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SUBJECT: Satan
QUESTION: There are some theories and teachings
going around that purport that Satan is somehow stronger
than Christ. Part of the argument is that God is not able
to destroy spirit. Is this idea or belief valid?
ANSWER:
No it is not.
All rules or laws of nature (physical
and spiritual) were created by God. God can do
anything. One of the laws He set up was that spirit matter
would never be destroyed. God created all the angels; all
of the spirit beings. Remember, that it was actually Christ
who performed all of the creation (John 1).
Angels have free choice just like man does but angels have
absolutely no excuse for sinning. Man is physical and
battles against:
1)
his own
human nature.
2)
worldliness
(all the corruption and sin
in the world)
3)
Satan, who
purposely seeks to lead man astray.
Interestingly, the only way for man to overcome sin and to
become like Christ, is by THE HOLY SPIRIT, the same spirit
of which all spirit beings are made.
Angels do not have:
1)
human
nature.
2)
worldliness
(all the corruption and sin
in the world)
…and before Satan, himself, chose to be corrupt, they did
not even have this influence.
Therefore: angels are a separate issue from man and cannot
be compared when it comes to the subject of sin. There is
absolutely no excuse for a spirit being to sin. All of the
Biblical results of sin, namely death, have to do with MAN
ONLY. One cannot use scriptures pointed at man to deal with
spirit beings.
Hence, we answer the argument that Satan is getting away
with sin. Man gets death. Spirit beings (Satan
and the demons) get eternity in absolute
blackness. There is NO WAY they are getting away with
something.
The concept of Satan being stronger that Christ is without
Biblical Support.
Question: If Satan is so strong, why did he fail to tempt
Christ in Matthew 4?
Question: If Satan is so strong, why didn’t he just kill
Christ at birth?
Question: If Satan is so strong, why doesn’t he just destroy
the church now?
Question: If Satan is so strong, why doesn’t he just
vaporize the Earth and defeat God’s plan.
Question: If God set up the laws regarding the spirit realm,
how does one declare that Satan is “getting away with
something”?
Point:
Revelation 12:12
Revelation 12:12
Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them.
Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the
devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he
knoweth that he hath but a short time.
The “short time” being referred to is the short time of
FREEDOM he has left before he goes into the bottomless pit
of darkness for eternity as in “billions and billions” and
“trillions and trillions” and “billions of trillions” and
“trillions of billions” of years without end.
Point: 1 John
3:4
1 John 3:4
Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin
is the transgression of the law.
This verse is directed at MAN and not Satan. The argument
is absurd.
Point: Jesus IS
going to destroy evil but notice how in the definition of
the word from a Bible Dictionary:
EVIL
A force that opposes God and His work of righteousness in
the world (Romans 7:8-19). The word is also used for any
disturbance to the harmonious order of the universe, such as
disease (Psalm 41:8). But the Bible makes it plain that even
these so-called "physical evils" are the result of a far
more serious moral and spiritual evil that began with the
FALL of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3).
The ultimate source of evil in the world is Satan, also
called "the devil" (Luke 8:12) and "the wicked one" (Matthew
13:19). The Christian believer can rest assured that Jesus
will triumph at the end of time, when Satan will be cast
into a lake of fire and brimstone and evil will be overcome
(Revelation 20:10).
Evil also comes from the hearts of men (Mark 7:20-23). It
does not come from God, "for God cannot be tempted by evil,
nor does He Himself tempt anyone" (James 1:13).
~from Nelson's Illustrated
Bible Dictionary
Note: Evil will
be conquered when Satan is put away.
Point: Hebrews
9:22 This verse submitted by the gentleman to support his
theory that Satan will be forgiven.
Hebrews 9:22
And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and
without shedding of blood is no remission.
Not sure why this gentleman is using this verse. Notice the
commentary:
Hebrews 9:22
And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and
without shedding of blood is no remission.
And almost all things are by the
law purged with blood - The apostle says almost,
because in some cases certain vessels were purified by
water, some by fire, Numbers 31:23, and some with the ashes
of the red heifer, Numbers 19:2-10, but it was always
understood that everything was at first consecrated by the
blood of the victim.
And without shedding of blood is no
remission. - The apostle shows fully here what is one
of his great objects in the whole of this letter, namely,
that there is no salvation but through the sacrificial death
of Christ, and to prefigure this the law itself would not
grant any remission of sin without the blood of a victim.
This is a maxim even among the Jews themselves, 'ayin
(OT:369) kaparah (OT:3725) 'ella' (OT:428) bŞdam (OT:1818),
"There is no expiation but by blood." Yoma, fol. 5, 1;
Menachoth, fol. 93, 2. Every sinner has forfeited his life
by his transgressions, and the law of God requires his
death; the blood of the victim, which is its life, is shed
as a substitute for the life of the sinner. By these victims
the sacrifice of Christ was typified. He gave his life for
the life of the world; human life for human life, but a life
infinitely dignified by its union with God.
~from Adam Clarke's Commentary
Note: You can
see that this verse is talking about other things. It is
talking about humans and not spirit beings. Not the best
verse for his argument. This verse is not talking about
evil being purged with blood specifically.
The argument that Satan will be somehow turned into flesh
and blood is absurd and cannot be proved with scripture.
This gentleman [the one with
these false theories] is attempting to use
scripture to support personal theory and interpretation.
Christ became man to give MAN an example of how MAN can
overcome sin, become like Christ, and enter into eternal
life.
Point:
Concerning what becomes stubble under the feet of the
righteous:
Here is the verse:
Malachi 4:1-3
4:1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven;
and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be
stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith
the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor
branch.
2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of
righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall
go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.
3 And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be
ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall
do this, saith the LORD of hosts.
Note: Nothing in
this verse refers to Satan. It is talking about fleshly
mankind. Notice the commentary:
Malachi 4:3
And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes
under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do
this, saith the LORD of hosts.
And ye shall tread down the wicked-solving the difficulty
(Malachi 3:15) that the wicked often now prosper. Their
prosperity and the adversity of the godly shall soon be
reversed.
For they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet-yea,
the righteous shall be the army attending Christ in His
final destruction of the ungodly, and will "stamp them as
the mire of the street" (2 Samuel 22:43; Psalm 47:3; 49:14;
Micah 7:10; Zechariah 10:5; 1 Corinthians 6:2; Revelation
2:26-27; 19:14-15).
Ashes-after having been burnt with the fire of judgment
(Malachi 4:1). ~from
Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary
Note: Nothing
here about Satan. Check all the commentaries. Same result.
The following will describe the ultimate fate of Satan
SUBJECT: Satan
QUESTION: What is the ultimate fate of Satan?
ANSWER:
Satan and his demons are spirit beings, created with
inherent immortality (see Luke 20:36). They cannot die.
Paul wrote that Jesus Christ would "destroy" the devil
through His sacrifice (Hebrews 2:14). Paul, however, was not
saying that Christ will kill Satan or completely blot him
out of existence. According to "Webster's New Collegiate
Dictionary," the word "destroy" can also mean "neutralize"
or make "subject to a crushing defeat." The original Greek
word, "katargeo," translated as "destroy" in this verse,
means "to render inactive" or "idle." Notice 1 John 3:8:
"For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he
might destroy the WORKS of the devil."
Revelation 20:10 reveals that God will condemn Satan to the
lake of fire after the Millennium. Notice that this verse
does not say that Satan will remain there forever. It says
only that his torment will last forever. The lake of fire
will end when the new heavens and new earth are established
(Revelation 21:1). But, the punishing of Satan and his
demons will continue through eternity.
The Bible gives us only a clue as to the nature of Satan's
punishment. Jude describes some as being "wandering stars
[stars are symbols of angels], to whom is reserved the
blackness of darkness for ever" (verse 13). Apparently, God
will banish Satan and his demons from the universe. They
will never again associate with nor influence the glorified
inhabitants of God's realm. |