Satan and the Near-Death Experience
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The concept of an evil
entity or entities who are trying to cause people
to do bad things is a concept that is probably
as old as human history. Perhaps it began when
someone committed a wrong against someone and
needed a scapegoat - someone to blame their
sins on. In modern times, the popular phrase
used to be, "The Devil made me do it."
Some people picture a Devil with horns and a
pitchfork. Others describe him as a goat with
hooves. Some people describe the Devil as a
force, rather than a being, who can be everywhere
at the same time to tempt people. The overwhelming
consensus in NDE research is that Satan does
not exist - at least - not the Satan described
literally in the Bible. Nor does evil exist
- only mistakes for which we are allowed to
make for the purpose of instruction.
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Table of
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1. Evil
Does Not Exist. It's Only Stupidity |
"Some beliefs hold to a dualistic system of good versus
evil. It is the belief that there is only one force
of goodness (God) and only one force of badness (Satan).
In between are humans who are little more than pawns
on a big chessboard for these two equally opposing forces
to battle over. Throughout history, this belief system
has been held by millions and millions of people. But
NDE testimonies are giving us much better insights into
whether such theological and philosophical concepts
are actually valid. NDE testimonies offer us a much
more realistic and logical solution to the classical
paradox concerning "the problem of evil."
What the religious traditions of the world perceive
to be "sins," NDE testimonies reveal to be "mistakes"
which God allows humans to make for the purposes of
their higher education and spiritual evolution. What
these religious traditions perceive to be "evil,"
NDE testimonies reveal to be "ignorance."
What humans perceive as "the devil made me do it,"
NDE testimony reveals to be "our own ego and negative
thought process." The following NDE insights reveal
the true nature of human failings.
Howard Storm was given the following insights from
beings of light after his life review when he was fearful
of returning to Earth life and afraid he would make
mistakes again: "Mistakes are an acceptable
part of being human. We are here to make all the mistakes
we want because it is through our mistakes that we learn.
As long as we try to do what we know to be right, we
will be on the right path. If we make a mistake, we
should fully recognize it as a mistake, then put it
behind us and simply try not to make the same mistake
again. The important thing is to try our best, keep
our standards of goodness and truth, and not compromise
them to win people's approval. God loves us just the
way we are, mistakes and all. When we make a mistake,
we should ask for forgiveness. After that, it would
be an insult if we don't accept that we are forgiven.
We shouldn't continue going around with a sense of guilt,
and we should try not to repeat our mistakes. We should
learn from our mistakes. God wants us to do what we
want to do. That means making choices - and there isn't
necessarily any right choice. There are a spectrum of
possibilities, and we should make the best choice from
those possibilities. If we do that, we will receive
help from the Other Side." (Rev.
Howard Storm)
"There really is no sin as it is known in the world.
The only thing that has any meaning in the spirit world
is what we think. The very core of our being is perfect
love and light." (Jayne
Smith)
"There is no evil in any human soul. It is the lack
of love that distorts people. We are designed by God
to self-correct, just like the rest of the universe.
No one is lost because everyone is already saved." (Mellen-Thomas
Benedict)
"The more we exercise our individual consciousness and
free will for self-interest, self-gratification, self-centeredness,
and self-consciousness, the more we heightened our sense
of self apart from the Whole. This separation of self
from the Whole is what people call 'sin.'" (Edgar
Cayce)
"The greatest enemy we can face is ourselves." (George
Anderson)
"Hell refers to levels of negative thought-forms that
reside in close proximity to the Earth realm. It is
where we go to work out, or remain within, our hang-ups,
addictions, fears, guilt, angers, rage, regrets, self-pity,
arrogance, or whatever else blocks us from the power
of our own light. We stay in hell (and there are many
divisions to this vibratory level) for however long
best serves our development. There is no condemnation
here, only the outworking of our own misjudgments, mistakes,
misalignments, and misappropriations - what some people
call 'sin/'" (P.M.H.
Atwater)
"Negative thought vibrations out of ignorance. High
vibrations indicate love and spiritual development,
while low vibrations indicate debasement and evil."
(Arthur
Yensen)
"I knew that as part of his plan - as part of our growth
- God may allow us to go through trials in a sorting-out
period, a cleansing, a purification time when we are
often forced to make new decisions based upon our current
faith and trust in him." (Betty
Eadie)
"If each of us shares our light, soon all dark corners
will be reached, and we will begin the healing of the
world by chasing out darkness. We, too, will begin the
healing of our own souls." (Betty
Eadie)
"Evil
and the devil do not exist. What people consider 'evil'
is really ignorance and stupidity. Hitler was not an
evil man per se. He was just so incredibly ignorant
he was practically retarded at a spiritual level. Such
people are to be pitied and our unconditional love should
extended even to him. It is difficult to hate such a
person who is retarded." (Kevin
Williams)
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2. Satan
Does Not Exist. It's Only Ego. |
Cecil is an 11 year-old child who asked the Being of
Light the following during his NDE:
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I asked if there was a Devil or Satan.
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He said to me, "Would God allow that?"
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He continued, "If I made you God for just
a few seconds, what would you do first?"
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I knew my first act would be to eliminate
any Devil or Satan.
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I asked, "How do I know right from wrong?"
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He replied, "Right
is helping and being kind. Wrong is not
only hurting someone but not helping when
you can." (Cecil)
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"The sin and Satan we live is that of our own creation."
(Sherry
Gideon)
"Ego is always LOVE'S opposite. Love raises vibration
and ego lowers it. Ego is a mental essence that each
of us is made to endure for as long as we walk the planet.
Ego is that thing that tells us in our mind, "No
you can't do that ... because you're not talented, thin,
good-looking, wealthy, intelligent, young, strong, interesting
or intuitive ENOUGH!" This is the voice of the
Liar. The Liar is the voice of ego. Let me put it this
way: wherever there is separation, condemnation, self-doubt,
lack-mentality, bitterness, hostility or segregation
... you can best be sure ego is not far behind. Ego
wants to keep you earthbound and Heavenless for as long
as it can. It is an essence that has been sent here
to learn just as you have. However, it has a duty to
challenge each of us and cause us to learn as it learns
for itself. There is nothing to fear about the ego.
It is just a fragile, spoiled child that screams and
rants until it gets what it wants. And like any child,
if you ignore it during its temper flare long enough,
sooner or later it will get the message that those kinds
of methods are not productive and will not yield positive
results. If you understand the ego, you will understand
the concept of the devil. Satanic frequency is the LOW-RANGE
frequency that surrounds us in our collective thinking.
It is the opposite of the HIGH, INCOMPREHENSIBLE LOVING
frequency of God. Please hear me out on something...be
careful of the music you listen to, the movies or TV
you watch, the gossip or negative speaking you participate
in. All these things LOWER the Soul's vibration. Lower
vibration brings depression, disillusionment, disease
and despair. The lower our Soul's vibration falls, the
more these dark things come upon us. Once you fall into
LOWER vibration, immediately seek to amend it with LOVING,
HIGHER VIBRATIONAL THOUGHT. It is like anything else,
the more you put into something, that is what the end
result will be." (Christian
Andreason)
"There is no devil. But if there is one, he would have
to be an insane angel who was crazy enough to fight
with God, which would be as futile as for us to try
to stop the sunrise. The devil is a mythological character
invented by humans and used for a scapegoat. Grown people
with immature minds like to blame the devil for their
misdeeds instead of acting like people and taking the
blame themselves. However, there may be earthbound spirits
of low vibrations, whom we may regard as devils because
they annoy us through mental telepathy. These demons
tune in on us through our low vibrations of hate, fear
and greed. They can be tuned out with unselfish love,
or if necessary be chased away by the stronger spirit
of Jesus Christ. There's an old saying, Birds of a feather,
flock together. The way to be rid of the devil is not
to be like him." (Arthur
Yensen)
"The struggle between higher and lower self or what
some call God and the Devil causes growth, until finally
the negativity or the destructive elements are completely
overcome." (Betty
Bethards)
"Humans are educated at a higher level by spirit beings
who bring us into heaven. We grow and increase, and
grow and increase, and shed the concerns, desires, and
base animal stuff that we have been fighting much of
our life. Earthly appetites melt away. It is no longer
a struggle to fight them. We become who we truly are,
which is part of the divine." (Rev.
Howard Storm)
"Just knowing the bad mistakes you made through your
carelessness or your selfishness is a hell. You don't
need a devil prodding you with a fork. Believe me, your
own anguished mind is a prod that is more hurtful than
any prodding with a devil's fork. I met a man over here
who said that he would gladly exchange good old Dante's
Inferno for the mental anguish he was experiencing over
guilt feelings from wrong actions he had taken on Earth
in certain business matters. In Dante's Inferno he would
be able to complain that the devil was doing this to
him, whereas now he had no devil to complain of because
the devil was himself. Whether there is a negative personal
being who can be called the devil I cannot say. I have
not seen anyone personified as the devil. There certainly
is an evil force which builds up from the negative aspects
of life and has a tremendous influence. Thought forms
which are evil certainly play a part, but I don't think
they are the whole answer." (Margaret Tweddell)
"Hell is a psychological condition which corresponds
to the suffering we experience on Earth when we allow
ourselves to be driven by the blind greed of our own
egos. There are no "devils" here to inflict
punishments, since in the state of hell, each person
acts out their own malice by tormenting others." (Emanuel
Swedenborg)
"Murderers in hell do not see a devil. Full of hatred
or vengeance, he expects to find nothing after
death, and for a long time that is what he finds - nothing. Then
he discovers that the hell he had every reason
to expect is indeed awaiting him. It is not goblins
and devils that he sees, but visions of his own face
distorted by hatred, greed, malice, and other defeating
emotions. He cringes from the sight, realizing that
he sees himself thus, that he himself was possessed
of a devil, and that except for his baser nature he
would have been able unaided to cast him forth. He is
appalled as he realizes that he wasted a lifetime of
opportunity. Not for him is enrollment in the temple
of wisdom or the higher school of learning. (Ruth
Montgomery)
"I had a descent into what you might call Hell ... I
did not see Satan or evil. My descent into Hell was
a descent into each person's customized human misery,
ignorance, and darkness of not-knowing. It seemed like
a miserable eternity. But each of the millions of souls
around me had a little star of light always available.
But no one seemed to pay attention to it. They were
so consumed with their own grief, trauma and misery."
(Mellen-Thomas
Benedict)
"Numerous scriptural accounts describe angels who turned
against the pure goodness and love of God, and also
turn humankind toward evil by malicious intent. The
master of such forces is often called Satan or the devil.
There is no doubt that evil exists on Earth. Similarly,
those who have communication with the spiritual world
state that all is not goodness and light there as well.
Since we know that we enter the spiritual world at the
same level of spiritual development we have gained while
on Earth, then it makes sense that those who have had
much give and take with selfishness, revenge and maliciousness
will continue such acts in the spirit world. There is,
therefore, evil and darkness in the spirit world. The
darkness may be a result of ignorance and lack of understanding.
Spiritual guides will enlighten willing souls and offer
growth opportunities to lead the spirit into the light
and warmth of higher realms. Some accounts inform us
that ignorance of the need to seek growth may keep someone
in a state of darkness for a long period of time. Apart
from ignorance, there are also dark forces in the spirit
world created by those of vengeful and malicious desires.
Such are the forces, often called demonic, which influence,
obsess or possess people on Earth and which may be instigators
of crime and violence, sexual abuse and aberrations,
and belief in Satanism. A person of such interests on
Earth will inevitably be drawn to similar companionship
in the spirit world. The dwelling place of such evil
could certainly be called hell. Everyone entering the
spiritual world, however, should know that a God of
love suffers for those in darkness, ignorance and misery.
Based on desire and willingness, the spirit is given
opportunity for an upward journey." (Nora
Spurgin)
"If we are convinced a devil is out there to trick or
deceive us, and if we have already pictured in our minds
what this devil looks like and what he plans on doing,
we should really not be surprised when our worst fears
are confirmed. The devils we create become real and
solid in the next dimension because we created them."
(Jerry
Gross)
"Religion is to each individual, their own personal
experience, values, beliefs and what they need to know
and find from it. The existence of a heaven or a hell
and one's existence therein, in my knowledge, is not
based on their belief or faith in a God or a Satan.
It is based on their belief of truth, knowledge, faith,
love, peace and compassion. Verbally professing to have
faith in a God or a Satan or the heaven which Christians
profess to exist, will not assure an eternal rest in
a heaven with a God or a hell with a Satan. I know this
to be my own truth from my own experience. A heavenly
existence for any of us will be what we have made of
our own individual earthly existences, the truths we
have lived and taught and believed in our current lives,
and the love, peace and compassion we have known for
ourselves and those we have touched. Anything else will
be what we make to be our own hellish existence." (Tina)
Analysis by Kevin Williams: "I have found
practically no NDE testimonies referring to a devil.
And none of them describe an encounter with a being
identified to be Satan. Even in the hellish NDE reports
I have read, none of them describe an encounter with
a being whom they identify as Satan. There are encounters
with strange Satan-like beings, but none of them were
identified as Satan. None of them have the personality
traits, the actions, or the words that would indicate
they were actually Satan. One would think that if Satan
really existed, that if he is the powerful Prince of
Darkness, the Dark Lord, the Serpent and Dragon, and
the Evil One who is so powerful and fearsome that he
led a cosmic rebellion against God and heaven as a literal
interpretation of the Bible suggests, then why doesn't
he appear in NDE reports? Where is he? Where are all
the NDE reports that can tell us? Some people claim
the
Being of Light
to be Satan. But how can a being that emits such an
incredible amount of love and light be Satan? Love and
light are God. (Kevin
Williams)
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3. The Sons
of Light Versus the Sons of Darkness |
In
1947, on the shores of the Dead Sea, scrolls from a
monastic group known as the
Essenes,
dated to be about two thousand years old were discovered
and was labeled the Dead Sea Scrolls. One particular
Dead Sea Scroll entitled
11Q13 Melchizedek Text
which contains a sermon called The Last Jubilee, refers
to the defeat of Satan. This scroll is about the last
days during which time it says, a
Melchizedek redivivus
(reincarnate) will appear and destroy Belial (Satan)
and lead the children of God to eternal forgiveness.
(The
Last Jubilee, Dead Sea Scrolls)
In
Enochic Judaism, the concept of Satan being an opponent
of God and a chief evil figure in among demons, seems
to have taken root in Jewish
pseudepigrapha
during the Second Temple period, particularly in the
apocalypses. The
Book of Enoch
contains references to
Satariel,
thought also to be
Sataniel
and
Satan'el
(etymology dating back to Babylonian origins). The similar
spellings mirror that of his angelic brethren
Michael,
Raphael,
Uriel,
and
Gabriel,
previous to the
fall from Heaven.
The
Second Book of Enoch,
also called the Slavonic Book of Enoch, contains references
to a
Watcher
(Grigori) called Satanael. It is a
pseudepigraphic
text of an uncertain date and unknown authorship. The
text describes Satanael as being the prince of the Grigori
who was cast out of heaven and an evil spirit who knew
the difference between what was "righteous" and "sinful".
A similar story is found in the book of
1 Enoch;
however, in that book, the leader of the Grigori is
called
Semyaza.
In
the
Book of Wisdom,
the devil is represented as the being who brought death
into the world.
Mastema,
in the
Book of Jubilees,
induces God to test Abraham through the sacrifice of
Isaac. He is identical to Satan in both name and nature.
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4. Buddhism's
Lord of Death Leads Souls to Reincarnation |
Tibetan Buddhism
teaches that, at the very moment of death, there dawns
the
Clear Light of Ultimate Reality
which is the Pure Mind and Light of all the Buddhas
(enlightened ones). If the dead recognizes this light
to be the projection of their own mind, they are liberated
from the cycle of reincarnation and can enter into the
light.
At the same time the Clear
Light appears, a dull light leading to hell, called
the Secondary Light, draws those who have not recognized
the true nature of their mind toward reincarnation.
Ultimately, the unliberated are pulled down by the weight
of their karma to judgment, during which the Lord of
Death (Yamaraja)
examines the past actions of the individual with the
Mirror of Karma. He then assigns the person according
to his or her merits and debits to one of the six realms
into which one can be reincarnated. (Tibetan
Buddhism)
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5. Theosophy's
Lucifer as God's Tool in Dispensing Divine Justice |
Theosophy is a religion that believes Lucifer
plays an important role not only in the Earth dimension
but also in other dimensions in the afterlife. Lucifer's
job, so to speak, is to act as a dispenser of God's
justice and to antagonize us during Earth life as our
conscience. This suggests that the purpose for all our
sufferings and hardships are to lead us to the
Christ consciousness
(the divine nature in man).
When we die,
it is our Christ consciousness which leads us to the
dimension of light. In the higher dimensions, the true
and the false extremes become balanced and we understand
their purpose. It is in this dimension that the soul
encounters Lucifer as no longer an antagonistic being.
Here we choose between the light of heaven and the light
of Lucifer. It is Lucifer who leads us back to the Earth
dimension, if it is what we choose. Lucifer helps to
prepare us for our future incarnations if we remain
awake during this journey and don't get snagged in the
hell realm. Eventually everyone goes through all the
phases of the planetary journey but they don't necessarily
do it consciously. (Theosophy)
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6. Satan
as the Gnostic God of This World |
The
Christian Gnostics
believed in a very different version of the origins
of humanity and divinity compared to orthodox Christianity
and Judaism. They believed the God of the Old Testament,
Yahweh, was a Satan-like figure. What follows is the
Gnostic view of Satan:
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The
Gnostics believed it was an evil deity who created
the fallen material world - a realm they considered
to be one of the lowest heavens in the hierarchy
of heavens. For this reason, Gnostics believed
the flesh and the material world was evil. They
believed this evil deity was the god of this
world who ruled and controlled the material
universe. The Gnostics believed this god was
ignorant of the true God of heaven - the creator
of the spirit realms. According to Gnostic theology,
the evil creator god was the one who trapped
souls into flesh. Adam and Eve were created
in a paradise by the evil god so that they can
praise and worship this god. When Adam and Eve
disobeyed him by becoming knowledgeable of good
and evil, this god becomes infuriated and chased
the first human couple out of paradise and threatened
their descendants.
The Gnostics viewed
the creator deity as evil because he was bloodthirsty
and full of jealousy, wrath and vengeance. The
Gnostics rejected this evil deity because this
god believed that he alone was deity by declaring,
"I am God and there is no other God beside me"
and demanded all humanity to worship him. The
Gnostics believed it was this tribal deity who
demanded Jesus be killed partly because of Jesus'
teachings that
we are gods.
This jealous god eventually regretted creating
humanity and in his wrath he drowned the whole
world in a flood. Afterward, he became a tribal
deity and exercised world rule aimed at enslaving
man through laws and animal sacrifices. He declared
he would reward those who worship him with material
gains. But he demanded that people fear him
and when they did not, he destroyed multitudes
of people for failure to do so. The Gnostics
believed Jesus came to free people from the
slavery of the evil law and taught secret doctrines
to his disciples on how to escape from the trap
of birth and rebirth. (Christian
Gnosticism)
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7. Kabbalah's
Teaching of Too Much Receiving and Not Enough Giving
Creates a "Satan" |
The Jewish mysticism of
Kabbalah
teaches that God is the Source from whom we all came.
God needs nothing, lacks nothing and desires nothing
because God has everything and is everything. For this
reason, God can only give. Before the fall of souls
from God into the flesh, souls needed to discover what
it meant to be God-like, that is, what it meant to give.
Kabbalah teaches that if a person does nothing but receive,
they develop an unnatural Satan condition of selfishness.
Kabbalah teaches that this was the reason why souls
left their positions with God. It is the plan of God
that humans learn how to give and receive. Those humans
who mostly receive and not give are susceptible of developing
this Satan condition. Those who learn to give selflessly
are developing a godly condition. (Kabbalah)
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8. Satan
as Psychological Guilt and Fear Resulting From Repressed
Desires |
Carl G. Jung,
a near-death experiencer and the father of
analytical psychology,
defined the "devil" to be the dark aspect of human nature
which exists solely within a person's mind. Jung called
this dark nature the shadow archetype and said it represents
the negative ego personality and qualities which are
painful and regrettable. When we have dark thoughts
or engaged in negative activity, we may experience guilt,
fear, and anxiety. Jung believed the shadow archetype
is made up of those aspects of our lives which we try
to repress. But this repression may sooner or later
result in their manifestation. For example, if someone
is brought up believing that sex is dirty, they may
end up becoming promiscuous because they had repressed
this aspect of their nature. What such a person is doing
is trying to embrace the darker aspects of their life
which is previously forbidden to them. While Christianity
believes that evil is in opposition to good, Jung saw
evil as that which needs to be recognized and in some
ways embraced in order for a person to remain psychologically
balanced. (Carl
G. Jung)
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9. Scriptural
References to Lucifer, Satan, Beelzebul and the Devil |
Mainstream Christians consider
Satan (also known as
Lucifer,
Beelzebul or
the Devil) to be an archangel who led a rebellion
in heaven and fell from grace because of pride and was
therefore cast out of heaven to Earth:
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"Then war broke out
in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against
the dragon [Satan], and the dragon and his angels
fought back. But he was not strong enough, and
they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon
was hurled down - that ancient serpent called
the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world
astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his
angels with him." (Revelation
12:7-9)
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Satan is then viewed as persecuting Jesus, his mother
and all of Jesus' followers who keep his commandments:
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"When the dragon saw
that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued
the woman [Mary] who had given birth to the
male child [Jesus]. The woman was given the
two wings of a great eagle, so that she might
fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness,
where she would be taken care of for a time,
times and half a time, out of the serpent’s
reach. Then from his mouth the serpent spewed
water like a river, to overtake the woman and
sweep her away with the torrent. But the Earth
helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing
the river that the dragon had spewed out of
his mouth. Then the dragon was enraged at the
woman and went off to wage war against the rest
of her offspring - those who keep God’s commands
and hold fast their testimony about Jesus."
(Revelation
12:13-17)
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Traditional Christianity holds that Satan's "sin" was
thinking he was equal to God and rebelling against Him.
This rebellious angel is viewed as one who tempts
us to do evil. Supposedly, one of the most evil things
Satan tempts us to do is to think that we are God. So
those who believe in the essential divinity of all life
are often accused of committing Satan's sin, and of
being under his influence - as Jesus was accused of
when he quoted
Psalm 82:6
to defend himself as being
the "Son of God" by saying "you are gods" (John
10:30-36).
Satan is also believed
to have spoken through "the serpent" (Genesis
3:1) to seduce Eve into disobeying God's command
to not eat of the forbidden fruit. It is thought that
Satan's ultimate goal is to lead people away from God
in order to claim their souls as his own for damnation
in hell. Satan is also thought to be "the adversary"
of Job (Job
1:6), the "tempter" of Jesus in the Gospels (Matthew
4:2-11) and the "secret power of lawlessness" (2
Thessalonians 2:7). Before his rebellion, Satan
was viewed to be among the highest of all angels and
the "brightest in the sky." It is believed that Satan
desires to overthrow God and rule heaven itself. In
mainstream Christianity he is also called the "ruler
of the demons" (Matthew
12:24), the "ruler of the kingdom of the air, the
spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient"
(Ephesians
2:2) and the "god of this age" who "has blinded
the minds of unbelievers" (2
Corinthians 4:4). Satan's ultimate fate is described
in
Revelation 20:
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"And I saw an angel
coming down out of heaven, having the key to
the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain.
He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent,
who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for
a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss,
and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him
from deceiving the nations anymore until the
thousand years were ended. After that, he must
be set free for a short time." (Revelation
20:1-3, NIV)
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During this thousand year period, Christ will
rule the world and the Kingdom of God will be established.
Afterwards, Satan and his forces will be allowed to
be set free on Earth; but they will eventually be thrown
into the Lake of Fire:
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"When the thousand
years are over, Satan will be released from
his prison and will go out to deceive the nations
in the four corners of the earth - Gog and Magog
- and to gather them for battle. In number they
are like the sand on the seashore. They marched
across the breadth of the earth and surrounded
the camp of God’s people, the city he loves.
But fire came down from heaven and devoured
them. And the devil, who deceived them, was
thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where
the beast and the false prophet had been thrown.
They will be tormented day and night for ever
and ever." (Revelation
20:7-10, NIV)
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According to the Christian mystic,
Edgar Cayce,
"Satan" and the
Book of
Revelation is the symbolic account of "the
fall of all human souls" and their ultimate restoration
as permanent citizens of heaven - similar to Jesus'
symbolic
parable of the Prodigal Son. Cayce revealed through
his NDE-like experiences that all human souls were created
before the universe began and none have been created
since. Some of these human souls left their abode in
heaven and some became trapped on Earth in flesh are
now finding their way back to God through the cycle
of evolution and reincarnation:
|
"Our minds are led
by the spirit we are entertaining, the spirit
of God or the spirit of the devil - self. This
spiritual force of selfishness is the false
god referred to as Satan. It is the collective
unconscious rebellion of humanity against God.
This collective unconscious rebellion is manifested
as self-centeredness, self-gratification, self-seeking,
self-righteousness, self-glorification, self-consciousness,
self-indulgence, self-deception, self-serving,
self-condemnation, self-absorbed, self-importance,
selfishness, SELF. It is the force of the unevolved
animalistic nature (the "beast") within humans.
Satan is the unregenerated lower self that wars
against the Higher Self within every human being.
Jesus, on the other hand, went to the cross
to fulfill his mission of showing humans the
way to "crucify" their lower nature.
Through a person's Higher Self of unconditional
love - the manifestation of God - a person can
attain at-one-ment with the divine nature within.
This Higher Self is the Spirit of self-sacrifice,
self-denial, selflessness, self-effacing, self-discipline,
self-control, self-restraint, self-respect -
the divine self that is a part of God and which
wars against the lower self." (Edgar
Cayce)
Edgar Cayce revealed
that the greatest enemy we will ever have to
face is self. This also corresponds with the
NDE life review where, after death, we observe
all our thoughts and deeds in minute detail.
The life review is often mistaken by some NDE
experiencers as judgment from God; but, in the
final analysis, it is discovered to be a process
for our own spiritual growth and education -
not damnation. Cayce interpreted the Book of
Revelation to be the story of humanity overcoming
the enemy within. In Revelation, Babylon is
symbolic of our selfish desires that cause us
to war against ourselves and others. Armageddon
is a battle between the beast nature of our
animalistic lower self and the lamb - the divine
nature of our Higher Self. Once the lower self
is overcome by the higher self, the devil (self-will)
is cast into the Abyss (the divine will suppressing
the self-will). The result of this is the Kingdom
of heaven (the rule of the Holy Spirit within)
as it comes to Earth (the human body). Genesis
is the story of humanity's fall from heaven.
Revelation is the story of humanity being restored
to God. It is paradise lost and then paradise
found. (Edgar
Cayce)
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|
a. The
Biblical Origin of "Lucifer" |
The only reference
to "Lucifer" in both the New and Old Testaments is in
Isaiah 14 and only in the King James Version:
|
a. |
"How art thou fallen
from heaven, O Lucifer,
son of the morning!
How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst
weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine
heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt
my throne above the stars of God: I will sit
also upon the mount of the congregation, in
the sides of the north: I will ascend above
the heights of the clouds; I will be like the
most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to
hell, to the sides of the pit." (Isaiah
14:12-15, King James Version)
|
b. |
"How you have fallen
from heaven, morning
star, son
of the dawn! You have been cast down
to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!
You said in your heart, 'I will ascend to the
heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars
of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of
assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon.
I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.' But
you are brought down to the realm of the dead,
to the depths of the pit." (Isaiah
14:12-15, New International Version)
|
c. |
"How did you come to
fall from the heavens,
morning star,
son of the dawn?
How did you come to be cut to the ground, conqueror
of nations? You thought to yourself, 'I will
scale the heavens, I will raise my throne above
God’s stars. I will sit on the Mount of Assembly
far away in the north. I will rise past the
tops of the clouds, I will make myself like
the Most High." Instead you are brought down
to Sh’ol, to the uttermost depths of the pit."
(Isaiah
14:12-15, Complete Jewish Bible)
|
|
In spite of this King James
mistranslation, the proper name "Lucifer" is not found
anywhere in the original Hebrew text or even in the
translated Messianic Writings. "Lucifer" is a Latin
word and the next question becomes: how did this Latin
word makes its way into a Hebrew manuscript written
centuries before Latin even existed? In Hebrew, the
phrase "Lucifer, son of the morning" in Isaiah 14:12
is helel ben shachar and is more accurately
translated as "morning star, son of the dawn." So there
is no proper name for "Lucifer" mentioned in this Isaiah
14:12 in the original Hebrew. The context of the whole
passage of
Isaiah 14 is not about a condemnation against a fallen
angel, but about a condemnation against the fallen Babylonian
king who had persecuted the people of Israel. This verse
also contains no mention of Satan either by name or
reference.
So why did the translators of
the King James Bible use the "Lucifer" for "morning
star" in Isaiah 14:12? The translation of the original
Hebrew scriptures into Greek was called the
Septuagint and its translators chose the Greek word
heosphoros for the Hebrew helel ben shachar.
Heos means "in or of the morning" and phoros
means "that which is borne, or bearing." The
Greek language is a very different language than
Hebrew and much of the original Hebrew meaning and contexts
became lost in the translation. By 325 AD, during the
reign of
Constantine, the Roman Empire adopted Gentile Christianity
as the new state religion. Shortly thereafter, the
Latin Church Father Jerome (347-420 AD) began working
on a Latin translation of the Bible. After 20 years
of translating the text, in the year 405 AD, the translation
now known as the
Vulgate was completed. While Jerome used the Greek
Septuagint and Hebrew in translating the scriptures
to Latin, most biblical scholars agree the Vulgate has
many flaws and inaccuracies. The translation of Isaiah
14:12 is a testimony to this fact. Jerome did not translate
the Hebrew helel ben shachar precisely nor
did he use the Greek heosphoros. Instead, Jerome
chose to translate Isaiah 14:12 using the Latin word
lukophos which in Jerome's day was an epithet
for the Greek gods
Apollo and
Pan who were both worshipped at first light of the
dawn - the "morning star" - the
planet Venus. The word "Lucifer" comes from the
Latin word lux meaning "light" and ferre
meaning "to bear or bring." Thus, Lucifer became "the
light bringer" although there is no scriptural basis
for such an arbitrary personification of that word.
For these reasons, the Bible contains no reference to
a being named "Lucifer." Neither Isaiah nor Jesus nor
the apostles of Jesus referred to a being named Lucifer.
Neither is there is no association between helel
ben shachar of Isaiah 14:12 and the entity known
as Satan. So according to the proper context of Isaiah
14:12, the prophet Isaiah is taunting a man - the king
"star" of Babylon at the time:
|
"In the poetic and
figurative language of the Hebrew ... a star
signifies an illustrious king or prince ...
The monarch here referred to, having surpassed
all other kings in royal splendor, is compared
to the harbinger of day, whose brilliancy surpasses
that of the surrounding stars" (A
Cyclopedia of Biblical Literature, John
Kitto ed., 3rd ed., J. B. Lippincott and Co,
Philadelphia, 1866, 2:857-8).
|
|
The irony of believing that "Lucifer"
refers to an evil being named Satan is that the same
title - "morning star" - is used to refer to Jesus in
2 Peter 1:19 where the text has exactly the same Greek
word heosphoros :
|
"We also have the prophetic
message as something completely reliable, and
you will do well to pay attention to it, as
to a light shining in a dark place, until the
day dawns and the
morning star
rises in your hearts." (2
Peter 1:19, NIV)
|
|
In the Vulgate, the word "morning star" in
2 Peter 1:19 is even
translated as "Lucifer." "Morning star" is also
a term used by Jesus to describe Himself in Revelation
22:16:
|
"I, Jesus, have sent
my angel to give you this testimony for the
churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of
David, and the bright
Morning Star."
(Revelation
22:16, NIV)
|
|
Jesus also promises to give the "morning
star" to those who are victorious:
|
"To the one who is
victorious and does my will to the end, I will
give authority over the nations - that one 'will
rule them with an iron scepter and will dash
them to pieces like pottery' just as I have
received authority from my Father. I will also
give that one the
morning star."
(Revelation
2:26-28, NIV)
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|
b. The
Biblical Origin of "Satan" |
The original Hebrew term, "satan," is
a noun from a verb meaning primarily to, "obstruct,
oppose," as it is found in
Numbers 22:22,
1 Samuel 29:4,
Psalms 109:6. The Hebrew word "ha-satan" is
traditionally translated as "the accuser," or "the
adversary." The definite article "ha-" as in
"ha-satan" is similar to the English word "the" and
is used to show that this is a label associated with
a person and not the name of a person. Thus any
person opposing another would be referred to as "the
satan." "Satan" without the definite article "ha-"
is used in 10 instances, of which two are translated
"diabolos" in the Septuagint and "Satan" which
appears only in the King James Version. Properly
translated in the Hebrew Bible, 'satan" and
"ha-satan" are never interpreted to be an evil
archangel known also as the Devil. For example,
"Satan" (the "adversary") incited David to take a
census of Israel:
|
|
The 1st instance in the Hebrew Bible
containing "satan":
|
"Satan
(i.e., "an
adversary") rose up against Israel
and incited David to take a census of
Israel." (1
Chronicles 21:1, NIV)
|
|
But the Hebrew Bible also mentions
that it was God incited David to take a census of Israel:
|
"Again the anger of
the Lord
burned against Israel, and
he incited David
against them, saying, 'Go and take a census
of Israel and Judah.'" (2
Samuel 24:1, NIV)
|
|
The 2nd instance in the Hebrew Bible
containing "satan":
|
"Appoint someone
evil to oppose my enemy; let 'an accuser'
(i.e., "satan")
stand at his right hand." (Psalm
109:6, NIV)
|
|
The other 8 instances of "satan"
without the definite "ha-" article are traditionally
translated (in Greek, Latin and English) as "an
adversary" and taken to be applied to humans or the
"angel of the Lord."
The 1st instance of "satan" in the
Hebrew Bible occurs in
Numbers 22:22:
|
"But God was very angry
when he went, and
the angel of the
Lord stood in the road to
oppose (i.e.,
"satan") him.
Balaam was riding on his donkey, and his two
servants were with him." (Numbers
22:22, NIV)
|
|
So when the "angel
of the Lord" is sent as "satan" (i.e., "an adversary")
to oppose the prophet Balaam in
Numbers 22:22, it does not mean the Lord takes
on the persona of an evil "Satan."
The 2nd instance of "satan" in the
Hebrew Bible occurs in
Numbers 22:32: |
"The angel of the
Lord asked him, 'Why have you beaten your
donkey these three times? I have come here
to oppose (i.e.,
"satan") you because your path is a
reckless one before me.'" (Numbers
22:32, NIV)
|
|
The 3rd instance of "satan" in the
Hebrew Bible occurs in
1 Samuel 29:4:
|
"But the Philistine
commanders were angry with Achish and said,
'Send the man back, that he may return to
the place you assigned him. He must not go
with us into battle, or he [David] will turn
against (i.e.,
"satan", "oppose") us during the
fighting. How better could he regain his
master’s favor than by taking the heads of
our own men?'" (1
Samuel 29:4, NIV)
|
|
The 4th instance of "satan" in the
Hebrew Bible occurs in
2 Samuel 19:22:
|
"David replied,
'What does this have to do with you, you
sons of Zeruiah [Joab and his brothers]?
What right do you have to interfere
(i.e., "satans,"
plural)? Should anyone be put to
death in Israel today? Don’t I know that
today I am king over Israel?" (2
Samuel 19:22, NIV)
|
|
The 5th instance of "satan" in the
Hebrew Bible occurs in
1 Kings 5:4:
|
"But now the Lord
my God has given me [Solomon] rest on every
side, and there is no adversary
(i.e., "satan")
or disaster." (1
Kings 5:4, NIV)
|
|
The 6th instance of "satan" in the
Hebrew Bible occurs in
1 Kings 11:14:
|
"Then the Lord
raised up against Solomon an adversary
(i.e., "satan"),
Hadad the Edomite, from the royal line of
Edom." (1
Kings 11:14, NIV)
|
|
The 7th instance of "satan" in the
Hebrew Bible occurs in
1 Kings 11:23:
|
"And God raised up
against Solomon another adversary
(i.e., "satan"),
Rezon son of Eliada, who had fled from his
master, Hadadezer king of Zobah." (1
Kings 11:23, NIV)
|
|
The 8th instance of "satan" in the
Hebrew Bible occurs in
1 Kings 11:25:
|
"Rezon was Israel’s
adversary (i.e.,
"satan") as long as Solomon lived,
adding to the trouble caused by Hadad. So
Rezon ruled in Aram and was hostile toward
Israel." (1
Kings 11:25, NIV)
|
|
The word "ha-satan" with the definite
article "ha-" occurs 13 times in two books of the
Hebrew Bible. In the
Book of Job (chapters 1-2), "ha-satan" appears
10 times. In the
Book of Zechariah 3:1-2, "ha-satan" appears 3
times.
Zechariah 3:1-2 states:
|
"Then he showed me
Joshua the high priest standing before the
angel of the Lord, and Satan
(i.e.,
"ha-satan", "the accuser") standing
at his right side to accuse him. The Lord
said to Satan
(i.e., "ha-satan", "the accuser"),
“The Lord rebuke you, Satan
(i.e.,
"ha-satan", "the accuser")! The Lord,
who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not
this man a burning stick snatched from the
fire?" (Zechariah
3:1-2)
|
|
All other examples in the
Book of Job, the word "Satan" should be correctly
translated as "an adversary":
|
"One day the angels
came to present themselves before the Lord,
and Satan (i.e.,
"an adversary") also came with them." (Job
1:6, NIV)
|
|
The Book of Job is a book whose
final version is dated after the
Babylonian exile of the Jews. It was during the
Babylonian exile that the Hebrews came into contact
with the
Zoroastrian religion (of
Magi fame, see
Matthew 2:1, NIV). Zoroastrianism is the source
of religious concepts found in Judaism,
Gnosticism, Christianity and Islam concerning beliefs
about
heaven, a dualistic struggle between co-equal
forces of good and the forces of evil followed by
a final assault, the final
resurrection of the dead, the
restoration of the world, an
individual judgment and a
last judgment, and a
hell where souls are purified but do not experience
eternal damnation. Zoroastrianism is also the source
for the Hebrew and Christian concepts of a
messiah. This final savior of the world (known to
Zoroastrianism as "Saoshyant")
will be born to a virgin and who will raise the dead
- including those in both heaven and hell - for final
judgment, returning the wicked to hell to be purged
of bodily sin. Next, all souls will wade through a purifying
river of molten metal in which the righteous will not
burn. Heavenly forces ultimately triumph over evil and
all men will become immortal.
Ahura Mazda
(the Wise Lord) is worshipped by Zoroastrians as the
good God. Opposed to the Wise Lord is
Ahriman
(the evil god). The Earth was created by the Wise Lord
to be a battlefield in which to fight the evil god.
Human beings have free will to choose between the Lord
and the evil god. Those who choose the evil god go to
hell for a time. Those who choose the Lord will resurrect
at the time of the Last Judgment. (Zoroastrianism)
Before the Babylonian exile,
there is no evidence in Hebrew scriptures of an accuser
as a force opposing God. Even after the exile such a
concept is still doubtful. The word "Satan" in
Job 1:6 was mistakenly translated as a capitalized
name suggesting it to be a being; but there are no capitalizations
in the Hebrew language. The word "ha-satan" or "the
adversary" is never used to represent a being or entity
in Hebrew. As was the case with the word "Lucifer,"
the original Hebrew meaning and context became lost
in the translation. In Hebrew, the word "accuser" represents
an opposing force with all of the following connotations:
accuse, oppose, divide, slander, reject, deceive, be
adversarial - but not once in the Hebrew Bible does
it represent an actual being.
The Hebrew word "adversary" is more of
an opposing attitude or mindset against God representing
the opposite of loving others and of putting others
before self as in: selfishness, self-centeredness, self-gratification
and self-consciousness. The more our sense of self becomes
separated from others - the more this mindset becomes
an adversary of God. Jesus, for example, came to live
and teach the principles of self-denial and self-sacrifice:
|
"Then he [Jesus] said
to them all, 'Whoever wants to be my disciple
must deny themselves and take up their cross
daily and follow me.'" (Luke
9:23, NIV)
|
|
|
"Therefore if you have
any encouragement from being united with Christ,
if any comfort from his love, if any common
sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and
compassion, then make my joy complete by being
like-minded, having the same love, being one
in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of
selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in
humility value others above yourselves, not
looking to your own interests but each of you
to the interests of the others. In your relationships
with one another, have the same mindset as Christ
Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not
consider equality with God something to be used
to his own advantage; rather, he made himself
nothing by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness. And being found
in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by
becoming obedient to death - even death on a
cross!" (Philippians
2:1-8, NIV)
|
|
Wherever there exists the mindset of selfishness,
there always exists this "adversary" - the opposing
mindset to God:
|
"Then he [Jesus] said
to them all, 'Whoever wants to be my disciple
must deny themselves and take up their cross
daily and follow me.'" (Luke
9:23, NIV)
|
|
|
"For where you have
envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder
and every evil practice." (James
3:16, NIV)
|
|
Any force opposing goodness should always
be considered to be not of God:
|
"Jesus replied, 'Anyone
who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father
will love them, and we will come to them and
make our home with them. Anyone who does not
love me will not obey my teaching. These words
you hear are not my own; they belong to the
Father who sent me.'" (John
14:23-24, NIV)
|
|
There are other Bible verse defining "Satan"
as "an opposing force" against God within human beings:
|
a. |
"From that time
on Jesus began to explain to his disciples
that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer
many things at the hands of the elders,
chief priests and teachers of the law, and
that he must be killed and on the third
day be raised to life. Peter took him aside
and began to rebuke him. 'Never, Lord!'
he said. 'This shall never happen to you!' Jesus
turned and said to Peter,
'Get behind me,
Satan!
You are a stumbling block to me; you do
not have in mind the things of God, but
the things of men.'" (Matthew
16:21-23)
|
b. |
"Jesus answered,
'It is the one to whom I will give this
piece of bread when I have dipped it in
the dish.' Then, dipping the piece of bread,
he gave it to Judas Iscariot, son of Simon.
As soon as
Judas
took the bread,
Satan entered
into him."
(John
13:26-27)
|
c. |
Son
of man, say to the ruler of Tyre, "This
is what the Sovereign Lord says: "In
the pride of your heart you say, "I am a
god; I sit on the throne of a god in the
heart of the seas." But you are a man
and not a god, though you think you are
as wise as a god. ... You were the model
of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect
in beauty. You were in Eden, the
garden of God ... You were anointed as
a guardian cherub, for so I ordained
you ... You were blameless in your ways
from the day you were created till wickedness
was found in you ... So I drove you in disgrace
from the mount of God, and I expelled you,
O guardian cherub, from among the fiery
stones ... So I threw you to the Earth;
I made a spectacle of you before kings.
By your many sins and dishonest trade
you have desecrated your sanctuaries."
(Ezekiel
28:1-19)
|
|
Christian orthodoxy later changed "ha-Satan"
from "an accuser" appointed by God to test men's faith
to God's god-like fallen opponent. This traditional
view of an evil being who acts as a formidable opponent
to God came under attack even by second-century pagans
such as Celsus who stated:
|
"It is blasphemy ...
to say that the greatest God ... has an adversary
who constrains his capacity to do good." And
that Christians "impiously divide the kingdom
of God, creating a rebellion in it, as if there
were opposing factions within the divine, including
one that is hostile to God." (Celsus)
|
|
Liberal Christianity often views the
devil metaphorically as do some conservative
Christian groups as well including
Christadelphians and the
Church of the Blessed Hope. Liberal Christians such
as the
Unitarians and
Universalists believe "Satan" in the Bible shouldn't
be regarded as a supernatural entity but as a figurative
reference to human sin and temptation. Much of the traditional
Christian views of Satan is not Biblical; but instead
grew from
pre-medieval and medieval Christian mythology. The
Anabaptists where the first Christian denomination
to hold a doctrine that the devil was only a metaphor.
This same metaphorical view holds true
for the "serpent" in Genesis 3 which is incorrectly
regarded in Christian theology to be a fallen angel
named "Satan" even though the Hebrew word "Satan" does
not appear anywhere in the Book of Genesis. The correct
interpretation of metaphors, symbolism and allegories
can be problematic when it comes to interpreting scripture.
In context, the serpent must be understood as just that
- a serpent. Not much information is given in the Bible
about the serpent; but in
Genesis 3:1, scripture clearly states the serpent
was one of the most intelligent of all the animals God
created:
|
"Now
the serpent
was more crafty than
any of the wild
animals the Lord God had made. He said
to the woman, 'Did God really say, 'You must
not eat from any tree in the garden'?" (Genesis
3:1, NIV)
|
|
The fact that the serpent was
created like the other "wild animals" in
Genesis 1:24-25 and "was good" also dispels any
notion of the presence of an evil angelic being:
|
"And God said, 'Let
the land produce living creatures according
to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures
that move along the ground, and the wild animals,
each according to its kind.' And it was so.
God made the wild animals according to their
kinds, the livestock according to their kinds,
and all the creatures
that move along the ground according
to their kinds.' And God saw that
it was good."
(Genesis
1:24-25, NIV)
|
|
Adversity is an implement used
by God to accomplish specific purposes and should never
be thought of as "evil" per se. There is much in the
Book of Job to support this view. This incorrect translation
of the word "adversary" with a being named "Satan" appears
only in the first two chapters of Job and then disappears.
Some Bible scholars believe the first two chapters of
Job were added much later. In the last chapter of Job
it states:
|
"All his [Job's] brothers
and sisters and everyone who had known him before
came and ate with him in his house. They comforted
and consoled him over
all the trouble
the Lord had brought on him, and each
one gave him a piece of silver and a gold ring."
(Job
42:11, NIV)
|
|
In
Isaiah 45:7, God declares his role in allowing adversity
to happen:
|
"I form the light and
create darkness,
I bring prosperity and
create disaster;
I, the Lord, do all these things." (Isaiah
45:7, NIV)
|
|
Throughout the Bible, we learn
how God uses adversity to his advantage in bringing
about his good purposes. The perfect example is the
crucifixion of Jesus:
|
"In bringing many sons
and daughters to glory, it was fitting that
God, for whom and through whom everything exists,
should make the
pioneer of their salvation [Jesus]
perfect through
what he suffered." (Hebrews
2:10, NIV)
|
|
So we see how even Jesus, as
a man, was made perfect through suffering. The Bible
is filled with references to how unjust suffering has
high spiritual value associated with it. Here are a
few examples:
|
"Not only so, but we
also glory in our sufferings, because we know
that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance,
character; and character, hope." (Romans
5:3-4, NIV)
|
|
|
"Now if we are children,
then we are heirs - heirs of God and co-heirs
with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings
in order that we may also share in his glory."
(Romans
8:17, NIV)
|
|
|
"For just as we share
abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also
our comfort abounds through Christ." (2
Corinthians 1:5, NIV)
|
|
|
"All this is evidence
that God’s judgment is right, and as a result
you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of
God, for which you are suffering." (2
Thessalonians 1:5, NIV)
|
|
|
"The apostles left
the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been
counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the
Name." (Acts
5:41, NIV)
|
|
So-called "evil" must never be
viewed as originating with God:
|
"Therefore, just as
sin entered the world through one man (Adam),
and death through sin, and in this way death
came to all people, because all sinned." (Romans
5:12)
|
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Return to Top
|
c. The
Biblical Origin of "the Devil" |
In mainstream Judaism there is no concept of a
Devil. The reason this transliterated
Hebrew word, ha-satan, which means "the adversary" has
become associated with a persona called "Satan" is because
this Hebrew word was translated using the Greek word
diabolos, which means "devil" translated as
"slanderer." But this also was a mistranslation of the
Hebrew word for "adversary" and was mistakenly suggested
it to be a person. According to mainstream Christianity,
one of the main roles of the Devil is to tempt people
to sin; but this principle assumes the Devil has god-like
powers of
omnipresence which only God has. Temptation must
also never be viewed as originating from God:
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"When tempted, no one
should say, 'God is tempting me.' For God cannot
be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone."
(James
1:13, NIV)
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Now we can properly understand
- not only how Jesus was made perfect as a man through
suffering - but also how Jesus was made perfect as a
man through temptation:
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"Then Jesus was led
by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted
by the devil." (Matthew
4:1, NIV)
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With all that has been established
thus far, we can know understand how the "adversary"
tempting Jesus was his own human nature becoming perfected.
Immediately following
Matthew 4:1 we read:
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"After fasting forty
days and forty nights, he [Jesus] was hungry.
The tempter [the adversary] came to him and
said, 'If you are the Son of God, tell these
stones to become bread.' Jesus answered, 'It
is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes from the mouth
of God.' Then the devil [the adversary] took
him to the holy city and had him stand on the
highest point of the temple. 'If you are the
Son of God,' he said, 'throw yourself down.
For it is written: 'He will command his angels
concerning you, and they will lift you up in
their hands, so that you will not strike your
foot against a stone.' Jesus answered him, 'It
is also written, 'Do not put the Lord your God
to the test.' Again, the devil [the adversary]
took him to a very high mountain and showed
him all the kingdoms of the world and their
splendor. 'All this I will give you,' he said,
'if you will bow down and worship me [give in
to temptation].' Jesus said to him, 'Away from
me, Satan [adversary]! For it is written, 'Worship
the Lord your God, and serve him only.' Then
the devil [the adversary] left him, and angels
came and attended him." (Matthew
4:2-11, NIV)
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10. Why
the Being of Light in NDEs is Not Satan |
Many Christian skeptics argue that NDEs are of the Devil.
They accuse the
Being of Light
to be the Dark Lord and Prince of Darkness himself impersonating
an angel of light. They claim that the Being of Light
preaches an evil gospel that draws people away from
the Bible thereby leading them to hell. They base their
misguided belief about the Being of Light on this Bible
verse:
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"And I [Paul]
will keep on doing what I am doing in order
to cut the ground from under those who want
an opportunity to be considered equal with
us in the things they boast about. For such
people are false apostles, deceitful workers,
masquerading as apostles of Christ. And
no wonder, for
Satan himself
masquerades as an angel of light." (2
Corinthians 11:12-14, NIV)
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These skeptics believe the
Being of Light to be Satan masquerading as an angel
of light. But if these critics really understood what
the Bible teaches about the nature of light, they would
not be making such ignorant claims. NDEs and the Bible
agree God is light (1
John 1:5) and
there is no darkness in light, and so there is no darkness
in the Being of Light. If we assume an evil archangel
named "Satan" actually exists and can masquerade as
an angel of light, this does not mean such a being actually
IS an angel of light
- unless you are willing to believe Satan can manifest
God's light. But the Being of Light in NDEs cannot be
Satan because the Being of Light passes the test given
by Jesus and John. It is the test to determine whether
the spirit is of God or not.
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a. |
"Dear friends,
do not believe every spirit, but
test the spirits
to see whether they are from God,
because many false prophets have gone out
into the world." (1
John 4:1,
NIV) |
b. |
"Make a tree
good and its fruit will be good, or make
a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for
a tree is recognized
by its fruit. You brood of vipers,
how can you who are evil say anything good?
For the mouth speaks what the heart is full
of." (Matthew
12:33-34,
NIV) |
c. |
"A good tree
cannot bear bad fruit, and
a bad tree cannot
bear good fruit." (Matthew
7:18,
NIV) |
d. |
"But
the fruit of
the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness
and self-control. Against such things there
is no law." (Galatians
5:22-23,
NIV) |
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The gospels describe an event
where Jesus actually used this test. In Matthew 12,
Jesus was accused by the religious leaders of performing
his miracles by the power of Satan. This is the same
accusation that many critics bring against the Being
of Light in NDEs. These accusations are made despite
the fact that Jesus and the Being of Light both bear
an incredible amount of love, joy, peace, and all the
fruits of the Holy Spirit. Jesus' response to his accusers
was:
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"Then they brought him a demon-possessed
man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed
him, so that he could both talk and see.
All the people were astonished and said,
'Could this be the Son of David?' But when
the Pharisees heard this, they said, 'It
is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons,
that this fellow drives out demons.' Jesus
knew their thoughts and said to them, 'Every
kingdom divided against itself will be ruined,
and every city or household divided against
itself will not stand. If Satan drives out
Satan, he is divided against himself. How
then can his kingdom stand? And if I drive
out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your
people drive them out? So then, they will
be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit
of God that I drive out demons, then the
kingdom of God has come upon you. Or again,
how can anyone enter a strong man’s house
and carry off his possessions unless he
first ties up the strong man? Then he can
plunder his house. Whoever is not with me
is against me, and whoever does not gather
with me scatters. And so I tell you, every
kind of sin and slander can be forgiven,
but blasphemy against the Spirit will not
be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against
the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone
who speaks against the Holy Spirit will
not be forgiven, either in this age or in
the age to come. Make a tree good and its
fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and
its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized
by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can
you who are evil say anything good? For
the mouth speaks what the heart is full
of. A good man brings good things out of
the good stored up in him, and an evil man
brings evil things out of the evil stored
up in him. But I tell you that everyone
will have to give account on the day of
judgment for every empty word they have
spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted,
and by your words you will be condemned.'"
(Matthew
12:22-37, NIV)
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Anyone familiar with NDEs knows the Being of Light gives
an astonishing amount of love, holiness, joy, peace
- good fruit of the Holy Spirit. And by using the test
given by Jesus, we see that the Being of Light is not
Satanic and that the test actually confirms the Being
of Light to be of God. In my own NDE research, an experience
of overwhelming love from the Being of Light is the
most common characteristic appearing in the NDEs I researched.
And because God is love, the only conclusion can be
that the Being of Light is the God of Light and the
God of Love.
But it doesn't stop there. After Jesus rebuked the Pharisees
for accusing him of performing miracles by the power
of Satan, Jesus warned them about the very serious consequences
of attributing things of God to Satan:
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"And so I tell
you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven
men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit
will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks
a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven,
but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit
will not be forgiven, either in this age
or in the age to come." (Matthew
12:31-32, NIV)
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As it was with the Pharisees,
many critics foolishly rush in where angels fear to
tread by recklessly declaring what is holy to be evil.
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11. More
Biblical Evidence for Satan as Fallen Human Nature |
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Return to Top |
"If the Devil
really exists, he would have appeared
at least once in the thousands of near-death
experience reports I have read. I have
found none. If we assume the Devil does
exist and that he is just hiding, the
question we must ask is this: Why is
he hiding? He gains no advantage by
doing so. We already know from thousands
of NDEs that hell exists and that it
is more horrible than anyone can imagine
- far worse that a devil prodding you
with a pitchfork. If we assume the Devil
really exists and he is just hiding
to trick us into believing that he does
not, then what is his motive? His 'secret'
concerning the horrible existence of
hell is already out. There is no advantage
for him to perpetuate a falsity of his
non-existence when the full horror of
hell has already been revealed by NDEs.
Even if we suppose the Devil does exist
and suppose that he suddenly starts
appearing in multitudes of NDEs, it
would not make hell any more horrible
than we already know it is. It is hell
itself that makes a Devil terrifying.
A hell with a Devil in it would not
make hell any more terrifying than we
already know it to be. So if a Devil
does exist, his cover is blown and there
is no reason for him to hide."
- Kevin Williams
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