Is Satan simply missunderstood?

Question

If everybody expects you to be the bad guy all the time, it's going to be hard to make friends, let alone get people to accept and love you. Don't you think he just snaped one day and went: To Hell with all of you then! I'm working for your damnation!

Marlemoore: You know I've heard somewhere the main characteristic of fanatics was their complete lack of a sense of humor... Just throwing it out there.

Answer 1

Understand this. You are a creation of God and anything God has made is not welcome in Satan's world. He wants you dead not living never ever living and would kill you him self he if can. That is who this being is. He is the enemy true and blue. Not because I say so by because history said so with proof. Don’t befriend him for he is NO ONES friend.
(Job 1:6) Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.
(Job 1:7) And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
(Mar 1:13) And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him. NOTE: Tempted
(Luk 22:3) Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve. NOTE ENTERED INTO
This give him the power of the flesh to do harm to others.
(Act 26:18) To open their eyes, [and] to turn [them] from darkness to light, and [from] the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. NOTE: Power
(1Cr 5:5) To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. NOTE: Flesh can be distroyed
(2Cr 2:11) Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices. NOTE: Power again in devices
(2Cr 11:14) And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. NOTE: An Angel
( 1Ti 5:15 ) For some are already turned aside after Satan. NOTE: he is recurting for distruction
(Rev 2:9) I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and [I know] the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but [are] the synagogue of Satan. NOTE: A False Church
(Rev 12:9) And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. NOTE: Was not misunderstood but Cast out for Misconduct.
(Rev 20:2) And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
NOTE: The Lord Jesus rules for 1000 years and Satan can do nothingt about it.
( Rev 20:7) And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, NOTE: world of pure hate after Jesus' rule.
(1Pe 5:8) Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

Who Is Satan?

Question:
Dear Rabbi Singer:

When you were in Buffalo, NY in November of '96, during the extended question and answer time, you were asked your view on angels and specifically about Satan. I was astounded at your answer and was more astounded that the other rabbis present did not step into the discussion.

In your explanation of Satan and other fallen angels you attributed the creation of evil to G-d thus making Him responsible for evil. There are at least 87 references to G-d's holiness in Leviticus alone! In 11:44 G-d says, "I AM HOLY." Is not holiness the absence of sin? There are many scriptures to prove that G-d hates sin (evil), that He cannot tolerate evil in His presence. How, then, can you attribute evil to G-d? I am interested in the Biblical support for your statement.

I have a fair understanding of Judaism and have found nothing in all of my reading to support your view as traditional.

Awaiting your reply.

A seeker after truth

Answer:

The rabbis to whom you made reference have spent their entire lives immersed in the study of the Jewish scriptures as well as other sacred Jewish literature and were, therefore, not "astounded" by the Judaism that was taught in Buffalo that evening, as you were.

Why weren't the rabbis stunned by these Jewish teachings on Satan? Because the Hebrew scriptures explicitly declare that the Almighty Himself places both the good and the evil that He created before mankind in order to provide His prime creation with free will. Deuteronomy 30:15 states,

See, I [God] have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil.

In Isaiah 45:7, the prophet describes God's creation plan when he reports that,

I form the light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil; I the Lord do all these things.

I did not invent these verses, nor did I tamper with them. In fact, the Bible I used in the above quotations is the King James Version, which is a translation that could hardly be construed as friendly to the Jewish faith.

These edifying verses underscore the fundamental biblical teaching that it is the perfect spiritual balance of good and evil in the world that confronts every searching soul. This is the Almighty's divine sovereign plan for creation: It is through man's personal decision to turn away from evil and choose good that virtue can be attained.

Isaiah 45:7 and Deuteronomy 30:15, however, pose a serious theological problem for Christians who maintain that God did not create Satan, the angel of evil. According to Christian doctrine, Satan was the highest-ranking angel who, through his own act of spiritual defiance and outright disobedience, became the chief adversary and slanderer of God and the embodiment of evil in this world. In Christian theology God never created evil; He is only the author of righteousness and perfection, as you maintained in your question. Therefore, God could never create something as sinister as the devil himself. Rather, Satan's unyielding wickedness is the result of his own spiritual rebellion.

Although this well-known Christian doctrine has much in common with the pagan Zoroastrian Persian dualism out of which it was born, it is completely alien to the teachings of the Jewish faith and the words of the Jewish scriptures. In fact, the Christian teaching that Satan was originally intended by God to be a good angel but, in an act of outright defiance, ceased to function as God had intended him to, suggests that God created something imperfect or defective.

For the Jewish faith, Satan's purpose in seducing man away from God poses no problem because Satan is only an agent of God. As a servant of the Almighty, Satan faithfully carries out the divine will of his Creator as he does in all his tasks.

Satan is one of the many angels mentioned in the Bible. It is worth noting that the Hebrew word for angel is malach, meaning "messenger." The same is true for the English word angel, derived from the Greek word angelos, which also means "messenger." Throughout the Bible, an angel is a messenger of God who carries out the divine will of the Almighty. There is not one example in the Jewish scriptures where any angel, Satan included, opposes God's will.

In no part of the Bible is this more evident than in the Book of Job. In the first chapter of Job, Satan appears with other angels before God and suggests that Job's steadfast faithfulness would not withstand personal pain and utter destitution. Satan then requests from God the chance to test Job's virtue. The Almighty grants this request, but He meticulously outlines for Satan what he may and may not do when putting Job to the test. Satan obediently follows his Creator's instructions. Job is immediately put to the test and, by the third chapter, begins to struggle. He questions his Maker as to why he was created and, in a moment of despair, wishes aloud that he had perished in his mother's womb. Still, by the end of this unparalleled biblical narrative, Job's virtue prevails over Satan's unyielding torment.

While in Christian terms Job's personal spiritual triumph is a theological impossibility, in Jewish terms it stands out as the embodiment of God's salvation program for mankind. In Deuteronomy 30:15, the Torah attests to this principle and in Isaiah 45:7, the prophet echoes this message when he declares that the Almighty Himself creates evil.

This biblical principle, however, was apparently too problematic for the Christian translators of the NIV Bible (New International Version). They clearly recognized that a Bible which asserts that God creates evil calls into question one of Christendom's most cherished teachings on salvation. How can the church insist that man is totally depraved when his God placed him in a world where he is free to choose good over evil? How can the church hold to a doctrine of election or predestination when free will is man's to express? How can Christians maintain that God did not create evil when the Jewish scriptures clearly state otherwise?

Understandably, the NIV translators saw fit to alter the prophet's words by rendering the offensive Hebrew word rah as "disaster" instead of correctly translating it as "bad" or "evil." The NIV Bible therefore mistranslates Isaiah 45:7 to read,

I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things.

The word "disaster" inserted by the NIV is so ambiguous that the uninformed reader would easily come to the conclusion that it refers to such things as earthquakes and hurricanes. This skewed understanding created by the NIV mistranslation effectively conceals Isaiah's original message. As mentioned above, the KJV (King James Version) does correctly translate this verse and render the Hebrew word rah as "evil."

One final point is in order here. Christians often point to Isaiah 14:12 as a biblical reference to support their teachings of the final and complete downfall of Satan which brings to an end the long and otherwise successful career of this fallen angel. They argue that Isaiah's mention of the fallen "morning star" refers to Satan's ultimate demise at the end of time when Satan will finally be cast into a lake of fire as articulated in the twentieth chapter of the Book of Revelation.

There are, however, two serious problems with this assertion. First, if Christians maintain that the "morning star" is a reference to Satan, how do they explain Revelation 22:16 where Jesus is called the "morning star" as well? Secondly, a cursory reading of the fourteenth chapter of Isaiah reveals that the "morning star" spoken of in Isaiah 14:12 is referring to Nebuchadnessar, the wicked King of Babylon, and not to Satan. In 14:4 the prophet explicitly names the king of Babylon as the subject of the prophecy.

That thou shall take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased, the golden city ceased!

Throughout this chapter and the preceding chapter of Isaiah, the prophet foretells the rise and fall of this arrogant king who would use his unbridled power to plunder Jerusalem and destroy its Temple but, at the end, would suffer a cataclysmic downfall. In 14:12 Nebuchadnezzar is compared to the planet Venus whose light is still visible in the morning yet vanishes with the rise of the sun. Like the light of Venus, Nebuchadnezzar's reign shone brilliantly for a short time, yet, as the prophets foretold, was eventually overshadowed by the nation of Israel whose light endured and outlived this arrogant nation who tormented and exiled her.

Yours,

Rabbi Tovia Singer

( Hebrews 2:14-15) (NKJV) Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage
(1 John 3:8) (NKJV) He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
(1 Corinthians 15:26) (NKJV) The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.
(Revelation 20:12-15) (NKJV) And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.
(1 Corinthians 15:51-58) (NKJV) Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed; 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory." 55 "O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?" 56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
(Revelation 21:1-3) (NKJV) Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.
No he is no friend of man or does he want to be misunderstood. He is what he is and he is the enemy.

Answer 2

The challenge of god, creator of all was not taken lightly so if he was the first rebel that set precedence, then so be it. But either way he is the epitome of all that is dark, evil, painful. If some person was molested by their dad and is twisted inside and perhaps looks at Satan as their saviour, then once again its because they are damned inside anyways. Their choice. Their problem. The only misunderstanding of Satan is the lack of morals and ethics that people possess to justify Satan as anything other then trash!

Answer 3

i would like to know why is Satan expected to be the bad guy all the time. was it something he did that made him infamous and caused the prejudice against him in the first place? if you were capable of causing yourself to be notorious there will be higher probability that you're on the evil side. but then again there's no obvious truth to questions like this because everyone changes and it's not as if you can't be good once you've been bad. so i guess the answer to this question is really subjective and yeah, i partially agree to your reasoning to Satan being a bad guy due to missunderstanding, as so happen to alot of one-time criminals who are being rejected out there.

Answer 4

Probably, if you really think about it, everything just run amok if there weren't Satan to scare people into doing good things. Someone has to be the bad guy, and I guess, unfortunately its Satan. Not that I believe in god, but it appears that the things Satan has done was really a test to see who is truly faithful and honest.

Answer 5

Satan and Satan demonic hoard already has a death sentence on their head... As for God his only begotten son was name Jesus... And since God is a spirit God had children by creating us...And the angels as well as Satan.... I am not sure where you are getting your information from... But it is totally incorrect... And I hope that some day that you will find the true God and allow God to bestow many of God blessing mercy and love upon you...........

Answer 6

It's kind of hard for something that doesn't exist to be misunderstood. People believe what they believe, and understand what they think is true. If that's what you think, it's fine, but I still don't doubt that some crazy christian is going to yell at me (or you) for taking the good name of Satan in vain...

Answer 7

I learned in life that even the Devil makes some sense, but some people are afraid to admit this!

Answer 8

frankly, I think satan is something the church created to blame their wrong-doings on. Evil? yes, i think there is evil in the world, but its not satan.. its just people being people.

Answer 9

okay. there is two issues going on here. first the expectations of others. lets see, maybe you might be responsible for that??hmmm...it can change, you can change the way you think and act. oh and God is in/and control of everything, even whatshisname.

Answer 10

hes truly the evilest person alive Nuff said!

Answer 11

well u need to no and understand who that is and plz no its is very evil and could really harm u and ur cherished one so no wut people say about hoim being evil a liar and everyhitng that critces him is true from his part just tries to get u in