Satan

Re your comment:

“Humans do not need Satan in order to do evil.  Humans are by nature vain.  In some ways, humans would behave worse without Satan being here.  Satan’s religion restrains man’s beastly nature with its standards and ceremonial form.”

Do you think that part of Satan “trying to be like God” is his restraining of humanity’s evil on earth?  Does he think to himself, “See, I can make people behave better than they would by nature?”

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Absolutely!  Satan hates disorderly conduct.  He despises harlots and social rejects.  That is why such people loved to be close to Jesus.  They felt that he loved them, while Satan’s ministers treated them with scorn.  He beheld God’s order in heaven, and wanted it.  He did not think it was a bad thing but something to grasp after.

Satan’s ministers promote social order and a certain moral standard among the men it influences, and they always have done so because that is how their father, the devil, feels about things.

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Also, I don’t understand this comment you made: “When the law of Moses ended, Satan was out of a job.”

rjc

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Under the law of Moses, Satan acted as a prosecutor in heaven, and he used the law as the standard by which he could “accuse the brethren”.  The men Jesus condemned as sons of the devil followed his example and used the law to judge others (not themselves), such as the poor woman caught in adultery (Jn. 8:1-11).

When the holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost with a far holier and more perfect standard than the law contained, Satan was left out.  He cannot judge righteous judgment because he cannot have the mind of the Spirit within him.  Therefore, he was no longer of use in heaven and was cast out.