Word Count: 2392

Contact sana edoja

LIVING IN AN IMPERFECT WORLD

by sana edoja  
10/10/2010 / Christian Apologetics

Sometimes, I feel life is so overwhelming. The world we are living in is not an easy world. It is full of imperfections (corruption, drugs, violence, pornography, murders, etc). It is quite deceiving and hard to fit in as an individual. From the day we are born, we are bathed in this world who is full of sins.
The hardest thing is that we have to adapt our lives and thinking to adapt ourselves so we can fit in and accept others differences.
As a Christian believer, I struggle daily to live in this world run mostly run by evil and sins. The evidence is shown every day in the newspapers.
The conclusion of this chaos is the fact that God created this beautiful angel that was once the leader of worship in Heaven. He got so much pride in his heart that he exalted himself above God. As a result, God cast him down on the earth to be the ruler and father of sins. He tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden to sin. As a result, we are tempted to sin as soon as we are born. We have to struggle every day to change our hearts so sins and evil do not overcome us.
Question: "Who is Satan?"

Answer: People's beliefs concerning Satan range from the silly to the abstractfrom a little red guy with horns who sits on your shoulder urging you to sin, to an expression used to describe the personification of evil. The Bible, however, gives us a clear portrait of who Satan is and how he affects our lives. Put simply, the Bible defines Satan as an angelic being who fell from his position in heaven due to sin and is now completely opposed to God, doing all in his power to thwart God's purposes.

Satan was created as a holy angel. Isaiah 14:12 possibly gives Satan's pre-fall name as Lucifer. Ezekiel 28:12-14 describes Satan as having been created a cherubim, apparently the highest created angel. He became arrogant in his beauty and status and decided he wanted to sit on a throne above that of God (Isaiah 14:13-14; Ezekiel 28:15; 1 Timothy 3:6). Satan's pride led to his fall. Notice the many "I will" statements in Isaiah 14:12-15. Because of his sin, God barred Satan from heaven.

Satan became the ruler of this world and the prince of the power of the air (John 12:31; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 2:2). He is an accuser (Revelation 12:10), a tempter (Matthew 4:3; 1 Thessalonians 3:5), and a deceiver (Genesis 3; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Revelation 20:3). His very name means "adversary" or "one who opposes." Another of his titles, the devil, means "slanderer."

Even though he was cast out of heaven, he still seeks to elevate his throne above God. He counterfeits all that God does, hoping to gain the worship of the world and encourage opposition to God's kingdom. Satan is the ultimate source behind every false cult and world religion. Satan will do anything and everything in his power to oppose God and those who follow God. However, Satan's destiny is sealedan eternity in the lake of fire (Revelation 20:10).
If God had destroyed this deceiving angel that is called today Satan. Life wouldn't be so much a struggle, we wouldn't have to fight evil in our hearts, in our homes, in our streets. We wouldn't have to adapt ourselves to this handicap so much as called sin and constantly make efforts to confront and live with this gangrene of evil in our lives.
I asked myself if I had a choice to ignore it. After regular reading of the bible and much experience in my life. I have come to the conclusion that I can't just ignore all the consequences of evil in my heart and life in general. I have to work at it every day to become a better person with the help of the word of God and Christian books from other authors that teach how to get rid of unforgiveness, anger and frustration caused by my imperfection and mainly by other imperfect people acting differently from me.
If we ignore the fact that our world is imperfect, we will always find ourselves seeking in depression and anger lead us to frustration and suicide.
Question: "How, why, and when did Satan fall from heaven?"

Answer: Satan's fall from heaven is symbolically described in Isaiah 14:12-14 and Ezekiel 28:12-18. While these two passages are referring specifically to the kings of Babylon and Tyre, they also reference the spiritual power behind those kings, namely, Satan. These passages describe why Satan fell, but they do not specifically say when the fall occurred. What we do know is this: the angels were created before the earth (Job 38:4-7). Satan fell before he tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden (Genesis 3:1-14). Satan's fall, therefore, must have occurred somewhere after the time the angels were created and before he tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Whether Satan's fall occurred a few minutes, hours, or days before he tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden, Scripture does not specifically say.

The book of Job tells us that, for a time at least, Satan still had access to heaven and to the throne of God. "One day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them. 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'" (Job 1:6-7). Apparently at that time, Satan was still moving freely between heaven and earth, speaking to God directly and answering for his activities. At what point God discontinued this access is unknown.

Why did Satan fall from heaven? Satan fell because of pride. He desired to be God, not to be a servant of God. Notice the many "I will..." statements in Isaiah 14:12-15. Ezekiel 28:12-15 describes Satan as an exceedingly beautiful angel. Satan was likely the highest of all angels, the most beautiful of all of God's creations, but he was not content in his position. Instead, Satan desired to be God, to essentially "kick God off His throne" and take over the rule of the universe. Satan wanted to be God, and interestingly enough, that is what Satan tempted Adam and Eve with in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:1-5). How did Satan fall from heaven? Actually, a fall is not an accurate description. It would be far more accurate to say God cast Satan out of heaven (Isaiah 14:15; Ezekiel 28:16-17). Satan did not fall from heaven; rather, Satan was pushed out of heaven.
The question is God could have avoided all that if He had destroyed evil in Satan in the first place. Then, Satan wouldn't have tempted Adam and Eve in the garden and sins wouldn't have entered our human hearts. God wouldn't have had to sacrifice Jesus, his son to pay the ultimate price for the disobedience and sins of Adam and Eve. Jesus paid for our full redemption if we believe that his sacrifice has purified us and we accept Jesus as our Lord and our Saviour.
Romans 5:14
Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had notsinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.
Genesis 3
1Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
2And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
3But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
4And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
5For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
6And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
7And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
8And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
9And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
10And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
11And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?
12And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
13And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.
14And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
15And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
16Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
17And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
18Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
19In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
20And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.
21Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.
22And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
23Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
24So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

Question: "God vs. Satan - if God is all-powerful, why does He not just kill Satan?"

Answer: One of the mysteries of the Christian life is why God didn't just destroy Satan immediately after he sinned. We know that God will one day defeat Satan once and for all by throwing him into the Lake of Fire where he will be tortured day and night forever (Revelation 20:10), but sometimes we wonder why God has not destroyed Satan already. Perhaps we will never know God's reasoning in this particular situation, but we do know certain things about Him.

First, we know He is absolutely sovereign over all creation, and this includes Satan, who is "on a very short leash." Certainly, Satan and his demons wreak havoc in the world, but they are only allowed to go so far and no farther. We also know that God has planned everything from the beginning of time to the end. Nothing can thwart His plans, and things are proceeding exactly on schedule. "The LORD of hosts has sworn: 'As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand'" (Isaiah 14:24).

Second, "we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28). Whatever God has planned for Satan, that plan will be the best one possible, resulting in God's perfect wrath and justice being satisfied and His perfect righteousness being glorified. Those who love Him and who wait for His plan to be fulfilled will be thrilled to be part of that plan and will praise and glorify Him as they see it unfold.

Third, we know that calling into question God's plan and its timing is to call into question God Himself, His judgment, His character and His very nature. It is not wise to question His right to do exactly as He pleases. The psalmist tells us, "As for God, His way is perfect" (Psalm 18:30). Whatever plan comes from the mind of the Almighty is the best plan possible. It is true that we can't expect to understand that mind perfectly, as He reminds us: "'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,' says the LORD. 'For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts'" (Isaiah 55:8-9). Nevertheless, our responsibility to God is to obey Him, to trust Him, and to submit to His will, whether we understand it or not. In the case of His timing for Satan's demise, it has to be the best possible plan because it is God's plan.
God bless you all. SANA EDOJA

http://sanaedoja.wixsite.com/monsite/blog
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01I2I52MW#nav-subnav

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS

If you died today, are you absolutely certain that you would go to heaven? You can be! Click here and TRUST JESUS NOW

Read more articles by sana edoja

Like reading Christian Articles? Check out some more options. Read articles in Main Site Articles, Most Read Articles or our highly acclaimed Challenge Articles. Read Great New Release Christian Books for FREE in our Free Reads for Reviews Program. Or enter a keyword for a topic in the search box to search our articles.

Enter comments below. Due to spam, all hyperlinks posted in the comments are now immediately disabled by our system.

Please type the following word below:

Not readable? Change text.

The opinions expressed by authors do not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.

Hire a Christian Writer, Christian Writer Wanted, Christian Writer Needed, Christian Content Needed, Find a Christian Editor, Hire a Christian Editor, Christian Editor, Find a Christian Writer