Describing Satan

Describe Satan

         

          When I was very young my grandmother told me the story of Adam and Eve. I asked her, “What did Satan look like before God cursed him”? She quoted Genesis 3:1 “Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field.” I was satisfied, although I always wondered why this animal could talk.   

          I am quite a bit older now and I am still wondering. I have come to believe that the Eden story is simply an allegory and Not the history of the first people on earth. Now before we go any farther, I want you to know that I have nothing to back me up on this. These are my own opinions. You can think, ‘what foolishness’ or you may think, ‘I have wondered about this myself.” Think it over and come to your own conclusion.

          I claim Eden as an allegory because chapter one in Genesis explains the spiritual creation so beautifully. Our Father created for five days. God is Spirit and He created out of spirit only good for His children. 2:5 “And every plant in the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew, for the Lord had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.” God did not need man or the ground in His spiritual creation. Nor is there mention of the creation of sin, sickness, death, talking animals or Satan. Yet, Satan or the devil are featured names in the Bible. Who exactly is he? Where did he come from? What should we look for?

          Another reason, among many, that convinces me of Eden being an allegory and not history if this: God cursed Satan to crawl in his belly forever. Yet, in Job’s story �"Satan is walking upright like a man. Was Satan’s power greater than God’s? Although this must be an allegory also. I can’t imagine that God would collaborate with Satan to harm Job.

          Haven’t you wondered what Jesus saw when Satan confronted Him in the wilderness? Jesus called ‘it’ Satan and the Devil. Artists have painted many unflattering pictures of the devil but the Bible is silent. Jesus cast out all kinds of devils, yet, if Satan is the devil, where are the many? Satan’s children? When the devils were cast out of the man and went into the swine, surly someone got a look at one of them. That doesn’t help us because it was not recorded.

          Jesus told His disciples, “I have chosen you twelve and one of you is a devil.” I doubt that the man’s looks had changed. So that too is no help. It seems that no one has seen this evil beast or his horrible henchmen. God did not create Satan or evil or sin!!! Therefore Satan does not exist.�"We can’t just leave it there. We don’t “see” Satan. We do see evil in all its forms. How can we see so clearly what doesn’t exist?

          The only description of Satan I am aware of is: Jesus said, “I beheld Satan fallen as lightning from heaven.” Does that mean that Satan is real? Has an identity? Not in my opinion. I read where science explained that lightning is a force that gathers and explodes and wastes its energy because it is not in harmony with the universal equilibrium.

          On the sixth day God created spiritual man, gave him free will and complete control over everything. We have taken the generous and glorious gift of free will (which even the angels don’t have) and turned it against God. We exalt ourselves. We say, we can make babies; cure sickness; make machines to work for us; grow food; discover things; invent things; we have electricity, TV, computers; smart phones; live our own life; we are self-sufficient: we don’t need god.  We have closed God off in heaven. Because everything has an opposite and we can’t comprehend a never ending good, we conjured up a devil to blame for our misery on earth. The misery caused by believing in two powers; one good and one evil. Satan has only the power our false belief gives him. God is All and that All is Good.

          Then we slap God in the face by praying for God to take away the punishment for our sin.  Our loving Father-Mother-God can’t. Whatever you are suffering from is caused by your belief in a second power. All God wants from you is your love freely given. He won’t interfere in the way you live your life. Our Father is unaware of evil. He only knows what He created and evil Satan was not created. God is of purer eyes than to behold evil.

          Satan can not be described because he is whatever you make of him. God has nothing to do with Satan. Satan is man’s flawed and fearful imagination and no more real that the shadow on the wall.

          833 words    Loretta Ellen Edwards