Re: Re: RELIGIOUS / JOHN, GROUP / OH MY GOD!/SATAN IS THE CAUSE!/WELL WORTH THE READ!

[Guest guest]

I personally find this post to be DEEPLY offensive and did not sign on to

the list for these kinds of posts. I know I can just delete but these lists

have a focus for a reason. If people could please keep the topic of

discussion related to SSRIs that would be greatly appreciated. There are

lots of other lists for Bible students to have discussions.

Thank you.

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[Guest guest]

I personally find this post to be DEEPLY offensive and did not sign on to

the list for these kinds of posts. I know I can just delete but these lists

have a focus for a reason. If people could please keep the topic of

discussion related to SSRIs that would be greatly appreciated. There are

lots of other lists for Bible students to have discussions.

Thank you.

_________________________________________________________________

Create a Job Alert on MSN Careers and enter for a chance to win $1000!

http://msn.careerbuilder.com/promo/kaday.htm?siteid=CBMSN_1K & sc_extcmp=JS_JASwee\

p_MSNHotm2

[Guest guest]

Leah,

Psychiatry is just a religion, but when other people fight against it with their

religion you put them down. Why? If you ever want to grow out of the little

people category, you have to fight with big people weapons. We are fighting a

$37B industry what do you recommend?

Leah <leah_ida@...> wrote:

I personally find this post to be DEEPLY offensive and did not sign on to

the list for these kinds of posts. I know I can just delete but these lists

have a focus for a reason. If people could please keep the topic of

discussion related to SSRIs that would be greatly appreciated. There are

lots of other lists for Bible students to have discussions.

Thank you.

_________________________________________________________________

Create a Job Alert on MSN Careers and enter for a chance to win $1000!

http://msn.careerbuilder.com/promo/kaday.htm?siteid=CBMSN_1K & sc_extcmp=JS_JASwee\

p_MSNHotm2

[Guest guest]

Connie,

I'm trying to help DY get out of involuntary on Wed; so, it's a bad time to

answer a 6 page email. See my answer to Leah. It's a complicated subject.

More later.

Connie Mullins <cmull3700@...> wrote:

& Group

You said, " God has sent you to keep a $37B industry

that some of us think is run by the devil in check. "

As a new Bible student i am learning a lot of things,

some things i'm being taught and they just aren't

sinking in until like this weekend when i read the

section on Satan. I knew that Satan had power in our

governmental system (that's why we don't vote), but i

didn't realize the magnatude until yesterday. Did you

know the Bible supports what you said above? I mean we

look at what is going on today and we reasonably think

the devil has got to be responsible right? Of course!

That could be the ONLY explanation for all this

wickedness. Well, if you read what i have included

below and you look at the scriptures and do a little

research (look up the reference scriptures) and do a

little mediatation on what is being said here, you

will see that the Bible has given us the answers. I

believe the beast to be the United Nations. Anyway let

me know if you don't understand something and i will

see if i can explain. You may understand this better

than i do and can help me to see more. Anyway, i think

that this subject although not directly on the subject

of SSRI's, can explain much about why so many are

being put on this trash they call medicine. One

thought that just occurred to me is my idea and yours

as well i'm sure, that these drugs interfeer with

spirituality. They can keep a person from connecting

to their spiritual side and keep them from God. Of

course Satan is right in the middle of all this!

Please let me know what you think.

I know there is a lot of information here, but if you

believe there has to be a damonic influence, then i

believe it will be well worth the read. What greater

sujbect then the subject of " why we are ALL HERE

today. " Also, when reading this you will see the name

Jehovah numerous times, it is because we believe that

God's name is Jehovah and that most all Bibles have

rendered his name LORD, Lord (in some places mainly

the new testement) and GOD (in some places). It is no

secret and can be seen stated in the preface of the

NIV, the Catholics preface and the NKJV is finally

giveing Tyndale credit for writting the KJV

and in his marginal notes (and there are 2 remaining

copies of his original writtings left in the world

today) he wrote that he translated God's name

(Jehovah) LORD. There were a few places he left it

Jehovah and one place is Psalms 83:18. The sad news is

that the more the Bible has been translated, the more

they have taken it out. What they have done has been

put into the preface of some Bibles, but who the heck

reads the preface of their Bible. Go figure! I'm sorry

this is so long, but you all know that i tend to get

carried away with this subject.

Satan the Devil

Definition: The spirit creature who is the chief

adversary of Jehovah God and of all who worship the

true God. The name Satan was given to him because of

his becoming a resister of Jehovah. Satan is also

known as the Devil, because he is the foremost

slanderer of God. Satan is described as the original

serpent, evidently because of his using a serpent in

Eden to deceive Eve, and for this reason “serpent”

came to signify “deceiver.” In the book of Revelation,

the symbolism of a devouring dragon is also applied to

Satan.

How can we know whether such a spirit person really

exists?

The Bible is the chief source of evidence. There he is

repeatedly referred to by name (Satan 52 times, Devil

33 times). Eyewitness testimony as to Satan’s

existence is also recorded there. Who was the

eyewitness? Jesus Christ, who lived in heaven before

coming to earth, repeatedly spoke of that wicked one

by name.—Luke 22:31; 10:18; Matt. 25:41.

What the Bible says about Satan the Devil makes sense.

The evil that mankind experiences is far out of

proportion to the malice of the humans involved. The

Bible’s explanation of Satan’s origin and his

activities makes clear why, despite the desire of the

majority to live in peace, mankind has been plagued

with hatred, violence, and war for thousands of years

and why this has reached such a level that it now

threatens to destroy all mankind.

If there really were no Devil, accepting what the

Bible says about him would not bring lasting benefits

to a person. In many instances, however, persons who

formerly dabbled in the occult or who belonged to

groups practicing spiritism report that they were at

that time greatly distressed because of hearing

“voices” from unseen sources, being “possessed” by

superhuman beings, etc. Genuine relief was gained when

they learned what the Bible says about Satan and his

demons, applied the Bible’s counsel to shun

spiritistic practices, and sought Jehovah’s help in

prayer.—See pages 384-389, under the heading

“Spiritism.”

Believing that Satan exists does not mean accepting

the idea that he has horns, a pointed tail, and a

pitchfork and that he roasts people in a fiery hell.

The Bible gives no such description of Satan. That is

the product of the minds of medieval artists who were

influenced by representations of the mythological

Greek god Pan and by the Inferno written by the

Italian poet Dante Alighieri. Instead of teaching a

fiery hell, the Bible clearly says that “the dead

.. . . are conscious of nothing at all.”—Eccl. 9:5.

Is Satan perhaps only the evil within people?

Job 1:6-12 and 2:1-7 tell about conversations between

Jehovah God and Satan. If Satan were the evil in a

person, the evil in this case would have to be in

Jehovah. But that is in complete disagreement with

what the Bible tells us about Jehovah as being One “in

whom there is no unrighteousness.” (Ps. 92:15; Rev.

4:8) It is noteworthy that the Hebrew text uses the

expression has·Sa·tan´ (the Satan) in the accounts in

Job, showing that reference is being made to the one

who is outstandingly the resister of God.—See also

Zechariah 3:1, 2, footnote in NW Reference edition.

Luke 4:1-13 reports that the Devil endeavored to tempt

Jesus to do his bidding. The account relates

statements made by the Devil and answers given by

Jesus. Was Jesus there being tempted by evil within

himself? Such a view does not harmonize with the

Bible’s description of Jesus as being sinless. (Heb.

7:26; 1 Pet. 2:22) Although at 6:70 the Greek

word di·a´bo·los´ is used to describe a bad quality

that had developed in Judas Iscariot, in Luke 4:3 the

expression ho di·a´bo·los (the Devil) is used, thus

designating a particular person.

Is blaming the Devil just a device used in an effort

to escape from responsibility for bad conditions?

Some people blame the Devil for what they themselves

do. In contrast, the Bible shows that humans often

bear much of the blame for the badness they

experience, whether at the hands of other humans or as

a result of their own conduct. (Eccl. 8:9; Gal. 6:7)

Yet, the Bible does not leave us ignorant of the

existence and devices of the superhuman foe who has

brought so much grief to mankind. It shows how we can

get out from under his control.

From where did Satan come?

All of Jehovah’s works are perfect; he is not the

author of unrighteousness; so he did not create anyone

wicked. (Deut. 32:4; Ps. 5:4) The one who became Satan

was originally a perfect spirit son of God. When

saying that the Devil “did not stand fast in the

truth,” Jesus indicated that at one time that one was

“in the truth.” ( 8:44) But, as is true of all of

God’s intelligent creatures, this spirit son was

endowed with free will. He abused his freedom of

choice, allowed feelings of self-importance to develop

in his heart, began to crave worship that belonged

only to God, and so enticed Adam and Eve to listen to

him rather than obey God. Thus by his course of action

he made himself Satan, which means “adversary.”—Jas.

1:14, 15; see also page 372, under the heading “Sin.”

Why did not God destroy Satan promptly after he

rebelled?

Serious issues were raised by Satan: (1) The

righteousness and rightfulness of Jehovah’s

sovereignty. Was Jehovah withholding from mankind

freedom that would contribute to their happiness? Were

mankind’s ability to govern their affairs successfully

and their continued life truly dependent on their

obedience to God? Had Jehovah been dishonest in giving

a law that stated that disobedience would lead to

their death? (Gen. 2:16, 17; 3:3-5) So, did Jehovah

really have the right to rule? (2) The integrity of

intelligent creatures toward Jehovah. By the

deflection of Adam and Eve the question was raised:

Did Jehovah’s servants really obey him out of love or

might all of them abandon God and follow the lead

being given by Satan? This latter issue was further

developed by Satan in the days of Job. (Gen. 3:6; Job

1:8-11; 2:3-5; see also Luke 22:31.) These issues

could not be settled by merely executing the rebels.

Not that God needed to prove anything to himself. But

so that these issues would never again disrupt the

peace and well-being of the universe, Jehovah has

allowed ample time for them to be settled beyond all

doubt. That Adam and Eve died following disobedience

to God became evident in due time. (Gen. 5:5) But more

was at issue. So, God has permitted both Satan and

humans to try every form of government of their own

making. None have brought lasting happiness. God has

let mankind go to the limit in pursuing ways of life

that ignore His righteous standards. The fruitage

speaks for itself. As the Bible truthfully says: “It

does not belong to man who is walking even to direct

his step.” (Jer. 10:23) At the same time God has given

his servants opportunity to prove their loyalty to him

by their acts of loving obedience, and this in the

face of enticements and persecution instigated by

Satan. Jehovah exhorts his servants, saying: “Be wise,

my son, and make my heart rejoice, that I may make a

reply to him that is taunting me.” (Prov. 27:11) Those

proving faithful reap great benefits now and have the

prospect of eternal life in perfection. They will use

such life in doing the will of Jehovah, whose

personality and ways they truly love.

How powerful a figure is Satan in today’s world?

Jesus Christ referred to him as being “the ruler of

the world,” the one whom mankind in general obeys by

heeding his urgings to ignore God’s requirements.

( 14:30; Eph. 2:2) The Bible also calls him “the

god of this system of things,” who is honored by the

religious practices of people who adhere to this

system of things.—2 Cor. 4:4; 1 Cor. 10:20.

When endeavoring to tempt Jesus Christ, the Devil

“brought him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the

inhabited earth in an instant of time; and the Devil

said to him: ‘I will give you all this authority and

the glory of them, because it has been delivered to

me, and to whomever I wish I give it. You, therefore,

if you do an act of worship before me, it will all be

yours.’” (Luke 4:5-7) Revelation 13:1, 2 reveals that

Satan gives ‘power, throne and great authority’ to the

global political system of rulership. 10:13, 20

discloses that Satan has had demonic princes over

principal kingdoms of the earth. Ephesians 6:12 refers

to these as constituting ‘governments, authorities,

world rulers of this darkness, wicked spirit forces in

heavenly places.’

No wonder that 1 5:19 says: “The whole world is

lying in the power of the wicked one.” But his power

is only for a limited period of time and is only by

the toleration of Jehovah, who is God Almighty.

How long will Satan be allowed to mislead mankind?

For evidence that we now live in the last days of

Satan’s wicked system of things, see pages 95-98,

under “Dates,” and the main heading “Last Days.”

The provision for relief from Satan’s wicked influence

is symbolically described in this way: “I saw an angel

coming down out of heaven with the key of the abyss

and a great chain in his hand. And he seized the

dragon, the original serpent, who is the Devil and

Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. And he

hurled him into the abyss and shut it and sealed it

over him, that he might not mislead the nations

anymore until the thousand years were ended. After

these things he must be let loose for a little while.”

(Rev. 20:1-3) Then what? “The Devil who was misleading

them was hurled into the lake of fire and sulphur.”

(Rev. 20:10) What does that mean? Revelation 21:8

answers: “This means the second death.” He will be

gone forever!

Does the ‘abyssing’ of Satan mean that he will be

confined to a desolate earth with no one for him to

tempt for 1,000 years?

Some persons refer to Revelation 20:3 (quoted on page

365) to support this idea. They say that the “abyss,”

or “bottomless pit” (KJ), represents the earth in a

state of desolation. Does it? Revelation 12:7-9, 12

(KJ) shows that at some time before his abyssing Satan

is “cast out” of heaven down to the earth, where he

brings increased woe upon mankind. So, when Revelation

20:3 (KJ) says that Satan is “cast . . . into the

bottomless pit,” he surely is not simply left where he

already is—invisible but confined to the vicinity of

the earth. He is removed far from there, “that he

should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand

years should be fulfilled.” Notice that Revelation

20:3 says that, at the end of the thousand years, it

is Satan, not the nations, that are loosed from the

abyss. When Satan is loosed, people who formerly made

up those nations will already be on hand.

Isaiah 24:1-6 and 4:23-29 (KJ) are sometimes

referred to in support of this belief. These say:

“Behold, the LORD maketh the earth empty, and maketh

it waste . . . The land shall be utterly emptied, and

utterly spoiled: for the LORD hath spoken this word.”

“I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and

void . . . I beheld, and, lo, there was no man . . .

For thus hath the LORD said, The whole land shall be

desolate . . . Every city shall be forsaken, and not a

man dwell therein.” What do these prophecies mean?

They had their first fulfillment upon Jerusalem and

the land of Judah. In execution of divine judgment,

Jehovah permitted the Babylonians to overrun the land.

Eventually it was all left desolate and waste. (See

36:29.) But God did not then depopulate the

entire globe, nor will he do so now. (See pages

112-115, under “Earth,” also the main heading

“Heaven.”) However, he will completely desolate both

the modern counterpart of unfaithful Jerusalem,

Christendom, which reproaches the name of God by its

unholy conduct, and all the rest of Satan’s visible

organization.

Instead of being a desolate waste, during Christ’s

Thousand Year Reign, and while Satan is in the abyss,

all the earth will become a paradise. (See

“Paradise.”)