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Why does God allow Satan to be here?

 
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Why does God allow Satan to be here? - 3/30/2008 10:10:39 AM   
Elena4685

 

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I am just asking for speculation. This is not something we can know for sure, I don't think. This is not something we have to know, I am just curious about it.

I was just wondering if anybody has any ideas as to why God allows Satan to be on earth? It says "he is the god of this age"

First, I thought there is a war between them and God can't do anything until He wins. But then, in Revelation, it says that after Satan was bound for 1000 years, God let him out, to deceive the nations.

Do you think that perhaps God is using Satan for his purposes, like to test people, to see which ones are "bad apples" and which ones are good?
That's one reason that comes to mind.

The other is that maybe God is following a set of principles. (For example, there is one principle that says: without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness, and God followed that one and sent Jesus to die in order to forgive us).

Maybe this other principle says that if a person disobeys God, Satan has a right over that person? So that's how Satan became "the prince of the air"?
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RE: Why does God allow Satan to be here? - 3/30/2008 4:32:39 PM   
Him4all

 

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quote:

any ideas as to why God allows Satan to be on earth?

Allows??? I've been told there is no doer...but God.

quote:

Do you think that perhaps God is using Satan for his purposes,

Without a doubt.

quote:

like to test people, to see which ones are "bad apples" and which ones are good?

People aren't fruit...people are symbolically trees in scripture and their character is the fruit (eg. fruit of the spirit).

DR

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RE: Why does God allow Satan to be here? - 3/30/2008 4:44:36 PM   
iSERVEaJEW


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Please, carefully consider the following passage of Scripture. Before I present it, I would like to say that in the Jewish numbering of the Torah, Deuteronomy 13 begins at Deuteronomy 12:32. Why do I mention this? I am starting the passage according to the Jewish numbering as I believe Deuteronomy 12:32 should be joined to the passage in question.

Deu 12:32
"Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.
Deu 13:1
IF there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder,
Deu 13:2
"and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, 'Let us go after other gods'--which you have not known--'and let us serve them,'
Deu 13:3
"you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the LORD your God is testing you to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
Deu 13:4
"You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him.
Deu 13:5
"But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has spoken in order to turn you away from the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of bondage, to entice you from the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk. So you shall put away the evil from your midst.

God tests us by sending miracle-working false prophets to us to see whether we will fear Him and keep His commandments.

< Message edited by iSERVEaJEW -- 3/30/2008 5:25:08 PM >


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RE: Why does God allow Satan to be here? - 3/30/2008 6:43:11 PM   
fallenstar

 

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Lucifer used to be the most beautiful angel in all of the heavens. He thought that since he had other angels that admired him, he should have more authority than God. He was cast down from heaven, where he created hell. Since he was created by God, in His image, Satan has free will as well. He comes to us when we sin, because Satan was the first ever to sin. Although Satan is an extremely poweful spritual being, as long as you keep your faith in Christ you can defeat him.
As you said in the beggining of your forum, nobody really knows for sure. I don't think God "locked Satan up" for 1000 years, that sounds a little odd. Never heard of it before. But as long as you believe in God and his word, Satan will stay away from you.
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RE: Why does God allow Satan to be here? - 4/2/2008 9:26:43 PM   
Elena4685

 

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By the way, about Satan being locked up:

REV 20:2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.3 He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.
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RE: Why does God allow Satan to be here? - 4/3/2008 6:16:30 AM   
TheoJunkie


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I think Job gives us a pretty good look at the role of satan in a believer's life. Yes, God sets him loose (but not "loose"! -- God always puts limits on Satan, as we also see in Job), but it is ultimately to strengthen the believer... by being tempted and witnessing evil, we turn ever more toward God in the end. It is not a test like an "examination"... rather, it is a test like an "exercise."

But it is not to sort out sheep from goats (or "bad apples" from "good apples"). Everyone is a bad apple, unless they are born again by the Spirit. So that would be a redundant test.

Satan of course also had a role to play in the Garden of Eden, tempting Adam and Eve to fall... and thereby setting the stage that the Son would be glorified by saving people.

< Message edited by TheoJunkie -- 4/3/2008 6:23:07 AM >


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RE: Why does God allow Satan to be here? - 4/6/2008 8:20:10 PM   
dontbelonghere


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quote:

ORIGINAL: fallenstar
He was cast down from heaven, where he created hell.

Since he was created by God, in His image.


He comes to us when we sin, because Satan was the first ever to sin.

Although Satan is an extremely poweful spritual being, as long as you keep your faith in Christ you can defeat him.


But as long as you believe in God and his word, Satan will stay away from you.


Wow, I ask that you actually read the Bible. Not out of rudeness, but because all the above points you wrote contradict the Bible and it frightens me that you would feel so strongly in these unbiblical points that you would try to teach them to others. I suggest an Alpha class at your church. May God protect you from being further deceived by Satan.
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RE: Why does God allow Satan to be here? - 4/7/2008 5:23:15 PM   
perfectWeakness129

 

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The single most important thing to remember about God and Satan is this:

GOD HAS NO RIVAL!

That is to say that Satan and God do not battle and struggle against one another for the right to souls of humans, God USES Satan and Satan hates it every time it happens. God USED Satan in the garden, He USED Satan at the Cross, He will USE Satan at the end of time and God USES Satan every time he tries to decieve or trick one of us into falling away from Him (even if we buy it). God USES Satan every time he attacks a human just as He USED him with Job. Take courage, Satan is not the thorn in God's side, he is a very predictable being who, against his desire and with complete hatred for everything holy must continue to bow down before the Sovering God Most High, knashing his teeth knowing his fate is sealed.

In the end, all things being considered, Satan's faile and 'successfull' attempts on earth will ultimately show the devine power of God.

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RE: Why does God allow Satan to be here? - 4/8/2008 10:43:44 AM   
Ps103


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quote:

He was cast down from heaven, where he created hell.


Um...where did you get this idea?

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RE: Why does God allow Satan to be here? - 4/12/2008 11:33:25 AM   
LoveYourEnemies

 

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Ps103

quote:

He was cast down from heaven, where he created hell.


Um...where did you get this idea?

I was wondering the same thing.

Recently I heard someone say..."where in the Bible do you see where HELL was created?" AS I thought about it, I realized that I couldn't come up with that answer.
Post #: 10
RE: Why does God allow Satan to be here? - 4/12/2008 11:55:23 AM   
LCannon


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Hell wasn't 'created', hell came to being as a result of Adam's(mankind's)personal arrogance against the blood/scarifice of the Messiah. Satan's influence merely amplifies man's unbelief of the unrepentant and the repentant's lack of appropiation and vulnerability to the Holy Spirit.

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RE: Why does God allow Satan to be here? - 4/12/2008 12:37:27 PM   
LoveYourEnemies

 

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To reply to the original question...I wondered about this myself for some time. It was explained to me like this...

If God were to destroy Satan then all of creation would serve Him out of fear rather than out of love. Sin has entered the universe and now sin must be allowed to run its course for all of creation to understand the effect sin has and that sin requires death and the shedding of blood.

It it believed that Satan/Lucifer claimed that God's gov't wasn't fair, that God was mean, and that he had a better plan for the gov't of the universe than God had. To destroy him would give credence to that claim, and all of God's creatures would have wondered if Lucifer may have been correct saying "be careful, if you differ with God, He may kill you." Killing Lucifer would not have settled the problem, it would have only heightened it.

Instead, God has allowed Lucifer time to demonstrate his principles, and we can see the fruit of it today. The entire universe is watching (1Cor 4:9) as we each play a part in this controversy. As the controversy ends, every soul will fully understand the principles of both kingdoms and will have chosen to follow either Christ or Satan.

The cross is the best demonstration of Satan’s love for power and God’s power of love. Satan wanted to destroy Jesus. This gives us a good picture of how he would treat those who rebel against his power. Notice how he has implied his own attributes to God and continually does so, deceiving many people for thousands of years.

In contrast, we see the power of the love of God at the cross when Jesus said, Father, forgive them.
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RE: Why does God allow Satan to be here? - 4/12/2008 2:21:14 PM   
rcjames


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Why does God allow Satan to be here?

Because it gives up ample opportunity to show (prove) our love and dedicatinn to God; or not.

Thanks
RC

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RE: Why does God allow Satan to be here? - 4/13/2008 4:16:29 AM   
lmwal931

 

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why does GOD allow murder? abortion? etc. free will

our society, the world, is satan. i believe that our society has given rise to evil spirits. i hope you don't think GOD did this. abortion, a horrible insane murder of innocent, defenseless, and precious babies, custom created by the FATHER, is why JESUS died on the CROSS. nothing else could atone. we are all guilty of mass sin.
Post #: 14
RE: Why does God allow Satan to be here? - 4/24/2008 7:53:39 PM   
fallenstar

 

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quote:

ORIGINAL: LoveYourEnemies

quote:

ORIGINAL: Ps103

quote:

He was cast down from heaven, where he created hell.


Um...where did you get this idea?

I was wondering the same thing.

Recently I heard someone say..."where in the Bible do you see where HELL was created?" AS I thought about it, I realized that I couldn't come up with that answer.


Not only could I not come up with an answer, but it also says that in the beggining, God created the heavens and the earth. Not hell. Since the topic is kind of "up in the air", whatever someone says is sorta an oppinion. There is no actual proof, unless somebody can find some.
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RE: Why does God allow Satan to be here? - 5/3/2008 11:21:54 PM   
lmwal931

 

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i think hell is a place where you learn to accept GOD'S principles of loving everybody and being happy as a servany. very difficult for a rich person or a racist. a 2nd chance. GOD'S will is that none be lost. i began to believe this after i had a vision. my belief is different from the catholics purgatory. would you send a person to a fiery hell that never heard 1 word about JESUS?
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