Post by Cindy on Jul 8, 2015 12:40:36 GMT -5
Can Satan or demons be saved? Should we pray for them?
I asked the same question many years ago and the Lord showed me in His Word why they can't be saved and we aren't to pray for them.
God's Word is true and written in stone. It cannot be changed and the Lord never, ever contradicts Himself. So if He has stated something in His Word, that's the way it is, period. And according to His Word, Satan is going to the Lake of fire. (Revelation 20:10) And that's just for starters.
Only human beings can be saved, not angels. Satan and the fallen angles have seen God, spoken to Him, had a closer relationship with Him then Adam and Eve, for they saw Him constantly in all His glory, yet still chose to sin. God tells us that everyone is judged according to how much knowledge they had, and no one could possibly have more then the fallen angels and especially Satan. So they are greatly deserving of God's wrath.
See, we can be saved because God provided an atonement for us - Jesus. In order for Jesus to save us, He had to have a human nature as well as being God. If He hadn't had a human nature as well, we couldn't have been saved. He became human like us, in order to pay the price of our sin. Therefore, in order for Satan or an angel to be saved, God would have to do the same for them. He would have to take on an angelic nature to provide an atonement for them, but He hasn't, and won't. If you read Hebrews 2 among many other scriptures, you'll see that God has not arranged salvation for angels, but only for humans.
God doesn't give help/save the angels or Satan because they have seen Him in all His glory and yet still chose to sin. See, we were tempted (by Satan no less!) to sin. He and the angels were not tempted, they knowingly chose evil over God, and so cannot be saved. When I say, "knowingly", I don't mean it the way we at times sin knowing that we are doing so, but rather that they had ALL the information. They knew and know all about God and themselves. They knew exactly what they were doing and what the consequences would be, and they knew it was evil. I know I'm not putting it very well, but I can't think of anything better to explain it.
God also tells us repeatedly to hate evil and they personify evil. God will show them no mercy, for they deserve none. We don't really have a clue how much pain and misery they've caused humans, including ourselves here on earth over the years, but you can bet it's a lot more then we can imagine. That makes God angry. To understand who Satan is, read what Jesus says about Him and what the apostles say. From these it's quite clear that God opposes Satan. He hates the evil he has become. Jesus defeated Satan, and in fact, that's why Jesus came to earth - to save us and defeat Satan! (1 John 3:8)
Another thing we can look at to show that Satan can't and won't repent are some verses such as Revelation 20. This tells us that Satan is bound in a bottomless pit for 1000 years. I would think that 1000 years would be more then enough time for someone to repent if they were ever going to. (I'm not saying that's why God bound Him, because it's not, only that if we use human reasoning, that would be true) But, what does he do the second he's released? Does he beg forgiveness? No! He immediately begins an attack on God and on God's children again!
No, I'm sorry, but the Lord says that Satan is totally corrupt and cannot and will not change and therefore He does not offer him that opportunity. God is much wiser then we are too, so sometimes, when we just can't wrap our mind around something, we simply have to remember that, and accept that whatever He does, He does for a good reason. We know that all scripture is God's Word and is 100 % accurate. It's the only place we can find the Truth about anything. While scripture says that it's God's Will that all should be saved, there He is speaking about human beings, not about spiritual beings such as Satan and demons. We cannot pick and choose what we are going to believe and what we aren't because it is all true, whether we like it or not. Scripture tells us that Satan and the demons are all going to hell. If we pray against that, we are praying against God's Word.
As I said, I hope no one prays for him, because if they do, they're sinning against the Lord and His Word. I'm afraid that I don't feel any compassion at all for Satan, but neither would I revile him as Jude1:9 tells us even the archangel Michael wouldn't do that.
God didn't say that He was good and then turned evil, God tells us in His Word that Satan was wicked "from the beginning". (John 8:44, 1 John 3:8; etc) So Lucifer may have looked "good" and even acted "good" for a time, (just as many false Christians do), but inside he was wicked and evil from the very start. The one 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. No, God didn't create evil, everything God created was good, but Satan chose evil from the very start.
It's an interesting subject though, and a deep one. God has good reasons for all he does and we have to be very careful not to judge Him using our puny human knowledge. Those who do are on very dangerous ground, that's for sure! But God knows what He's doing, that we can be sure of, and we can be sure that His reasons are not only good but are driven by love for us.
We know too though that one of the things that Satan does best is deceive us, and this very subject is one of his earliest and favorite deceptions! In fact, I believe it may very well be at least part of the deception that the AntiChrist will use. Satanists have been teaching for ages that Satan is the good guy and God is the bad guy; that poor little Satan didn't deserve what he got and certainly doesn't deserve hell. That's a great example of an unbeliever's mind and how very corrupted and deceived their thinking is. But we have the mind of Christ, we don't have to think that way anymore and shouldn't. God tells us we're to take those kind of thoughts captive (stop them) and replace them with His Truth.
The same goes for the way the atheists talk about him saying that God was bad for allowing Satan into the garden when He knew that Adam would sin. The thought behind it is that poor Adam didn't stand a chance against the evil Satan, but that's simply not true. Adam did have a chance. He had a choice and he chose to disobey God. If I walk up to you, and tell you to beat your child black and blue, would you do it? I certainly hope not! If you did, would I be to blame? No, I may have suggested it, but you're the one who chose to do it. No court would convict me, but you would go to prison. People for some reason tend to think Adam wasn't all that smart, but in fact he was most likely far more advanced in his thinking and had more knowledge and wisdom then we do!
Besides all of that, we know that God never tempts anyone, so God wasn't responsible for what Satan did. God gave everyone, including Satan free will. Satan chose to do evil and so did Adam and Eve, and so do we. We also know that God never gives us more then we can bear, so this wasn't beyond Adam or Eve's ability to make the right choice. (nor was it beyond Satan's ability in the beginning to choose to love and obey God rather then hate Him).
What I find interesting about it all too is that during the Millennium when Satan is locked away, there will still be a great deal of sin. In fact, millions of people will turn away from God and wind up in hell before the end of it, and without any direct help at all from Satan. That amazes me most of all, and I personally think that one of the reasons the Lord has arranged things this way is to show us humans who think we know it all, that we will choose sin over Him every time, with or without Satan's help. In other words, Adam and Eve were tempted by Satan, but if they hadn't been, they most likely would have sinned anyway. At the end when Satan is released, he will rejoice to see how many more humans have been corrupted and I wouldn't be a bit surprised to discover that the lie that prompts their corruption has something to do with the idea that Satan doesn't deserve the bad rap he got and that many of these people will think everything they've been taught about what happened during the tribulation was just a big lie and that Satan was misrepresented; so they'll try and work for him and against God. Only winding up in Hell themselves.
The big problem is pride. Satan wouldn't accept that he needed God, just as many of us won't accept it. The angels who did accept that, knew they did, but Satan would have none of it. He wanted to be God himself, and have people who he thought were worth less then dirt, worship him instead of God. Like most two year olds, all he could say was "I wanna do it myself!" We're told though to submit to God and He will lift us up; submit to Him and He will help us, guide us, teach us, care for us. When, like the 2 year old, we refuse, He lets us go our way, and we wind up with our lives in a rotten mess, just like Satan has, though he won't admit it. That's one thing the Millennium will finally prove to everyone beyond any doubts. Don't work for Satan, work for God!
Here are a few scriptures you can use to help you get started if you'd like to begin to study this with the Lord yourself:
Hebrews 2:16–17 —For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendant of Abraham. *Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. *
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. *
Luke 8:12 —Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. *
1 Peter 5:8 —Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. *
1 Thessalonians 3:5 —For this reason, when I could stand it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith. I was afraid that in some way the tempter might have tempted you and our efforts might have been useless. *
Ephesians 6:11–12 —Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. *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. *
1 John 3:8 —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. *
If you ask the Lord to show you His Truth in His Word about it, He will, and He will give you understanding.
I asked the same question many years ago and the Lord showed me in His Word why they can't be saved and we aren't to pray for them.
God's Word is true and written in stone. It cannot be changed and the Lord never, ever contradicts Himself. So if He has stated something in His Word, that's the way it is, period. And according to His Word, Satan is going to the Lake of fire. (Revelation 20:10) And that's just for starters.
Only human beings can be saved, not angels. Satan and the fallen angles have seen God, spoken to Him, had a closer relationship with Him then Adam and Eve, for they saw Him constantly in all His glory, yet still chose to sin. God tells us that everyone is judged according to how much knowledge they had, and no one could possibly have more then the fallen angels and especially Satan. So they are greatly deserving of God's wrath.
See, we can be saved because God provided an atonement for us - Jesus. In order for Jesus to save us, He had to have a human nature as well as being God. If He hadn't had a human nature as well, we couldn't have been saved. He became human like us, in order to pay the price of our sin. Therefore, in order for Satan or an angel to be saved, God would have to do the same for them. He would have to take on an angelic nature to provide an atonement for them, but He hasn't, and won't. If you read Hebrews 2 among many other scriptures, you'll see that God has not arranged salvation for angels, but only for humans.
God doesn't give help/save the angels or Satan because they have seen Him in all His glory and yet still chose to sin. See, we were tempted (by Satan no less!) to sin. He and the angels were not tempted, they knowingly chose evil over God, and so cannot be saved. When I say, "knowingly", I don't mean it the way we at times sin knowing that we are doing so, but rather that they had ALL the information. They knew and know all about God and themselves. They knew exactly what they were doing and what the consequences would be, and they knew it was evil. I know I'm not putting it very well, but I can't think of anything better to explain it.
God also tells us repeatedly to hate evil and they personify evil. God will show them no mercy, for they deserve none. We don't really have a clue how much pain and misery they've caused humans, including ourselves here on earth over the years, but you can bet it's a lot more then we can imagine. That makes God angry. To understand who Satan is, read what Jesus says about Him and what the apostles say. From these it's quite clear that God opposes Satan. He hates the evil he has become. Jesus defeated Satan, and in fact, that's why Jesus came to earth - to save us and defeat Satan! (1 John 3:8)
Another thing we can look at to show that Satan can't and won't repent are some verses such as Revelation 20. This tells us that Satan is bound in a bottomless pit for 1000 years. I would think that 1000 years would be more then enough time for someone to repent if they were ever going to. (I'm not saying that's why God bound Him, because it's not, only that if we use human reasoning, that would be true) But, what does he do the second he's released? Does he beg forgiveness? No! He immediately begins an attack on God and on God's children again!
No, I'm sorry, but the Lord says that Satan is totally corrupt and cannot and will not change and therefore He does not offer him that opportunity. God is much wiser then we are too, so sometimes, when we just can't wrap our mind around something, we simply have to remember that, and accept that whatever He does, He does for a good reason. We know that all scripture is God's Word and is 100 % accurate. It's the only place we can find the Truth about anything. While scripture says that it's God's Will that all should be saved, there He is speaking about human beings, not about spiritual beings such as Satan and demons. We cannot pick and choose what we are going to believe and what we aren't because it is all true, whether we like it or not. Scripture tells us that Satan and the demons are all going to hell. If we pray against that, we are praying against God's Word.
As I said, I hope no one prays for him, because if they do, they're sinning against the Lord and His Word. I'm afraid that I don't feel any compassion at all for Satan, but neither would I revile him as Jude1:9 tells us even the archangel Michael wouldn't do that.
God didn't say that He was good and then turned evil, God tells us in His Word that Satan was wicked "from the beginning". (John 8:44, 1 John 3:8; etc) So Lucifer may have looked "good" and even acted "good" for a time, (just as many false Christians do), but inside he was wicked and evil from the very start. The one 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. No, God didn't create evil, everything God created was good, but Satan chose evil from the very start.
It's an interesting subject though, and a deep one. God has good reasons for all he does and we have to be very careful not to judge Him using our puny human knowledge. Those who do are on very dangerous ground, that's for sure! But God knows what He's doing, that we can be sure of, and we can be sure that His reasons are not only good but are driven by love for us.
We know too though that one of the things that Satan does best is deceive us, and this very subject is one of his earliest and favorite deceptions! In fact, I believe it may very well be at least part of the deception that the AntiChrist will use. Satanists have been teaching for ages that Satan is the good guy and God is the bad guy; that poor little Satan didn't deserve what he got and certainly doesn't deserve hell. That's a great example of an unbeliever's mind and how very corrupted and deceived their thinking is. But we have the mind of Christ, we don't have to think that way anymore and shouldn't. God tells us we're to take those kind of thoughts captive (stop them) and replace them with His Truth.
The same goes for the way the atheists talk about him saying that God was bad for allowing Satan into the garden when He knew that Adam would sin. The thought behind it is that poor Adam didn't stand a chance against the evil Satan, but that's simply not true. Adam did have a chance. He had a choice and he chose to disobey God. If I walk up to you, and tell you to beat your child black and blue, would you do it? I certainly hope not! If you did, would I be to blame? No, I may have suggested it, but you're the one who chose to do it. No court would convict me, but you would go to prison. People for some reason tend to think Adam wasn't all that smart, but in fact he was most likely far more advanced in his thinking and had more knowledge and wisdom then we do!
Besides all of that, we know that God never tempts anyone, so God wasn't responsible for what Satan did. God gave everyone, including Satan free will. Satan chose to do evil and so did Adam and Eve, and so do we. We also know that God never gives us more then we can bear, so this wasn't beyond Adam or Eve's ability to make the right choice. (nor was it beyond Satan's ability in the beginning to choose to love and obey God rather then hate Him).
What I find interesting about it all too is that during the Millennium when Satan is locked away, there will still be a great deal of sin. In fact, millions of people will turn away from God and wind up in hell before the end of it, and without any direct help at all from Satan. That amazes me most of all, and I personally think that one of the reasons the Lord has arranged things this way is to show us humans who think we know it all, that we will choose sin over Him every time, with or without Satan's help. In other words, Adam and Eve were tempted by Satan, but if they hadn't been, they most likely would have sinned anyway. At the end when Satan is released, he will rejoice to see how many more humans have been corrupted and I wouldn't be a bit surprised to discover that the lie that prompts their corruption has something to do with the idea that Satan doesn't deserve the bad rap he got and that many of these people will think everything they've been taught about what happened during the tribulation was just a big lie and that Satan was misrepresented; so they'll try and work for him and against God. Only winding up in Hell themselves.
The big problem is pride. Satan wouldn't accept that he needed God, just as many of us won't accept it. The angels who did accept that, knew they did, but Satan would have none of it. He wanted to be God himself, and have people who he thought were worth less then dirt, worship him instead of God. Like most two year olds, all he could say was "I wanna do it myself!" We're told though to submit to God and He will lift us up; submit to Him and He will help us, guide us, teach us, care for us. When, like the 2 year old, we refuse, He lets us go our way, and we wind up with our lives in a rotten mess, just like Satan has, though he won't admit it. That's one thing the Millennium will finally prove to everyone beyond any doubts. Don't work for Satan, work for God!
Here are a few scriptures you can use to help you get started if you'd like to begin to study this with the Lord yourself:
Hebrews 2:16–17 —For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendant of Abraham. *Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. *
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. *
Luke 8:12 —Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. *
1 Peter 5:8 —Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. *
1 Thessalonians 3:5 —For this reason, when I could stand it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith. I was afraid that in some way the tempter might have tempted you and our efforts might have been useless. *
Ephesians 6:11–12 —Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. *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. *
1 John 3:8 —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. *
If you ask the Lord to show you His Truth in His Word about it, He will, and He will give you understanding.
!!
