Posted on 10/15/2013 9:48:37 PM PDT by Olog-hai
Pope Francis said it is true that in the past, people with epilepsy might have been mischaracterized as being possessed by demons, but that confusion did not refute the fact that the Devil exists and is so important that he “is on the first page of the Bible” and at the Bible’s end, “with the victory of God over the Devil.” …
As for his comments on Satan and other demons, the Pope said, “Some may say, ‘But Father, you’re too old-fashioned. You’re frightening us with these things.’ No, it’s not me! It is the Gospel! And these are not lies: it is the Word of the Lord. Let us ask the Lord for the grace to take these things seriously. He came to fight for our salvation. He won against the Devil. Please, let’s not do business with the Devil. He wants to come back home, to take possession … Don’t accept relativism; be vigilant. And always with Jesus!” …
(Excerpt) Read more at cnsnews.com ...
Sorry, but 2 Pt. 3 is in obvious reference to the Flood of Noah:
"Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:" (2 Peter 3:6; cf. 1Pt. 3:20)
The pope might have said or meant the beginning of the Bible, while i know of no official RC teaching that describes your interpretation. Not that Rome is the standard for Truth,
And THAT does not teach that the devil was the tree! Those things were prepared in the day the devil was made, and "day" here refers to the general time period of the 6 day creation:
"These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens," (Genesis 2:4)
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
That appeals to man's vanity. The problem with vanity is envy soon follows, which is the motivation behind most of the evil in the world. Most evil can be traced back to the sin of pride, and the image of God idea is the ultimate pride. It is highly doubtful the image of God is anything resembling man.
Really? What about the Ten Commandments? Do they really mean anything? Why are they reduced to a group of suggestions by some Chri$tian philo$opher$?
Commandments and forgiveness are an incongruent mix. But people buy into being saved the same way that people buy into Obama phones. It's free because someone else paid for it!
I won't bet my soul on forgiveness. I think it's a big sales pitch, with a LOT of buyers.
Who might “us lot” be?
Not necessarily the Noachian flood referenced there. God doesn’t create in vain, and since “was” in Genesis 1:2 should have been rendered “became” (as in Genesis 19:26), take note that there was no dry land after the world “became” this wasted state in Genesis 1:2.
Thank you. I am more dejected every day at the lack of Christian charity being demonstrated on these threads.
This is a typological reference to the Trinity
I’m sorry - I still don’t follow your reasoning. Just because God created Lucifer does not make the devil present at creation.
Yes - Lucifer before the fall. This does not establish that satan was the tree of the knowledge good and evil.
Remember, Lucifer was created by God - Lucifer chose to become the devil.
No, Satan was created by God good, but then chose to rebel. Still however the devil was created by God, as an angel...
No, you are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. (Matthew 22:29). God made man to rule over the earth. The first sin came when Eve was deceived into thinking "you will be like God" (Gen 3:5) Eve sinned because she did not know the command (singlar!) of God. She added to the command God had given, making it seem unreasonable, as God prohibitted only eating of the fruit, and she added touching as well. (Gen 2:17, Gen 3:3)
You are correct in saying that we are far removed from God, especially since he "...alone is immortal, and lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see." (1 Timothy 6:16). God is spirit (John 6:24) and invisible (1 Timothy 1:17).
However, we learn from the NT that Jesus is the image, the manifestation, the very essence of God in bodily form (Colossians 1:15, Phillipians 2:6-7). In fact, Jesus Christ created all things! (Colossians 1:16, John 1:3, 1:10). We also find that Jesus existed before creation (obviously, if the previous were true), and was planned to die sacrificially before the creation of the world! (1 Peter 1:20, Rev 13:8).
Since God walked in garden in the cool of the day (Genesis 3:8), he must have had bodily form. Thus, it is logical to conclude that God manifested himself in Jesus to interact with Adam. Since Jesus was the man-God, we are made in his image, not the other way around. Bodily, emotionally, sensorily, and with a free will.
How many Garden of Edens were there? The Adam and his wife were removed from that Garden when they partied with the devil also called the serpent. The devil has played many roles and he has many names.
Revelation 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old *serpent* called the Devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, "Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
Satan has yet to be cast out from heaven onto this earth.
Hebrews 2:14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, (John 3 lesson to Lazarus) He also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; (So what were the 'children' before they partook of flesh and blood? When were all souls/spirit intellect created? Moses did not record when the creation of Lucifer took place along with the rest of the souls/spirit intellect. Moses only recorded the formation/creation of the flesh bodies for which the soul/spirit intellect were to inhabit during their flesh journey. Even after the formation/creation of the Adam's flesh body, he, the Adam was not alive until the breath of life, which means soul was breathed into his nostrils... And Moses did not say anything about the creation/formation of that breath of life, as it already existed.
So Lucifer who was placed Ezekiel 28:14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
Thou was perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in the.
Genesis 1:2 describes the overthrow/casting down of Lucifer from his position of covering the mercy seat long before Genesis 1:3. A supernatural war, and this earth still carries the evidence of that war.
And Paul knew about the Garden Party as Paul warns us about what will take place again... if the warning is not heeded... IICorinthians 11:2 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ,
3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtility, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
Furthermore, God had Peter write down how God keeps time. IIPeter 3:8 But, beloved, be NOT ignorant of this one thing,
that ONE day is with the LORD as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
Ignore what God plainly says all you wish, but, those days of creation... were not 24/7 hour days. God Himself says so, and there is all matter of evidence left upon this earth that demonstrates there was long ago a massive earth wide catastrophe on this earth.
Trees are used time and again as symbols through out the volume of the Book. The 'tree of the knowledge of good and evil' was allowed in the Garden of Eden. Right along side the 'tree of life' which is symbolic of Christ. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil is the devil and until Christ banished him, the devil had free access to go to and fro on this earth. Never ever in a flesh body, and when Lucifer rebelled he was sentenced to death. Along with a numbered of angels/souls that followed the devil at the rebellion.
Up until the words 'tree of the knowledge of good and evil were recorded, everything except for Genesis 1:2 was described as 'good'. Now consider where did this knowledge of good and evil come from. God sure did not create the evil, but yet it existed. Planted throughout the rest of the WORD, even stated by Christ Himself explains who this 'tree of the knowledge of good and evil represents.
With that, i shall leave respectfully you to your own thoughts, as that is what i see them as.
I know what he is saying, but the devil is not on the 'first page.' Kinda in the second chapter of Genesis. Unless he has one of those really big Pope Bibles where the first two chapters are on the same first page:)
I’m not going to accept your explanation without further study. I have never, in all my 57 years, heard the tree of knowledge of good and evil described in this way.
God is knowledgeable about evil, even though He cannot stand it, nor did He create it.
But I see in Gen 2:9
“And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.”
My reading of this is that God created all of the trees.
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