Tag Archives: Holy Spirit

God’s Face and Ours 2018-79

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God’s Face and Ours  2018-79

A face that would be recognizable, I ask, not mine, His!!! The short answer would be YES, but the long one, has to be clarified. One God, three faces make for a convoluted answer.

Jesus would have been known by others back in His days, as a distinct person and was known by His looks, not as we see Him on pictures being portrayed today or the near past times, but as He was in His time frame. The Son of God, had features then and will have them in the hereafter that will be seen and known as being Jesus, the Son. BUT what He, the Son, looked like then, may not be what He looks like now in Heaven, for all to see.  Well, maybe so, don’t actually know.

Not even Moses had seen the “Father God” the God of the Universe, nor anyone else, then or now. (Genesis 13:20).  So, does He, have facial form, or is His aura that of an unknown, yet, recognizable entity, even in the hereafter? The guess would be, that He DOES have facial form, or the same form we will have, and ALL will know who the “Father God” is, when observed.

Ponder this: The face of God, will be a mirror image of us, each of us. IF you were to look into the eyes of another, or can see by the look, you will see God, and if you look closely, you will see yourself, and by doing so, see God again. Not comparable to others, of another color, creed, or anything Earthly, but more personal to each one of us here on Earth. That is what the “Fatherly God” will be seen to look like in Heaven.

Then there is the Holy Spirit, the third part of the Triune God.  The Holy Spirit is and has been the spirit and its form for identification is what it is, and that is what will be seen, the spirit of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will and has now, the form of the Spirit of God and transcends the normalcy of having to take a human form, unless It wants to do so. But It will be known by all in Heaven for what It is, the Holy Spirit, and all will know when they see It.

The Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit will, again, be known without question.  But, also, one more tidbit of info, without any question of who we are, from one another, even with our forms being spiritual and NOT defined by human form, we will know who we are from each other.

The same goes for our more ancient ancestors, who we have no pictures of or data to dwell on for I.D.  We will just KNOW who they are and they will know us also. Their history, their personal stories of life, will be there to know, to observe, to experience and appreciate. The inner connections to one another will not require a DNA test to ascertain who is who, and the relationships; it will be just known by all.

This is going to be exciting for all of us; repeat ALL of us. To recap, the face of God is to be seen, the face of Jesus will be seen again, and the Holy Spirit will infuse us with the knowledge of what it is like. Those that have gone before us will be exposed for us to enjoy and to rejoin with the past.

Peace,

Den Betts            Email: bettsden@gmail.com     Blog:  thebettsden.com

Was Jesus Christ a Liar or Just Crazy? 2017-51

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Was Jesus Christ a Liar or Just Crazy? 2017-51

The other part of this question is – OR was he God?

He claimed to be God, as the son of the Heavenly Father, but was he?

It was important to Him that others thought so.  Either we believe Him, or we do not; no in between thoughts about this; Yes or no!

If we think he was just a good moralistic teacher, we have to think that what He said way back then, goes beyond being just a moral teacher.

What He said goes beyond what a mere man would say.  Maybe, we would think He was a borderline crazy, equal to a drifter thinking they are Napoleon, or the like; again, nothing in between!!!!

If He was lying, he was also deceiving his followers and disciples. Those He taught in His three years of known and written ministry, He would have been giving false hope to these followers, of all sorts. He also faced Cruxificition and would have backed off to save His life if he was lying; I would have done so, and many others then and now would have also.

Another if!  If Jesus was crazy, he did not act so.  He said too many profound things that have been chronicled. He did so many unique and great things and all he did and said were from a stable and sound mind, in the process.

A mere man does not create miracles, cure people of afflictions and raise the dead as He did. NO, I do not think He was lying, nor do I believe Jesus was crazy, but instead, He was God, as the Son of God. He sits on the right side of God and is there waiting to greet us when we make the final journey from here on Earth.

God and Jesus are alive, they are active, they are aware and present always, around and within us as the Holy Spirit, always.

Peace,                                                         Comments or Questions

                                                                                        @

Den Betts                                                         bettsden@gmail.com

 

Thanks to Josh McDowell from “More Than a Carpenter”. I encourage you to read this book and, also the one from C.S. Lewis entitled “Mere Christianity”, both being available from Amazon.

Holy Spirit Mobile App 2016-21

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                         Holy Spirit Mobile App 2016-21

Wouldn’t it be great if we DID have a Mobile App to call up the Holy Spirit when we needed Him? Just open your I-Pad or other phone and push an icon and Voila; there He is, just like Johnny Carson’s time—- HEERRREEEE’S JOHNNNNY!!!!! Well, Johnny is dead, but the Holy Spirit IS ALIVE and waiting for our call.

The disappointment in our lives is that we can’t do that though.  It would be neat, it would be great, it would be very unusual, and something to experience, I am sure.

Too many of us want such an App. We expect God, in the Essence of the Holy Spirit or even God the Father Himself, to come sit with us and speak or identify Himself to us when we need Him, want Him, expect Him and many other times.

Some of us say Oh My God, (OMG) , and do NOT really expect God to come, it is just an expression of unbelief of what has happened at the moment, for instance. I wrote about this action before (OMG 2015—83) and will not expound on that post now, but say that is done in a nonsense way, but God still loves us, even though I think He shakes His head in wonder at times.

So, the Holy Spirit is now an App in my scenario of life for the moment. Would the Icon look like a ghost, because the Holy Spirit used to be called Holy Ghost at one time? It sounds like a very personal and close relationship with such an App. The ability to call up our personal God and have him listen to our request or actually act on it would be fantastic.

We could say, “Hey Spirit, please do this or that for me!” Almost at once, whatever we wanted would occur; OUTSTANDING!!!!   Wow, this sounds almost like a personal Genie that we have or get, by rubbing a bottle that He is in, just waiting for our request so it can fulfill our every need.

The Holy Spirit is not like that. He is not robed in fine dress with a turban on His head and He does not appear like a Persian apparition at our beck and call. Sorry about that; NOT going to happen.

He, the Holy Spirit, the Essence of God, the third part of the Triune God IS, repeat IS, there waiting for your call. You do NOT have to rub a bottle; you do not have to have an I-Phone type thing with an icon on it to summon Him.

No—— but you do have to have faith to believe in Him, to talk to Him, to ask Him for help, for comfort, for advice and all those things you would want Him for your needs. I have found that it takes work or time or perseverance, or this same faith to HEAR Him talk to us though. It is important to know that false sayings from the Holy Spirt would not be from the Spirit, but perhaps instead from our infernal mind or even more possible coming from “The Evil One”, that lurks around, waiting to snare us into what he wants us to believe. It is a quandary; I cannot speak about with any authority herein. I have written about this before, just cannot remember when and the subject at the time.

Anyhow, a Holy Spirit App is not going to come from Apple or Android in the future, so I can only suggest we try to hear the old fashioned way, with our mind and ears, keeping them open for the words from our God in His time and His way. It may not be a voice, but an action on His part, but you will know; you will know that it is Him………………..

Peace,

Den Betts

The Trinity 2016-011 (1x1x1=1 God)

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The Trinity 2016-011         (1x1x1=1 God)

OK, I believe in the Trinity, of a Triune God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Son, and the Holy Ghost or Spirit. It is what I believe and I am either right or wrong per others, but in that respect, I do not care what others believe.

Some would argue even about there being a God or a son who was God and came to give all people salvation. But some also are dubious about the Holy Spirit part in many ways. I understand this and at one time had questions about there being a Ghost or Spirit that lurked around me. I really think this is a normal and questionable concept for many to grasp and believe.

The Scriptures or New Testament of the Bible are, in most cases, the authority of anything relating to God. Some insist that the Bible IS the only final say of what is correct about God or anything else in relation to this subject. They may be right, but I have my thoughts about this fact and will not share them now.

About “The Trinity”! Much is in the Bible about The Father and The Son, Jesus.  The Holy Spirit is mentioned a number of times in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. The idea of “The Trinity” was NOT mentioned in the Bible at all. The Holly Spirit was mentioned in the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) as referring to the divine force and influence of the Most High God that ruled over the universe or it creatures. The doctrine of The Trinity, did not take its definitive shape until late in the fourth century.

Actually, Holy Ghost was the original Old English word that came from “gast” or “spirit” but most Christians use the words, “Holy Spirit” today. There are some Christian denominations that do NOT identify “The Holy spirit” as being part of “The Trinity”. The religion, Islam, acknowledges that there is a Spirit that is Holy, and it acts as an agent of divine action or communication to followers. Regardless, the best example of how the three Holy beings are represented by Christians is shown below, which may not show up on the blog. In short, The Father is NOT the Son or Spirit, but God, The Son is NOT the Father or the Spirit, but God, and the Spirit is not the Father or Son, but God. God is all encompassing, simple as that…..   Sometimes people of religion, or not, get hung up on what they believe or read and do not consider the actual meaning in a different way; too bad!!!!!  At times, it is not what is written or said, but what is believed and that is the hard thing to wrap yourself around too…….   Nobody promised easy!!!!!!!

 

Each depiction of the invisible Heavenly Spirit of God arose from different historical accounts in the Gospel narratives; the first being at the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River where the Holy Spirit was said to descend in the form of a dove as the voice of God the Father spoke as described in Matthew 3:13-17, Mark 1:9-11, and Luke 3:21-23; the second being from the day of Pentecost, fifty days after Pascha where the descent of the Holy Spirit came upon the Apostles and other followers of Jesus Christ, as tongues of fire as described in the Acts of the Apostles 2:1–31.

The doctrine of “The Trinity” did not take its definitive shape until late in the fourth century, as I said before. That being said, the first recorded use of this Greek word in Christian theology was by Theophilus of Antioch in about 170. He wrote: “In like manner also the three days which were before the luminaries, are types of the Trinity, of God, and His Word, and His wisdom. And the fourth is the type of man, who needs light, that so there may be God, the Word, wisdom, man.

Tertullian, a Latin theologian who wrote in the early 3rd century, is credited as being the first to use the Latin words “Trinity”, “person” and “substance” to explain that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are “one in Essence—not one in Person”.

I rather like the words “in Essence” rather than “in Person”. This somewhat makes it more clear that the Essence of God is comprised of the Father, the Son and the Spirit, and does not show them as three persons, but instead being of one Essence. When I pray to God, I feel that I AM praying to the Essence of God even though I say, Father in my particular prayer at the time.

At one time in my life I experienced the blessing of having contact and hearing God in the form of the Son. I later heard what I took as the Essence of God in the form of the Holy Spirit, and not long afterwards saw the Glory of God when I challenged Him for clarity of His expressions. Nobody can convince me that what I heard, I felt, or saw as NOT being or coming from the Essence of God in one of the three forms each time. Nobody!!!!

That is why I believe in “The Trinity”. That is why I believe in the Father, the Son Jesus and the Holy Spirit that make up “The Essence of God”. A close and dear friend of mine said, “What I did experience was a miracle”, and perhaps he is correct; don’t know. What I had as “The Happening” was my happening and I could only wish and pray others could have the same thing occur to them. It might be a thing that COULD happen to others; don’t know.

I will leave you with this discourse about “The Trinity” and say this. “Believe what you want or NOT, that is up to you, but please consider, that I believe that “The Essence of God” is with you at all times and all places and circumstances”.

Peace Be With You,

Den Betts

Why God!!! “Oh Why????? 2015-146

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Why God!!! “Oh Why?????   2015-146

A simple question that I do not have an easy answer, but ask!

I would like to ask God, “Why do things happen the way they do?” regarding so many things that occur each day, week, month or year.

I think I know the answer, but would like a confirmation on what I think…  God is where He is right now, and in a way, I believe He is with me as I type. He, in the form of the Holy Spirit, is present with me.

I could turn around, look to my right or left, or behind me and will not see Him, but He is there and I really think He is shaking His head at me. He is accepting me the way I am, who I am, and what I am. And. in that thought. I know He is wondering why I am asking such a stupid question of Him.

He knows what I am thinking and in the knowing, is not telling me the answer to the question, “Why!?” He knows I know the answer and His silence is so quiet, so, in a way, so wonderful. He is allowing me to look into myself and see, and hear what He knows I know.

I am sure, no, I am positive that He is asked, “Why” all the time. Look at the TV, hear the radio, read the newspaper, talk to someone, listen at conversations and the question, “Why” is asked of God all the time.

“Why did Uncle Charlie die; baby Jane, or any loved one we know?” It is not that they are now in a better place; they were good where they were, around people and family they knew! So that is not a great question to find out why.

“Why do people do stupid or horrific things they do?” Why do the ISIS followers do what they do to innocent people.  Do they ever wish they had those five minutes of their lives back, to think things out better?

There are billions of why’s floating out there that people could and do ask God about!

For every question of “Why” there is also a “Why not!” question. If there was a God, it is asked, “Why not, is the question of “Why didn’t God, save, fix, or stop, or anything like that” for things that did not go so well or were not the way we want them. “Therefore, there is not a God, it is stated, or He would have helped, saved or protected, instead of doing nothing.

God cannot win at times. Either He gets the credit or the debit of life in the process.

Crap happens; it is as simple as that.  He is with us always, regardless of what is happening. He is beside us when we are dying, being born, experiencing life in the joys and sadness at times.

But guess what!? Many times it is something He knows that we should try to know. We, as His children are responsible for our actions, or someone is responsible. We can look in the mirror and see what we have done with the shell we inhabit. We, as God’s children, are in control, sort of, with ourselves in our daily living.

If we want to abuse ourselves, hey, go ahead. He can sit behind us and shake His head and wish we do not, but it is our choice. We can go on with our lives, and either live the good life or reap the rewards of the bad life. Our choice!  This has been called “Free Will” and has been debated by theologians and scholars forever.

It is so much easier to give credit to God when things go right and blame Him when the opposite happens. He can take it!!! He will understand our need to thank Him when something occurs that He did not make happen, and when crap happens, He understands our frustrations of blaming Him for something that He did not make to occur. That is life.

So, go ahead and ask God, “WHY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” But, understand that regardless, He is with us always, not sometimes, or on occasion, but always. Give this some thought and perhaps say “Thank you God for being with me when I needed your presence, thank you when I needed you in my time of need, thank you, when things went well and the times when they did not go well, but thank you God, regardless!”

Den Betts

Faith 2015-06

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Faith     2015-06

A simple word about a complex subject!!  I have used this word in the context of explaining things like Spirituality and the Holy Spirit.  BUT, what is it and how easy is it to explain?

Webster defines it in many ways, but the easy one is— where there is a belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion. This could be in reference to any religion of course, so I will go where he expounds on it further—- the trust in God and in His promises as made through Christ and the Scriptures by which humans are justified or saved. The second one is under the title of Christian Theology, which makes sense to state it that way.

I could stop right there and say it is that easy. I will stick with the doctrines or teachings pertaining to Christian religions for now. As a point of interest, not all religions use the concept of faith in their practices, but let me stay with Christianity for now.

Because the word itself includes Christ faith is based on His workings in His lifetime and His teachings. I would think that Christians are not distinguished by the word faith itself, but instead by what Christians look as the examples of His life as written in the scriptures. If someone does not have faith, I would think that person does not have the basic confidence as of what is written in the Bible.

That is not hard to understand. If that person of non-faith does not have the trust in believing in what is written, or thinks that the Bible is not reliable, then the faith may not be there. I wrote a history of the Bible a few years ago for Sunday school. To read the history and to know how it morphed into what is seen today is so very interesting.

I will not go into that now, but needless to say, it, the Bible, had its slow progression to what it is now. The King James Version is what most other versions take from and what was used before then was difficult to read and understand.

So, the Bible is where I said the trust begins.  I think that you would have to trust that what is written was inspired by God, even though it was not written by Him. I know some religions look at it as the absolute word of God, and they can do so, but I will use “inspired by God” instead for now.

It takes believers, scripture, traditions, personal experiences, a community foundation of belief to be assured about God and Jesus Christ. There is more written about the man names Jesus, than any other historical figure from the past. There are more manuscripts telling about His life than any other person from history, so that is part of it.

All well and good, but what is faith again? It still comes down to a feeling!!!  I wasn’t at the crucifixion, I did not see the miracles occur or hear Jesus pray and teach. So, I have to trust in the work or stimulation of the Holy Spirit where He endorses the Scripture writings, which comes about by the divine inspiration of Him. The finality of these dealings is what faith is all about.

I remember when someone I know had problems believing in God, and was basically a doubter and not really an unbeliever. I told him so, and he did not agree, saying he did not have doubts, just not enough hard facts to support his believing.  I understand that thought process. There are some things that are difficult to believe in, and without concrete, absolute, engineered, scientific evidences, it is not easy to come to terms with in life.

The Sun comes up from the East and sets in the West. The planet Earth is round, not square or flat. The word –faith comes up when the desire to substitute emotion for evidence is pronounced. If there are emotions by many people, faith cannot be rationally made into fact and friction can occur in the process.  So, faith is— believing without evidence. So, by my saying I have faith, I am saying to you, I think I know something or believe something that some may say I really do not know for sure. That is my faith, believing in the Father, the man God Jesus ,and the Holy Spirit of God, that has no physical proof laying around. Except, I know there is a God, and perhaps I will tell you why some day.

Peace,

Den Betts

Presence 2015-01

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The Presence     2015-01

I use the words, “The Presence” in my essays and poems at times, and when I do so, I am relating to the Presence of God. The Triune God of the Christian faith that is. The one God of the Universe who reigns over all people, that are on Earth.

He can be the Father Almighty, the Son, Jesus Christ, or the Holy Spirit, but still each (or as one) is the one that comprises The Presence.  Many have a problem with this concept of One.  I would think that it would be easier to just plain accept it as fact that is unproven, but is.  That is hard to do, I realize, but in the process of trying to understand the concept, it is like the word Faith, it cannot be proven by anyone on earth; just is, or so I say now.  If you do not believe in the Presence, the Triune God or even in Faith, then it really doesn’t matter much then and I would suggest you just move on with  your life; no problem.

But, if you DO have Faith, then consider these words.  God can be all of one and being one, then is all. It is like the equation 1 x 1 x1 = 1.  Even I can understand that mathematical calculation. Let me move on with this thought.

Thinking of the presence again and the three in one concept, how are they related?  I would like to tie in the two with basically this statement.  When we talk about God, I relate to the One God and the essence of God being one.  In discussing the Presence, it is better to just think of it as God and not worry about the form or who exactly we are mentioning.  When I pray to God, I sometimes put names to Him, by saying “God in Heaven, maker of the Universe, or Lord Jesus, I ask you for ——, or Dear Holy Spirit, help me in what I am trying to do.” That is OK, in my mind, and I think with God, that it is also ok. He is God, and it doesn’t matter the exact title or term you use for Him.

I said the Presence, God, is with us always.  Not sometimes, or special times, but always; not when He feels like it. That can be daunting to think about. God is watching us when we eat, sleep, pee, do great things and not so great things. He knows all that we do and when we do it. That is not easy to comprehend for some.

Do we really want God to know when we do things that are not exactly those actions we want Him to know about and have Him realize just how we are at the time?  When we cuss out someone with words that are vile and especially use words that are using His name in vain, do we want Him to hear? Probably not, but sometimes we do. The great thing is, He does forgive us for swearing and doing those terrible or not so Christian/religious actions that we do. I would think asking or praying for forgiveness would be the thing to think about then.

His Presence, in the form of one of the Triune essences is with us when we have to contend with the horrors of life also. He is with us even though the act done is unimaginable to us. That is hard to fathom for some also. I remember someone telling me, “If He was there, why didn’t He do something to prevent what happened?” He was asking me? I can’t answer that question, but do believe He does NOT prevent all the things that happen in the world. Why doesn’t he stop a hurricane, a tornado, a flash flood or other natural calamity from happening? Maybe, I will ask Him when I die, if I have a chance. Why didn’t He prevent my mother, father or brother from dying? Hey, death is part of life, I heard one time, so it is also a natural occurrence that just happens.

I like to think His Presence is with me always. Not just when I need it, but all the time. I can pray to God at any time and know He hears me. That is the neat thing about having God with us always. We have Him to hear us all the time, both at good times and bad. He can laugh with us when we have a light moment in our lives and console us when the bad times arrive. The one cost of having His Presence with us might be our love for Him and it would be great to let Him know just how much we do love Him, because I believe He loves to hear us say it to Him.

Some could bring up weird things that can be thought of that would preclude having God present when we are doing something, but let me state that He is capable in the seeing, hearing and knowing what ALL we do, and nothing can surprise Him in our actions.

I like to think of God as the being that created us, died for us in the form of the man Jesus Christ, and is with me in my soul as the Holy Spirit and is near me, so close to me, always………..

Think about what I have said and like or comment if you wish.

Peace be with you,

Den Betts

God and Devil’s Presence 2014-12

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God’s and the Devil’s Presence    2014-12

 

I never thought about God’s presence when I was younger than I am today. It only has been recently (last couple of years) that I gave it any thought. I had the same thoughts (or non-thoughts) about the Devil himself. It was sort of like, taking it for granted that there was a God and also a Devil out there somewhere.

Then something happened that I ended up calling “The Happening” (made sense for me to do so at the time).  That is an event that has its own story/description that I will not go into detail here, but is on record elsewhere. Suffice to say, that experience affected me to where I started a spiritual journey which changed my life forever. I am no longer the person I was before, but instead am what I am now, which I identify as a spiritualist, for the sake of using a word. This is where I do not fit the mold of typical spiritualists that claim they can communicate with the dead or that type of context. I am a Christian, church going person that has a relationship with God and as such, I also feel His Divine presence at all times and all places.

God’s Presence

This concept is not new of course, and much has been written about this presence of God. Some other religions make the same claim, but in almost all, they make the same theological terms. God’s presence is in nature, in all human beings and especially in each human being. It could be perceived as an outside, environmental or natural entity that could be in the mind but instead is an unseen being that influences human perception. You cannot see it perhaps, but it is there, it is felt and in the feeling it actually “is”.

Some would call this presence “an angel” (perhaps) that has somewhat of a human personality and can therefore interact with humans without actually revealing themselves. The Divine or Holy Spirit, or the archaic expression of Holy Ghost, is tied into the Triune God that interacts with humans in God’s name as God Himself. What we hear at Christmas as Immanuel, “God is with us” which is a Biblical concept of the Divine presence as a title for Jesus.

What you believe about the presence, is what you believe and that goes for my thoughts as well. It is the same as the word “Faith” that is said so much. Either you believe or you do not. The “Presence” (for short) is mentioned in religious context very much, but is it felt or experienced? Maybe it is and we do not know of its affecting us or being around us when it is. Jesus Christ is part of the Triune God and because of this fact, or opinion, if you think this way, His presence is with us always.

Allow me to quote from my favorite source, Wikipedia. “Considering the notion of Jesus’ presence within the Christological area of study, one can articulate an account of presence in nine themes and so throw light on Christ “in himself” (in se) and Christ “for us” (pro nobis), thus recalling the strikingly new modes of divine presence to humanity and the world that the missions of the Son of God and the Holy Spirit brought, according to the Christian faith. As Word/Wisdom/Son of God, Christ is eternally and personally related to the Father in the Spirit. To adapt a central statement from Nicaea I, “there never was a moment when God was not present to/in him” ( Col. 1:19; 2 Cor. 5:19)  This divine “presence to”, which constitutes the triune God’s life in communion, is mirrored in Christ’s earthly existence — from the Trinitarian face of his virginal conception and baptism right through to his “being exalted at the right hand” of God the Father and jointly “pouring out” the Holy Spirit on the world (Acts 2:33). The Trinitarian presence takes into account the ultimate reality of Christ’s eternal and temporal existence.”

Let me digress to discuss the Devil’s Presence.

Much has been also written about the Devil and his presence. This entity (the Devil) is considered to represent evil and many religions have a devil to talk about in their writings. Many Christian writings have things about the Devil that are fabricated, or taken out of context.

The devil is sometimes called Lucifer and is thought to be a “fallen angel”. This has been taught in some Sunday schools for a long time. The only occurrence of the name Lucifer in the (KJV) Bible is in Isaiah 14:12, in this verse: “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How are thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations?” Seems pretty straightforward, but it turns out that it’s another case of misinterpretation and mistranslation. If you go back to the original Hebrew text, you find a story not about a fallen angel, but about an unknown or named Babylonian king who figuratively fell from his throne when he began persecuting the Israelites.

The same goes for the number 666 that has been tied in with the Devil. This is cited from the Book of Revelation, in which John associates the number with the Antichrist, but the details of the story aren’t entirely clear. I don’t know many or any that truly understand Revelations. Another number, 616 has been mentioned as the other more accurate number based on numerology and different translations of text.

Now, there are many mentions in the Bible about Satan (The Devil), so I am not going to say there is not a Devil, but would like to offer the fact, or opinion, that the Devil is an evil presence that represents “sin” and, as such, is a factor in our lives. The Devil tempted Jesus Christ and was renounced by Him for his efforts. I will not call the Devil any name such as Lucifer, but say he is “the evil one” that corrupts humans to go against God’s wishes.

How do we know that the Devil is at work? Many do not know or ever will because what they do is normal (to them) and not evil in their mind, but instead, a way of life. He is described as hating all humanity (or more accurately creation), opposing God, spreading lies and wreaking havoc on the souls of mankind. Other Christians consider the Devil in the Bible to refer figuratively to human sin and temptation and to any human system in opposition to God.

In the Bible, the Devil is depicted as the serpent, which convinced Eve to eat the forbidden apple, and therefore Satan is shown as the serpent. Many snakes have been killed just because they represent the Devil in the minds of those doing the killing.

Is the Devil’s presence around us and affecting us? Once you get past the name calling and the myths that have been made, and consider what evil is, then you might believe that there is an evil one out there, coercing us to do those things that go against God’s wishes or Commandments. Modern conceptions of the Devil include the concept that there is a Devil that symbolizes humans’ own lower nature or sinfulness brought upon by evil actions.

What is evil?

What is evil? The easy answer is the opposite of good or  the dualistic antagonistic opposite of good, in which good should prevail and evil should be defeated. In the context of religion, evil is complex and well discussed in Scripture. I read that the word evil occurs over 613 times in the KJV or 481 times in the Old Testament and 132 in the New Testament. Evil is described as a biblical term as being opposed to God and His purposes as “sin”, and describes the human perspective as being harmful and nonproductive, as in suffering. The fact of evil creates, not only a problem for existence, it creates a problem for belief in an all-good and all-powerful God allowing evil to exist.   Almost all religions and denominations of the Christian faith have evil as a force to be reckoned with in one way or another.

I believe that evil exists and that learned people know when evil has entered their lives. As such, I can blame the Devil, called Satan in my mind, as the evil one that tempts me or entices me to do the things that are contrary to God’s will. That is a simple statement, but one which I will stick to. Others can bring up a load of facts and past opinions by academic scholars or text written by well educated people, but when it boils down to reality, “The Devil Made Me Do It” is real.

Is there a Presence of God or the Holy Spirit and is there a Devil called Satan that is hovering around us on a continual basis.  I think so.  I feel His Presence and at times when I have the feeling that the evil one is lurking near me, at those times I say, “Be gone, in the name of the Father, the Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit”, and I feel a calming effect come over me and I am at peace.    DDB