[Vision2020] Satan

[heirdoug at netscape.net]

Mr Nielsen,

I am sorry for misspelling your name. I will remember that in the 
future. I sometimes get the same thing with being mistaken for an 
Irishman and not a Scott. Again I will not let that slip my memory.

I will also try to cite verse and chapter and version for you in the 
future.

As to your comments about Satan... I was only trying to point out the 
similarities of your tactics to those of the "Enemy's". Now I don't 
believe that YOU are the enemy but you ARE being used by him. The fruit 
has not fallen far from the tree.

Doug!


-----Original Message-----
From: nielsen at uidaho.edu
To: heirdoug at netscape.net
Cc: vision2020 at moscow.com
Sent: Mon, 26 Feb 2007 9:55 AM
Subject: Satan

On Feb 25, 2007, at 11:25 PM, heirdoug at netscape.net wrote: 
 
> Dear Blind 2020, 
> 
> It is good to see that Ralph Nielson, The Tar-baby, Art Deco and > 
the newest member of the "we use the scripture for our own ends" > 
team, Mr. Ancient Faith all have one thing in common. They will > feel 
right at home with their father who also used the scripture > for his 
own means... And he saith unto Him, All these things will I > give 
thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. ... [Matthew 4:9 RN] 
 
Dear Heirdoug, 
 
First a couple of corrections. When quoting scriptures, it is customary 
as well as polite to identify your citations, as I have kindly done 
above. And my name is not Swedish, but Danish, as in the TV rating 
service: the Nielsen Ratings. 
 
Now for the devil. An interesting guy. You can trace his evolution from 
God himself to the archenemy of God. Originally a satan was an angel 
sent by God to prevent something from happening. Angels have no will of 
their own, they are operated by God's will. 
 
In the story of Balaam and his ass (you seem to prefer King James' 
English), God sent a "satan," an angelic adversary to prevent Balaam 
 from going to the land of Moab. Read all about it in Numbers 22:22 
ff.). In the Hebrew the angel is called a "satan." 
 
Some centuries later the generic "satan" had evolved into an individual 
angel called Satan. He appears as a character in the beginning of the 
poetic drama of Job, where he is God's prosecutor. He appears only two 
more times in the entire Hebrew Bible: Psalm 109:6b; and Zechariah 
3:1-2. 
 
After a few more centuries Satan has evolved into someone who seems to 
be the Adversary of God himself. This is the devil in the Greek New 
Testament, whom Doug happily quoted above. 
 
Let me recommend The Origin of Satan, by Elaine Pagels. It's a damned 
good book. 
 
Ralph 
 
 
 
 


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