is true love for God or reciprocity. Reciprocal love for God is the motivation for advance to the high ground of spiritual maturity and meeting all the testing that would come your way. 14. The inscrutable question. a. Many biblical students have asked the question, "What kind of redemption solution was available for Satan and the fallen angels?" But no one has ever properly answered the question. Instead they say it is inscrutable. (1) The word inscrutable means not easily understood, unfathomable, incomprehensible and undiscoverable. (2) The answer is "None." There was no redemption in eternity past with regard to Satan and the fallen angels. (3) The angels did not have something they had to believe in order to be elect angels. (4) The fallen angels knew what the consequences of their decision to follow Satan would be before they made their decision to follow Satan, but they believed that Satan could set aside God. They knew they would go to the lake of fire and share Satan's judgment in the lake of fire, but decided to follow Satan. b. The Bible does not associate redemption with the fall of Satan as an alternative solution. Why? Because all angelic creatures were created perfect with perfect volition and eternal life. c. Scripture. (1) Col 1:13-16, "For He delivered us from the authority of darkness, and transferred into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in Whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. Because by agency of Him [LJC] all things were created in the heavens [angels] and on earth [mankind], visible [mankind] and invisible [angels], whether thrones or angelic powers or ruler-angels or angels with the right to decide, all things have been created through Him and for Him." Cf. Jn 1:3; Heb 1:2, 10. (a) The Greek word THRONOS is the name of a class of supernatural beings (angels). i. In the phrase in Isa 14:13, "I will raise my throne above the stars of God" the word for throne is the Hebrew word is KESSE. ii. It is used figuratively for rulership. Satan revolts against the eternal rulership of God. (b) The Greek word KURIOTES refers to a special class of angelic powers. (c) The Greek word ARCHAI refers to a special class of ruler-angels. (d) The word "authorities" is an incorrect translation. The Greek word EXOUSIA means freedom of choice, the angelic right to decide in eternity past. The right to decide was not directed toward redemption as with the human race, but since angels already had eternal life, the decision was within the sphere of that eternal life, i.e., eternal life with God in heaven or eternal life with Satan in the lake of fire. (2) Eph 6:11-12, "Put on the full armor from God, that you might always be able to stand your ground against the strategies of the devil. Because our warfare is not against blood and flesh, but against ruler-angels [demon general officers], against authorities [demon officer corps], against the demon world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil [rank and file demons] in the heavenly places [the atmosphere around the earth]." d. At the fall of Satan all angels made a decision to follow God or follow Satan resulting in two categories of angelic creatures. The angels who rejected the temptation to follow Satan and remained faithful to God are called elect angels. The angels who rejected God and followed Satan are called fallen angels or demons. e. All angels were created perfect, at the same time, and with eternal life. They had eternal life before Satan's fall and had eternal life after making their decision to follow Satan. All angels made their decision in eternity past when Satan fell. Only two human beings were created perfect. f. The issue was clear to all the angels in the fall of Satan: either eternal life with God or eternal life with Satan. One-third of all angels followed Satan. No redemption was needed for fallen angels because they were created perfect. They were perfect and only had to choose for God or Satan; they did not need a redemption solution. Christ did not die for the angels in any sense of the word because they were already created perfect and did not need eternal life. g. All of the angels had to make the same decision that Adam made when he faced the fallen woman. Adam had to decide between the fallen woman outside of the garden and Jesus Christ inside the garden. He had to make the same choice as all of the angels made (except Satan). All human beings after the fall of Adam and the woman are born spiritually dead, and therefore, need redemption. Man has to make one decision for or against Christ, just as the perfect angels only had to make one decision to follow God or Satan. h. The fallen angels went from perfection to following Satan. They were condemned, judged, and sentenced for making their decision to follow Satan. Their sentence was the lake of fire forever, Mt 25:41; Rev 20:10. Elect angels will spend eternity in heaven with God, just as we will. Satan appealed his sentence and was granted an appeal trial. The angel witnesses had all been used, so God had to create a new set of creatures to be witnesses in the appeal trial. But all the witnesses in Satan's appeal trial are born spiritually dead. i. Since all fallen angels in a state of perfection by creation made their decision in eternity past, no redemption was necessary. But with mankind it is different. Redemption is only necessary for those who are spiritually dead. God had to provide salvation for the human race only. (1) Only two human beings were created perfect, just as all angels were created perfect simultaneously and designed to live forever. (2) Both Adam and Ishah were created perfect, given perfect environment, given sex for their pleasure as an expression of soul compatibility, but without eternal life. (3) After Satan's condemnation, trial, and judgment, Satan requested an appeal trial, and God granted that request with the creation of mankind to be witnesses in that trial. (4) Adam's pattern began like Satan's--Adam was created perfect; Satan was created perfect. (5) Adam's had an original sin; Satan had an original sin. The fall of Adam is analogous to the fall of Satan. Adam had to make a decision for or against God, just as the fallen angels had to make a decision for Satan or for God. But that is where the analogy stops. Theology wants to push past this point in the analogy, but you cannot. There was no redemption in eternity past, except in the divine decrees related to the future human race. (6) The entire realm of angelic creatures were created simultaneously with no gradual development. The angelic decision to have eternal life with God or the eternal lake of fire with Satan was made as a result of Satan's fall. Satan's fall, not redemption, was the issue in eternity past. They already had eternal life. Angels were created with eternal life, not human life. Those who choose to follow Satan follow him forever. (7) Satan himself attacked mankind in a state of perfection. For mankind there is a new decision issue that did not exist in the angelic realm called redemption. There is no redemption issue with angels. (a) Because there is a new issue called redemption Jesus Christ became a human being, Heb 1. This is the origin of the doctrine of the Hypostatic Union. Jesus Christ is the only person ever born perfect. (b) All human beings are born spiritually dead. Redemption is for the spiritually dead human race. When anyone takes the redemption solution, they are not only saved and will have a superior body to angels but also have a spiritual life which angels do not have. (c) Angels were all created perfect and made their decision. We are born spiritually dead and have to make our decision, Jn 3:18, 36. (8) After the fall of man a new dimension in sex is introduced into the human race--procreation for the perpetuation of witnesses for Satan's appeal trial, which is the doctrine of Christian marriage. The corporate testimony of marriage breaks the back of Satan in every generation of the Church Age. (9) Every person who believes in Christ accepts the redemption solution provided by the judgment of personal sin in Christ on the Cross, and they become a witness against Satan in the appeal trial. j. What is the issue in the appeal trial of Satan and all fallen angels? 1 Cor 15:22, "For as in Adam all die [spiritually], so also in Christ shall all be made alive." 2 Cor 5:20-21, "Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God was entreating through us; we beg you as the representative of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin as a substitute for us, that we might become the righteousness from God in Him." We are ambassadors for Christ to angels. k. The doctrine of angelic observation of the human race. (1) In order for there to be order and fairness in the court, all angelic creatures have been allowed to come into the court and observe you. (2) 1 Tim 3:16, "And by consent of all, great is the mystery of the spiritual life; the unique One who became visible by means of the flesh, this same One was vindicated by agency of the Spirit; He was observed by angels; He was proclaimed among the Gentiles; He became the object of faith in the world; He was taken up into the place of glory." (3) 1 Cor 4:9, "For I think that God has exhibited us apostles last of all as men condemned to death because we have become a spectacle in the arena of life to the entire universe, to angels and to mankind." Paul is referring to the end of the gladiator show, when the greatest of the gladiators fought and were killed. The show lasted all day, and the best battles were saved for last. Paul is comparing the spiritual battles which the apostles are waging with the gladiators. (4) 1 Tim 5:21, "I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, and His elect angels, to maintain these principles without bias, doing nothing in partiality." Paul was telling Timothy not to let anyone in his congregation push anyone else around or malign them. (5) 1 Pet 1:12, "It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preach the gospel to you by agency of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things which angels bend down to get a good clear look." (6) Lk 15:10, "In the same way I tell you there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who changes his mind." 15. The Fall of Satan. a. Each of Satan's five boastful presumptions against the will of God are an expression of negative mental attitude and reveal the author of negative volition as Satan. b. Volition always implies the existence of free will. Negative volition reveals activities from a creature independently of God. c. There are five "I wills" in Isa 14:12-14 in which Satan made a decision. Isa 14:12-14, "How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations! But you said in your heart, (1) 'I will ascend to heaven;' Satan wanted to be the ruler of the third heaven. This was his desire to displace God as the ruler of the third heaven. (2) 'I will raise my throne above the stars of God,' The stars of God refer to angels, Job 38:7; Rev 12:3-4. He wants to take over all the angels, not just one third of them. (3) 'And I will sit on the mount of the assembly in the recesses of the north.' This is the place where Satan's trial took place. He believes he will change God's mind. (4) 'I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;' He believes that once he breaks down his judgment to the lake of fire, then he will be able to take over from God. This indicates Satan's obsession to supplant God and to control all God's creation, which would save him from being cast into the lake of fire. (5) 'I will make myself like the Most High.' Satan thought he would take God's authority away from Him. d. The first sin ever committed was in the realm of the mind. Sin comes first to the realm of the mind. There is always some kind of thinking before a person commits a sin. e. The failure of Satan is established in Isa 14:15, "You shall be brought down to hell by the side of the pit." Rev 20:10, "And the devil who deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast [dictator of the revived Roman Empire] and the false prophet [dictator of Israel] are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever." f. Matt 25:41, "Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared in the past with the result that it continues forever for the devil and his angels.'" B. Rulership of the Devil. 1. Satan rules all fallen angels. 2. Satan has greater power than any human and rules the world through his cosmic systems. Since the fall of Adam, Satan has been the ruler of this world, Lk 4:5-7; Jn 12:31, 14:30, 16:11; 2 Cor 4:4; Eph 2:2. He is called the god of this world. a. The devil rules all unbelievers through demon possession and demon influence. b. The devil rules certain believers though demon influence (not demon possession) and the involvement of the believer in the cosmic system. Negative volition in the soul creates a vacuum in the soul which sucks the doctrine of demons into the stream of consciousness in the soul. 3. However, because of the great power experiment of the Hypostatic Union overflowing into the Church Age, the body of Christ ruled by the head, our Lord Jesus Christ, has received the delegated divine power to resist the devil, as per 1 Jn 4:4. "Greater is He who is in you [omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit] than He who is in the world [power of Satan as ruler of the world and cosmic system]." 4. As ruler of this world, Satan has two designations since his fall. a. Originally, Satan was called Lucifer, the Son of Light. He was the bright and shining angel in the throne room of God, the highest ranking creature of all time, the most beautiful and attractive in appearance and personality. b. Once his fall occurred in prehistoric times, Satan was called SATAN in the Hebrew, which means "enemy and adversary," having greater power than we have. However, Satan's power is not greater than God's. This reminds us of God's grace; He has made available to us His power. As humans, we are an inferior, rational creation. All angels are superior to us. Satan is the ARCHON (ruler) of all angels, whose power is therefore far greater than ours. c. But God has made available to us Church Age believers His power, i.e., the omnipotence of the Father in our portfolio of invisible assets, the omnipotence of God the Son who preserves the universe and history daily, and the omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit who provides the power to execute the protocol plan inside the divine dynasphere. We have greater power than Satan. d. Even for the unbeliever, God in His grace has provided a power to resist the power of Satan under the laws of divine establishment. e. Satan's second name is the Greek word DIABOLOS, which means slanderer, vituperater, traducer. One of the functions of the devil as the ruler of this world is to express his antagonism, slander, and enmity, which he does from a position of great beauty and attractiveness. f. So although Satan is far superior to us in every way, God has provided two factors for us in grace. (1) The protection of the laws of divine establishment. These laws protect our freedom, privacy, property, and life and unbelievers. We needed this protection because the power of Satan as the ruler of this world is far greater than any power we could ever muster. Satan is under restraint now, though this restraint is removed during the Tribulation and its results are evident in the tremendous violence and warfare. (2) The protection of the divine institutions. Throughout all dispensations, even the Tribulation, man continues to live on the earth because he is protected by the laws of divine establishment, by divine institution number three, the family. 5. Satan expresses his antagonism, slander, and enmity toward the following things. a. Satan is the enemy of Israel. All anti-Semitism is satanic. Rev 12:4, 13, 15 specifically documents this. In every generation, he uses all his power to destroy Israel, but he will never succeed. Beware of anti-Semitism, for it has destroyed so many nations, such as Spain from its Inquisition of Torquemada, and almost France from its Edict of Nantes. b. Satan is the enemy of all unbelievers. He is the greatest deceiver of all time. In 2 Cor 4:3-4, he blinds the minds of unbelievers, which is demon influence or the demonization of the soul. When the unbeliever rejects Christ as Savior, he opens himself to the opportunity of demon influence. (1) 2 Cor 4:3-4, "If our Gospel be hidden, it is hidden to them that are lost, in whom the god of this world [Satan] has blinded the minds of those who believe not, lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." Cf. Col 2:8. (2) 2 Thes 2:7-10 adds some reasons as to why people remain unbelievers. One is because they are impressed with miracles. Satan is in the miracle-performing business, with a bag full of tricks. He knows that many people are stupid and impressed with miracles. For example, demons can produce illness (Mk 5), and then be removed to imitate a miraculous healing. People are entertained by miracles. (3) Lk 8:12, "Those beside the road are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved." c. Satan is specifically the enemy of the Church, the royal family of God, the new spiritual species, the body of Christ because God has done more for the individual believer in the Church Age than ever before. (1) The Church is unique because we are the royal family for our Lord's third royal warrant, a direct result of His strategic victory in Hypostatic Union. These unique things, given to the ordinary Christian, make his life the battleground for this dispensation. Through the forty things given to us at salvation, we are designed to be a battleground to win a tactical victory to complement our Lord's strategic victory. (2) Rev 2:9, 13, 24 teach that Satan is the enemy of the Church. d. Satan is the enemy of the Church Age believer, 2 Cor 2:11, 11:3; Eph 6:10-12; Jam 4:6-10; 1 Pet 5:6-9. e. Satan is opposed to Bible doctrine. He's always trying to distort it or distract us from it, as is taught in Mt 13:9, 39. f. Satan is the enemy of the great power experiment of the Hypostatic Union, Rev 12:4. That alone caused Satan greater frustration than almost anything that has ever happened to him. g. Satan is the chief antagonist in the extension of the angelic conflict into human history, Heb 1-2. h. Satan is the enemy of nationalism, which he often opposes with internationalism. This is because nationalism is divine institution number four. Divine institutions are designed to keep the human race, believer and unbeliever alike, from destroying itself. The world is now divided into nations. Prior to this division, the human race almost destroyed itself. The first United Nations is found in Gen 11, and it almost destroyed mankind. That Satan is the enemy of nations in found in Rev 12:9, 20:3, 8, "and he will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth." 6. All world systems apart from the laws of divine establishment are a part of Satanic policy and administration. All environmental programs, socialism, and welfare programs are of Satanic origin. C. Satan has a power system for control of others. 1. Satan has a organization of angelic creatures. He has a system of aristocracy among fallen angels. They demons have extensive powers. a. Abaddon or Apollyon is mentioned in Rev 9:11; Prov 15:11; Job 28:22. He commands one of the demon armies. b. Beelzebub is mentioned in Mt 10, 12; Mk 3:22, and is one of Satan's powerful aristocrats. 2. How Satan functions as an enemy. a. He is the enemy of the Church, Rev 2:9,13,24. (1) The Church is called the synagogue of Satan when it is full of legalism, Rev 2:9. (2) When the Church is attacked by religion, it is called the throne of Satan, Rev 2:13. (3) When the Church is attacked by false doctrine, it is called the deep things of Satan, Rev 2:24. b. He is the enemy of Bible doctrine, Mt 13:9, 39. c. He is the enemy of Israel, Rev 12:4,13,15. d. He is the enemy of Christ, Rev 12:4. e. He is the originator of all violence and murder, Jn 8:44; Gen 4:11; 6:4-6. D. Satan has a strategy to control nations. 1. His strategy is based on conspiracy and deceit, which explains the basis of war. 2. He does manipulate nations, Rev 12:9,23; 20:3,8. 3. He is the author of every world peace movement, and of all Soviet strategy. 4. He is the chief opponent of the laws of divine establishment and seeks to breakdown freedom and sovereignty of any nation where establishment, evangelism, and Bible Christianity is functioning. 5. Internationalism is Satanic in any form. 6. His policy is power politics: violence, tyranny, and change. Part of his function is to malign law and order. 7. He is the father of religion, liberalism. He is anti-military and pro welfare-state, pro-communist and against free enterprise. He is against marriage and the family. E. Religion is a part of Satan's strategy. Religion is the creation of Satan's genius to counterfeit the plan of God. Religion is man seeking to use his own merits, his own works to gain the approbation of God. Satan's counterfeits of the plan of God in religion include a counterfeit: 1. Gospel, 2 Cor 4:3-4, "Even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled in those who are perishing. In whose case the god of the world (Satan) has blinded the minds of the unbeliever that he might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." 2. Ministers, 2 Cor 11:13-15, "Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their deeds." 3. Doctrine, 2 Tim 4:1, "some will fall away from the faith paying attention to deceitful spirits and the doctrine of demons." 4. Communion table, 1 Cor 10:19-21, "they sacrifice to demons...you cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons." 5. Spirituality, Gal 3:2-3. 6. Righteousness, Mt 19:16-28. The Mosaic Law is distorted into self-righteousness, which rejects faith in Christ for relationship with God. This self-righteousness is based on morality in the cosmic system. Gal 2:16, "Nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified." 7. Modus vivendi (mode of thinking)--self-righteousness, Mt 23:13-36. 8. Power and dynamics (miracles, healing, tongues) 2 Thes 2:8-10. 9. System of gods, 2 Thes 2:3-4, "Let no one in any way deceive you; for these things will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed as the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as God." F. False teachers are a part of his strategy, 1 Jn 4:1-3. 1. They have a phoney, hypocritical facade. They are bleeding-heart do-gooders, who "love" everyone, being all things to all men apart from any standards based on Bible doctrine, Mt 7:15. They seek to stimulate your ego, Rom 16:18. 2. They use human public relations systems and legalistic flirtation and activism to court believers, Gal 4:17-18; 2 Tim 3:5-7. 3. They appeal to human ego, arrogance, and pride to distract believers from grace, 2 Cor 10:12. They use mutual admiration society ideas. They love to counsel others to promote their arrogance. 4. They promote idolatry as a part of Satan's communion table, Hab 2:18-19. 5. They promote legalism as a system of pseudo- spirituality, 1 Tim 1:7-8. They encourage people to gossip. 6. They possess a false spirit, 1 Jn 4:1-3, "because many false teachers have gone out into the world." They are inspirational but do not function by the power of the Holy Spirit. G. Satan has a specific policy--evil. 1. This was first seen in the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 2. See also the Doctrine of Evil. 3. Human good is the application of evil. 4. 2 Tim 3:13. All reversionists have been deceived by Satan to the extent they are influenced by good and evil. 5. 2 Tim 2:25-26. The pastor is to take disciplinary action toward those opposed to doctrinal teaching, so that they will recover from reversionism and be delivered from the devil's trap. 6. Chafer's Systematic Theology, Vol. II, pp. 100, 108-110, gives a fantastic description of Satan's system of evil. H. Satan has a strategy regarding the Cross. 1. Satan's greatest strategy is the doctrinal attack on the Cross and principle of salvation by faith alone. "If our gospel is hidden, it is hidden to them who are lost, that the god of this world might blind the minds of those who do not believe." This attack is accomplished by adding various types of works to salvation, such as: making Christ lord of your life, walking an isle or raising your hand, inviting Christ into your heart or into your life, etc. Satan must obscure that fact that salvation is by faith alone. 2. The genetic attack on the line of Christ. a. Through Adam's seed. (1) After the original sin of Adam and the woman, God came into the Garden of Eden and promised eternal salvation. Adam was promised that the line of Christ would come through the children of Adam and Eve. Satan inspired Cain to murder Abel who was a believer to keep the Savior from coming into the world. Seth also became a believer, so the line of Christ comes down through Seth. (2) Gen 6:1-3 tells of the angelic attack through sexual intercourse to destroy true humanity on the earth. Except for Noah and his family, there were only half angel half human beings on the earth. b. Through Abraham's seed. God promised that the line of salvation would come down through the child of Abraham. When Abraham became a new racial species at age ninety-nine, sexual ability was restored to Abraham and Sarah and the line of Christ came down through Isaac, Jacob, and Judah. There were several attacks on the line of Abraham. Sarah had to be delivered from being in the harem of an Egyptian king, Gen 12:10-20. Pharaoh's mandate to kill all the first born children was an attack upon the line of Christ. Pharaoh's attempt to annihilate Israel was an attack upon the line of Christ, Ex 14:13ff. c. Through David's seed. (1) The case of the son of Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat had a son, Jehoram, who he married off to a princess of a Gentile nation in order to make an alliance, 2 Chr 18:1. Jehoram killed all his brothers, the royal seed, 2 Chr 21:4. The Arabs killed all the sons of Jehoram except one, 2 Chr 21:16- 22:1. The line was down to one person through whom the line of Christ could come. (2) The case of Hezekiah, who was childless when attacked by the king of Assyria, Isa 36:1. God preserved him until his son was born. (3) One of the greatest attacks was the Haman conspiracy to annihilate all Jews, the book of Esther. d. Through Joseph's seed. Joseph was tempted to divorce Mary since she was pregnant prior to the consummation of the marriage. Herod sent a command to kill the royal line of Israel, Mt 2:13-18; Rev 12:4. 3. The necessity for the humanity of Christ. a. Jesus Christ had to become true humanity to become the savior of the world. Eph 2:15, Col 1:22, Phil 2:2-8, Heb 10:5-10, 19-20, and 1 Pet 2:24, 1 Pet 3:18 tell us that it was the humanity of Christ that was judged. (1) Jesus Christ, as God, cannot go to the Cross because deity can have nothing to do with sin except condemn it. Sins cannot be imputed to deity. Only perfect true humanity fulfills the concept of "the lamb without spot and without blemish." (2) "This is My body which is given for you" indicates that it was not His deity that suffered spiritual death on the Cross but His perfect humanity that was judged for our sins. b. Jesus Christ had to be true humanity to be the mediator between God and man. The mediator must be equal with both parties; therefore, Jesus Christ must be true God and true man to be equal with both parties. Job 9:32-33; 1 Tim 2:5-6, "For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind-- the man Christ Jesus who gave Himself a ransom as a substitute for all, a testimony in its own times." c. Jesus Christ had to become true humanity to be our high priest after the order of Melchizedek. The high priest had to be both a king and a priest, Heb 7, 10. Under the Jewish system, Jesus Christ was not qualified to be a priest since He came from the ruling tribe of Judah, not the priestly tribe of Levi. He is a priest under the King-Priest line. d. Jesus Christ came to fulfill the unconditional Davidic covenant. God promised David that he would have a son who would reign forever. David's greater son is the Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Sam 7:8-16; Ps 89:20-37. 4. Doctrinal attacks on the Cross. a. Limited atonement is a great doctrinal attack upon the Cross. Christ died for the sins of the entire world, not just for the sins of the elect. Satan had a strategy regarding the Cross: to eliminate the idea that man has a free will, a volition--the idea that Christ died for all members of the human race so that they could make a choice. b. The erroneous idea that Christ bled to death on the Cross. The blood of Christ is a metaphor for redemption, reconciliation, propitiation, imputation, unlimited atonement, and justification. This strategy attempts to confuse people into believing that Christ died physically (rather than spiritually) for our sins. I. Satan has a strategy regarding Israel: anti-Semitism. 1. The divine attitude toward anti-Semitism is given in Gen 12:3, "I will bless those who bless you, but the one who curses [or despises] you I will curse, and through you all the races [individuals and nations] of the earth shall be blessed." 2. Anti-Semitism is a person, group, organization, or nation who is hostile to the Jews. It does not refer to all the descendants of Shem, but only to the Jews. 3. Anti-Semitism is hatred, intolerance, prejudice, opposition, persecution, and violent opposition to the Jewish race. Rev 12 details the future of anti-Semitism during the Tribulation. 4. Satan has two major objectives in the strategy of anti- Semitism. a. His historical objective was to keep our Lord Jesus Christ from going to the Cross. This strategy failed. b. His prophetical objective is to destroy Israel so that the four unconditional covenants cannot be fulfilled at the second Advent. 5. There is a correlation between the rise and fall of nations and their attitude toward the Jew. Individuals, nations, and empires have been destroyed by anti-Semitism. Individuals, nations, and empires have been blessed by kindly treatment of the Jews. J. Satan has a strategy against believers and the Church. 1. Some of Satan's strategies include: a. Satanic strategy is to discredit the Canon of Scripture with emphasis on the mystery doctrine of the Church Age. b. Satanic strategy is to discredit believers through involving them in the cosmic system and Christian degeneracy, so that they shock other believers who then get out of fellowship and involved in false doctrine trying to explain them away. c. Satanic strategy is to encourage rejection of Bible doctrine and to by-pass and ignore post salvation epistemological rehabilitation by emphasizing experience. Satanic strategy is to hinder or distract believers from the execution of the protocol plan of God. Satan tries to distract the believer from postsalvation epistemological rehabilitation in the following ways. (1) Through negative volition toward the teaching of the Word of God and Bible doctrine. (2) Through getting the believer out of fellowship so that there is no filling of the Spirit. (3) Through getting the believer to understand doctrine academically rather than spiritually. (4) Through hindering the circulation of doctrine in the stream of consciousness through the filling of the Spirit. (5) Through the sin nature and the garbage from the subconscious of the soul. Satan tries to control the believer through the old sin nature by tempting the believer to commit sin and to perform good deeds. Believers are distracted into thinking that simple morality is the Christian way of life. d. All the strategies of Satan are directed toward the free will of mankind, not the sovereignty of God. 2. 2 Cor 2:11 states the general principle, "hold your ground against the devil, in order that no advantage be taken of us by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his strategies." Satan has a strategy to keep the believer in the cosmic system, Jam 4:6-8, 1 Jn 2:15-18, 1 Jn 3:4-12. 3. Satan is the enemy of the Church. a. The Church is attacked by legalism which in Rev 2:9 is called "the synagogue of Satan." b. The Church is attacked by religion which is called "the throne of Satan" in Rev 2:13. c. The Church is attacked by false doctrine which in Rev 2:24 is called "the deep things of Satan." 4. Satan's strategies against believers include the following. a. He tries to make believers feel guilty. He accuses believers of sin, therefore, of being under his control, Job 1:6-11; Zech 3:1-2; Rev 12:9-10. However, Jesus Christ defends us in heaven, 1 Jn 2:1-2. b. Satan sponsors reversionism and all principles related to Christian degeneracy, 1 Cor 10:19-21; 2 Cor 11:3, 13-15. c. Satan sponsors fear of death and anger to distract the believer from the protocol plan, Heb 2:14-15. d. He seeks to frustrate the will of God with regard to your life. (1) The mental will of God, i.e., Bible doctrine, Rom 12:2; Eph 4:14. (2) The geographical will of God for you, 1 Thes 2:18. (3) The operational will of God for you, James 4:7-8; Gal 5:7. e. Satan tries to neutralize consistent doctrinal perception, metabolization and application (1 Chr 21:1; 1 Cor 10:19-21; 1 Cor 4:17-18; 2 Cor 11:3, 13-15; 1 Tim 4:11) through: (1) worry, fear, anxiety, mental attitude sins, and reaction to historical disaster, 1 Pet 5:7-9; (2) getting the believer to be disobedient to the Word and the Pastor's authority involved in teaching it; (3) ignoring doctrine you have learned, 1 Chr 21:1. f. Satan tries to destroy the believer's focus. He uses both cosmic one and cosmic two (the two cosmic systems) to keep the believer from occupation with Christ. (1) He causes you to get your eyes on self and feel sorry for self, Gen 3:4-5; 1 Kg 19:10, 14; 1 Cor 1:10-11. (2) Satan causes you to get your eyes on people, Gen 19:28, 20:1; Jer 17:5. (3) He causes you to get your eyes on things, Heb 13:5-6. g. Satan sponsors Christian activism, trying to get the believer to become involved in improvement of his (Satan's) world through becoming occupied with temporal solutions, such as: improving the environment, "the greatest good for the greatest number," socialism, social action, the social Gospel, welfare state, and temporal solutions to man's problems. 5. God allows Satan to administer the momentum tests in which he attempts to keep the believer from advancing to maturity. 6. We are commanded in Eph 4:27, "And stop giving opportunity to the devil." a. We are on the defensive against Satan and are never commanded to go on the offensive against Satan. The Ephesian believers were taking offensive action against Satan and Paul commanded them to stop doing what they were already doing. b. Believers serve Satan through many things like Christian activism, which plays right into the hands of Satan. We give opportunity to the devil in two ways. (1) Through the failure to execute the unique spiritual life of the Church Age and reach Jeshurun status. (2) To live a life in perpetual carnality and die the sin face-to-face with death. K. Satan has a strategy concerning the unbeliever. 1. He blinds the unbeliever's mind to the Gospel and motivates every form of unbeliever reversionism, 2 Pet 2; 2 Cor 4:3-4; Lk 8:12; 2 Thes 2:7-10, Rom 1. He takes the gospel away from their right lobes so that they may not believe. 2. When Satan cannot deceive through good and evil, he uses religion, Col 2:8; Rev 17. He uses religion to blind the mind. 3. Whenever the unbeliever rejects establishment or the believer rejects doctrine or establishment, he falls into the Satanic sphere of influence. 4. Satan's strategy regarding the cosmic dynaspheres is found in 2 Cor 4:3-4 and 2 Thes 2:7-10. L. Satan has a strategy to deify mankind, Gen 3:5. M. Satan has a strategy to indwell or possess unbelievers to hinder salvation, or to use believers and unbelievers in his service. These are called the disciples of Satan, 1 John.

Yes, however unlike most people... I believe the devil is a person... The devil is any christian that tries to destroy your faith in God, and knows the secrets of his kingdom. I've very unpopular on this chat forum for saying things that contradict the norm and I dno't think I will ever get enough points to do anything but that's the truth. What did Jesus say "have I not chosen you 12 and yet one of you is the devil?" which means the devil was a disciple of Jesus... a person with no status in the kingdom of God cannot be the devil.

No

The Bible recognizes satan the devil Jesus referred many times in the scriptures, John 8:44 Revelation 12, many more scriptures to prove satan exist.

Nope! Not for a second.

No

Yes I do

Its not so much that I say his name louie cypher, but believing that he cannott exist where goodnes does,means that he cannott exist if I only see the goodness and not the bad. He can exist where pain and suffering have no end.

Satan is the flying spaghetti monster

Yes. I see the work of the devil almost everywhere.

yea...the devil's work on me a lot

I believe in the devil as much as I believe in god. Which is...Not at all. So...Nope. No devil for me.

yes i do he is jealous of god because of those who worship him that is why he misleading the majority to keep us from doing so

Yes I do and he has shown me more love than any religious deity ever has. I used to be a christian. Lol

I think the devil is a natural creation in opposition to god. Without hot, how would we describe cold. Without a devil (or at least evil), how would we describe god.

<random apathetic mockery of all things involving faith or belief beyond what I can touch and see. with much angst.> Yeah. I believe there is a devil. Satan's best trick was convincing the world he doesn't exist.

No. There is no reason to believe in such an entity.

yes, i beleve in him just as much as i belive in God, his is a fallen angel not a little red thing with a horns. back before he became evil his job was to raise the sun. its in the binle look it up, kjv.

Of course I do.

as long as there are sins and bad deeds.there is devil.

If he doesn't exist, I don't need to worry about him. If he does exist, I don't need to worry about him either. Either way, he's irrelevant. : )

Yes I do. The Scriptures portray the Devil as a real person. He is invisible to humans for the same reason that God is invisible to human eyes. Here is a link to a well researched article about Satan: http://www.watchtower.org/e/20051115/article_01.htm

THEIR'S NO SUCH THING IN TRUE LIFE.

Nope. Both the "Son" of Gawd and the "opposite" of Gawd are total fiction. Satan and Hell were created, just so mothers would have another tool to get their sons to eat ALL of their oatmeal.

No, I don't.