Biblical References
Unless otherwise noted, all biblical passages are from the NIVArchives
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Category Archives: Satan
Belief in Biblical Inerrancy Must be the Second Most Damaging, Misguided Christian Belief of All
Earlier we discussed that Angry God is a foundational harmful belief because it gives rise to other misguided, harmful beliefs. We can say the same about Inerrancy and for the same reason. In fact, the two are closely connected. Inerrancy leads … Continue reading
Posted in atonement, Bible, creationism, dispensationalism, evolution, fear, gays, God, hell, inerrancy, Jesus, legalism, love, Old Testament, Satan
Tagged angry God, Demons, LGBT, patriarchy, Penal Substitution, proof-texting, Rapture, YEC
84 Comments
Judgment and Punishment in the Book of Enoch
Remember that Zoroastrianism contributed significant ideas to Jewish thought during the exilic and post-exilic periods that did not exist before in Judaism. Some of these ideas were current in Jesus’ day, such as: * A personalized adversary to God—Satan * … Continue reading
Posted in Enoch, God, hell, Jesus, judgment, Satan
Tagged 2 Peter 2, Book of Enoch, Book of Jude, Matthew 25, Michael, parable of sheep and goats, Raphael, Zoroastrianism
37 Comments
The Origin of Satan and His Demons in the Book of Enoch
As we discussed last time, Zoroastrianism had some surprising influences on Jewish thought in Jesus’ day, including ideas that did not exist before in Judaism: * A personalized adversary to God—Satan * A hierarchy of angels that followed either God … Continue reading
Posted in Enoch, God, Satan
Tagged Ahura Mazda, Angra Mainyu, Archangels, Book of Enoch, Demons, Essenes, Genesis 6, Nephilim, Semyaz, Zoroastrianism
37 Comments
The Influence of Zoroastrianism on Jewish Thought in Jesus’ Time
In my first semester of college (1969) I wrote a term paper on Zoroastrianism. That paper affected my fundamentalist understanding of Satan and hell, though it did not come to fruition until several years later. It was clear to me … Continue reading
Posted in hell, Jesus, judgment, Satan
Tagged Ahura Mazda, Angra Mainyu, Babylonian Captivity, Chinvat Bridge, Demons, fallen angels, Zoroastrianism
49 Comments
What Did Jesus Mean by the ‘Eternal Fire Prepared for the Devil and His Angels’?
What Did Jesus Mean by the ‘Eternal Fire Prepared for the Devil and His Angels’? Last time we talked about the parable of the sheep and the goats. The parable is not about judgment or the end-times as many people … Continue reading
Posted in book of Revelation, hell, Jesus, Satan
Tagged 2 Peter 2, Book of Jude, Daniel 7, Isaiah 30, Matthew 25, Revelation 12, Revelation 20
32 Comments
Did Satan Really Tempt Jesus in the Desert or is There Another Explanation?
We have been reading the feeding of the 5000. While it was a powerful demonstration, in the end it backfired badly. In John 6, the crowd tried to make Jesus king but Jesus explained that he, himself, was the true … Continue reading
Posted in Jesus, Satan
Tagged bread of life, Deuteronomy 6, Deuteronomy 8, feeding 5000, John 6, Matthew 4, Midrash, temptation of Christ, temptation of Jesus
15 Comments
The Best Blog Posts I Read in January-February 2016
Here is a list of some of the best blog posts I read in January-February that pertain to the themes of Jesus without Baggage. I hope you find a few articles here that are interesting and useful to you. Have … Continue reading
Posted in creationism, evolution, fundamentalism, gays, God, hell, inerrancy, legalism, love, Satan, sin
Tagged homeschooling, sexual abuse
11 Comments
Do Demons Exist?
I have never been afraid of demons—except for that night of the howling cat just after seeing The Exorcist. As a pentecostal in my early twenties I decided my mission was to battle evil at its source. This involved ‘spiritual … Continue reading
Posted in authority, Enoch, Jesus, Satan, superstition
Tagged Demons, Luke 11, Luke 8, Luke 9, Mark 1, spiritual warfare, Zoroastrianism
87 Comments
The 10 Most Viewed Posts on Jesus Without Baggage in 2015 (through June)
Here are the ten most popular posts among readers in 2015 through June. Click on the titles to see the posts. I hope you find some you previously missed or that you might enjoy a second time. 1. 4 Huge … Continue reading
Posted in Enoch, God, inerrancy, Jesus, legalism, Satan, The Father, the Good News
Tagged harmful beliefs, Top 10 Posts
2 Comments
Does Satan Exist?
After examining a number of issues about Satan, we come to the question of whether Satan exists at all. I cannot give an unqualified answer to this question, but I don’t think he does. Brief Review of Previous Posts on … Continue reading
Was Satan in the Desert with Jesus?
The story of the temptation of Jesus is very dramatic and insightful, but was Satan really in the desert with Jesus trying to lead him astray in his mission? Let’s consider several factors. The Temptation in the Gospel of John … Continue reading
Was Satan the Serpent in Eden?
Nowhere does the Old Testament suggest that the serpent in Eden involved Satan or anything other than a serpent. However, some Jewish writings around the time of Jesus suggested it. The Life of Adam and Eve In a late Jewish work … Continue reading
Posted in Satan
Tagged Eden, fall of Adam, Life of Adam and Eve, serpent, temptation of Eve
25 Comments
Satan in the Old Testament
Understandably, we want to know details about things that are important to us, and Satan is important to us; but what does the Bible tell us? We have discovered that the passages in Isaiah and Ezekiel say nothing about Satan, … Continue reading
Posted in Satan
Tagged 2 Samuel 24, Book of Enoch, Jewish Captivity, Job, Numbers 22, Persia, Zechariah 3
74 Comments
The Fall of Satan in the Book of Enoch
In the centuries just before Jesus, there was a theory of the fall of angels based on an Old Testament passage unrelated to Isaiah or Ezekiel: Genesis chapter 6. The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when … Continue reading
Posted in Enoch, Satan
Tagged 2 Peter, apocalyptic, Book of Enoch, Book of Jude, fall of Satan, Paradise Lost
154 Comments
The Fall of Satan in Revelation 12
The third passage used to create the myth of the fall of Satan, besides those in Isaiah and Ezekiel, is Revelation chapter 12. I contend that this chapter has nothing to say on the subject. Apocalyptic The first problem with … Continue reading
The Fall of Satan in Ezekiel 28
Last time we saw that Isaiah has nothing to say about the fall of Satan. But how can we deny these explicit words? You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, … Continue reading
The Fall of Satan in Isaiah 14
In my last post, I said the fall of Satan is a myth based on a patch-work of four unrelated biblical passages separated from their contexts. Today, we will look at Isaiah 14. At first glance, this passage seems filled with … Continue reading
Is the Fall of Satan a Myth?
I had not intended to write about Satan any time soon because I don’t think it is among the seven most significant and damaging items of Christian baggage. However, recently several readers have asked about this issue, so I decided … Continue reading
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