Satan.
Satan or the Devil, who is not a being but a spirit creature far from what is human and what is animal, spoke to Eve in Edan to mislead her. He is also called 'the original serpent', meaning the real threat. Genesis 3:1 says:--"Now the serpent proved to be the most cautious of all the wild beasts of the field that Jehovah God had made. So it began to say to the woman: "Is it really so that God said you must not eat from every tree of the garden?"
Revelation 12:9 - "So down the great dragon was hurled, the original serpent, the one called Devil and Satan, who is misleading the entire inhabited earth; he was hurled down to the earth, and his angels were hurled down with him--This portrays the future end of Satan.
Revelation 12:9 - "So down the great dragon was hurled, the original serpent, the one called Devil and Satan, who is misleading the entire inhabited earth; he was hurled down to the earth, and his angels were hurled down with him--This portrays the future end of Satan.
Job 38:4, 7--"Where did you happen to be when I founded the earth?Tell me, if you do know understanding."
7 "When the morning stars joyfully cried out together, And all the sons of God began shouting in applause?”--Job 38:4,7 says Satan was there in the heaven even at the beginning of the universe!!!!
The question is, how come the Devil came into being. Satan is born out of God like every other creation. but there is a transformation that marks Satan's present identity: his swerve from 'good' to 'bad', as we understand it. This good and bad binary is the best way to comprehend this transformation in the life of Satan, though the concepts of 'good' and 'bad' have no strict boundaries and they do overlap in many occasions. These concepts of 'good' and 'bad' are just the construction of a relative reality. Satan is not the representative of the bad or the good, but of a thought; a thought that believes it could conquer the Creator, God. This thought is the one that attempts each time to envelope even the infinity and the whole of creation. And therefore this thought is totalitarian. This thought is Satan, sin, and desire.
James 1:13-15 says :"When under trial, let no one say :"I am being tried by God." For with evil things God cannot be tried nor does he himself try anyone 14. But each one is tried by being drawn out ans enticed by his own desire. 16 Then the desire, when it has become fertile, gives birth to sin; in turn, sin, when it has been accomplished, brings forth death."--The death of both physical and spiritual existence.
(A note from my Bible studies)
Comments
This spirit being was originally an angel that forsook his proper place in amongst God's other heavenly angels. He wanted what did not belong to him.
As is mentioned James 1 that you have so thoughtfully quoted for us...the progression of sin.
This can happen to humans and spirit creatures alike. Since we were not created as robots and were given free will. The Devil wanted what was rightly to be only given to God Almighty and that is our worship.
When Jesus was on earth...we can read the account in Matt. chapter 4 where Satan tries to tempt Jesus with giving him the kingdoms of the world..."if" he would do one act of obeisance(worship) to him...Jesus' reply is key...he says it is to God alone that we should worship.
Notice he did not deny the existence of Satan. There is a lot that can be said about the tempting of the Christ.
For those of you out there that respect the Holy Scripture...you find this information easy to accept and insightful. For others it may take a little more convincing. And still others reject it all together. Again we have the freedom to choose. And need to be respectful of one another. Even when we do not agree.
Now here is an interest fact ...the terms Devil and Satan are not names rather descriptions. Satan means resister and Devil means slanderer. Who is he resiting and who is he slandering you may ask?...non other the God Almighty himself.
God has a personal name...God's son has a personal name. But Satan the Devil...is not dignified in the entire Bible by sharing this wicked spirit's personal name. Even Beelzebub (owner of dung or flies)and Lucifer...shinning one.
(Ezekiel 28:17) . . .Your heart became haughty because of your beauty. You brought your wisdom to ruin on account of your beaming splendor. . . .
I hope you don't mind me sharing this.