Where is, and recognizing the devil

[nobspeople]

How can one recognize the devil?
"Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour. Take a firm stand against him, and be strong in your faith" (I Peter 5:8-9)
There it's said he's a like a roaring lion, but here
"Satan can disguise himself as an angel of light. So it is no wonder his servants can also do it by pretending to be godly ministers" (II Corinthians 11:14-15).
it says he can be like an angel of light.

So which is it? A roaring lion or light angel? Contradictory much? Or maybe, the devil can be both things, at which point we're right back to the first question, how can one recognize him.

"Humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7).
This seems to say if you're humble before god, you can resist the devil and he will leave you. But it still doesn't say how to recognize him.
This:
"He was a murderer from the beginning and has always hated the truth. There is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies" (John 8:44).
doesn't seem to help recognizing him, either - just tells you what it claims the devil is.

Seems the devil is more of a spirit and less of a legitimate 'thing' (though some claim it's a very real person - see link below*, which seems odd to use the term 'person'), so maybe, to recognize it, when need to know where it lives today.
Pergamum was said to be “where the throne of Satan is” and “where Satan is dwelling.” (Revelation 2:13). However, some think this refers more to the satanic worship than an actual residence. Odd that god would let some think this and others think something else, but that's another story to address elsewhere.
The Bible says that the Devil rules over “all the kingdoms of the inhabited earth,” so he does not dwell in any one physical location on earth but is confined to the vicinity of the earth.​—(Luke 4:​5, 6).

For discussion: How does one recognize the devil? Or does that even matter? And where is the devil today?

* https://www.focusonthefamily.com/family ... the-devil/

[1213]

...
"Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour. Take a firm stand against him, and be strong in your faith" (I Peter 5:8-9)
...
"Satan can disguise himself as an angel of light. So it is no wonder his servants can also do it by pretending to be godly ministers" (II Corinthians 11:14-15)....
"He was a murderer from the beginning and has always hated the truth. There is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies" (John 8:44).
...
For discussion: How does one recognize the devil? Or does that even matter? And where is the devil today?

Have you seen lion, looking for some victim to devour? What it looks like? By what I know, lions is sneaky and uses surprise attacks. I think that is basically the same as disguise as something good, like angel of light, until attack.

I don’t know is it necessary to recognize devil. I think it is enough and better to learn to know God. When you know God, you can know also devil, because devil is basically the opposite, or God’s enemy. Also, I think it would be better to learn to recognize lies and deceit. Learn to know what motivates you, is it fear, greed, vanity, or truth and love.

But, I think one way to know the devil is to read what he has done in the Bible. For example, in the case of Adam and Eve. I think he deceived Eve by appealing to her vanity and ego.

[theophile]

How can one recognize the devil?

There is a bit of a genealogy at play if you look closely, but I think you're on the right track by thinking in terms of spirit. It would be the spirit of accusation or an adversarial spirit (satan means accuser, adversary), which eventually becomes outright rebellion against God in its most extreme manifestation.

To see that, you should start with the serpent of Genesis 3. Not as Satan but as a good creature (see Genesis 1). Satan is explicitly linked to the serpent in Revelation, and we see in Genesis 3 the adversarial / accusing spirit that the serpent gets caught up in. (i.e., Eve accuses the serpent - herself giving an origin to the satanic - and God prophesies an enmity that will fester from it over future generations).

The next step in the genealogy is the satan, which we see for example in the book of Job. The satan is more a role (not a person), and some even say an agent of God. The adversarial / accusing spirit is fomenting doubt (primarily against humankind at this point I'd argue) but isn't yet in outright rebellion against God. The satan still shows up and is given voice at God's court (along with the children of God), and so is clearly not an outright enemy.

Finally you have Satan - primarily in the New Testament. By this point the spirit has entered into outright rebellion against God and bringing others to its cause. The adversarial / accusing spirit becomes personified (i.e., it is given a proper name - Satan).

So to answer the question, you can recognize 'the devil' in these ways. All of them go back to the basic meaning of the term. Doesn't matter the metaphor or physical manifestation (e.g., a lion or one disguised as an angel of light).

[nobspeople]

How can one recognize the devil?

There is a bit of a genealogy at play if you look closely, but I think you're on the right track by thinking in terms of spirit. It would be the spirit of accusation or an adversarial spirit (satan means accuser, adversary), which eventually becomes outright rebellion against God in its most extreme manifestation.

To see that, you should start with the serpent of Genesis 3. Not as Satan but as a good creature (see Genesis 1). Satan is explicitly linked to the serpent in Revelation, and we see in Genesis 3 the adversarial / accusing spirit that the serpent gets caught up in. (i.e., Eve accuses the serpent - herself giving an origin to the satanic - and God prophesies an enmity that will fester from it over future generations).

The next step in the genealogy is the satan, which we see for example in the book of Job. The satan is more a role (not a person), and some even say an agent of God. The adversarial / accusing spirit is fomenting doubt (primarily against humankind at this point I'd argue) but isn't yet in outright rebellion against God. The satan still shows up and is given voice at God's court (along with the children of God), and so is clearly not an outright enemy.

Finally you have Satan - primarily in the New Testament. By this point the spirit has entered into outright rebellion against God and bringing others to its cause. The adversarial / accusing spirit becomes personified (i.e., it is given a proper name - Satan).

So to answer the question, you can recognize 'the devil' in these ways. All of them go back to the basic meaning of the term. Doesn't matter the metaphor or physical manifestation (e.g., a lion or one disguised as an angel of light).

Sorry I don't follow (I'm stupid - you can ask anyone in this forum).
If I were to go outside right now and looked, how would I recognize the devil?

[theophile]

How can one recognize the devil?

There is a bit of a genealogy at play if you look closely, but I think you're on the right track by thinking in terms of spirit. It would be the spirit of accusation or an adversarial spirit (satan means accuser, adversary), which eventually becomes outright rebellion against God in its most extreme manifestation.

To see that, you should start with the serpent of Genesis 3. Not as Satan but as a good creature (see Genesis 1). Satan is explicitly linked to the serpent in Revelation, and we see in Genesis 3 the adversarial / accusing spirit that the serpent gets caught up in. (i.e., Eve accuses the serpent - herself giving an origin to the satanic - and God prophesies an enmity that will fester from it over future generations).

The next step in the genealogy is the satan, which we see for example in the book of Job. The satan is more a role (not a person), and some even say an agent of God. The adversarial / accusing spirit is fomenting doubt (primarily against humankind at this point I'd argue) but isn't yet in outright rebellion against God. The satan still shows up and is given voice at God's court (along with the children of God), and so is clearly not an outright enemy.

Finally you have Satan - primarily in the New Testament. By this point the spirit has entered into outright rebellion against God and bringing others to its cause. The adversarial / accusing spirit becomes personified (i.e., it is given a proper name - Satan).

So to answer the question, you can recognize 'the devil' in these ways. All of them go back to the basic meaning of the term. Doesn't matter the metaphor or physical manifestation (e.g., a lion or one disguised as an angel of light).

Sorry I don't follow (I'm stupid - you can ask anyone in this forum).
If I were to go outside right now and looked, how would I recognize the devil?

You should recognize it in anything playing or caught up in the blame game - expressing doubts or outright accusations of others (like in Eve when she accuses the serpent, or the satan when it questions Job). You should recognize it in anything exhibiting the enmity that can result, in all the various forms this can take.

[nobspeople]

How can one recognize the devil?

There is a bit of a genealogy at play if you look closely, but I think you're on the right track by thinking in terms of spirit. It would be the spirit of accusation or an adversarial spirit (satan means accuser, adversary), which eventually becomes outright rebellion against God in its most extreme manifestation.

To see that, you should start with the serpent of Genesis 3. Not as Satan but as a good creature (see Genesis 1). Satan is explicitly linked to the serpent in Revelation, and we see in Genesis 3 the adversarial / accusing spirit that the serpent gets caught up in. (i.e., Eve accuses the serpent - herself giving an origin to the satanic - and God prophesies an enmity that will fester from it over future generations).

The next step in the genealogy is the satan, which we see for example in the book of Job. The satan is more a role (not a person), and some even say an agent of God. The adversarial / accusing spirit is fomenting doubt (primarily against humankind at this point I'd argue) but isn't yet in outright rebellion against God. The satan still shows up and is given voice at God's court (along with the children of God), and so is clearly not an outright enemy.

Finally you have Satan - primarily in the New Testament. By this point the spirit has entered into outright rebellion against God and bringing others to its cause. The adversarial / accusing spirit becomes personified (i.e., it is given a proper name - Satan).

So to answer the question, you can recognize 'the devil' in these ways. All of them go back to the basic meaning of the term. Doesn't matter the metaphor or physical manifestation (e.g., a lion or one disguised as an angel of light).

Sorry I don't follow (I'm stupid - you can ask anyone in this forum).
If I were to go outside right now and looked, how would I recognize the devil?

You should recognize it in anything playing or caught up in the blame game - expressing doubts or outright accusations of others (like in Eve when she accuses the serpent, or the satan when it questions Job). You should recognize it in anything exhibiting the enmity that can result, in all the various forms this can take.

Go created everything, it's said.
Allowed sin to enter into it for eating from the tree of knowledge, knowing what would happen, condemning mankind it's said.
Then punishes those who honestly can't find faith in it.
Some would say god's blaming humanity for something it had literally every reason and ability to avoid. Seems god is playing the blame game as well.

[Chapabel]

You can see Satan in anything that opposes God. Lying, stealing, fornication, murder...etc (all sin basically) is where you will find Satan. He is the originator of the temptation to sin and he is smack-dab in the middle of sin.

[nobspeople]

You can see Satan in anything that opposes God. Lying, stealing, fornication, murder...etc (all sin basically) is where you will find Satan. He is the originator of the temptation to sin and he is smack-dab in the middle of sin.

I'd say god is the originator of temptation, because, if the story is true, god is before all things. Which means sin and the devil, which it either created or allowed to come to fruition. It also told Adam and Eve not to eat from the tree of knowledge which it placed there to begin with which, itself, is temptation. The devil was simply a scapegoat for god.

That aside, are you saying the devil isn't an actual 'being' but a concept?

[theophile]

How can one recognize the devil?

There is a bit of a genealogy at play if you look closely, but I think you're on the right track by thinking in terms of spirit. It would be the spirit of accusation or an adversarial spirit (satan means accuser, adversary), which eventually becomes outright rebellion against God in its most extreme manifestation.

To see that, you should start with the serpent of Genesis 3. Not as Satan but as a good creature (see Genesis 1). Satan is explicitly linked to the serpent in Revelation, and we see in Genesis 3 the adversarial / accusing spirit that the serpent gets caught up in. (i.e., Eve accuses the serpent - herself giving an origin to the satanic - and God prophesies an enmity that will fester from it over future generations).

The next step in the genealogy is the satan, which we see for example in the book of Job. The satan is more a role (not a person), and some even say an agent of God. The adversarial / accusing spirit is fomenting doubt (primarily against humankind at this point I'd argue) but isn't yet in outright rebellion against God. The satan still shows up and is given voice at God's court (along with the children of God), and so is clearly not an outright enemy.

Finally you have Satan - primarily in the New Testament. By this point the spirit has entered into outright rebellion against God and bringing others to its cause. The adversarial / accusing spirit becomes personified (i.e., it is given a proper name - Satan).

So to answer the question, you can recognize 'the devil' in these ways. All of them go back to the basic meaning of the term. Doesn't matter the metaphor or physical manifestation (e.g., a lion or one disguised as an angel of light).

Sorry I don't follow (I'm stupid - you can ask anyone in this forum).
If I were to go outside right now and looked, how would I recognize the devil?

You should recognize it in anything playing or caught up in the blame game - expressing doubts or outright accusations of others (like in Eve when she accuses the serpent, or the satan when it questions Job). You should recognize it in anything exhibiting the enmity that can result, in all the various forms this can take.

Go created everything, it's said.
Allowed sin to enter into it for eating from the tree of knowledge, knowing what would happen, condemning mankind it's said.
Then punishes those who honestly can't find faith in it.
Some would say god's blaming humanity for something it had literally every reason and ability to avoid. Seems god is playing the blame game as well.

You have been misinformed. Note that I could have added a step in the genealogy prior to the serpent of Genesis 3: the deep/waters of Genesis 1:2. The deep (tehom) is commonly construed as the chaos that pre-exists creation with God, also exemplified as a dragon - close kin to the serpent we see in Genesis 3 (go wikipedia tehom or Tiamat if you want an unbiased view).

This throws a pretty big wrench in your works here.

[nobspeople]

How can one recognize the devil?

There is a bit of a genealogy at play if you look closely, but I think you're on the right track by thinking in terms of spirit. It would be the spirit of accusation or an adversarial spirit (satan means accuser, adversary), which eventually becomes outright rebellion against God in its most extreme manifestation.

To see that, you should start with the serpent of Genesis 3. Not as Satan but as a good creature (see Genesis 1). Satan is explicitly linked to the serpent in Revelation, and we see in Genesis 3 the adversarial / accusing spirit that the serpent gets caught up in. (i.e., Eve accuses the serpent - herself giving an origin to the satanic - and God prophesies an enmity that will fester from it over future generations).

The next step in the genealogy is the satan, which we see for example in the book of Job. The satan is more a role (not a person), and some even say an agent of God. The adversarial / accusing spirit is fomenting doubt (primarily against humankind at this point I'd argue) but isn't yet in outright rebellion against God. The satan still shows up and is given voice at God's court (along with the children of God), and so is clearly not an outright enemy.

Finally you have Satan - primarily in the New Testament. By this point the spirit has entered into outright rebellion against God and bringing others to its cause. The adversarial / accusing spirit becomes personified (i.e., it is given a proper name - Satan).

So to answer the question, you can recognize 'the devil' in these ways. All of them go back to the basic meaning of the term. Doesn't matter the metaphor or physical manifestation (e.g., a lion or one disguised as an angel of light).

Sorry I don't follow (I'm stupid - you can ask anyone in this forum).
If I were to go outside right now and looked, how would I recognize the devil?

You should recognize it in anything playing or caught up in the blame game - expressing doubts or outright accusations of others (like in Eve when she accuses the serpent, or the satan when it questions Job). You should recognize it in anything exhibiting the enmity that can result, in all the various forms this can take.

Go created everything, it's said.
Allowed sin to enter into it for eating from the tree of knowledge, knowing what would happen, condemning mankind it's said.
Then punishes those who honestly can't find faith in it.
Some would say god's blaming humanity for something it had literally every reason and ability to avoid. Seems god is playing the blame game as well.

You have been misinformed. Note that I could have added a step in the genealogy prior to the serpent of Genesis 3: the deep/waters of Genesis 1:2. The deep (tehom) is commonly construed as the chaos that pre-exists creation with God, also exemplified as a dragon - close kin to the serpent we see in Genesis 3 (go wikipedia tehom or Tiamat if you want an unbiased view).

This throws a pretty big wrench in your works here.

Then you might want to tell the scores of leaders in christian churches that god seems to have appointed in its place to teach such things.