Who is Satan?
@freethinkingagent (2501)
March 7, 2009 6:33pm CST
Who is Satan? The Hebrew word is Shatan, it means adversary. Many have debated why God created Satan, I mean why would God create evil?
The truth is God did not create evil, Evil because of physical laws has to exist, because if their is good in the universe, then the laws of probability dictates that evil has a possibility of existing. Satan was created ad not a sinister being to tempt man. The name implies not a person, but a title. If you look at Stan in Job, you will realise his part in the council of God. The Adversary, This title is closely related to the adversarial system of law. Meaning Satan is not the name but the title of the being. He is a prosecutor. He prosecutes both men and angels. It was his duty to report and prosecute the sons of God, and men.
So why did Satan become synonymous with the Devil and Evil? Why is he connected to the serpent in Geneses? Did the prosecutor turn rouge? What are your thoughts on this?
6 people like this
10 responses
@redhotpogo (4401)
• United States
8 Mar 09
he wasn't always evil. He was once the right hand of "God". His highest angel. He only became who he is known as today when he thought he should have the throne instead of the son of man. Oh so the story from mouth goes. Every christian I know of tells that story. I could not find it in the bible however.
2 people like this
@freethinkingagent (2501)
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8 Mar 09
Yes that is the story told by most Christians, one must read many non christian books (Hebrew), to learn very much on the subject. Thanks for your response.
4 people like this
@freethinkingagent (2501)
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8 Mar 09
There are many books that are not in our bible.
2 people like this
@redhotpogo (4401)
• United States
8 Mar 09
That would just be the old testament. They are not different religions. They are the same. Christianity is just a continuation. It is the first covenant come to pass. Some just choose not to believe that Jesus is the Messiah.
@Anora_Eldorath (6028)
• United States
8 Mar 09
I think you'd enjoy a book called Sophiae Bestiae by Edward O'Toole. I'd hate to give it all away in a chat, but he speaks about Satan in it, among other bibical issues.
Satan isn't even mentioned in the original text of Gensis. He was added in later translations. Lucifer is mentioned only a few times in the New Testament and shares the same name with Jesus. Light bearer.
In terms of Satan in the rest of the OT, as you said he's God's Advocate, God's attorney so to speak. He did nothing without God's approval.
I don't think he was ever a rogue. I think he was working directly for God, and as a way to explain all the bad things in the world and demonize the Pagan deities the church "colored" his reputation.
1 person likes this
@freethinkingagent (2501)
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8 Mar 09
I can see you have some learning on the subject
Lucifer (Latin) is taken from the Hebrew "halel Ben Shacar", Son of the Morning, it is this connection to job, where it speaks of the " The Morning stars and the sons of God", where Lucifer and Satan have a seemingly connection. Secondly the word used in Hebrew for Serpent, has a root in shining and can be rendered "the shinning one", So later scholars took the adversarial role of Satan, the connection with Isaiah's Lucifer, The serpent of geneses, and combined them in to one being the devil. The Dragon also has it roots in Genesis with the serpent, If you know your constellations you can follow the story in the sky, where the "Serpents heed will be crushed, and the seed of woman will bruise his heel" is displayed in the constellations as the constellation 'Draco' (Dragon) and the constellation Hercules with his foot on the head of Darco. This is also referenced in Isaiah when God says to Lucifer, how he (Lucifer) thought to raise himself up in the north over all that is called God, The North star we have today is not the same as it was 4000 years ago, 4000 years ago Draco's head was the pole star, but he was "cast down",
Lucifer (Latin) is taken from the Hebrew "halel Ben Shacar", Son of the Morning, it is this connection to job, where it speaks of the " The Morning stars and the sons of God", where Lucifer and Satan have a seemingly connection. Secondly the word used in Hebrew for Serpent, has a root in shining and can be rendered "the shinning one", So later scholars took the adversarial role of Satan, the connection with Isaiah's Lucifer, The serpent of geneses, and combined them in to one being the devil. The Dragon also has it roots in Genesis with the serpent, If you know your constellations you can follow the story in the sky, where the "Serpents heed will be crushed, and the seed of woman will bruise his heel" is displayed in the constellations as the constellation 'Draco' (Dragon) and the constellation Hercules with his foot on the head of Darco. This is also referenced in Isaiah when God says to Lucifer, how he (Lucifer) thought to raise himself up in the north over all that is called God, The North star we have today is not the same as it was 4000 years ago, 4000 years ago Draco's head was the pole star, but he was "cast down",@freethinkingagent (2501)
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8 Mar 09
The pole star shifts every few thousand years because of the wobble in the earth, The constellations were called different names by different people. You are correct in your translation of serpent, its root is the same word as brazen, and shining as in a star, The planet Venus has also been associated with the name Lucifer, but in Hebrew the name is Halel Ben Shacar. YHVH Elohim, is the name of God, YHVH the proper name, and Elohim is most often used.
2 people like this
@TheGreatWhiteBuffalo (4822)
• United States
8 Mar 09
Satan is often referred to as the Father of lies,
Satan is a liar,
To expose the lies of the liar is a noble thing in the kingdom of heaven.
A good prosecutor does not need the lies to gain a conviction, we do not need good and evil and yet we will never be able to remove all of the evil that exists in our world. But we can spot light or expose that evil stopping the evil from growing and destroying other lives of innocent people.
The yin and yang or good vs. evil philosophy is really a flawed philosophy, to allow evil gives more evil to our world and the balance is then broken.
As for an adversary or adviser to God, you know that your God is not the GOD greatest of all in all and for all as the GOD that is my GOD is omnipresent and omniscient, having been drawn close to my GOD I understand the great peace beyond all human understanding. This once known is something to never be forgotten.
The will of many men is evil, some would even tag me as being a troll or trying to tell others not to respond to my discussions. That is truly an evil act of a person, the truth is that people enjoy watching people suffer and that is truly sick.
Let us think of Job and how people tried to manipulate his thinking...
1 person likes this
@freethinkingagent (2501)
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8 Mar 09
Yes he has been called the father of lies, What turned him evil? as for as allowing evil to exist, No I would not want to allow evil to exist, but to acknowledge evil exist is not the same as allowing it, if I turn my head from evil it just does not go away, The hearts of man is most evil, well inmost I guess. But you bring up a very good point. A dishonest conviction, one based on a lie must be overturned, Thus we need a public defender, I have the best defender, because he speaks truth and happens to be the judges Son. have a great day GWB.
4 people like this
@TheGreatWhiteBuffalo (4822)
• United States
8 Mar 09
I have a feeling this will be a good day, as I know of the son of the father who has been working in the hearts of good people, who follow the teachings of peace. I would not know this person who exists through the teachings of the church, I learned to follow the path of the teacher through many texts, not just that of the Bible, the teachings of good come many parts of my background, when all pulled together I became to know what I wanted in my life. I want the truth.
Did the son Jesus actually exist? Can we call upon the power of GOD to know the teachings that will make us a Child of GOD? How important is the truth when we find our hearts one with GOD?
How sad when people follow the liars, or become liars to follow a false God in an organization that promotes destruction.
Day by Day...
I have a lot of work to do...
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@ulalume (713)
• United States
10 Mar 09
http://www.guba.com/watch/3000087824
If you are truly interested in who "Satan" is, I would HIGHLY recommend watching that documentary in the above link. It is about an hour long, but definitly worth it if you desire some understanding about Satan as a whole. When I watched it I was very surprised to see that Satan is not just a concept in Christianity, and he likely existed prior to Christianity. He has also gone through many phases. In some beliefs he is an innocent angel, than in others he is just a metephor, and still in a religion like Christianity he is directly associated with evil.
As far as I am concerned, I do not believe in a "physical" or "manifest" Satan. I believe he is basically the ideal image (and nothing more). He is the epitome of free will, and likewise freedom.
@dvrtmcc (176)
• Eritrea
8 Mar 09
It is very simple, whatever is not written in Bible it is Satans work.
Satan could be anybody who is not obeying to God.
@writer811 (56)
• United States
8 Mar 09
Well, the stories say Satan was one of heaven's seven archangels and God's favorite. When god created man, Satan got jealous. He believed that God should love the angels more than man. He led a revolt, which was put down by Michael, and he and his followers were expelled from heaven. He torments and persecutes man because he hates us. He is connected to the serpent in Genesis because he is the serpent in Genesis. His first act against man was the creation of origional sin. Or so they say...
