Power/Might of Satan

[George]

What power or might does he have? It’s mentioned in the song, “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”.

 

[JRT]

What power or might does he have? It’s mentioned in the song, “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”.

Satan, if he exists, has just as much power as we allow him. God didn't create Satan, man did. Satan (ha'shaitan) occurs by name in the Old Testament in the Book of Job, and here it's clear that the angel Satan is not the Devil! The Devil is supposedly banished from the presence of God, yet in Job, Satan is allowed to talk with and to come and go from God's presence and on a mission for God yet! What's going on? Satan here is not "the Devil" but sort of God's prosecuting attorney. There is a very common perception that the 'Lucifer' in Isaiah 14:12ff refers to Satan, the supernatural personification of evil. This misconception comes from two sources. The first is wishful thinking in the sense that it is nice to think that 'the Enemy' will get his come-uppance eventually. The second has to do with the old caution that scripture is to be read only 'in context'. This requires going back and reading all of Isaiah 13 and the earlier verses in Isaiah 14. When this is done we suddenly realize that scripture is not speaking of a supernatural Satan at all but of a Babylonian king with an immense ego. Read Isaiah 14: " 4 you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon:" What follows is a long rant against this oppressive king filled with numerous reference to his human nature like Isaiah 14: "16 Those who see you stare at you, they ponder your fate: Is this the man who shook the earth and made kingdoms tremble, 17 the man who made the world a desert, who overthrew its cities and would not let his captives go home?" This passage is in no way a reference to Satan or the devil. The Jews did not originally believe in devils but they picked up this concept during the Babylonian Exile from the Persians who followed Zoroastrianism. The Zoroastrians believed in both a god of good (Ahura-Mazda) and a god of evil (Ahrulman) engaged in a cosmic struggle. The Jews picked up and ran with this idea. It was easy to cast YHWH in the role of the God of good. They took also the angel ha'shaitan (Satan) in the book of Job and recast that character as Satan the near divine force of evil. Up to that time, their concept of God was of a being responsible for everything, both good and evil. Isaiah 45:”7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things.” is just one quote that demonstrates this. The Jews never connected Satan to the serpent in the Garden of Eden. It was the second-century Christian martyr, Justin of Samaria, who was first to argue that Satan appeared as a serpent to tempt Adam and Eve to disobey God.

 

[MoreCoffee]

What power or might does he have? It’s mentioned in the song, “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”.

"to save us all from Satan's power when we had gone astray ..." is the lyric I think.

The power it points to is power over people who have gone stray.

But no extra description is found in the hymn ...

Yet in the holy scriptures Satan (the Devil) appears to have in his gift all the kingdoms of the world,
he offered them to the Lord, Jesus Christ.

But perhaps that was a lie?

 

[Josiah]

What power or might does he have? It’s mentioned in the song, “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”.

1. I think there are two serious errors: Making too much of Satan.... and making too little.


2. I think Satan can do much! I think he can roar... and attack.... and bite.... but I think he cannot make God love us less, embrace us less. He can create problems (as he did for Job) but cannot separate us from God.


3. IMO, perhaps the biggest horror movie of all time is "The Exorcist." While I realize it's not true for the original true story, it is terroizing. Buy I find it interesting that the true story involved a boy who was not baptized and who very, very rarely went to church and never to Sunday School (his parents were VERY inactive Lutherans). In the Hollywood version, the girl is not a Christian and the parents appear to not be, either (they turning to a priest only when all else failed and in desperation). And it all begins by the girl ASKING for Satan to come.... In my doctrine class, the teacher commented that when he was a boy, there was a house on the corner that had a HUGE and MEAN dog... who was always kept chained to a tree in the front yard. His "territory" was well defined since all the grass was killed in a circle around that true - the reach of his chain. Kids would play in the street, and the dog would hardly notice. But when a ball.... or a kid... came into his turf, he would JUMP up and IMMEDIATE have that kids' body in his powerful jaws.... Hum..... I wonder if something like that is at work with Satan? The Bible speaks of him as "chained...."




.

 

[Pedrito]

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The power/might of Satan?

He’s just the god of this world. (The one who has power over it - 2 Corinthians 4:4)

That’s all.

Nothing to worry about.

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[Arsenios]

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The power/might of Satan?

He’s just the god of this world. (The one who has power over it - 2 Corinthians 4:4)

That’s all.

Nothing to worry about.

He has the power of death...

This is why we are Baptized INTO Christ...

Into His Death on the Cross...

We are to overcome the the world...

And the only way to do so is to mortify our members...

Life in Christ is death to the world...

We are not under the Law because we are DEAD to the death of the world's control...

The power of death does not control the Christian...

But the Love of God DOES control his or her actions...

His or her love for God...

And God's Love for him or her...

In the face of that Love, Satan will make every incursion he can with all his power...


Arsenios

 

[TurtleHare]

This power thing of Satan has me thinking and wondering if he can control the weather and if the bad things happening weatherwise on the planet are because of him?

 

[Arsenios]

The power/might of Satan?

He’s just the god of this world. (The one who has power over it - 2 Corinthians 4:4)

That’s all.

Nothing to worry about.

"But be of Good Cheer...
I have overcome the world..."

This is why a Christian must overcome the world in order to overcome Satan in his own soul...


Arsenios

 

[Arsenios]

This power thing of Satan has me thinking and wondering if he can control the weather and if the bad things happening weatherwise on the planet are because of him?

Indeed he can, but that power is derived...

The Legion of Demons in the demoniac(s) did not even have the authority to enter the herd of swine...

They had to wait for Christ to give them leave to enter it...

And they immediately destroyed that herd...

For Christ had but exorcized them from the demoniac...

From that exorcism foreword, they were under direct obedience to Christ...


Arsenios

 

[MennoSota]

He has the power of death...

This is why we are Baptized INTO Christ...

Into His Death on the Cross...

We are to overcome the the world...

And the only way to do so is to mortify our members...

Life in Christ is death to the world...

We are not under the Law because we are DEAD to the death of the world's control...

The power of death does not control the Christian...

But the Love of God DOES control his or her actions...

His or her love for God...

And God's Love for him or her...

In the face of that Love, Satan will make every incursion he can with all his power...


Arsenios

It's humorous that you think water dunking is a protector against death.
Your incapacity to understand baptism (immersion) into Christ, apart from water, is remarkable.
Satan no longer has the power of death. Yeshua, Jesus, holds those keys upon being victorious at the cross.

If the Spirit of God did not protect us, Satan's army would destroy us. We are God's adopted children after all. We were rescued from slavery to sin and death. The prince of darkness does not enjoy that reality. Thank God for the Spirit's constant protection and God's ordained will over Satan.

 

[psalms 91]

It's humorous that you think water dunking is a protector against death.
Your incapacity to understand baptism (immersion) into Christ, apart from water, is remarkable.
Satan no longer has the power of death. Yeshua, Jesus, holds those keys upon being victorious at the cross.

If the Spirit of God did not protect us, Satan's army would destroy us. We are God's adopted children after all. We were rescued from slavery to sin and death. The prince of darkness does not enjoy that reality. Thank God for the Spirit's constant protection and God's ordained will over Satan.

hmmm as near as I can tell we all die irregardless of being saved or not

 

[Arsenios]

It's humorous that you think water dunking is a protector against death.

"As many as have been Baptized into Christ have put on Christ."
"Go, disciple all the nations, Baptizing them..."

Does the Bible humorize you too, Menno?


Arsenios

 

[Arsenios]

hmmm as near as I can tell we all die irregardless of being saved or not

Indeed, Christ Himself "gave up His Spirit"...

Elijah will come again to die for three days...

We WANT to die to this fallen life...

Knowing that believers never die...

Death to this fallen life
simply takes us from the detour
of Adam's sin...


Arsenios

 

[MennoSota]

hmmm as near as I can tell we all die irregardless of being saved or not

Sure. That is a result of the curse from breaking the covenant with God, not because water was not used in baptism.
There is life eternal for God's adopted children. Satan has no power over the elect, though God may allow Satan to sift his elect at times.

 

[MennoSota]

"As many as have been Baptized into Christ have put on Christ."
"Go, disciple all the nations, Baptizing them..."

Does the Bible humorize you too, Menno?


Arsenios

Sometimes it does. There are some funny things. Like Elijah's heckling of the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel for example.
You humor me with your address of water as a magic elixir that will somehow vanquish Satan.
Your inability to conceive of a waterless baptism into Christ certainly amuses me.

 

[Arsenios]

Sometimes it does. There are some funny things. Like Elijah's heckling of the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel for example.
You humor me with your address of water as a magic elixir that will somehow vanquish Satan.
Your inability to conceive of a waterless baptism into Christ certainly amuses me.

"As many as have been Baptized into Christ have put on Christ." (Paul)
"Go, disciple all the nations, Baptizing them..."(Christ)

Whom does Christ in Scripture command to Baptize ALL the Nations into Himself?
Did Christ succeed or fail in this command to His Apostles?
How did they do so?
Or do you think they did not do so?

Arsenios

 

[MennoSota]

"As many as have been Baptized into Christ have put on Christ." (Paul)
"Go, disciple all the nations, Baptizing them..."(Christ)

Whom does Christ in Scripture command to Baptize ALL the Nations into Himself?
Did Christ succeed or fail in this command to His Apostles?
How did they do so?
Or do you think they did not do so?

Arsenios

The Spirit baptizes all the elect into Christ Jesus. The elect are chosen from all the world.
Your version is universalism with a twist of magic. It's not biblical. Water is not a magical elixir to hold back Satan. It's really time you give up that silly tradition of yours, Arsenios.

 

[Arsenios]

The Spirit baptizes all the elect into Christ Jesus. The elect are chosen from all the world.
Your version is universalism with a twist of magic. It's not biblical. Water is not a magical elixir to hold back Satan. It's really time you give up that silly tradition of yours, Arsenios.

Scripture only tells us that it is Christ Who Baptizes...

And Christ commanded His Apostles to Baptize...

They are His Body...

Nowhere in all of Holy Writ is it written that the Holy Spirit Baptizes anyone into Christ...

You are interpreting what is written...

You cannot show those words in the Bible...

They do not exist there...

But Ananias Baptized Saul...
And Peter Cornelius...
And Andrew the Ethiopian...

And Scripture does record that these were Baptized into Christ...


Arsenios

 

[MennoSota]

Scripture only tells us that it is Christ Who Baptizes...

And Christ commanded His Apostles to Baptize...

They are His Body...

Nowhere in all of Holy Writ is it written that the Holy Spirit Baptizes anyone into Christ...

You are interpreting what is written...

You cannot show those words in the Bible...

They do not exist there...

But Ananias Baptized Saul...
And Peter Cornelius...
And Andrew the Ethiopian...

And Scripture does record that these were Baptized into Christ...


Arsenios

1 Corinthians 12
12For just as*the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body,*so it is with Christ.*13For*in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves*or free—and*all were made to drink of one Spirit.

We are baptized, by the Holy Spirit, into the body of Christ.

Arsenios, God is clear on this, yet you demand magical water as your elixir.

 

[ImaginaryDay2]

I think with the focus on "Satan's Power", we give more credit than is due. Paul, in Galatians, says this:

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God

The Apostle attributes these things to the desire (or "lusts" - KJV) of the flesh, as opposed to the work of the Devil. Sin in us produces more work/desire for evil than I think is influenced by "Satan's power" per se.