Hell Revisited, Satan Revealed

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Hell Revisited, Satan Revealed

For several years and in several articles, I have written about hell and Satan. It has been my hope to bring more light upon these rather dark areas. It is of course their very nature to be elusive because they exist in what can be termed “spiritual darkness.” Their continued reign and even existence depend on ignorance and deception. As long as we are in the dark and dead in our sins, we will remain the captives of Satan in hell. I am sure that some will not accept what I am saying, but that doesn’t change the truth. My hope in this article is to shed more light into hell and expose the true enemy of those following Christ.

Here in this world of spiritual darkness, the enemy lures us away from the Kingdom of God by tempting us with worldly pleasures. At the same time, the enemy controls us by paralyzing us with fear. Fear is born out of ignorance. That which we do not understand we fear. That which we fear we begin to hate. That which we hate we seek to destroy.

John 3:19

This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.

Because men did not understand Jesus, they feared him. Because they feared him, they began to hate him. Because of their hate for him, they killed him. How differently would mankind receive Christ in our present day? Would we understand and accept the light and truth of God? I sincerely hope so.

Mankind has loved the darkness for ages and ages. This world of the flesh has been our home. We have come to accept that this world of pain and suffering is our reality, but Jesus knew better. Jesus knew that he and we are “from above” and for those who desire to be released he would show them the way. Yes, Christ is the Way and the Life, but we are afraid to go into the Light of Christ and to our salvation because we have been deceived. Just as it is told in the story of Adam and Eve, we have hidden from God in shame and fear because the “serpent of old” has led us astray. Satan has turned our paradise into a prison because we have come to love the darkness.

It is said that ignorance is bliss, but it is not for those who are seeking the knowledge of salvation. For these, ignorance is hell. For these, deception is hell. For these, the truth is all that will satisfy their hungry souls. For these that are waking up to a higher reality, hell can be overcome and heaven can be brought to earth! To break free from our chains, we must come to accept the truth of who we are, where we are and why we are here in hell. So, I am writing this article as a way to combine and enhance what I wrote in Going Through Hell and Get Behind Me Satan! We must awaken to where we are and face that ancient enemy that is keeping us from attaining our higher glory and life from God.

Through the ages, many in Christianity and other religions have been praying to a “God” that lives high above the clouds while at the same time fearing a devil that lives far underground in a fiery, torturous world called hell. Mythology and religion have gone hand in hand in reinforcing these misguided notions until they become unquestioned doctrine taught in our churches. For example, the word “hell” to most Christianized minds brings visions of fire, demons, suffering and darkness with no hope of ever ending. In this imagined world, they see Satan as a powerful fallen archangel from heaven that is now king of hell. They believe that this dark angel now has the power to lead MOST of humanity away from God into an afterlife of eternal torment. Some Christian denominations would have you believe that the final salvation score is going to be: Satan- TEN BILLION, God- MAYBE a million. In the end, God loses. God loses His children that He created and loved. God loses those created in His image to be His image. This is total foolishness!

They are deceived into believing that they are saved, so they graciously (and selfishly) accept these harsh consequences of the “unbelievers.” Using their own false ideology, have these religious souls considered the countless offspring of God that have died without ever hearing or knowing about Christ? What of the many souls that have died after horrible lives of mistreatment by the so-called “men of God”? Is there no mercy or justice? Is what they say true that God is going to send even unbaptized babies to an eternal hell? Is Satan going to take most of humanity into hell forever because they didn’t find the “way” during their short existence? SILENCE!

I find it amazing and saddening at the same time that so many blindly accept this ideology and happily accept the “God” who would carry out such evil! They accept it because they are pious and prideful while falsely believing they themselves are secure and saved. There is absolutely no doubt that Satan himself deceives them into believing such lies. However, there is one thing that is certainly true within their doctrine-- hell IS Satan’s home. But if you haven’t noticed, Satan is right here among us. No need to send anyone to hell because we are already in it- TOGETHER.

Hell Revisited

Have you noticed that the religions of men divide and lead to violence, but the Truth of God unites us and leads us to peace? Various religions and sects are convinced that most outside of their “circle” are lost and headed into some kind of hell because they don’t believe as they do. Again, because of deception and ignorance a spiritual division is imagined between “us” and “them.” They will say, “WE are going to heaven and THEY are going to hell.” THEY are going to hell to suffer eternally because they didn’t believe as “we” do. The Muslims call the Christians “the great Satan” or “the infidels” and believe God desires them to be eliminated from the face of the earth like a disease. Meanwhile, the Christians call the Muslims, “lost” and “unbelievers” doomed to an eternal hell because they didn’t accept Jesus as Lord. At the same time, the Jews are hated by many worldwide while the Hindus and Buddhists are accused of being led by Satan straight to hell. Stop it! We are like immature and undisciplined children fighting amongst ourselves. We must stop sending our brothers and sisters of other religions and beliefs to hell. Anyone who seeks the Truth and peace from God is a child of God. By judging others, we are only making our current hell worse. Here are Jesus’ words for such religious radicals.

Matthew 23:15

“Woe to you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and see to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are!”

Hold on! Wait just a minute Jesus! These men are not sons of hell because hell isn’t HERE! Hell is that place underground where bad people go to when they die. To this I can only suppose Jesus might say something like- “You are already dead and already in hell, but follow me because I am the resurrection and the life.”

This had to be a great shock when Jesus called those “teachers of the Law” and apparent “men of God” the “sons of hell.” I find this a rather enlightening passage. Don’t you? The teachers of the Law and Pharisees were sons of hell right here in OUR world. Not only this but were more worried about gaining converts than gaining the knowledge of salvation. They taught and followed rules of men and not the Spirit of life. They believed the “doctrine of demons” and not the truth from God. They were sons of the devil and very much at home here in hell.

So, are you a “son of hell”? Do you follow a religion taught by men- one that leads to pride and violence? Or do you seek and hear the spirit of Truth from God that leads to humility and peace? It seems apparent that religion and not the spirit of Truth lead many because they become corrupt and violent. Because of this blatant hypocrisy it is no wonder that many truly spiritual souls have shunned organized religion and become agnostic or even atheistic. In fact, this category of “unbelievers” would rank 2^nd as the world’s largest “religion” if it was counted as such. It should be understood that religion will not save anyone, however, the God that gives life to everyone WILL save everyone! Yes, ALL will be saved, but this also means that ALL have been lost! We have lost ourselves in THIS lower world. We are all in this together and we are all in need of a Savior to lift us out of death and hell.

The title “Hell revisited” suggests that my intent here is to re-examining the topic of hell further, which is true, however it also means something else. If we can accept that we have fallen from grace into a state of death that is hell, then we should also be able to see that we have been in this prison for ages and ages. We are here because we are lost. We are here because we are sinners. We are here to learn our lessons. Many believe that hell is for punishment and they are right. However, hell is designed for so much more than just this. Our world is designed to ready us for the next. So, we return to hell again and again to learn and to grow in the knowledge of the Lord until Christ becomes our Savior. As discussed in other articles, God’s justice is carried out through the process of reincarnation of our spirit from one life to the next. We take on a new body and a new personality, but who we really are remains alive in our spirit. Through the ages, we all have sinned. In this way, we have created our hell, but we will eventually overcome it through our higher life found in Christ. I will look more closely at this divine process later in “A PLACE FOREVER AND EVER.”

Most of the misconceptions about hell come as a result of taking physical notions to understand and describe a spiritual place. There should be no doubt that the Bible is the source of great wisdom, yet many are reading these spiritual words with natural eyes. Many, it seems, are more concerned with their physical death than with their spiritual life. So I am compelled to take those natural concepts commonly taught regarding hell and translate them into their proper spiritual context that harmonizes with God’s love and purpose for humanity. Fortunately for us, the Bible offers many clues showing that we have already fallen into hell, which is Hades- the place of the dead. Even more than this, it also points us the ONE who will resurrect and save us from the deepest hell! So, using the words of the prophets, let us now rise up and shine some light into that damn darkness!

A PLACE OF DARKNESS

Hell is commonly thought by many to be a dark place and with good reason. While many might be imagining a natural darkness, hell is state of spiritual darkness. Hell is certainly described as being “dark” in many Bible passages. Yet, this is exactly how are world is described; our world is one of spiritual darkness. It should not be hard to SEE and accept that we are living in the same darkness attributed to hell.

Luke 1:79

(Christ came here) to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.

Again what is this darkness? It is our ignorance concerning the knowledge of salvation through Christ. If we are unaware of God in our lives, then we live in darkness. Some souls have fallen into a deeper darkness than others, and don’t even see the need for a Savior! They seem quite at home in this dark world, not knowing or seeking a relationship with God. Their time will come after some hard lessons have been learned. Everyone’s time will come when they will awaken and open their eyes, then like newborn babies they will begin to cry for help. Still, there are some who walk through this dark world without stumbling and without fear because they know. They know who they are and where they are.

Have you ever walked through your own house at night without any light, without fear and without doubt? We can do this because we KNOW where we are going. It is natural to afraid of the dark because we don’t know what is out there. Yet as the knowledge of the truth grows, fear is extinguished. Jesus walked without fear and anxiety through hell. He came into our world as a Light to show us the Truth, the Way and the Life of Christ. He came to teach us and thereby lead us out of our darkness. Paul understood all about this darkness in our world and in our worldly minds.

Ephesians 4:18

They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.

Again ignorance by way of fear leads to hate, which is the hardening of our hearts spoken of here. Like a wounded animal that has fallen into a pit, we fight the one who is trying to free us because we do not understand. I like how Paul uses the phrase “separated from the life of God” because this is what hell is all about. It is also what faith is for because faith is the key to opening the gates of hell. As discussed in Bringing God to Life (A Matter of Faith), faith brings that “life of God” into our life thereby giving us the energy to seek and find the very knowledge that leads to our salvation.

It may be obvious that in hell there are varying degrees of this darkness (ignorance) we have been considering. Some are punished with a greater degree of darkness because of their sins. These are sent by God back into a state of complete oblivion.

2 Peter 2:17

These men are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them.

The greatest sin man can commit is that against the Truth. Jesus’ sharp words against those who would deny or distort God’s Truth send a strong message. Accept the LIGHT or go into a greater darkness. Again, this is not the physical darkness of space, but the spiritual darkness of ignorance. We have read that Jesus came to heal the deaf, dumb and blind which all refer to our spirituality- not our physiology. Yes, I know that Jesus physical healed many, but so what? Just because our hearing is restored doesn’t mean that we can hear the Word of God speaking to us. Just because we have great intellect doesn’t mean we can understand spiritual truths. Just because our eyes are opened to see the world doesn’t mean we will see our salvation. In fact, the opposite may be more likely. Jesus healed their bodies because this is what they wanted and could accept. These physical miracles were done to help increase their faith in Christ Jesus. Jesus came to save our spirit and soul through knowledge. First and foremost, Jesus was a teacher of the Truth. As it turns out, some “students” of the world are made spiritual stupid as their punishment. They have been placed into a greater spiritual darkness than others. In this thick fog, they cannot and will not come to know the way to salvation. Jesus speaks of these lost souls.

Mark 4:11

But he told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables 12 so that ‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven.’”

Some people just don’t “get it” and are not meant to. These that have been cast into darkness have NO hope of being saved in THIS lifetime. They are being punished for their sins of their former lives. Jesus says that these are on the “outside”- outside THE KNOW that is. Jesus said if they could UNDERSTAND, then they might turn and be forgiven, but this was impossible for them. Jesus also recognized that many were pretending to be close to God, but were simply masquerading as sons of God.

Matthew 22:13

"Then the king told the attendants, `Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

You might recall that this is the scene at that great wedding feast in heaven. This sounds like harsh treatment for not wearing proper “wedding clothes,” but it is chastisement from a loving God. Of course the “wedding clothes” are for the marriage of Christ (Bridegroom) with humanity (bride). The garment we are to wear is the glory and holiness of Christ because we are now sinless and pure. You see- we are here in hell to make ourselves ready for this holy marriage. This divine moment is our salvation. Christ is our life and our salvation from the darkest hell we can imagine.

So you still don’t believe that our dark world is an actually hell? Here is another passage from Paul expressing gratitude to God for saving us from the darkness.

Colossians 1:13

For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

We all need to be rescued from the dominion of darkness because we are all here. Of course Paul also says that all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God. No one is immune from death and darkness until he has been vaccinated with the spirit and light of Christ! Remember, Christ came to save sinners from the dominion of darkness. Are we to keep denying the truth of where we are? We must face the truth of our current spiritual state before we can improve upon it. Or should I say RAISE it?

A PLACE THAT IS DOWN LOW

When most think of hell, they think of a place that is “down below” us. We are told that heaven is up and hell is down, so naturally the mind of man thinks that heaven is up in the sky somewhere and hell is down below the ground. This is not far from the truth. Hell is lower than heaven; this is true. In fact, hell is the lowest region of existence, and is exactly where we are and were Christ came to save us.

Ephesians 4:9

What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions?

Christ descended into the “lower, earthly regions,” to rescue us from hell and from the keeper of hell, Satan. He didn’t go into a deep, underground, fiery pit to do this. No, he came here. This is the lowest point of creation. Because of this God declares our world to be His footstool.

Isaiah 66:1

This is what the LORD says:

“Heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place to be?”

The “house” that is being built for God is you- the temple of God. In you is where Christ, the LORD God will find rest. Christ has come down into hell to transform it and to destroy the works of the devil. This is done in His “house” after some “cleaning” has been done first.

Yes, Christ has come down from heaven, but we should understand what “down” means. So many point up and say God lives in heaven and then point down saying Satan is in hell. Heaven and hell are not so much a place, but a STATE of mind and spirit. Our world is hell not because it is below the sky. That is foolishness. There is no up or down, high or low in the vastness of space. Our physical world is called “lower” because of our level of awareness, or consciousness is lower. We are in the dark because we don’t KNOW. We are BELOW heaven because our awareness, our understanding and our knowledge are below God’s. Christ came into hell by way of Jesus. Jesus turned his hell into heaven.

John 3:12

(Young’s Literal Translation)

If the earthly things I said to you, and ye do not believe, how, if I shall say to you the heavenly things, will ye believe? 13 And no one hath gone up to the heaven, except he who out of the heaven came down -- the Son of Man who is in the heaven.

Jesus turned his hell into heaven, so the Son of Man (Jesus) was in heaven on earth. Jesus brought heaven to earth by overcoming the prince of this world, Satan. So can we by raising our level of consciousness- that is being aware of God and His will. By knowing and doing God’s will, the peace of God and the power of His Kingdom are here and now! To read more about God’s Kingdom coming to earth, check out Thy Kingdom Come. Again, the differentiation between heaven and hell is not spatial, but one of consciousness. The only way to DO the will of God is to first KNOW the will of God.

Satan certainly would not want us to know the truth that will set us free. For this reason, Satan does not want us to come to the realization that we have already fallen into a state of hell, which is a state of spiritual death. Consider this; when someone FALLS asleep (literally) they do not physically fall, but their level of awareness FALLS. Right? This is to say that they become unconscious to that reality they once knew. After “falling” unconscious, they then create a new world (dreams) inside their unconscious mind. In the same way, we have fallen asleep (spiritually) and have forgotten that Christ is our reality and our life. This is why to many the notion of a God and a heaven seem like fantasy because they can only accept this world as their only reality. They are dreaming. Everyone will experiencing an awakening and some even describe it as the feeling of being “reborn” because they are seeing the world in a different light. They feel like they have been rescued from a prison- even from terrible hell. Here is what one inspired man wrote long ago.

Psalm 30:2

(Young’s Literal Translation)

Jehovah my God, I have cried to Thee, And Thou dost heal me.

3 Jehovah, Thou hast brought up from Sheol my soul, Thou hast kept me alive, from going down [to] the pit.

When it is necessary, I like to use passages from other Bible translations. In this particular case, I have used a passage from Young’s Literal Translation (a Bible I highly recommend using) to show what they prophets of God during the Old Testament times believed about hell.

Of course “Sheol” is the Hebrew word that many Bibles have translated “hell.” In the Old Testament Sheol was the grave, the pit, and the place where the dead were buried. In many Bibles, “Sheol” has been translated “hell,” which has led to more confusion. Sheol was simply where all of the dead went. As the above passage from Psalms indicates, it didn’t matter if you were good or bad, Sheol is where the dead went and are.

Many may still be unaware that the word “hell” is an English word meaning “underground” as in a grave. The English would “hell” potatoes meaning they would put them underground to store them. Hell is the English word, but “Hades” is the Greek word used in the New Testament that is the equivalent to Sheol. As I have written many times before, “Hades” simply means the place of the dead, the grave. So if hell is simply the place for the dead, then does that mean that we are DEAD? Yes it does.

A PLACE FOR THE DEAD

Luke 24:5

In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead?”

What do you think it means to be “dead”? Some are sure they are alive because they are breathing air and moving about, but this merely proves their body and brain are alive. Many believe that Jesus coming out of the tomb was THE “resurrection” and the miracle proving who he was- the Christ. What I am saying is that Christ was raised from the dead before the cross and while Jesus walked the earth. Christ gave Himself up at the dawn of creation and is now buried in our very spirit like a treasure. When we find the treasure of Christ, we to can be resurrected from our current state of hell. So again, raising a body from its natural death is nothing special and nothing new

Do we not know that many others had already been brought back to life after PHYSICALLY dying? In the Old Testament, Elisha brought a young boy back to life (2 Kings 4:32). Jesus himself resurrected the body of Lazarus. So why then would the resurrection of Jesus’ body be so remarkable? If we are to believe that Christ Jesus is “the firstborn from AMONG the dead” then his physical body being raised is NOT the resurrection because the body of Jesus was NOT the first raised. Understand that Jesus said the flesh counts for nothing, but the spirit gives life. Yet still today many are not grasping what he said. We believe our life depends on our body, but it does not! Our life is our spirit and it is our spirit that must be lifted out of hell (resurrected) by the spirit of Christ. This is the true resurrection and the true life! This is how we are raised from the dead! We don’t need to wait for our bodies to expire; humanity has already died.

Colossians 2:13

When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ.

Many will not accept that we are “dead in our sins.” They only see death as when the body quits working and have no idea that the spirit gives life. I believe one of the more profound statements from Jesus’ mouth was when he said, “Let the dead bury their own dead.” What Jesus realized is that we on the earth were spiritual zombies- the walking dead. We are as if dead, asleep and unconscious because we cannot discern God’s voice and will.

Ephesians 5:14

for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said:

"Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."

Dreams can seem very real. Dreams can also turn into nightmares. Many who are asleep are suffering needlessly in their personal hells. We have created our hell and we can end it. I know there are some skeptics out there that believe that everything is fine. This world is not hell and we are not dead, yet the wisdom of the Christ and the prophets says otherwise.

John 5:25

I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.

Jesus said the time is NOW for the dead to hear while he was walking the earth. Have you heard the voice of the Son of God? Have you heard Christ, the One that can wake you and save you? Without Christ we are dead in sin, which is dead to God. Our spirit and soul must be raised from this state of death. This is what is important, so forget about your bodies for a moment. Then in that moment perhaps you will hear the “voice of the Son of God.” Again my brothers and sisters, Christ came into this world to RAISE THE DEAD. Not from the graves of dirt, but their graves of sin.

Ephesians 2:4

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved.

We are already in our spiritual graves and in Hades. As all truth seekers should know, Hades (Greek) means “place of the dead” and is sometimes translated “hell.” In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word “Sheol” is equivalent to Hades, the place of the dead. Many times the word “Sheol” has been translated as hell, pit and grave. Interestingly, if one looks for the word “hell” he may not even find it in some better translations of the Bible. In one of the better Bibles, Young’s Literal Translation, Sheol is used 62 times. In the NASB, Sheol is used 65 times. So in a natural sense, Sheol is simply the grave or pit that contained the dead bodies.

Job 11:7

(Young’s Literal Translation)

By searching dost thou find out God? Unto perfection find out the Mighty One?

8 Heights of the heavens! -- what dost thou? Deeper than Sheol! -- what knowest thou?

9 Longer than earth [is] its measure, and broader than the sea.

In the Old Testament, Sheol (hell) is not a place of endless torment. Sheol was a place where ALL the dead went whether they were good or evil. We must see that in the Old Testament, they were mostly naturally minded. They sought worldly wealth and natural prosperity. Even so, these rather naturally minded men were the best God had at that time in mankind’s spiritual evolution. They sacrificed animals and believed that Sheol was the pit in the ground where the dead were buried. These servants did not fully understand what was being revealed to them. What they were seeing were shadows, not the realities. Paul wrote about this in great length and showed that the Law was a shadow of the higher reality found in Christ. In the same way, Sheol was thought to be a physical grave. Everyone was going to die and go to Sheol. This is the clear message in the Old Testament writings.

Genesis 37:34

(Young’s Literal Translation)
And Jacob rendeth his raiment, and putteth sackcloth on his loins, and becometh a mourner for his son many days, 35 and all his sons and all his daughters rise to comfort him, and he refuseth to comfort himself, and saith, `For -- I go down mourning unto my son, to Sheol,' and his father weepeth for him.

Jacob’s son went to Sheol, not because he was evil, but because he had died. Again in the natural sense, everyone went to Sheol, which is the same as Hades and hell- the place of the dead. Yet as we have seen, the higher, spiritual significance of this is that ALL have fallen into a state of death, and we are trapped in hell with only ONE way out.

A PLACE FOR PRISONERS

1 Peter 3:19

He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison 20 who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built.

For all spirits that want to fly but feel grounded, our world is a spiritual prison. We are these “spirits” spoken of that are trapped in this lower world, and we are in need of a Savior. Yet some will say, “I” wasn’t around to “disobey God” “in the days of Noah.” What I say to this is- where was your SPIRIT long ago? Your spirit is the real YOU. Quit looking in the mirror to see your true self. You are not the image in the mirror; you are the energy (spirit) giving life to that image. We are spirit. Spirit cannot die. Your spirit has been on this earth living many different lives and disobeying God in many different ways. This is why we are dead in sin and prisoners of hell. Our crime is that we have fallen in love with creation instead of the Creator. For those who are sick of riding this merry-go-round of death, Christ will has come to release us!

Isaiah 61:1

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.

Again, we are kept captives because we are ignorant, deceived and disobedient. Like children, we are here learning our lessons. We are learning to love as God loves. Jesus was the man chosen and then ANOINTED by God to show us how to do this- to show us Christ.

Isaiah 42:6

"I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand.

I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, 7 to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.

Yes, accept it. As the inspired words of Isaiah have said, we are the captives that are being held in a dungeon of spiritual darkness. We are have been unaware of God or have ignored His Voice for ages and ages. We are like spoiled children that will not listen. We are like the prodigal son who ran away to know the world. We are like drug addicts that refuse to accept our condition, our infliction. We are in need of healing because we are the spiritually deaf, dumb and blind. We are in need of a Savior because we have fallen into this world. More than this, we have fallen short of the mark set by God for us, so we are sinners.

A PLACE FOR SINNERS

1 Timothy 1:15

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners--of whom I am the worst.

I don’t know about that Paul; there are some here who seem to be worse than you. What I won’t disagree about is that Christ Jesus came into THIS world to save sinners. He came HERE to secure the keys to Death and Hades. Of course, most Christians would say that hell is where the “unbelieving, unforgiven sinners” go, but isn’t that the state of everyone in this world before finding Christ? Have not all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God? Is there anyone reading these words right now who is not a sinner? The truth is that the only sinless one is Christ; the rest are sinners. The only living One is Christ; the rest are dead. We choose sin and death long ago.

Genesis 2:16

And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."

Yes, God was right; we died. But understand that Adam’s body didn’t die that day, but his spiritual connection to life did. We chose to know this world and at the same time chose death thereby severing our connection with the LORD God, who is Christ and our life. As intended by God, we must go through death and hell to truly know life and heaven. Yes, we are sinners and hell is for sinners.

James 4:7

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

We have two minds at work- a natural mind married to the body and a spiritual mind waiting for the wedding of the Lamb. One will most certainly perish with the body; the other will know true life within the Body- the Body of Christ that is! God will bring us sinners through hell with the spirit and love of Christ.

Psalms 51:13

Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you.

We are here to learn the ways of the Lord. Because we are children we must be taught. Because we are God’s children, we WILL be saved! Even so, our lessons will often times be painful ones.

A PLACE OF PAIN AND SUFFERING

Revelation 16:10

The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was plunged into darkness. Men gnawed their tongues in agony 11 and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done.

When one thinks of hell, suffering is usually included in the picture. Yet, it seems to me that there is enough “weeping and gnashing of teeth” going on in this world. Why would anyone imagine something worse? Through the ages, fearful men have created horrific scenes of eternal suffering for the unsaved. Many of these images were fabricated for the sole purpose of scaring humanity into the pews and their money into the collection plate. Only the darkened mind of man could conjure up such a hell that it makes our God into a monster bent on revenge and torture of the very ones He created. There is no such hell in the Old Testament. There is no such hell in the New Testament. There is only this lowest world we have come to know where pain and suffering are commonplace.

We are conscious of pain because we have a body and a mind. The physical pain associated with the body tells us that something is wrong. In the same way, when our soul is suffering through painful emotions, this is telling us our soul needs healing. If we have an empty feeling in our soul, then we must ingest the Bread of Life. If we are experiencing a great darkness and fear in our soul, then we must call on the Light of the world. Christ is our food and our physician. Christ Jesus cured many physical ailments of those who called upon him, but those healings were only temporary. Christ Jesus has come into hell to heal our souls and strengthen our spirits, so that we too may overcome our current state of death.

Jesus overcame hell and death by experiencing all that this world could throw at him. Of course we know that Jesus suffered in this world because of his great love for us. He loved as God loves, so he sacrificed himself for the sake of the Kingdom. We read in Hebrews that Jesus was made perfect through his sufferings. Like precious metal being sent through the fire, we are being refined and purified. All must be salted with fire including those who call themselves “believers.” I suppose most Christians would contend that only unbelievers are sent to hell, but they are again mistaken. This parable and others show that “believers,” “servants” and even “sons of God” suffer in hell.

Luke 12:46

The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51 He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.

This same parable in Matthew adds that there will be more “weeping and gnashing of teeth” for this servant. As we read above, the “servant” of God (the believer) is “cut to pieces” and placed with the unbelievers and hypocrites. All go into and through hell to receive their due- to reap what has been sown by our actions. However, hell is not just pain and suffering because there IS mercy in hell. In fact, some receive God’s blessings in Hades, the place of the dead.

A PLACE OF PUNISHMENTS AND REWARDS

Luke 16:22

"The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side.”

Surely everyone has heard this story about Abraham, the beggar and the rich man? Then why do so few see that ALL of these including the angels are in HELL, which is Hades? Why would God’s faithful servant Abraham be in hell? Well, I must first point out that the word translated “hell” in this NIV passage is “Hades,” which is simply the place of the dead. All that we believe to be true must correlate and support itself. As we see, this parable from Luke’s gospel harmonizes with the Old Testament teachings that taught all the dead went to Sheol. Not only does this story reinforce this truth, but it also sheds some light on what Hades is for. Hades is for punishment AND REWARDS. Yes, rewards! You see my brothers and sisters- there is mercy in hell! Jesus showed us such mercy as all children of the Light should do to an ailing world.

As the story goes on to tell, the rich man is being tormented and the beggar is by Abraham’s side being COMFORTED in hell! Why were these “dead” men in Hades being treated differently? Or perhaps we should ask why these “dead” men were acting alive? Yes, Hades is a mysterious place because we are seemingly alive, but at the same time called “dead.” In short, the reason these dead men were being treated differently in a place thought to be only one of pain is karma. Karma is the universal law of reaping and sowing.

Luke 16:25

"But Abraham replied, `Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.'

Simply put, we reap in the future what was sown in the past. In this way, hell is justified and even tolerable for those who seek God. So let’s recap. Hades is the place of the dead, all the dead whether they are deemed good or bad. We are the dead, so we are in Hades. Here in Hades we receive our wages according to what we have done. This story of the beggar and the rich man parallels the story of the sheep and the goats. Similarly, the sheep are those who were aiding the growing Kingdom of God while the goats were those who selfishly ignored the suffering of their fellow man. Each received their wages according to what they had DONE and not what they believed. This is also echoed in this Old Testament passage.

Proverbs 11:31

If the righteous receive their due on earth, how much more the ungodly and the sinner!

This passage from Proverbs is consistent with the Old Testament ideology that believed God cursed and blessed us right here in this world and in this life. Some are completely convinced that God is going to punish those evildoers in an “afterlife” in hell. Well, I cannot disagree with this logic, but I only ask the questions, “Where is hell, and where is the afterlife? Do you still believe that some are going to be sent into the belly of the earth where the fire of molten rock burns them forever! Forget this foolishness! Hell is not DOWN there and heaven is not UP there! Raise your consciousness, not your finger if you want to show the way to heaven. Jesus did not point up to show us the way to heaven, Jesus pointed his mind toward God and heard God’s voice. This is raising consciousness (awareness). As discussed earlier, hell is low because we are at a lower level of awareness. In hell we have become self-conscious, but not yet fully Christ-conscious. This is why our in the world of the dead because we are not alive to God. Our sufferings here are growing pains. They are temporary and will fade away into nothingness like a bad dream when Christ is our only life.

All of us have suffered in this world to one degree or another. Even the righteous must be taught their lessons. Consider Moses who was not allowed to enter the promise land, but wandered the desert until he died. As we mature in Christ, more and more is expected from us.

Luke 12:47

"That servant who knows his master's will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows. 48 But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”

These may sound like harsh words, but this is the way to salvation. We must understand that everything God brings upon us is for our GOOD and the good of the Kingdom being built in us. Pain and suffering are spiritual forces used to move and refine the soul. Paul seemed to relish his sufferings for Christ’s sake. He knew that such sufferings were necessary for everyone that would be called a son of God.

Hebrews 12:6

“…because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son."

All children go through the trials and tribulations with their loving parents. Some children will even say they hate their mother or father after being disciplined. Yet as children mature, they begin to realize and accept their parents’ judgment and will because they know their best interest is in mind. So yes, God will even punish those He accepts as son because He loves them. Jesus knew this all too well. Of course, Jesus is called the “man of sorrows” because, like us, he went through hell. Not only this, but he also overcame hell and death because he obeyed God and endured to the end. We are called to do the same in the power and the name of Christ. When our sufferings come, we should think of them as the holy fire of God purging us. When our blessings come, we should think them as showers raining down upon us to refresh us. Both the rain and the fire are used to edify, purify and prepare us for heaven.

A PLACE OF FIRE AND DESTRUCTION

Matthew 10:28

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

What a powerful passage! If this doesn’t get your attention, nothing will. Jesus tells us the only “One” we should be concerned with is God. In this particular passage the word “hell” is a translation from the Greek word “Gehenna.” Gehenna was a large dump near Jerusalem where garbage and dead things were taken to be burned. Again, poor translations have aided in confusing most Bible readers from the spiritual intent here. The best Bible would be the Bible that doesn’t even use the word “hell” because there are at least four different words that have been translated into that same English word. “Hell” is better left to those potatoes that need storing, and not to the souls of men. As we read here, Jesus says that the BODY and soul can be destroyed in hell. But where is your body right now? Where will your body be when you die? It will be here in this world, the graveyard of the spiritually dead. In the same way, Jesus relates to his audience by saying our body and soul will be destroyed in the spiritual garbage dump. Gehenna was an actual place where refuse and useless stuff was burned. This analogy Jesus uses correlates with this passage in Mark.

Mark 9:47

“And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, 48 where

`their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.' 49 Everyone will be salted with fire.”

Here “hell” is again the word Gehenna where there is certainly a fire burning. So, it is not hard to see why hell is thought to be a fiery place, but perhaps we should put on our spiritual glasses and keep reading? The passage goes on to say that EVERYONE will be salted with fire. And if you haven’t heard, “God is a consuming fire.” I think it is safe to say that this “fire” is a good thing. It is a good thing for those who are not sinners that is.

Psalms 37:38

But all sinners will be destroyed; the future of the wicked will be cut off.

Well, if we are all sinners, then we can all expect to be destroyed in hell. Just as Jesus promised, God is going to destroy the body and soul in hell. This is not a problem because we are SPIRIT! The word soul is PSUCHE in Greek and means psyche, which is the mind or soul. Trust God; the destruction of our body and soul is a good thing because they have been corrupted by sin. The carnal mind will be destroyed along with the body that has joined it. Our carnal natures must be destroyed because this nature is seen as sinful. Sin leads to destruction.

Matthew 13:49

This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous 50 and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

At the end of every “age” (lifetime), the sheep and the goats, the beggars and rich, the righteous and the wicked are separated in Hades and given their wages. Every man is judged after his life on earth and given his due. This judgment is the holy fire of God that destroys what is worthless or impure. What still remains is that which is pure and true in our spirit, and then our spirit continues to move forward toward salvation. What we should understand is that our spirit (our true life) cannot be destroyed, but returns back to this lower world age after age (lifetime after lifetime) until the work is complete.

A PLACE FOREVER AND EVER

Revelation 14:11

And the smoke of their torment rises forever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name.

Is hell eternal? Well, as I have discussed many other times, this is foolishness for several reasons. “Eternal” means without beginning or end. So then “eternal” really means outside of time. In this highest and truest sense then, only God is eternal. Secondly, in the above passage we read that their torment is forever AND EVER. What is this supposed to mean? Is that then TWO eternities- forever and ever? Hell is no more eternal than hell is underground. Hell is right here and right now for many lost souls.

A looming eternal hell awaiting the unsaved is the fearful and illogical doctrine that many have taught in Christendom. Many “fire and brimstone” preachers tell us that if we screw up in this short life, then we are sent away to an eternal hell to suffer “forever and ever.” Some used to preach that unbaptized babies went to an eternal hell to suffer forever. I find is utterly amazing and sad that these dark doctrines of demons were and are accepted as God’s truth and love. They somehow justify this madness by saying God is holy and must remain that way. Some will even tell you that God is doing the unsaved a favor by putting them away to suffer. How can someone accept an eternal hell coming from a just, loving God? They accepted it because they are deceived into believing that they are saved when they are not. All are lost and only a “few” find that narrow gate to life, which is Christ. We, the children of God, come into this world spiritually deaf, dumb and blind. There is absolutely no way we could find our salvation in that one short life. This is complete nonsense! The truth in the Bible has been distorted to fit the carnal logic of the wolves at the pulpits. Many of these mistranslations and misunderstandings about hell are discussed in Going Through Hell and Is It All GREEK to You?

As discussed in other articles, the key to enlightenment in this area concerning “eternal” comes from the little Greek word “aion” which means AGE. An age is a FINITE period of time of unknown length. So an “aion” could be a single lifetime when referring to a man or could be the time of rule of a kingdom. Either way, “aion” is not forever, but a finite period of time. Let’s consider a passage that uses the word “aionion,” which is an adjective form of aion. The first passage is from the NIV translation while the second is same verse from Young’s Literal Translation.

Matthew 25:46

"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

Matthew 25:46

(Young’s Literal Translation)
“And these shall go away to punishment age-during, but the righteous to life age-during.”

In some Bibles, “age-during” it is translated “age-lasting,” but either way the author’s intent and meaning stay the same. An “aionion” punishment or even blessing lasts for an age, not an eternity. This harmonizes with all that we have seen thus far. This is sound doctrine. You could say that this lets the time fit the crime instead of serving an eternal sentence for a few years of sinful behavior. In this way God’s love is just, and His justice is love. While on the topic of ages, let’s consider this truthful passage from Jesus.

Luke 18:29

"I tell you the truth," Jesus said to them, "no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God 30 will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life."

In this particular case, the NIV translators ALMOST got it right. They correctly translated “aion” as age, but then mistakenly turned “aionion” into eternal. Even so, the point is clearly made by Jesus again- we are blessed in this age and in the next for our efforts to aid the Kingdom of God. That is what our purpose is here- to help bring about the Kingdom of God. Now, for those who oppose the coming Kingdom and refuse to accept the Truth as it comes to them, an even greater hell can be expected.

Matthew 12:30

“He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters. 31 And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

When we are given the Truth and then refuse it, we have sinned against the Holy Spirit. In other words, anyone who sins against the Holy Spirit of Truth is not forgiven in this life or in his next. This is a just punishment for those who would not accept the words of Jesus. This is the most intolerable sin known to man because it deliberately blocks the Truth from reaching the souls that are seeking it. This is consistent with Jesus demeanor as he dealt with the different kinds of sinners. Those sinners against the flesh that were repentant, he was quick to forgive. Those who sinned against the spirit of Truth were the ones he harshly rebuked.

Matthew 21:31

"Which of the two did what his father wanted?" "The first," they answered. Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.”

When the Truth comes to us, we do well to accept it. Haven’t we all has some revelation from God that rang so true in our hearts, but our minds were still reluctant to accept it? This is the way it was for me with reincarnation and other revelations from God. I did not want to believe what God was showing me, but to deny it would be a terrible sin. We must remain open to what God wants to show us and be unconcerned with what the world might think of us. This is why I wrote Reincarnation of Your Spirit many years ago in spite of what my friends and family thought.

As the Bible shows, we don’t just live a single age, but age after age after age. These ages are spent in hell for corrective punishment and for rewards for doing God’s will. While “ages and ages” sounds like a long time, it is infinitely shorter than “eternal.” There is no doubt that our sins from a former age (lifetime) have a direct affect on our current age (lifetime). Do you recall that God loved Jacob and hated Esau? We are only reaping what we have already sown. If this were not so, then why should some come into this world cursed from the moment they are born again of the flesh?

2 Peter 2:12

But these men blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like brute beasts, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like beasts they too will perish.

As we read, some come into this age with no hope of being saved. This passage’s sentiment is common throughout the Bible and harmonizes with the many passages supporting “predestination.” We often read about the “chosen ones” or the “firstfruits,” which all refer to a kind of predestination. However, understand that we are still the ones that much accept Christ as Savior. If it takes a thousand lifetimes, then that is how long our hell will last. The only thing that is separating the sinner from salvation is time, and God has all the time in the world- literally. God wants all to be saved, and time does not end until all are saved. So it is that ALL are predestined to be saved, but in their own time.

1 Timothy 2:3

This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all men--the testimony given in its proper time.

In its proper time, all will hear the Truth. Then eventually all will come to accept the Truth that opens the gates of hell to our salvation. When the Truth comes to us with such a key, we must willingly and graciously accept it. The Truth is paramount in bringing God’s Kingdom to earth. However, there are those who oppose the Truth and lead us away from the Truth. And they, of course, are right at home here in hell.

A PLACE FOR THE DEVIL AND HIS ANGELS

Surely you have noticed by now that everything and everybody that is supposed to be in hell is found right HERE in our world. This would certainly include the king of hell himself, the devil.

Matthew 25:41

"Then he will say to those on his left, `Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

Everything has purpose including hell. Jesus tells us the “eternal fire” (aionion fire) has been prepared for the devil and his angels. Again, this fire is “age-lasting” meaning the fire burns as long as it takes and there is something to burn. In other words, God’s holy fire burns until the “works of the devil” are destroyed. This is a good thing. Shouldn’t we all want anything devilish in us to be destroyed? That is why the fire of hell is burning hotter than ever before.

Our world hasn’t always been a state of hell because long ago it was considered it a “paradise.” This was before we began eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Before that moment of self-realization, man (symbolized by Adam and Eve) was perfect creature of this lower world. However, this was only our first stage completed as children of God. The next stage was to grow in knowledge to one day overcome our world and even our self. Yet, all of this is part of God’s plan for the Kingdom and us. Because heaven and hell are a state of mind and spirit, this lower world has changed from a paradise into a prison. Because of self-consciousness and sin, Satan became the king of this lower world. Because we didn’t know any better, we have followed Satan’s lead.

What I am about to say may stun a few of you, but that is why I am here. As Jesus tells us hell is for the devil and his angels, but if we connect the dots we should see that WE are the devil’s angels. As discussed in Thy Kingdom Come, we are those disobedient spirits, those “angels” that followed the devil. This shouldn’t shock you because everyone has been led astray by the devil at one time or another otherwise we wouldn‘t be in the predicament we are in. Peter, Paul and perhaps even Mary have all followed the worldly ways the devil. Sorry, but the truth is sometimes hard to swallow.

Ephesians 2:1

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.

We have all followed the “ruler of the kingdom of the air“ (i.e. the devil). The reason we refuse to accept this is because we are deceived by the devil. He has kept us from realizing WHO we are and WHERE we are. The devil’s home is hell and that is right here. Our first encounter came back in paradise when we started taking in that knowledge of good and evil, and at that moment our little heaven on earth began to turn to hell.

So can you accept that this is the hell that has been prepared for those that follow the devil? You say, “I didn’t follow the devil!” No? Then why are you here? Why are you separated from God? Why are you a sinner dead in your transgressions? Why do you need a Savior? We must come to face the truth of who we are and who we are not. We are not merely flesh, but we are truly spirit from God. Angels are spiritual beings from God, and this is what we are. Because we believed the lie, we have fallen into a state of spiritual death (sometimes referred to as sleep).

John 11:11

After he had said this, he went on to tell them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up."

Asleep or dead, it doesn’t really matter. Christ has come to wake us from our dream and for some their nightmare. In this lower state of consciousness, we are being held by fear and deception. Here in the hell we created, we are being deceived by the greatest deceiver of them all, Satan.

Satan Revealed

Mark 8:23

But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. "Get behind me, Satan!" he said. "You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."

When Jesus rebuked Peter in this way, a great spotlight was shone on the identity of the mysterious one known as Satan. This one passage alone goes a long way in revealing WHO Satan is, and it was the basis of the article Get Behind Me Satan! that I wrote several years ago. As with the topic of hell, I am sure to reiterate many of the same thoughts and passages here, but it is my hope that I can create an even clearer picture of the elusive enemy who is holding back the coming Kingdom of God.

“The devil made me do it” is a common tongue in cheek phrase in western society that someone might say when they were caught doing something they shouldn’t be. Is there any truth to this? Does the devil have an affect on our reasoning? If we are using the Bible as a guide, then we must come to the conclusion that yes, there is truth in this. However, it may be more accurate to say that “the devil” doesn’t make you do anything, but rather tempts us or deceives us into doing what we should not do.

So ultimately, we must take responsibility for our actions. As spirit, we are free to choose our path. Still if desire to walk this path without stumbling then it would be good to know what or who is this “devil” that is trying to lead us astray? In Get Behind Me Satan! I wanted to show that the carnal mind is our enemy and is the devil we must overcome. While this is true, I now see that there is more to the “devil” than just that carnal mind.

Not only is Satan manifested through the carnal mind, but Satan is also a kind of CARNAL SPIRIT that has rebelled against the ultimate will of God. In this follow up article I hope to express this in more detail and increased understanding. The more we know about Satan and hell, the more likely it is that we can overcome them every day of our lives. What should be apparent is that Satan is here on the earth opposing God and God’s Kingdom coming to us. What may be harder to accept is that Satan is from God as is everything. Because of this truth, we must somehow reconcile the existence and the purpose of Satan within God’s sovereign plan and will.

Satan has many names including: the devil, the prince of darkness, the prince of demons, the serpent, the evil one, the prince of hell and the prince of this world. These names are clues to who Satan is and where Satan is. Here again we have harmony in doctrine by putting the clues together. It should be clear that if Satan is the “prince of this world” AND the “prince of hell” at the same time, then this world is hell. Of course, “Satan” is just another name, a clue to describe this “force” that attempts to lead us away from God and the coming Kingdom of God. “Satan” should not be considered a fallen angel or a single entity or person; however, Satan does have tremendous affect on EVERY person residing in hell. Satan is a spiritual force that everyone must recognize and overcome. I believe the best way to reveal Satan’s identity is to shine a light on those very names the prophets have used to describe him. The first of which I would like to deeply consider is Satan being the “prince” and “spirit” of this world.

SATAN IS THE PRINCE AND SPIRIT OF THIS WORLD

I want to begin with this particular clue about Satan because it is at the center of who Satan is and how Satan came into existence. Understanding Satan’s “genesis” may be perhaps one of the harder spiritual concepts for us to grasp and accept. In fact this topic, if thoroughly explored and expounded upon, would likely require a lengthy writing devoted entirely to it alone. However for the purpose of this article, I will to abbreviate what I am seeing concerning these intriguing titles given to Satan. Here is our first passage.

John 12:31

Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. 32 But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.

Before I say a word about the devil, I must express the joy that comes from this wonderful promise from the anointed Jesus! Yes, there is judgment in hell and now is the time of judgment. However, as the Body of Christ is lifted up from the earth, Christ promises to draw ALL of us to himself. This, my brothers and sisters, is universal salvation! Still, until that wonderful moment comes we must continue to work with Christ to drive out the “prince of the world.”

The first place we must drive the “prince of this world” from is from our hearts. In our hearts there is a great battle taking place- of course a spiritual battle. We read so many passages speaking of battles in heaven. Yet, we should know that heaven and God’s Kingdom are within us. So our spiritual battles are fought with us. Here is the place where Satan must first be removed. So how is it that Satan has found his way into our hearts and minds? Well, we must go back to the Beginning.

Ephesians 2:1

We have already established that we are “dead,” but this passage also helps to shed some light on Satan who is called “the ruler of the kingdom of the air.” Satan is a spirit; there is no denying this. What may be hard to accept is that this spirit that gives life to Satan and works through the carnal mind must have come from God because ALL spirit is from God, the Father of all spirit. If we say God is perfect, then how is that imperfection and inequity have come from Him? In the Old Testament, we read that there are “evil” spirits and “lying” spirits sent out from the Lord. We read that God is holy, yet it seems that an unholy spirit has been born of Him to oppose His will.

This is a difficult concept to grasp because we are now seeing everything in duality. We see light and darkness, good and evil. In the highest reality, there can be no such distinction. At this apex of Truth there is God and there is only perfection. So before all creation, there is no duality- just God, One perfect and holy God. When God separated the Light from the Darkness, duality was born. Our world and our nature are based in duality for a purpose. This purpose is to produce environment where we can grow in consciousness through our experiences. In addition, these experiences in duality are used to QUALIFY us who are spirit. In other words, we learn what is right and what is wrong. As is part of the divine plan, some are quick learners while others lag behind. This creates an apparent separation between spirits; some are deemed good while others are evil.

This same qualification and separation process took place long before man set foot on the earth. The Spirit that came from the LORD God to create they physical world has also been undergoing this process. This lower world is the home of the Holy Spirit, but also of the unholy spirit of Satan. As I have discussed in other articles, the Holy Spirit aids and teaches those seeking to move closer to God. What we should then see is that the Holy Spirit has been qualified through time and experience. The Holy Spirit is that spirit from the LORD God that has been qualified in this lower world becoming aligned with the Father’s higher will and purpose.

However, on the other end of the spectrum is a spirit of this world that is deliberately holding back. This “ruler of the air” is that spirit that remains in the past. This ancient, primeval spirit is reluctant to change and offers resistance to all spirit moving forward through our spiritual evolution. So spirit of Satan can be thought of as the opposite of the Holy Spirit in this lower world. Both are from God, but one is working to raise consciousness while the other is there to hold it back.

1 Corinthians 2:11

For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.

Satan is the “spirit of the world” because this is his world, one that he doesn’t want to end. For this reason, Satan works to keep us attached to this lower world. Misery loves company. This “spirit of the world” is the one that enticed Eve (the mind of man) to disobey God. In this way, this spirit of Satan was given a place to manifest and live- that place is the carnal mind of man.

I know that many are taught that Satan is a fallen angel and then point to the passages in Isaiah and Ezekiel to back up their belief. They say Satan was an archangel thrown out of heaven because of his pride, but if one reads that chapter in Isaiah carefully we will see that the one that falls from heaven is a MAN, not an angel. Adam, the perfect one, the “son of God” is the one who fell from grace. So if we are looking for Satan we must look at Adam, who was “perfect until inequity was found in him.” The spirit of Satan (the unholy spirit) manifested himself in Adam through Eve, which represents the mind of man. Have you seen the face of Satan? It is the carnal and self-conscious mind of mankind. At the center of this satanic mind is the throne of the evil one, which is the ego. Here sitting on his throne, Satan says, “I am God!” Is he right?

SATAN IS A GOD AND FATHER

Satan saying, “I am God” is the abomination that causes desolation. It certainly did for mankind. Our body and, even more so, the soul are to be God’s temple, yet the devil tries to stake his claim in them. Satan is a formidable god that must be dismantled from his throne. Satan being called a god should not come as a shock if we can accept that Satan has been the “ruler of this kingdom of the air” for ages and ages.

Satan made himself to be god of this lower world by entering the mind then making his throne from the ego of man. Using the brightest mind of nature and the false image of the ego, the spirit of hell reigns above all other beasts and becomes god. This god is able to outwit all other minds and uses the world to entice them. For many ages, all living in darkness have seen this god and no other, so they worship and emulate him. Like children following the ways of their father, so do the carnally minded children of the world follow their father, the devil. While calling Satan god and father sounds a bit disturbing to many, this is exactly how Jesus perceived it.

John 8:42

Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me. 43 Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. 44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

So who’s your daddy? Is it the God of heaven or the “god of this world?” Jesus tells those pious, religious Jews (those “men of God”) that their father is the devil. This had to infuriate them and shock the onlookers. I love Jesus! He called it as he saw it, and his vision was perfect! By saying the devil was their father, Jesus wasn’t claiming that the devil had given them their life. We should know that the devil doesn’t give life, but is only allowed to take it. The devil was their “father” because they followed his ways, his desires and became his image instead of becoming God’s image.

These poignant words of truth from Jesus were proclaimed because they didn’t understand spiritual matters. They didn’t understand Jesus and who Christ is. Not much has changed in our day as many religious men and women have little or no spiritual knowledge or calling. It has been said that an “idle mind is the devil’s workshop, but I believe it is rather the religions of men where he does most of his damage. By distorting and concealing spiritual truth through the carnal minds of men, the devil has effectively made organized religions into quagmires of worldly rules and spiritual darkness. Too many believe they are serving God by following such rules, but they have been blinded by the “god of this age.”

2 Corinthians 4:4

The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Those religious men of Jesus’ day could not see that Jesus was and is Christ. Even today, many cannot see who is Christ. They do not see that Christ is all in all. All things have been created BY Christ, THROUGH Christ and FOR Christ. They read the words, but gain no understanding. Churches continue to “bury their dead” unaware that they are already dead. Churches continue to teach the law that leads to death. Churches continue to comfort all that would walk through their door by telling them they are saved by “believing in the name of Jesus.” These are half lies used by the devil used to keep many in the dark. Satan knows how to lie because he gave birth to its existence. The serpent of old has been lying since the Beginning.

SATAN IS THE SERPENT

Genesis 3:13

Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?"

The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."

The first characterization in the Bible assigned to the devil is that of a “serpent.” Of course after these inspired spiritual words were written, many natural minds have created visions of a snake slithering up to Eve in the garden. Again man’s spiritual ignorance keeps him in the dark and gives the devil the upper hand.

The word translated “serpent” in Genesis is the Hebrew word, “NACHASH,” which literally means “the shining one.” It is likely that snakes (serpents) were given the Hebrew name “nachash” AFTER Satan was. This means that “the shining one” is not a snake, but snakes are also shiny. Satan became “the shining one” and king of this lower world by being the wisest, brightest of all the “beasts” of creation. This was accomplished using the carnal mind of man and the unholy spirit of the world. While Satan certainly isn’t a snake, he is snakelike.

Like a snake, the mind and spirit of Satan stay low to the ground eating the dust. This, of course, is the curse placed on the serpent by God. This is man’s ancient mind of long ago that brought us into self-consciousness. This mind, like the serpent, bites and produces deadly venom. It is for good reason that Jesus called some religious men of his day, “brood of vipers!” They were sons of the Serpent and administered their religious venom of death to those in their den. Interestingly, the snake is different than other animals because it has no legs. Because of this it hugs and stays CONNECTED to the ground at all times. This is the nature of the devil’s mind too. I wrote about how the devil is using the vises of this world to hold us back in Drugs, Sex and the ROCK That Rolls Them Over.

Revelation 12:7

And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8 But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. 9 The great dragon was hurled down--that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

There are many confusing images given in Revelation. Here we read there was a great battle in “heaven,” but we also know that Jesus used “kingdom of heaven” kingdom of God” interchangeably. Jesus also revealed to us that God’s “kingdom” is within us, so heaven is within us. This battle is within us. Jesus, Michael, God, the devil, heaven and hell are all within us. This is hard for many to understand because they want to think in terms of space and time. The world of space and time along with the world of flesh and blood is worlds apart from where God’s throne is. Yet, heaven and hell are not necessarily physical place, but states of being. Heaven is within us while hell was found by going to the OUT side of our true self and life that is in Christ. Later in Revelation, we read that Satan has some helpers- the beast and the false prophet.

Revelation 20:10

And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

Some see the “beast” in Revelation as the man fully possessed by Satan. I don’t think this is far from the truth, however the beast is not one man. The beast is in every man led by his carnal mind. John writes that the number of the beast is man’s number- 666. The natural man was created on the 6^th day. So in Revelation the beast is man’s carnal mind while that false prophet is the ego. Satan is both of these being powered by that “spirit of the world.” The ego fed by the spirit of Satan is able to perform miracles and signs that are meant to deceive. In turn, the ego feeds the carnal mind a false faith that can produce such miracles using the power of Satan’s spirit. God allows these “miracles,” but God’s miracles are manifested in much the same way. The Holy Spirit through Christ (the true prophet) and a believing mind creates miracles to glorify God. Satan is always mimicking God, but at a lower level and power. All three (the ego, the carnal mind and the spirit of the world) constitute Satan’s existence in this world. And as we read, all three are thrown into the lake of fire, which is the holy, purifying fire of God.

There is certainly a considerable amount of fire and various “creatures” in John’s visions. Again, an entire article could be written to discuss their spiritual meanings, but for our purpose here we will keep focusing on the devil and the beast. We read in the book of Revelation that some receive the “mark of the beast” and “worshipped his image.” What exactly is this?

Revelation 16:2

The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land, and ugly and painful sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped his image.

The literalists must simply have to avoid reading or interpreting Revelation because they will become completely flabbergasted before its conclusion. While I do not doubt that actual, physical sores (for whatever reason) may come upon some that are being led their carnal minds, we should always seek the higher, spiritual meaning. What does it mean to have the “mark of the beast”? Some would have you to believe that this is some kind of UPC mark used in future commerce trading. They say everyone will be forced to get this little “mark” or they will not be able to buy or sell anything. Given the text of Revelation this sounds plausible, but also natural. We must ask ourselves- what is the spiritual meaning and significance of receiving the mark of the beast?

Well, here is what I am seeing about this. If the beast is the carnal mind of man, then the “mark” that distinguishes it would be SELFishness. The carnal mind of man is that primitive mind that acts like a beast. It is the mind that is MARKED by self-consciousness and self-indulgence. In the animal kingdom, we see that lower forms of life many times work in unison for the “greater good.” Because they have no concept of “self,” these creatures have no pride or ego to defend. For example, ants and bees are very SELFLESS creatures that work tirelessly for the sake of the colony and not for themselves. They eat only what they need then go about their work. Yet as we go higher into the animal species, we see more and more selfish behavior. I think it fitting that the devil is likened to a roaring lion stalking the earth seeking to devour. Like a lion, the devil is king of his realm. Like a lion, the devil is selfish and would even fight his own away to eat his kill. This is the nature of the carnal mind.

1 Peter 2:11

Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. 12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

Paul often wrote about those “pagans” and their sinful lifestyles. Today, Wicca is a religion that is seen as Satanic by many Christians. This has some merit because Wicca is a worship of the physical world, nature. Satan wants to keep us attached to this physical world and the physical body. As long as we believe our life comes from the body, we will lose our life. Once we realize that our life is our spirit and that our salvation is in Christ, and then we are truly alive! While there is no doubt that God is found in nature, we are called to know God more intimately. Those believing that we are merely creatures of flesh are being deceived.

SATAN IS A LIAR AND DECEIVER

Revelation 20:7

When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth--Gog and Magog--to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore.

Through lies and deception, Satan leads us to violence and into war. Why does humanity war amongst itself? Certainly the long answer would be multifaceted and complex, but the short answer is ignorance. If we knew the Truth of who we are and where we are, then wars would end. In society, we see how ignorance at every level leads to fear. And then fear leads to hate, which then leads to malicious acts. Satan wants us to be number one no matter what it takes. Lie, cheat, steal and certainly deceive your way to the top. Ironically, if we are being led by the devil we are not only deceiving others, but also our self. Have you ever lied or deceived yourself? Who then do we blame? We should blame our self, our OLD self that is. Paul often spoke of the “old self” and it is that OLD nature we learned from the devil.

Ephesians 4:22

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Our new self is our TRUE self while the old self is the FALSE self. The devil is a master of falseness. His very existence depends on lies and deception. Lying is a matter of self-preservation for the devil because the Truth will destroy what the devil is. The greatest deception of the devil is keeping us from knowing who we are. The devil does not want us to know that we are the holy children of God destined for heaven. Satan wants us to believe that we are beasts made of flesh and that this world is all there is for us. After convincing us of this, then we are encouraged to horde all the possessions and pleasure we can before we die.

Acts 5:3

Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?

This is a rather harsh judgment coming from Peter, but Peter should know all about Satan. Of course, Peter was “Satan” in the eyes of Jesus just a few years before this particular account. Satan was the world’s first liar, so it is no wonder that he is also called the “devil”. The word devil is a translation of the Greek word “diabolos” meaning slanderer or accuser. The devil slanders us, accuses us and tempts us in an effort to keep us in the dark and in hell.

SATAN IS A MURDERER AND A DESTROYER

Not only is Satan the first liar, but also the first murderer. The devil killed Adam and Eve by telling them to eat of the tree of knowledge. Then Cain killed Abel because the devil’s desires were planted in him. Symbolically, Cain was a son of the devil while Abel was a son of God. Understand that Cain and Abel are both from Adam and Adam is from God, so all humanity is God’s. As we have already seen, the one we listen to and not who brought us to life becomes our surrogate “father”.

John 8:44

You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Jesus knew who the devil was- a murderer. Murder is the highest crime one can commit against a fellow human being. Ending a life that God created is a sin that Satan uses to keep us divided. This idea worked up till the time of Jesus because the murder of Jesus has brought quite a crushing blow upon the serpent’s head. Even so, the devilish mind of man still seeks to destroy all that threatens it.

1 John 3:14

We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death. 15 Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.

John says that if we do not love then we REMAINS in DEATH. Again we are already in death because we love our life so much. We will do anything to keep our life, but we are deceived. Sometimes, Satan can lead us into hopeless to the point where we want to take our own life. What is interesting and ironic is that Christ will lead us to a point of carelessness where we don’t care if live or die. Except, this is for completely different reasons.

In Christ, we do not cling to our physical life because we know that our life is in God and in His Hands. This is a matter of faith. We don’t cling to our life because we have no life but that which God gives us. In other words, it is out of our control if we truly believe that God is in control. So again, both Satan and God are leading us to be nothing, but in different ways. Jesus made himself to be “nothing,” which means he committed suicide to his EGO and surrendered his will and energy to God. God wants us to succeed; the devil wants us to fail. God wants us to believe we are His image and His fullness- everything; the devil wants us to believe we are nothing without him. God wants us to reach for heaven; the devil wants us to stay in hell.

Unfortunately, Satan is leading more and more into despair and death more easily than ever. Suicides are on the increase because many continue to seek pleasure from the lower world. Hell is getting harder to deal with because God wants to break us from our addictions. Sadly, the devil convinces some that suicide is a way out of their misery, but it is not. Suicide only trades their current hell for another. We are here to learn and overcome. There are NO shortcuts, but we do have divine intervention available to us. Drugs, sex, money and the like will all eventually let us down and destroy us until we learn that Christ is our life.

SATAN IS A TEMPTER

Matthew 4:1

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."

Satan is mostly definitely a tempter, but notice what Satan uses to tempt us- worldly things. This lower world of hell is his native land and he uses all its resources to hold us. His desire is to keep us here in a state of ignorance and death by luring us away. Like Pavlov’s dog, we have become conditioned to react to his lures. Money, sex, drugs, fame and power are all used to keep us attached to our sinful self. That sinful self is the old self that acts like a beast living to please itself above everything else.

James 1:13

When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

James seems to put the blame on our own “evil desire,” which is true because we choose to give the devil a place in us. Jesus didn’t give the devil a place to get a foothold in him. If we resist that “spirit of the world” then it will leave us. It seeks a home, a mind where it can bring about chaos and confusion. As we read, temptation is sown though the desires of the carnal mind. If this seed germinates then sin is produced. Again, we must accept responsibility for our actions. The wind may blow at us, but it doesn’t have to blow us over. We can stand against the devil if we place our feet on the Rock.

SATAN IS AN ADVERSARY

Matthew 16:23

Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."

The word “Satan” comes from the Greek word “satanas” that means adversary. In the above passage, Peter is the adversary to Jesus doing the will of God. Peter stood in the way like a stumbling block before Jesus, but Jesus was not going to “fall” for that! Jesus knew what he had to do- the will of God. Anyone or anything that stood in his way was the adversary, Satan. Consider this passage from Paul when “Satan” got in his way.

1 Thessalonians 2:18

For we wanted to come to you-- certainly I, Paul did, again and again-- but Satan stopped us.

First Peter is Satan, and then these mishaps keeping Paul from seeing his friends are Satan. Who is Satan again? For any that think he is some reddish, subterranean, fallen angel with horns had better reconsider their philosophy. As Paul demonstrates, Satan can be anything or anybody that inhibits us from doing God’s will. That is the simplest way of defining who Satan is. This world has been his kingdom and our hell for ages and ages. In fact, another way we are shown that this world is hell is by accepting the wisdom from this next passage.

James 4:4

You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.

Don’t you just love this world? Don’t you like making money, buying superfluous stuff, eating exquisite meals, wearing wonderful clothes, driving dandy cars, living in large homes and feeling fully important? Why would anyone want to leave? Yes, this world has everything we could want except is has nothing that we need. Our life is dependent upon God. We don’t need clothes; we don’t need food; we don’t even need air to breathe. Or is it your desire to keep on breathing this same air and serving the “ruler of the kingdom of the air”? Again, it is written, “a friend of the world is an enemy to God.” The good news is- we are not of THIS world!

As Jesus grew in stature and wisdom, he came to a vital discovery that we must all realize. We are not of this world. We are from a higher life; we are from God. After fully understanding and accepting this, there is only one thing to do- God’s will on earth. We all must and will come to this moment of our salvation. However, standing in our way of reaching this goal is that old adversary, the devil. Accept that Satan is here and accept that God has placed him here for a very important purpose.

SATAN IS GOD’S INSTRUMENT

Isaiah 54:16

"See, it is I who created the blacksmith who fans the coals into flame and forges a weapon fit for its work. And it is I who have created the destroyer to work havoc.

God created the “destroyer” to work havoc and evil. Why in the world would God do such a thing? As have been discussed and should be obvious is that everything created has come from the Creator. More importantly, all spirits have their origin in the Father of Spirit Eternal, God. This of course includes that ancient spirit of the serpent. Also as we read in the Bible and have already discussed here, not all spirits do the Father’s will. Spirit is life, but spirit is free to choose- even death.

In the process of the evolution of consciousness, some spirit lags behind, but not because of a mistake or problem. The fact Satan resides in this lower world is no accident. Satan is here as God has designed him to do to be the “destroyer.” Satan destroys all that isn’t strong enough to withstand his attacks. Call it survival of the fittest if you want, but Satan tears down that which is not yet QUALIFIED to stand. If we build on sand and not rock, will our efforts stand? All things in this world are tested every day. We see that after the storms and winds come some trees are blown down while some are left standing. This is the way of things. This is the way of our spiritual evolution. Satan is a force that opposes God higher will and Kingdom to prove that it is holy and true. Clearly, God is using the forces of evil for good.

John 6:70

Then Jesus replied, "Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!" 71 (He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray him.)

Judas was instrumental in carrying out God’s plan. Jesus knew that his fate was to die on the cross. To deny this and blame Judas or the Jews would ironically be the work of the devil. We should NEVER doubt that God is in control. God’s will and plan cannot fail. If I am wrong, then there is no God, no hope and no reason to seek a higher life. However, God is God, so Satan could simply be seen as a servant of God. This is surely the message derived from the story of Job.

Job 1:6

One day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them. 7 The LORD said to Satan, "Where have you come from?"

Satan answered the LORD, "From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it."

The book of Job must be taken allegorically. The story of Job is the story of every man that is going through hell. Here Satan comes masquerading as an angel. Yet, the LORD does not recognize him as an angel. Satan may believe himself to be of such status, but he is a lower god in a lower world. He tells the LORD God that he has been “roaming through the earth” undoubtedly looking for someone to devour like the beast he is. However we should keep in mind, this is EXACTLY what Satan is supposed to do. This is God’s will that he seek and destroy all that is weak, sick and suffering. He is the roaring lion stalking the earth. He is like a spiritual disease seeking weak souls to bring to their death. Believe it or not, this is all good and part of God’s plan.

There is great wisdom to be gleaned from this story of Job, yet we need to read it with spiritual eyes. What the story of Job shows us allegorically is that Satan answers to God. It shows us that Satan is here to test us. There is a saying that says, “If it doesn’t kill you, it will make you stronger.” This is wisdom. We know this to be true in nature and in us. We all come upon obstacles in our lives that test us. We have feelings of hopelessness believing we can’t make it through. In spite of all of this, we DO make it through and are stronger for it. It is the same in our spiritual lives. We need to be tested and qualified. We need to be kept in check. Satan is used by God for all of these reasons.

2 Corinthians 12:7

To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.

Paul knew more than most concerning Christ. I would venture to say that his knowledge of Christ even surpassed that of the other twelve. I say this because Paul understood that Christ was a saving spirit that is all in all. Paul never met Jesus face to face, but Paul knew Christ heart to heart. This is much more important. Yet, with this knowledge is the seed of pride planted. Paul never tells us what his “thorn” was, but suffice it to say it did its job. Paul remained a humble servant of God until the end.

It is clear then that the devil is here to make us stronger. This spiritual resistance is part of the divine plan so make us “strong in the spirit” as Jesus came to be. This is all working toward our salvation and a kind of a point of critical mass- a spiritual breaking point when we break free from our chains. Paul calls Satan the “prince of the air,” which is fitting because the air is unseen and yet offers resistance especially when walking against the wind. Trust that when we are doing the will of God, we are walking AGAINST the breath of the devil blowing back at us. Yet we know that the wind blows the trees back a forth only making them stronger and stronger. We do not fear Satan because he can only destroy the body, not the soul. This is also seen in the story of Job. God allowed Satan to bring about all kinds of terrible, worldly misfortunes upon Job, but Job endured to the end. While Job overcoming is a figurative one, Jesus’ overcoming Hades and Satan is quite literal.

Hell and Satan Overcome

John 16:33

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

Thank you Jesus! By the way, Jesus wasn’t kidding when he said, “In this world you will have trouble.” Hell yes, there will be trouble in hell! But there is a reason that Satan is the only referred to as the “prince” of this world is because Christ is the King of heaven and earth! Amen! So if we want to overcome hell and Satan, we do well to follow the way of the ONE who has overcome them both- Jesus. How in the world did Jesus overcome all that Satan is-- that is the spirit of the lower world, the desires of the carnal mind and the deceptions of the ego? Let’s take a close look.

The first account we have of Jesus meeting and overcoming the devil is in the desert. If one desires to come face to face with the devil and battle him, go into the desert. However, there is no need to go walking and fasting in a wasteland of heat and sand. Instead when God calls we must voluntarily go into the spiritual desert where we separate from the life and ways of the world. It is there where we starve the carnal mind and the ego until Satan reveals himself. The spirit of Satan has an appetite to manifest itself. When we give this carnal spirit nowhere to express itself, it must leave us. We become a desert where Satan can have no life.

Satan will show his face in many ways, but the only one we will encounter in that desert is the one we see in the mirror. That sinful image that is following the spirit of the world IS the face of the devil. That man in the mirror must be transformed. Our transformation is taking place inside us whether we see it or believe it. Christ and the Kingdom of God are growing in us little by little until that day comes when we overcome our false (old) self. Our “old self” as Paul said is that old nature of the beast that we have lived because we have followed the ways of the devil. By following the ways of the devil, we have produced his image on earth instead of God’s. This false image is covering over who we truly are, but it is also serving its purpose. Again, Satan’s purpose is to hold us back until we are ready.

It is almost like the devil is WEIGHT that is used for our spiritual training. He is the one who provides RESISTANCE so that we can grow stronger to eventually overcome the ego that covers us. Consider the egg that holds the young chick entering into the world too soon. As the chick inside grows, it becomes more and more aware- more conscious. In that darkness, the chick is sensing that there is another world outside its little world that is becoming its prison. Feeling that it must escape, it struggles to break free from the shell and finally does WHEN it is READY. In the same way, the caterpillar goes into a chrysalis. In that darkness a metamorphosis is taking place. Out of the cocoon emerges a new creation!

Can we not see that here in hell and in our grave is where we are being transformed? Who we truly are is within us where God and His Kingdom reside. Christ in us is preparing a place for us. This spiritual metamorphosis may seem painful at times, but this is the cost for the growth of consciousness. Do we not know that precious metals are only created through tremendous pressure and heat? So then should we not accept the trials of Satan and the fire of hell gladly? The three servants of God that went into the fire were not harmed and neither are we who know our lives are kept safe in Christ. The bottom line is we must do God’s will to overcome all that Satan is.

James 4:7

If we can lose our carnal mind then we will be single-minded, which is Christ-minded. We lose this mind by starving it. We starve it by choosing spiritual food for our minds to eat. The ego like the carnal mind works for the devil and is the one calling itself “God.” The ego must be dethroned by not serving it as a god anymore. It survives on such things as pride, envy and fear, but pride is its main staple. Jesus “made himself to be nothing,” and we should do the same. We are not proud because we are nothing without God. We are not envious; we need nothing because God gives us all we need. We are not fearful because the love of Christ fills our being. Only in Christ can we overcome the devil.

Ephesians 6:10

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Anyone or anything being led by the “spiritual forces of evil” may potentially battle us from day to day, so we must have the armor of God. Paul lists our spiritual survival gear, and I have written of them as well before in The Kingdom Come. However, something that now stands out to me is this. Of all the “equipment” listed, only ONE is used for offenses purposes and slaying- the sword! All of the other assets are used to defend, but the Word of God is what will destroy the works of the devil.

1 John 3:7

Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. 8 He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work.

Do not bother holding your Bibles up against the devil because Christ is the ultimate Word of God. The words of Christ are the words of the WORD and are certainly powerful weapons, but they will not destroy the devil’s work in us. They will not destroy the old self that has followed Satan for ages and ages. When you look into a mirror of deeper self-reflection what do you see? Do you see the one who is selfish, carnal, deceitful, sinful, boastful, beastly and even a murder? If so then you have seen who is holding you back from heaven’s door. If God is calling you out of the world, then the old, false self must be put to death.

Colossians 3:5

Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lusts, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.

You see my friends- the wrath of God is coming, not in some far away abyss, but to THIS world. We sinners are being punished for our own good. God is chastising us, correcting us and bringing us back home. Yes, God is bringing through pains of death into the joy of life!

Let’s again consider all the clues that have been given to us. This is the place that has been prepared for the devil and his angels. This is the same place that Christ descended to in order to destroy the works of the devil and preach to the imprisoned spirits. This is the place where Christ Jesus said he must start a fire. We know that ALL must be salted with fire. We know that God is a consuming fire. We also know that Hades and death are destroyed by fire. We know the lake of fire is the consuming fire of God that also destroys our old natures. We know that spirit cannot die, but that body and soul are destroyed. We know the devil and those who follow him are thrown into God’s consuming fire to be baptized. We know that ALL Spirit is from God and will be saved.

Colossians 1:19

For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

We read and should understand that God will be all in all in the end. ALL things are reconciled back to God through Christ- ALL things, which includes the spirit of Satan. This carnal spirit of the world is here for a purpose, but when that purpose is complete it too will be restored and returned to God. So in the end, all spirit from God is caught up and taken back to God. This spiritual critical mass is reached when the Son has subdued all of creation and God the Father has subdued the Son. At this moment outside of time and in eternity, God is all in all, and God is everything.

So believe then that hell is not eternal, but hell is as longs as it takes to wake up from our death. Systematically, we are revisiting hell until that day when we are ready to overcome the world and our old self through Christ our Savior. This is how Jesus defeated Satan and gained the keys to Hades. We must go into the desert and face the devil. Once he is reveled then we must “crucify the old self.” That ancient nature we have been following must be left behind. We must let it fall from us like dirty rags that we have worn for too long.

Luke 10:18

He replied, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. 20 However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."

In Christ, we have the authority over the spirits of this world, but this is not our victory. We are not here to dominate others, but to show them the way to true life. To find our true life we must let go of our false life. Like Moses who was led by the Law into the desert but could not enter the Promised Land, our old (false) self will not inherit the Kingdom of God. This old self (nature) has modeled itself after the ways of the devil. This nature must be destroyed before we can enter the Promised Land.

Some may ask, “If what you are saying is true, then why isn’t this plainly shown in the Bible?” My response would be- is anything plainly seen in the Bible? Did the Jews plainly see that Jesus was the Messiah promised to them? No. Did the Christians of the Dark Ages plainly see that it was wrong to torture unbelievers? Apparently not. Did the Christians of the Renaissance plainly see that slavery was immoral? To all of these I say NO! I could go on and on with examples of spiritual ignorance, but it should be clear that nothing is seen unless God gives us the spiritual eyesight to see it. We see only when we are ready to see. Even then some may refuse to accept what they are shown. I know that many will not believe what I am saying here, but the Truth does not depend on my words to support it. The Truth stands eternal and impermeable waiting for all to climb to the top where there is only God.

We are children of God and hell is a transient state where our spirit is being qualified, tested and refined. At the same time, we are growing in consciousness so that we can come to hear and accept the voice of God. This evolutionary process continues until we come to choose God’s will over our own because we now it is best. We reach a critical point of dissatisfaction with our self and our world. Have you reached the point where this world doesn’t “do it” for you anymore? Do you hate your possessions, your life, your (false) self? If so, then now is the time of choice. If we hate the way the world is then we must choose to change it. We must change who we are. Christ is giving us the power, but we must choose to exercise this power through faith. If we choose to do nothing we become part of the problem and hell’s darkness and despair remain. Will we choose God’s will? Will we accept that Christ is the ONLY way to overcome Satan and the world?

1 John 4:4

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

This is the hope and truth of those seeking their higher life in Christ. Christ, IN YOU, is the hope of your glory and the glory of all. For ages and ages, mankind has been living in this world of spiritual darkness, however a new age has come and a new day is dawning. That day is the DAY OF THE LORD, which is coming like a brilliant sunrise destroying the darkness and forcing the shadows to flee from our sight! The fire of Christ’s love will continue to burn until even hell itself is destroyed! This, my brothers and sisters, is the way of salvation! This is total victory! This is universal reconciliation! This is bringing heaven to earth!

brad edwards

October 2003

return to the Savior of the World

Background song- If You Want Me To by Ginni Owens