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/

[Diagoras]

All I can say is our message isn't about death and judgement so much as life and liberation. We are, to the best of my knowledge, the only religion that doesn't believe in the existence of an immortal soul.

I didn't know about the 'immortal soul' thing.

Recognising that I'm off on another slight tangent here: do you believe in a mortal soul, then? That is, that people have a soul?

Can a person's soul be 'sold to the devil'? Does the Devil then not care about collecting people's mortal souls?

[JehovahsWitness]

Recognising that I'm off on another slight tangent here: do you believe in a mortal soul, then? That is, that people have a soul?

Can a person's soul be 'sold to the devil'? Does the Devil then not care about collecting people's mortal souls?

No.


In the bible "soul" is just another word for "person" or "animal" so we do not believe we have a soul, we ARE souls ie living breathing flesh and blood creatures.



JW

To learn more please go to other posts related to...

SOULS, SPIRIT and ... THE CONDITION OF THE DEAD

[2ndpillar2]

Recognising that I'm off on another slight tangent here: do you believe in a mortal soul, then? That is, that people have a soul?

Can a person's soul be 'sold to the devil'? Does the Devil then not care about collecting people's mortal souls?

No.


In the bible "soul" is just another word for "person" or "animal" so we do not believe we have a soul, we ARE souls je living breathing flesh and blood creatures.



JW

To learn more please go to other posts related to...

SOULS, SPIRIT and ... THE CONDITION OF THE DEAD

Not exactly true. Genesis 2:7 defines a soul/living being as "dust from the ground" combined with the "breath of life". When one dies, the flesh returns to being "dust", and the "breath of life", returns to the "LORD GOD", who had "formed man". Without the body of flesh, the "spirit" cannot talk, walk, taste, or lead a band. The spirit survives with God, at least until the great white judgment, but it doesn't constitute a "soul"/living being. Now spirit beings, such as demons can take on the ability to walk and make noise when inserting themselves into a weak vessel, but that is another subject. You can watch or talk to those possessed to get a better insight (Revelation 16:13).

[William]

[Replying to 2ndpillar2 in post #73]

Not exactly true. Genesis 2:7 defines a soul/living being as "dust from the ground" combined with the "breath of life". When one dies, the flesh returns to being "dust", and the "breath of life", returns to the "LORD GOD", who had "formed man". Without the body of flesh, the "spirit" cannot talk, walk, taste, or lead a band. The spirit survives with God, at least until the great white judgment, but it doesn't constitute a "soul"/living being.

This aligns with the idea that a "soul" is a receptacle device which is used to store the Data of Experience [DoE] of individuate Human Beings.

The transference of DoE is actually real-time 24/7 and the storage is done elsewhere than the Human Instrument [HI]. The capacity of the HI to store data is limited and what we think of as our 'memories' are largely accessed from the storage facility outside of the HI's ability.

When the HI dies, the Spirit which animated the flesh is released and joins the DoE it produced while animating the HI.

The DoE altogether is the blueprint of the character-personality that was created through the process.

The Spirit along with the DoE is processed by the Main-Spirit [The LORD - Yahweh] to which all Spirits are connected and then assigned to whatever the collected DoE reveals it necessary for it to be next placed.

[Avoice]

[Replying to theophile in post #3]

Satan is definitely in the New Testament alright.

It's the book that convinced people the laws are abolished. People have been told that what God said doesn't apply to them. They can disobey God and still they'll live forever. The trick was getting them to believe it was God's idea.
Problem solved:. The yr

[Tcg]

Can a person's soul be 'sold to the devil'? Does the Devil then not care about collecting people's mortal souls?

There is a great series of lines about this from the movie, "O Brother, Where Art Thou?"

Ulysses Everett McGill : What'd the devil give you for your soul, Tommy?

Tommy Johnson : Well, he taught me to play this here guitar real good.

Delmar O'Donnell : Oh son, for that you sold your everlasting soul?

Tommy Johnson : Well, I wasn't usin' it.

There is no reason to conclude that there is such a thing as a soul and therefore no reason not to sell it. As Tommy said, he wasn't using it.


Tcg

[Tcg]

[Replying to theophile in post #3]

Satan is definitely in the New Testament alright.

It's the book that convinced people the laws are abolished. People have been told that what God said doesn't apply to them. They can disobey God and still they'll live forever. The trick was getting them to believe it was God's idea.
Problem solved:. The yr

Satan is definitely in the O.T. as well. It doesn't seem to take much to get folks to believe either even though there is no verifiable evidence of such a beast.


Tcg

[theophile]

[Replying to theophile in post #3]

Satan is definitely in the New Testament alright.

It's the book that convinced people the laws are abolished. People have been told that what God said doesn't apply to them. They can disobey God and still they'll live forever. The trick was getting them to believe it was God's idea.
Problem solved:. The yr

Satan is definitely in the O.T. as well. It doesn't seem to take much to get folks to believe either even though there is no verifiable evidence of such a beast.


Tcg

That is incorrect. Just because the Hebrew word 'satan' (accuser, adversary) is being used in the OT doesn't mean it is a reference to Satan (which is to say a character/entity that has 'Satan' as its proper name, as is the case in the NT). Rather, it just means the word accuser (or adversary) is being used.

English translations that capitalize it and make it a proper name are misleading.

[Avoice]

[Replying to Tcg in post #77]

But I'm the Hebrew Scriptures he is not an enemy of God.
He has been given a job....a tough job. He isn't rebellious the way Christianity portrays him. Their view is not based on scripture. Not sure where they came up with their stuff.
They take the Hebrew Scriptures and then change it to fit whatever they want people to believe.

[William]

[Replying to Tcg in post #77]

But I'm the Hebrew Scriptures he is not an enemy of God.
He has been given a job....a tough job. He isn't rebellious the way Christianity portrays him. Their view is not based on scripture. Not sure where they came up with their stuff.
They take the Hebrew Scriptures and then change it to fit whatever they want people to believe.

What is represented in the whole is the evolution of God within the structure of the physical Universe.

The differentiation was still apparent in the Hebrew mind - but not to the point where Satan and God became separate entities.
Rather it was seen as the one being, with a dark side.
Christianity is intolerant of such an idea, which is why the dark side of YVHV became a separate entity.

From the perspective of an evolving God-Mind, what was once acceptable behavior becomes unacceptable signifying change.

Human religion is intolerant to change once the rules have been established, so they tend to stick with whatever devil they know.