Satan

[elijah23]

I think most people walk around oblivious to the fact that Satan is always working on us, and oblivious to how clever he is:

Now the serpent was more subtle than any other wild creature that the LORD God had made. Gen 3:1a RSV

He tries to tempt us into lustful behavior or chemical dependency. If he doesn't succeed at that, he will tempt us to be prideful. (Have you noticed how many people in our churches are "climbing the social ladder" instead of dedicating themselves to genuine service? That's Satan at work tempting people into prideful behavior.) It's best for us to remember the above Bible verse.

 

[duari91]

I honestly don't believe Satan is at work personally deceiving any of us. I think he uses his minions/soldiers/demons to do that foot work for him. I can, however; see his influence on LARGE events in the world. Let's be honest, Satan is a created being. He cannot be everywhere at once, and he is NOT all powerful like God. He is in one place, at one time, doing only what his power allows. I believe he invented false religions (like Islam), persuaded world leaders that lead to death/destruction (like Hitler/Stalin), and other worldwide events. Even now he is working on a plan that will derail thousands, if not millions of humans to destruction. Satan is time bound like we are, which is why I don't think he can pear into the future like God.

Ask this question to yourself. Why would he waste his time on one person? Does a commander lead his army to kill one soldier, or does he try to max enemy casualties? He is a liar, a deceiver, and is responsible for millions of people perishing outside of Christ. In the end, he will receive his just punishment, but is working to maximize casualties while he has time. Think of it like this, The general doesn't fight, but his soldiers do.

 

[By Grace]

I honestly don't believe Satan is at work personally deceiving any of us.
<SNIP>,
The general doesn't fight, but his soldiers do.

While the study of fallen angels is a part of Christian theology there are two errors Christians face when dealing with that subject.

In his Screwtape Letters, C. S. Lewis makes the point (paraphrased) there are two equal and opposite errors that Christian make when dealing with Satan. One error is to take him too seriously because he is a very powerful but fallen angel; the other is not to take him seriously enough because he is a very powerful but fallen angel.