Considering the premise that the devil possesses both high intelligence and awareness of his impending defeat, his ongoing persistence appears to be a significant logical inconsistency. Is this not the case? He is knowledgeable of the Bible, having been present during its composition. Therefore, what is the underlying purpose of his actions?
I am truly curious as to what you think. Is it that the devil’s primary motivation isn’t victory, but vandalism? In this view, he knows he can’t win the war, so he aims to cause as much damage as possible to what God loves (humanity) before the end. Pretty much, “If I’m going down, I’m taking as many with me as possible.” As Milton’s Satan famously says in Paradise Lost, “Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven.” To him, even a losing battle is preferable to submission.
Do you think it could be that? As a form of “spiritual insanity.” Even though the devil “knows” the text of the Bible, his pride might be so absolute that he believes he can find a loophole or change the outcome. Think of a gambler who knows the house always wins, yet is convinced that this time, the cards will fall differently. He sees the prophecy not as a fixed fate, but as a challenge to be overcome.
Is it simply his nature? The devil is seen as a being who has become so corrupted that he no longer has “free will” in the way we understand it. He does evil because he is evil. He isn’t a rational actor weighing pros and cons; he is a being whose entire existence is defined by opposition to God. He continues to do evil because he is incapable of doing anything else.
Last one, just one. Is the devil a cosmic “accuser” who believes he is technically in the right? He may view humanity as unworthy of God’s grace and continues his work to “prove” that God’s judgment is flawed. Every time a human fails or sins, the devil (in his mind) wins a small, legalistic victory against God’s plan.
Or do you have your own theory? Let’s talk about it.
Peter
You pose some interesting ideas; worthy of our contemplation. Thank you. And yet, I am reminded the role and activities of “The accuser of the brethren” are actually less important to us (personally) now that we are In Christ, than they should have been when we weren’t.
There is a theory that when the serpent told Eve that “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:4-5) , that he spoke on good authority since he had also previously eaten the proverbial forbidden fruit (sinned against God) personally, and knew all-too-well its deleterious effect. Not only did the fallen Cherub not become “like God” himself, but rather he fell, became lesser; was cast down and cast out. He became more like a man than a Cherub; a cautionary example of rebellion; an exposed specticle of disobedience.
You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in you. "By the abundance of your trading You became filled with violence within, And you sinned; Therefore I cast you as a profane thing Out of the mountain of God; And I destroyed you, O covering cherub, From the midst of the fiery stones. "Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; I cast you to the ground, I laid you before kings, That they might gaze at you.
“Ezekiel 28:15-17
Our world is witnessing, in real time, what fallen men-of-the-world will do when they are faced with certain defeat, they lash out at anyone and everyone within their reach. We know that the hardened-heart is not rational; ingrained rebellion it is not logical, it does not peer into the darkness of its own future and resolve to change course. The hardened-heart is not submissive to reason or sensible enough to provide for its own future, but rather intractable, egotistic, self-sufficient, and being provoked by pride it presses hard on the throttle of self-destruction. The enemy of Righteousness does not deign to avoid destruction, but is psychopathically drawn into it. I doubt the Father of Lies is much concerned with besmirching God, or even with “aiming to cause as much damage as possible to what God loves”, but is rather hell-bent on promoting the same destructive deceptions by modeling them in his terminal-kingdom, lies that he himself strongly believes.
Just some ideas
Thanx for the muse.
KP
Addendum:
Satan, means “adversary.” Anti-righteousness
Devil” means “false accuser” or “slanderer.”
Beelzebul, means “lord of the flies”
Tempter (1 Thessalonians 3:5),
Wicked one (Matthew 13:19, 38)
Accuser of the brethren (Revelation 12:10).
god of this age (2 Corinthians 4:4),
prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2).
Father of lies (John 8:44),
masquerader as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14) as perhaps Lucifer, which means “morning star” or “light-bearer,”
That’s a really good question. I can only speculate. We know there’s no salvation for fallen angels. Jesus came to reconcile people to God. There’s no reconciliation for them. We also know that it was pride that caused the fall and there’s no recovery from pride. For us, yes. For them, no. Perhaps that’s because they know God in a way we don’t. We can have faith in God but they can’t have faith because they had inhabited God’s place. They know full well and rebelled.
So it could be, knowing that their fate is set and can’t be changed, that their rebellion is to do as much damage as possible. God created mankind and loves mankind, so they attack mankind. In this they have something to gain and nothing to lose since their fate is sealed. God wants everyone to come to repentance so hampering God’s desire is a way to rebel against Him. I think the key here is that they operate out of a place of condemnation that can’t ever be changed.
Interesting questions. I recently read the passage of Scripture where Jesus says, “He [the Devil] was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44).
This makes me think that the Devil is so steeped in his own lies and self-deception that all you mentioned may be true: he may want to take as many people with him in his lies as he can, he may believe he can find a loophole to God’s plan, and he may even be so self-deceived and steeped in lies that he truly believes he is in the right.
All of this makes sense when you think about how we, as humans, begin to operate when we tell and believe lies. They begin to become all-consuming. We may tell one lie (to others or to ourselves), but it rarely stops there. Going down the path of untruth often leads to a tangled web of lies in which we ourselves develop a warped sense of reality. The Devil has been living in lies for so much longer than any human, so it’s not hard for me to imagine that he is so deceived from his deceiving that we can’t even wrap our minds around his distorted view of reality.
Following God, on the other hand, is the opposite. It aligns us with reality and provides genuine hope and renewal.
I believe these are all correct. I also think it is a combination of jealousy and hate. God loved them first. They know God face-to-face. They came and went as they would; they had everything. Then God threw them out, and down, and created us. God made us more important. He made the angels simple messengers for us. Protector for us. etc.
“Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?” Hebrews 1:14
“Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life!” 1 Corinthians 6:3
Of course, some do not like the “new role.” Satan is simply trying to keep as many of “God’s favorites” from joining Him in the end. That is my take on it. Thanks to all who participated.
Peter
