Who is Satan?

[shioman]

Would appreciate your feedback for a survey I'm conducting on the following questions:

Do you believe Satan is real, and if so, who is he or what is he like?

Thanks.

[xsiled2]

satan is the guy that wired up the AC in my house and no it doesnt ****ing work. its 800 deg outside and im going to kill him.

[jase71]

Satan is just a mythological figure mankind invented so he could blame his greed, lust, and bad deeds on someone else, rather than accepting responsibility for them himself.

[Hiro]

Originally posted by shioman
who is he or what is he like?
Me on a bad day.

[Leon]

A pretty good hockey player...

[topane]

Originally posted by jase71
Satan is just a mythological figure mankind invented so he could blame his greed, lust, and bad deeds on someone else, rather than accepting responsibility for them himself. :stupid:

BTW, anyone ever notice that Santa and Satan have the same letters in their names, they both wear red and black, and they're never seen together...?

[NuTs62]

Originally posted by topane
:stupid:

BTW, anyone ever notice that Santa and Satan have the same letters in their names, they both wear red and black, and they're never seen together...?

:stupid: I agree. and have you ever noticed how during Christmas.. the idea of "Santa" spoils children. It is supposed to be the time when people celebrate Christ. but instead.. children have been brainwashed into thinking its about the gifts.. and stuff like that.. its satan using our greedy nature to tempt us with gifts, now thats what many people think of as the meaning of Christmas. blahblahbl i'm babbling, dont know what i'm saying..

[johnnymk]

Satan is not a mythological figure.
He is the highest of the order of demonic spiritual beings which invade Man's universe. His name was originally called Lucifer; this
is when he reigned as one of the most prominent archangels in the angelic realm. He was possibly the most beautiful and intelligent
angel ever created. He was found perfect in service. God recognized Lucifer's capabilities and rewarded him accordingly, yet he became ambitious and would stop at nothing to extend his own kingdom( which God had given him) over the entire universe.
Satan used his great wisdom to lie and deceive 1/3 of the angels under his dominion. God then cast him and his followers down to
Earth, when his name was changed to Satan.
Satan was in the garden of Eden, tempting man to sin. This is when death came into existence. He is therefore the author of death.
He tempted Jesus before his death on the cross, offering him power and riches if only he would bow down and worship him.
He is alive today, and is called the Prince of the power of the air, and the god of this world. He is the head of practically every
religion on the planet. He has the power to blind men's hearts from their eternal destiny.
People tend to believe he is a happy little ogre with harmless intentions. This delights him tremendously! However, he hates men.
Why? Because they have the choice to have eternal life through the shed blood of Jesus.
He does not have that choice, His fate, as well as the angels who followed him is the Lake of Fire. He is jealous of Man having
this choice, so he does everything to deceive them of their eventual destiny and uses every method to keep them from the truth of
Jesus.
The Bible says that he can come as an angel of Light. He is the master con artist who offers Life's enticements to men, such as greed,
ambition and sinful pleasures, but rewards them with emptiness of soul, sorrow and death.

[Hoser]

Isn't that David Hasselhoff?

[revil]

Originally posted by chosenfool
well enough about my father - how's the weather in your area?
I am NOT your father!

[sbp]

Originally posted by Hoser
Isn't that David Hasselhoff? No, its Devil Hasslehead.

[CornMonkey]

the father of lies.

[Showtime]

The greatest trick the Devil ever played was making people believe he wasnt real............
-jel:halo:

[craziepanda]

Originally posted by the jello is jigglin
The greatest trick the Devil ever played was making people believe he wasnt real............
-jel:halo:

give credit where it's duet...to verbal kint

[verve247]

He is a figment of your imagination.

[mojo]

Originally posted by jase71
Satan is just a mythological figure mankind invented so he could blame his greed, lust, and bad deeds on someone else, rather than accepting responsibility for them himself. :stupid:

add that he was invented by christians, who borrowed the "devil" likeness from other belief systems that didn't actually portray him as evil in the beginning. sure, in some incarnations he sometimes wanted to eat human flesh, but he was nice to soldiers and wood-cutters. and yes, he has also been tied to st nick in gift delivery, but that was when it was done on december 6th, and then a bit when it was moved to the 25th. some names he has gone by that might help are krampus, schwarze peter, and knecht ruprecht.

he is most often a trickster. he represents something that cannot be tamed, but can also be helpful when his talents are needed. he is usually portrayed as one that you might make deals with, and that you might not fully trust....but is easily outsmarted. that is to say, he's not so scary as the christian version makes him.

there's more, but i dont wanna bore you :P

[johnnymk]

That sounds like Webster's Dictionary's politically correct definition of Satan.

[revil]

Originally posted by DarkFury

Dayuuum... so are you sayin' that your father was...

http://www.cs.indiana.edu/hyplan/dmiguse/Russian/mg1.gif

Mikhail Gorbachev! :eek:
damnit. you found me out. but i still am not cf's papa.

[mojo]

Originally posted by johnnymk
That sounds like Webster's Dictionary's politically correct definition of Satan. webster had substantially less than i did to say:


Main Entry: Sa·tan
Pronunciation: 'sA-t&n
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English, from Late Latin, from Greek, from Hebrew sAtAn adversary
Date: before 12th century
: the adversary of God and lord of evil in Judaism and Christianity

i was just trying to give a few historical notes on the subject. of course, we can add other things, such as the similarities between him and pan, ellegua, legba, and maximon, either in appearance or his dealing nature. thing of it is, there are things that i'd be more afraid of than the christian "satan." but that's just me...i could be wrong.

[eSDee]

I think Satan is real but I think IT is something much larger than the archaic belief of what an evil spirit/influence/idea is.

I'm not ready to elaborate, mostly because I don't know, but I definitely think I have seen IT's work here on earth. Another cool thread could be "what do you think is evil?"

BTW I think Racism is evil.

[WhiskeyPapa]

Originally posted by mojo
add that he was invented by christians

In your zeal to bash Christians, you failed to check your facts. Christianity didn't start until well into the first century. The Judeo-Christian concept of Satan started thousands of years before that.

Satan is real and active in this world. However, sometimes I think we Christians tend to blame too much on him. He's a little more subtle than most people realize.

[mojo]

Originally posted by kb0wwp
In your zeal to bash Christians, you failed to check your facts. Christianity didn't start until well into the first century. The Judeo-Christian concept of Satan started thousands of years before that.in your zeal to bash me, you failed to see that i didn't bash anyone ;)

[WhiskeyPapa]

Originally posted by mojo
in your zeal to bash me, you failed to see that i didn't bash anyone ;)

In your zeal to... oh nevermind.

[topane]

The Judeo-Christian concept of Satan was not the first one. Previous religions have their own personifications of evil. It's just an old concept, albeit with a different name. Just like the boogeyman. Except for adults.

[Kim]

We believe in the boogeyman. He lives in my son's nose, and he will bite his fingers when he sticks them up there. So far B is not too afraid of him. :D ;)

[Merlin]

I can think of a few women out there who would tell you that I am Satan. :angel:

[hoey222]

Originally posted by Leon
A pretty good hockey player...

:stupid:

[molecularfire]

Who is Satan

Wasn't he that guy that from Eminem's (sp?) song? :confused: Oh wait... that was Stan.






Seriously though... I'm not sure that I believe in Satan. Don't get me wrong, I believe in evil. Heck, I see evil in the faces of 99% of the people I've met (although some hide it pretty well). I'm just not sure that there is any one person who I could give credit to for that. Seems like quite an impressive feat. Anyways, it makes no sense to me why if there was a Satan, he would make almost all people kinda bad, instead of focusing on lets say half the people in the world and make them really nasty. Seems more effective a system with a better chance of snowballing. Heck, if I focused on a few people, even I could bring out the evil inside them (and in no way am I implying that I'm Satan. I am strictly an amateur). Everybody has a flaw... everybody has a price. :shrug:

[Kevster]

Originally posted by Merlin
I can think of a few women out there who would tell you that I am Satan. :angel:

After you said that, I started counting and ran out of fingers...

:angel:

[joe52985]

I think satan is a personification of the temptations that humans deal with everyday. It doesnt matter the religion or culture. its only human nature that People can deal with things easier if there is someone else to pawn them off on. Way back before dirt was invented people did something greedy or wrong and said it must have been something higher up that made him do it thus satan is born.
Religion side of things: (Christian at least) Considering i think the bible is basically a bunch of stories made up to teach morals and right from wrong, pretty much fables, satan represents all thats wrong. for these stories to make any impact they had to like a diety to it some time along the way

thats my .02 cents if its worth that much :)

[Ladogaboy]

Well, I would answer by saying no, but that would mean that I wouldn't get to answer the second half of the question! :P


Anyway, Satan, imo, was just a creation to define evil or bad, just as God was a creation to define good. When confronted with the question of the difference between good and evil, most people could not get a logical, concise definition. By creating symbols that don't need to be defined any further, the person could simply reply, "God is good. Satan is evil."

In all of my years, I've never seen anything that is truly good or truly evil; I've only seen things interpreted to be good or evil. On the grand scale of things, nothing is good or evil... it just is.

[oblongmelon]

I try not to think about it-I'm too busy staying on the good side of the "other guy"....and that's all that matters.

[brainsmile]

Originally posted by oblongmelon
I try not to think about it-I'm too busy staying on the good side of the "other guy"....and that's all that matters. :stupid:

[ArkiStan]

Originally posted by molecularfire


Wasn't he that guy that from Eminem's (sp?) song? :confused: Oh wait... that was Stan.



Same guy. Trust me.

BTW, SBP's post count reads 5666 at this moment.

[LPMiller]

Satan is a Mirror. So is God.

[johnnymk]

What exactly does that mean? Sounds like a taste of New Age thinking there: i.e I am my own god and all good/evil revolves around what i think is good or evil.

[nickel]

Originally posted by LPMiller
Satan is a Mirror. So is God.

so who do you see when you look in the mirror?

[joe52985]

heh, well i see a god...so do most women :heh: :heh:

[LPMiller]

Originally posted by johnnymk
What exactly does that mean? Sounds like a taste of New Age thinking there: i.e I am my own god and all good/evil revolves around what i think is good or evil.

That would be wrong. It's really not that complex.

[Grimm]

Originally posted by johnnymk
What exactly does that mean? Sounds like a taste of New Age thinking there: i.e I am my own god and all good/evil revolves around what i think is good or evil.
Sounds more like LPM is refering to the perception of good and evil as opposed to the representative beings.

BTW thanks jonnnymk for the clear and thoughtful bio of Satan. Some people might not agree with his existance, but the source of out knowedge of Satan is the Bible. They confuse him with mythlogical figures like Pan or several other malicious sprites and discount him.
The biggest trick the devil ever played was convincing people he did not exist. Well, other than that whole trying to overthrow heaven thing...

And the existance of David Hasslehoff should prove the existance of Satan.

[johnnymk]

yes, Stan is definitely real... he's my accountant.

Seriously...for the poeple who don't believe he is real, why are there Satan worshippers? Who exactly are they worshipping?

I have always liked David Hasselhoff, even though he is just about the most vain guy in Hollywood.

[jase71]

Originally posted by johnnymk

Seriously...for the poeple who don't believe he is real, why are there Satan worshippers? Who exactly are they worshipping?



You might want to find a better test than that unless you want to admit the existence of the pagan gods, the Hindu gods, as well as all the obscure religions in the world...

Having worshippers is no proof of the existence of the god that is worshipped....

[molecularfire]

Hmmm... one of the things that Johnnymk wrote just got my attention (should've read it more carefully the first time around).

He is the head of practically every religion on the planet.
Anyways, I'm not here to bash anyone's beliefs, I'm just trying to understand them. I am not a Christian, and so have not been brought up as such, so please forgive me if my questions are really stupid/obvious. A question is only obvious if you know the answer. If I offend someone with my questions, tell me and I'll try to rephrase them. So, I have a few questions.

1) Is this an excerpt from the bible, paraphrased, or just your opinion Johnnymk?

2) Are christians taught this?

Thanks.

:)

[craziepanda]

molecularfire:

there IS a verse in the bible where it says that satan would attempt to mess with people's interpretations of the bible and sway them from the truth. however, this better explains the existence of christian cults and such...from my knowledge i would not go as far as to say that he is at the head of EVERY religion other than christianity. but then again, i wouldn't be able to claim that statement was wrong either. are christians taught this? no, the two churches i've went to never really taught this.

in addition, i think those who believe that christians made up the concept of satan to blame him for evil in the world are incorrect. as someone implied earlier, satan was mentioned centuries before christianity even started. the old testament talks about it's existence very frequently, and from what i know islam and judaism both share very similar old testament books.

i also believe christians who try to blame him for everything also have incorrect thinking. satan mostly plays on human nature and the fact that we have free will. a lot of times, human nature is the opposite of what God likes or wants...and since we have the free will to carry them out, we do it. satan can never force us any more than your friends can peer pressure you into something. of course he uses much more nasty tactics, but that's the general concept.

someone mentioned earlier why satan doesn't just focus his energies on a small group rather than everyone? first, there's a common misconception that satan's goal is to spread evil into the world. that's not his ultimate goal, those are the means he uses to reach his goal. satan is jealous of the fact that humans are allowed to spend eternity with God...the reason why he is "the fallen angel" is because his pride led him to believe he's better than everyone else. so in order to fight against God, satan tries to blind people from the truth...to keep people from seeing God.

btw, i appreciate those who say "imo" or "i think" and don't make a statement as if what they say is the ultimate truth in life. so please also just take the words above as my beliefs...i don't mean to pound it into you in case it has that tone.

[johnnymk]

This is one of the verses that decsribe the workings of Satan in the world's religions today:
"And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist,
whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now is it now in the world"(1John 4:3).
And within some of the so-called Christian churches are apostates. An apostle is one chosen by God to declare that God's son, Jesus
Christ, has come in the flesh. An apostate is one chosen of Satan to deny thatJesus Christ has come in the world.: "For such are
false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is
transformed into an angel of light" (II Cor.11:13,14)

[molecularfire]

Hmmm... the quote Johnnymk posted got me thinking. Who exactly is the antichrist? Is it supposed to be a flesh manifestation of Satan, or just some evil dude that's gonna show up?:confused:

[brainsmile]

Perhaps you should get a bible and look it up yourself. I suggest the New International Version.

[johnnymk]

If there is one area of controversy about a subject in the Bible, it is the Antichrist. The timing of his arrival on Planet Earth,
what country he will come from and the signs prior to his appearance are very much in debate.
However, there is agreement that he will rule the Earth in the not too distant future. He will rule from the city of Jerusalem,
which will be the temporary capitol of the World.
He will have a flesh and blood body. He will orchestrate a false peace in the world because of a global dilemma which no one else
previously to him could resolve. He will then reveal to the world who he is and will demand total obedience. The Mark of the Beast
will then be imposed on to all of the world's citizens: 666. The Bible says that no man shall buy or sell without the Mark. It will
be universal, and the method concerning this mark is also a subject of debate..
Many Christians believe that the events unfolding in the Middle East will bring about this world ruler. Both the Old Testament and
the New Testament use Israel, and especially Jerusalem as a focal point in End Times prophecy. What is really amazing is that he
will enforce a previously imposed treaty which existed before his appearance, Some scholars believe it is the Oslo Accord, which has
not lived up to it's expectations. However, this is also debatable.
One thing is for sure. He will not be a kind ruler. He will rule with a fist of iron. Heads will roll; millions and possibly
billions of people will die during his reign.
Well, I could go on and on about the Great Tribulation which also exists during his reign, but that's another subject.

[eSDee]

Originally posted by johnnymk
Well, I could go on and on about the Great Tribulation which also exists during his reign, but that's another subject.

Go for it johnnymk, you might as well. Pretty interesting so far, although I just have one question for you. Why do your posts have such strange carriage returns? Do you copy and paste from Word or something? :confused:

[johnnymk]

I usually go to new mail under Outlook Express, and Copy and Paste. Sorry that it looks so awkward. I usually don't know what the final product is until after it's posted. Got any better ideas so that I can compose Offline and then post it here?
The Tribulation post will take some time as it is very very complex. If I can find a good review online and I just may borrow it from there.

[brainsmile]

Generally if you're interested in this stuff it's in the last book of the bible known as Revelations. It's is very difficult to interpret for the lay person what exactly is being said and what is symbolic and what is literal. But in general it's not an easy read first cause it's not meat and potatoes but also cause the end times seem pretty messed up. It's also up for debate is when the reign of the antichrist will be in relation to when the Son of God (Jesus) is to return. Some believe that Christians will not be around during the reign... some think they will be.

You really need to seek someone who has extensive theology to go through this stuff. I just want to tell johnnymk that he's doing a good job so far but be very humble and cautious about interpretation. You really don't want to say anything wrong about this. I ususally like to consult a pastor about certain questions and things even though I have studied that book.

[topane]

Originally posted by molecularfire
Hmmm... the quote Johnnymk posted got me thinking. Who exactly is the antichrist? John Ashcroft.

[jase71]

Originally posted by topane
John Ashcroft.

No, no, no...

The AntiChrist is supposed to be charismatic. Ashcroft has the charisma of dry wheat toast. :P

It's Tom DeLay.... ;)

[topane]

Looks like satan has changed his musical tastes:
http://weeklyworldnews.com/news/index.cfm?instanceid=39679

[CluelessSi]

Originally posted by johnnymk
Satan is not a mythological figure.
He is the highest of the order of demonic spiritual beings which invade Man's universe. His name was originally called Lucifer; this
is when he reigned as one of the most prominent archangels in the angelic realm. He was possibly the most beautiful and intelligent
angel ever created. He was found perfect in service. God recognized Lucifer's capabilities and rewarded him accordingly, yet he became ambitious and would stop at nothing to extend his own kingdom( which God had given him) over the entire universe.
Satan used his great wisdom to lie and deceive 1/3 of the angels under his dominion. God then cast him and his followers down to
Earth, when his name was changed to Satan.
Satan was in the garden of Eden, tempting man to sin. This is when death came into existence. He is therefore the author of death.
He tempted Jesus before his death on the cross, offering him power and riches if only he would bow down and worship him.
He is alive today, and is called the Prince of the power of the air, and the god of this world. He is the head of practically every
religion on the planet. He has the power to blind men's hearts from their eternal destiny.
People tend to believe he is a happy little ogre with harmless intentions. This delights him tremendously! However, he hates men.
Why? Because they have the choice to have eternal life through the shed blood of Jesus.
He does not have that choice, His fate, as well as the angels who followed him is the Lake of Fire. He is jealous of Man having
this choice, so he does everything to deceive them of their eventual destiny and uses every method to keep them from the truth of
Jesus.
The Bible says that he can come as an angel of Light. He is the master con artist who offers Life's enticements to men, such as greed,
ambition and sinful pleasures, but rewards them with emptiness of soul, sorrow and death.

cool desc. the part about lucifer.. where do u read about that? is that found in the catholic bible and not the canon?

[CluelessSi]

Originally posted by mojo
:stupid:

add that he was invented by christians, who borrowed the "devil" likeness from other belief systems that didn't actually portray him as evil in the beginning. sure, in some incarnations he sometimes wanted to eat human flesh, but he was nice to soldiers and wood-cutters. and yes, he has also been tied to st nick in gift delivery, but that was when it was done on december 6th, and then a bit when it was moved to the 25th. some names he has gone by that might help are krampus, schwarze peter, and knecht ruprecht.

he is most often a trickster. he represents something that cannot be tamed, but can also be helpful when his talents are needed. he is usually portrayed as one that you might make deals with, and that you might not fully trust....but is easily outsmarted. that is to say, he's not so scary as the christian version makes him.

there's more, but i dont wanna bore you :P

hmmm i dunno how scary u think christians make him out to be, but he is known to cause you to sin... no matter small or large, sin is sin... and with it u lose everything if not for J.C.... so satan is not scary in the sense of sucking blood or anything.....

[CluelessSi]

Originally posted by brainsmile
Generally if you're interested in this stuff it's in the last book of the bible known as Revelations. It's is very difficult to interpret for the lay person what exactly is being said and what is symbolic and what is literal. But in general it's not an easy read first cause it's not meat and potatoes but also cause the end times seem pretty messed up. It's also up for debate is when the reign of the antichrist will be in relation to when the Son of God (Jesus) is to return. Some believe that Christians will not be around during the reign... some think they will be.

You really need to seek someone who has extensive theology to go through this stuff. I just want to tell johnnymk that he's doing a good job so far but be very humble and cautious about interpretation. You really don't want to say anything wrong about this. I ususally like to consult a pastor about certain questions and things even though I have studied that book.

ahh the End Times... no one really knows what it will be like. there are many contraversy around it... one view that people have is in the Left Behind book series... I saw the movie and it is pretty good but of course that is just one interpretation of what might happen ...

[johnnymk]

Concerning the Great Tribulation:
It is a period in the future which will mark the end of this present age, or for all practical purposes: the end of this world.
It is a time of unparallelled destruction. God's wrath will be poured out onto mankind in distinct stages. There will be intervals of time between the progressive means of destruction so that mankind will have a chance to repent.
The Great Tribulation will last 7 years, however it is divided into two separate 3-1/2 year periods. During this period, the false prophet and the Antichrist will seize power, all of mankind will have to worship the Antichrist or die, the Mark of the Beast will come into play and the world will be like no other time before it.
Also during this 7 year period, Christians may or may not be here. There is a verse which says that Christians are not appointed to God's wrath, so by inference, they will escape all or a portion of the events within this timetable.
There is considerable debate about the timing of this event called the Rapture, when Jesus takes his elect away from the things which will happen on Earth. Some believe that they will be taken at the beginning of the 7 year period, others halfway through and still others at the end .
There is also considerable debate over when the Battle of Armageddon will take place, which is a gigantic battle which will occur in the Middle East resulting in major, major loss of life. Some people believe that it will occur shortly before or at the beginning of the seven year period which could precipitate the desire for humanity to become one large community and bring forth the Antichrist, who will promise Peace. Still others believe it will be the final battle at the end of the 7 year period, when Jesus and his saints come in the clouds to annihilate his enemies in an instant.
At the end of the seven year period, there will be a short interval. God will refresh the world and immediately after this short interval, Satan will be bound for a thousand years.
Jesus will rule the World from Jerusalem ; Christians will have received their new bodies, and people will be born during this time.
At the end of the thousand years, Satan will be loosed for awhile to tempt the people born during the thousand years. There will be another major confrontation between God's adversaries,this will include Satan . However, Stan and his followers will lose and he will finally be thrown into the Lake of Fire, after which he will not be capable of causing any more destruction, ever!!
After that, a New Heaven and a New Earth will be formed which will last forever and ever.
It's exciting to look forward to if you have been redeemed. However, it is a dreadful scenario to be in if you're not.