Ping!
I know that Satan is real. His purpose is I suppose to show us the most evil of all sins , “Pride”. I don’t want to meet him, I only know that if I truly give all to The Lord I can avoid him.
Satan is doing what God created him to do.
it’s not just built-in “tendencies” that nudge us away from God’s grace. It’s not a minor, tendency.
We all run away from God. Our nature is inherently opposed to God. It’s not just mere “tendencies”. The old sin nature runs away from God and good.
Satan is quite real. I don’t expect to understand why God allows him to hang out, but I am firmly convinced that God’s reason is more than sufficient to convince me if I knew it and had full understanding.
Why? Same reason God gave us Pope Francis, Cardinal Kasper, Cardinal Dolan, etc.
To test our faith, while we are still members of Church Militant.
Satan is a sinner. The worst of course, but at base just a sinner.
Before one asks why God keeps the devil around, they should ask why God keeps them around.
Is there light without dark? What is good without evil? Could free will exist without good and evil choices?
What I find interesting and mysterious is how an angel is able to influence, influence and interact with humans. Unless Satan has special powers it implies that other angels can influence and interact with humans as well.
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Read the Book of Revelations to answer your second question.
The Devil is real. I saw him. He was on TV with a teleprompter. Okay, maybe it wasn’t, The Devil, but if it wasn’t, he played one on TV.
Satan has the biggest role in Daniel’s 70th week.
He indwells the “Man of Sin” and sets out to thin the herd of those alive at Yeshua’s second coming by tempting them with “the mark of the beast.”
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The question needs to be expanded on. The Catholic church has, over centuries, composed demonologies filled with information about the devil, but also those he considered his peers, and many of their subordinates.
So focusing on just the devil is like focusing on just Adolf Hitler. While they have evil power in their own right, their greater power comes from their legions.
However, it is unwise to think that their singular focus is mankind, because many of them are indifferent to man. Instead their primary conflict continues to be with God and his angels.
If it was to be our only choice to love and obey God, how could we choose it? Choices have consequences, and the warnings are there.
Choose well my FRiends.
Satan is here to give us a choice. Without him and that choice, we are no different than the Angels.
bkmk