2007-01-06 10:52:58 · 28 answers · asked by olly_jeannie 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
In ancient Jewish tradition Satan is simply an angel doing the work that God assigned to Satan to do.
The word Satan means challenger. With the idea of Satan challenging us, or tempting if you will. This description sees Satan as the angel who is the embodiment of man's challenges. This idea of Satan works closely with God as an integral part of Gods plan for us. His job is to make choosing good over evil enough of a challenge so that it becomes clear to us that there can be only one meaningful or logical choice.
Contrast this to Christianity, which sees Satan as God's opponent. In Jewish thought, the idea that there exists anything capable of setting itself up as God's opponent would be considered polytheistic or setting up the devil to be an equally powerful polarity to god or a demigod.
Oddly, proof for The Christian satan/devil mythology is supposedly found in the ancient Jewish texts that were borrowed to create the bible. One can’t help but wonder how Christians came up with such a fantastically different interpretation of Gods assistant Satan in their theology.
Other hints about Satan’s role in human relations can be seen if you look at the name Lucifer. It’s meaning in the original tongue translates as Light bearer or light bringer. Essentially the bringer of enlightenment. The temptations of the Satan idea bring all of us eventually into Gods light. Hardly the Evil entity of Christian mythology.
Love and blessings
don
2007-01-10 03:42:42 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Job 38:4-7;
Angels see earth prepared, they are called morning stars and sons of God.
Job 2:1,2;
Satan is with the sons of God.
Eze.28:13-15;
The cherub angel anointed over Eden. Gen.3:5; Called serpent decieved Eve. Rev.12:9 names he is called.
Isa.14:12-14;
Called Lucifer means day star and world leaders are compared to him.
2Cor.4:3,4;
Satan is the god of this world. 11:14; transforms himself into and angel of light.
John 8:44;
Satan the devil has caused the death of all from Eden.
Matt.4:1-11;
Jesus age 30 faced Satan in the world Empire Rome #6
Matt.26:53;
Jesus could have had 12 legions of angels or 72,000, but was crucified.
Rev.5:11;
Angels are vast in number. Luke 20:34-36; Angels do not die.
Rev.12:1-12;
Michael of Jude 9; and Dan.12:1-13 has holy angels, they cast Satan and unholy angels out of heaven in the end time days, Satan has a short time to Rev.20:1-6,12,13 the 1000 year reign of Christ.
2007-01-06 11:19:11 · answer #2 · answered by jeni 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes to the first part and No to the second.
Satan was known as the most beautiful angel, referred to as the angel of jewels. He was actually favored by God. But, Satan thought he was as great if not greater than our Creator, henceforth him being banned from heaven. Upon this banning Satan (Lucifer) took 1/3 of the angels with him.
In scripture you will find that Satan is also a triune form. Satan/Antichrist/False Prophet
The true Triune Godhead is God the Father/Son/Holy Spirit.
2007-01-06 11:02:18 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Satan was an angel in Heaven, known as lucifer, and he was favoured by God but then he thought he could become better than God which he obviously couldn't because God created him!
so for his sin God chucked him out of heaven and his followers. He created Hell for them.
Satan is a real being, but a spirit... i think. his followers are also spirits or demons and they're very real.
Satan is not justr the personification of evil he really is... a real "thing"
and someone said something about beig triune... but hes not theyr just three different ways of describing him. The antichrist will be... or is... depends on ur view something or someone evil... controlled by the devil (whether knowlingly or not i dnt no) um and might possibly be indwelt by him or something. im not sure whether what im thinking now is coming from the BIble or from some fiction books ive read. but anyway.
That's what i think neway. =)
2007-01-06 11:30:52 · answer #4 · answered by yellowbelly821 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Satan was one of God's most beautiful Angels, Lucifer. He thought he could overtake Gods throne in Heaven. But he was wrong, God cast him out and 1/3 of the angels in Heaven went with him. Satan can become any form he wants, he comes in many disguises to deceive people. To trick Christians into following him.
2007-01-06 11:02:38 · answer #5 · answered by creeklops 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Yes he was an angel that lead a revolt in Heaven and was thrown out because of it. Satan usually appears as an angel of light.
2007-01-06 10:55:49 · answer #6 · answered by djm749 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
One story in the vast pile of fiction that is religion goes that Satan was Gods brother and was immensely better than God in doing good.
God became very jealous and so she decided to shaft her brother good and proper by duping him outside of the fictional heaven and into the fictional hell where he could be used as the scapegoat for all of Gods wrongdoings.
So yes, he has a single form - that of a fictional character, just like his sister.
2007-01-06 11:58:19 · answer #7 · answered by Jon H 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
According to the bible he was an angel that god cast out. I suppose it depends if you believe angels have a single form or not, if angels do so do devil as they are essentially the same thing. Except only devils can dance.
2007-01-06 10:59:36 · answer #8 · answered by gerrifriend 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
In Islam, satan is not an angel, but he is a jinn who is highly ranked, because angels were created with no free will so they could not disobey, but jinns could. Jinns are like another life form apart from humans that have free will and are judged.
2007-01-06 12:23:23 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
I just wanna retort to other answers. Lucifer is not a name scripturally given to Satan, it refers to Babylon.
The bible also has giants, they were Nephilims fathered by angels who materialzed as men, enticed by the beauty of women, courtesy of...speak of the devil: himself!
Satan was speaking trhough the serpent, much like a ventriloquist.
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Satan (resister/opposer) the Devil (slanderer) was once an angel in Heaven.
Jesus said: “You (Pharisees) are from your father the Devil, and you wish to do the desires of your father. That one was a manslayer when he began, and he did not stand fast in the truth, because truth is not in him. When he speaks the lie, he speaks according to his own disposition, because he is a liar and the father of the lie.”—John 8:44. -he was once in the 'truth' but left. So he is thrown down to earth (Rev 12:9)
He is a spirit, no form but he has many allies, not only the demons but his world as well. In Matthew 4:8 Satan offered Jesus the kingdom of the worlds, he cannot give it to him unless he owns it. So they execute their plans of killing everyone so no one remains to worship God.
2007-01-06 11:17:16 · answer #10 · answered by Tomoyo K 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋