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[The beginning of our series on ‘there is NO devil’ —-this was first posted November 26, 2012. revised and rewritten for reposting two more times in 2014 and 2016, and here’s take 4. If you haven’t read the whole series, please check our SITEMAP or UPDATED SITE CONTENTS for the complete set of posts proving our contention scripturally.–Admin1.]
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Christians have been taught about the devil, named Satan, or Lucifer, supposedly a fallen angel —
- who took 1/3 of the rebels among the angelic hosts (according to Revelation 12:9),
- who ‘lord’ it over humankind on earth,
- appear successful in their evil work,
- wreaking havoc,
- causing disasters,
- controlling souls of fallen mankind,
- causing disease,
- possessing clueless innocents,
- and so on and so forth (Paul’s epistles and the book of Acts and the Gospels all promote these).
No need to rehash what all other articles on this subject in this website have explained at length.
Really folks, think about it: God allows a ‘power’ on earth to challenge His power and authority, who succeeds in influencing humans and events to the point of causing them to put the second person of the Trinitarian Godhead to death?
We used to marvel at this thought: wow, to what lengths does God as a human being go to get satisfaction for His own justice . . . pagan myths have this same plot. Definitely it is not of YHWH the Revelator of the Torah! Humanity and humanity alone is responsible for their choices to remain ignorant of YHWH’s TORAH, to choose to live their way. There are enough of self-centered humanity causing suffering and wreaking havoc upon others —human beings, living creatures, the environment, planet earth! We all contribute in our little way to the destruction of ourselves and our world, whether willfully or ignorantly.
Just look at the fanatic religionists that persecute and terrorize others in the name of their God! And godless humanity acting only for their selfish interests to the detriment of all others. Blame humanity, not fictitious Satan and his non-existent evil army of demons.
The only Power in heaven and earth is YHWH. He has allowed only one creature to have freedom of choice knowing this created being made in His image could indeed challenge His authority . . . and that is not ha satan nor the adversary nor the devil or Lucifer. Let us not underestimate man’s capability to choose evil over good, unrighteousness over righteousness, rebel against God and make himself a god.
In the biblical texts presented here from the TNK as well as the New Testament (NT), 2 translations are presented for good reason:
- one is a Jewish translation of the original Hebrew scriptures;
- while the other is a Christian translation of the first part of the Christian Bible retitled “Old Testament” as well as its sequel, the “New” Testament.
Why have we bothered to present both translations, aren’t they the same? No. When read one after another, placed side by side, you would or should notice the difference in translation from the Hebrew rendering to the Christian rendering. As we have repeatedly emphasized in our posts on this same topic, the Christian “Old Testament” reads differently in specific places from the Hebrew TNK.
The TNK or Hebrew Scriptures does not promote belief in a fallen angelic being capable of rebelling against the Creator, for indeed could a created being without free will have a choice, much less make a choice to rebel against his Maker? Only man was given free will to choose. The NT on the other hand promotes belief in the Devil, traces his origins in “OT” and gives him prominence in NT almost as much as the NT Trinitarian God Himself (themselves?).
The TNK always renders this angelic being as “ha satan” or “the satan” —Hebrew for ‘an adversary’, or ‘the adversary’, or someone who takes on an adversarial role in the specific context, not necessarily a “fallen angel” as Christian translations not only suggest but outright depict. By the time this “OT” evil character is fully developed in NT,
- he has become a force, a power, and personality to contend with,
- challenging God, tempting God the Son,
- a being described by Paul as head of a heirarchy of demonic spirits who possess and oppress people,
- and in Revelation, the ARCH ENEMY and his ilk who will fight the hosts of angels in the formidable battle of Armageddon
- but will meet their predictable end in the place prepared
- for them
- and all evil people
- or those who did not accept the Christian God-Son Jesus as lord and savior.
As you read through the 2 translations, please notice how the TNK’s “an adversary” or “the adversary” or “the satan” is rendered in the Christian OT and NT merely as. . . “Satan” and ponder the implications of the difference in rendering.
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Legend:
Hebrew Bible: [AST] ArtScroll Tanach, The Stone Edition
Christian Bible: [NASB] New American Standard Bible
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[AST] 1 Chronicles 21:1 –An adversary stood against Israel, and enticed David to take a count of [the people of] Israel.
[NASB] 1 Chronicles 21:1 – Then Satan stood up against Israel and moved David to number Israel.
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[AST] Job 1:6-9 – It happened one day: The angels came to stand before HASHEM, and the satan, too, came among them. HASHEM said to the satan, “From where have you come?” The satan answered HASHEM, and said, “From wandering and walking about the earth.” HASHEM said to the satan, “Did you set your heart to [take note of] My servant Job? For there is no one like him on earth; a wholesome and upright man, who fears God and shuns evil.” The satan answered HASHEM, and said, “Is it for nothing that Job fears God?
[NASB] Job 1:6-9 – Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. The LORD said to Satan, “From where do you come?” Then Satan answered the LORD and said, “From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.” The LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.” Then Satan answered the LORD, “Does Job fear God for nothing?
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[AST] Job 1:12 – So HASHEM said to the satan, “Behold, everything that is his is hereby in your hand. But do not send forth your hand against his [person!” The satan then departed from the presence of HASHEM.
[NASB] Job 1:12 –Then the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him.” So Satan departed from the presence of the LORD.
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[AST] Job 2:1-4 – It happened one day: The angels came to stand before HASHEM, and the satan, too, came among them to stand before HASHEM. HASHEM said to the satan, “Where is it that you are coming from?” The satan answered God, and said, “From wandering and walking about the earth.” HASHEM asked the satan, “Did you set your heart to [take note of] My servant Job? For there is no one like him on earth; a wholesome and upright man, who fears God and shuns evil, and he still maintains his wholesomeness. You incited Me against him, to destroy him, for no reason!” The satan answered HASHEM, and said, “Skin for the sake of skin! Whatever a man has he would give up for his life!
[NASB] Job 2:1-4 – Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the LORD. The LORD said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Then Satan answered the LORD and said, “From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.” The LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job ? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man fearing God and turning away from evil. And he still holds fast his integrity, although you incited Me against him to ruin him without cause.” Satan answered the LORD and said, “Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life.
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[AST] Job 2:6,7 – HASHEM said to the satan, “Behold, he is in your hand, but preserve his soul [from death]!” The satan departed from the presence of HASHEM and afflicted Job with severe boils, from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.
[NASB] Job 2:6,7 – So the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your power, only spare his life.” Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.
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[AST] Zechariah 3:1,2 – Then He showed me Joshua, the Kohen Gadol, standing before the angel of HASHEM, and the satan was standing on his right to accuse him. [The angel of] HASHEM said to the satan, “May HASHEM denounce you, O satan! May HASHEM, Who chooses Jerusalem, denounce you! Indeed, this [man] is like a firebrand saved from a fire!”
[NASB] Zechariah 3:1,2 – Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. 2 The LORD said to Satan, “The LORD rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?”
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NEW TESTAMENT
Matthew 4:1 – [The Temptation of Jesus]
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
Matthew 4:5 –
Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple,
Matthew 4:8 –
Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.
Matthew 4:10 –
Then Jesus said to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND SERVE HIM ONLY.’ “
Matthew 9:33 –
After the demon was cast out, the mute man spoke ; and the crowds were amazed, and were saying, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.”
Matthew 11:18 –
“For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon!’
Matthew 12:26 –
“If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand?
Matthew 13:39 –
and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age ; and the reapers are angels.
Matthew 16:23 –
But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”
Matthew 17:18 –
And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was cured at once.
Matthew 25:41 –
“Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;
Mark 1:13 –
And He was in the wilderness forty days being tempted by Satan ; and He was with the wild beasts, and the angels were ministering to Him.
Mark 3:23 –
And He called them to Himself and began speaking to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan?
Mark 3:26 –
“If Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but he is finished!
Mark 4:15 –
“These are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them.
Mark 7:26 –
Now the woman was a Gentile, of the Syrophoenician race. And she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter.
Mark 7:29,30 –
And He said to her, “Because of this answer go ; the demon has gone out of your daughter.” And going back to her home, she found the child lying on the bed, the demon having left.
Mark 8:33 –
But turning around and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind Me, Satan ; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”
Luke 4:2,3 –
for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He became hungry. And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”
Luke 4:6 –
And the devil said to Him, “I will give You all this domain and its glory ; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.
Luke 4:13 –
When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.
Luke 4:33 –
In the synagogue there was a man possessed by the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice,
Luke 4:35 –
But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him down in the midst of the people, he came out of him without doing him any harm.
Luke 7:33 –
“For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon !’
Luke 8:12 –
“Those beside the road are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved.
Luke 8:29 –
For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had seized him many times ; and he was bound with chains and shackles and kept under guard, and yet he would break his bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.
Luke 9:42 –
While he was still approaching, the demon slammed him to the ground and threw him into a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the boy and gave him back to his father.
Luke 10:18–
And He said to them, “I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning.
Luke 11:14 –
[Pharisees’ Blasphemy] And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute ; when the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke ; and the crowds were amazed.
Luke 11:18 –
If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul.
Luke 13:16 –
“And this woman, a daughter of Abraham as she is, whom Satan has bound for eighteen long years, should she not have been released from this bond on the Sabbath day?”
Luke 22:3 –
And Satan entered into Judas who was called Iscariot, belonging to the number of the twelve.
Luke 22:31 –
“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat;
John 6:70 –
Jesus answered them, “Did I Myself not choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil?“
John 7:20 –
The crowd answered, “You have a demon ! Who seeks to kill You?”
John 8:44 –
“You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
John 8:48,49 –The Jews answered and said to Him, “Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?” Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon ; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.
John 8:52 –
The Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You have a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets also; and You say, ‘If anyone keeps My word, he will never taste of death.’
John 10:20,21 –
Many of them were saying, “He has a demon and is insane. Why do you listen to Him?” Others were saying, “These are not the sayings of one demon-possessed. A demon cannot open the eyes of the blind, can he?”
John 13:2 –
During supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him,
John 13:27 –
After the morsel, Satan then entered into him. Therefore Jesus said to him, “What you do, do quickly.”
Acts 5:3 –
But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land?
Acts 10:38 –
“You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.
Acts 13:10 –
and said, “You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord?
Acts 26:18 – to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.’
Romans 16:20 – The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
1 Corinthians 5:5 – I have decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
1 Corinthians 7:5 – Stop depriving one another, except by agreement for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
2 Corinthians 2:11 – so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes.
2 Corinthians 11:14 – No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.
2 Corinthians 12:7 – Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me-to keep me from exalting myself!
Ephesians 4:27 – and do not give the devil an opportunity.
Ephesians 6:11 –Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.
1 Thessalonians 2:18 – For we wanted to come to you-I, Paul, more than once -and yet Satan hindered us.
2 Thessalonians 2:9 – that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders,
1 Timothy 1:20 – Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan, so that they will be taught not to blaspheme.
1 Timothy 3:6,7 –and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil. And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
1 Timothy 5:15 – for some have already turned aside to follow Satan.
2 Timothy 2:26 –and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.
Hebrews 2:14 –Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,
James 4:7 –Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
1 Peter 5:8 –Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
1 John 3:8 –the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.
1 John 3:10 –By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious : anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.
Jude 1:9–But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”
Revelation 2:9,10 – ‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. ‘Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.
Revelation 2:13 – ‘I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is; and you hold fast My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days of Antipas, My witness, My faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.
Revelation 2:24 – ‘But I say to you, the rest who are in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan, as they call them-I place no other burden on you.
Revelation 3:9 – ‘Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie -I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you.
Revelation 12:9 –And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world ; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
Revelation 12:12 –“For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time.”
Revelation 20:2 – And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years ;
Revelation 20:7 – When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison,
Revelation 20:10 –And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also ; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
you, 
“St. Valentine,