Satan and Hell, are they real - or - BAD fiction?

It is very exciting to have G-d’s peace and direction guiding your life . But we need to understand about G-d’s enemy, satan . The name means “adversary” or “one who opposes” . You may also hear him referred to in Hebrew as “hasatan” which means “the satan”, or in English the “devil”, or the “enemy” . He will do everything he can to distract us .

G-d tells us that in our day and age, false prophets and teachers of false doctrine will abound.

Matthew 24:24 For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great miraculous signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even G-d's chosen ones (believers). 

Remember when Moses threw down the staff in front of Pharaoh and it turned into a snake? Pretty cool stuff, huh. 

Where did Moses get the power to perform this miracle?

Exodus 7:8-12 Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Pharaoh will demand that you show him a miracle to prove that G-d has sent you. When he makes this demand, say to Aaron, 'Throw down your shepherd's staff,' and it will become a snake." So Moses and Aaron went to see Pharaoh, and they performed the miracle just as the LORD had told them. Aaron threw down his staff before Pharaoh and his court, and it became a snake. Then Pharaoh called in his wise men and magicians, and they did the same thing with their secret arts. Their staffs became snakes, too! But then Aaron's snake swallowed u p t heir snakes.

Where did the magicians get the power to perform their miracle? 

They got their power from what we would call in this day the “dark side” which is from satan.

Now before you go off thinking of some guy in a red suit with a pitchfork and horns, let me surprise you by telling you that satan is a real living being, spoken about extensively in the Bible, and he has a name. It is Lucifer. Lucifer had been highly honored by G-d but was cast out of heaven with many angels (who are now called demons) when he sinned and sought to be greater than his Creator, who is G-d. 

Revelation 12:9 And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

Isaiah 14:12-15 "How you are fallen from heaven, O shining star, son of the morning! You have been thrown down to the earth, you who destroyed the nations of the world.  For you said to yourself, 'I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above G-d's stars. I will preside on the mountain of the G-ds far away in the north. I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High.'  But instead, you will be brought down to the place of the dead, down to its lowest depths.

Ezekiel 28:12-15  “I ordained and anointed you as the mighty angelic guardian. You had access to the holy mountain of G-d and walked among the stones of fire.  "You were blameless in all you did from the day you were created until the day evil was found in you.  Your great wealth filled you with violence, and you sinned. So I banished you from the mountain of G-d . I expelled you, O mighty guardian, from your place among the stones of fire. Your heart was filled with pride because of all your beauty. You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth and exposed you to the curious gaze of kings.”

Job 1:6,7 One day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and satan the accuser came with them.  "Where have you come from?" the LORD asked satan. And satan answered the LORD, "I have been going back and forth across the earth, watching everything that's going on."

Does satan have any real power over you once you become a believer?

Let me share with you a true story from my own life. About two years after becoming a believer I learned about Messianic Judaism. I told my wife who had been praying for a place where we 

31

< Previous Page Index Next Page >