I'll answer to all in this post... I answer to each of you separately but hope that all of you read all and understand.
James...
God does not create evil and everything He creates is good, He is not the author of evil. Therefore the devil must have been good originally and became evil.
You made a statement but have not taken into consideration what I said... but it's ok for now... I'll show you more.
Of course everything HE creates is good ... but is good because it serves the purpose for what it was created for, not because it's saint ...
When HE ended the world didn't HE say that everything was good?
And wasn't the serpent there also?
And the tree that killed man... wasn't it there also?
But GOD said that it was good... and it was... and it is.
For him there's no evil or good, darkness or light, life or death for HE his everything ... however he hates that evil just like we do it ... but HE made it for a reason.
For the weed a sickle is a bad thing because it can cut them, but for the farmer a sickle is good because it serves his purpose... and just like the farmer HE is above good or evil for all is HIM and HIS will ... but for the weed or wheat it is real and affects them... however for the wheat that understands everything even evil becames good for is the will of good... the weed in the other end, thinking that GOD is carnal and not understanding HIM, cannot accept that GOD creates evil because that would mean (in the eyes of who judges by works - who justify or "unjustify" by works) that GOD is unjust in his eyes ... so he cannot accepted it, otherwise he would have to admit that he does not accept GOD and the mask would fall of.
But don't forget my friend, one thing is ignorance and another is rejection.... not accepting something because of lack of knowledge (which all regenerated once did) is not the same hearing the truth and rejecting it (which no elect can do in his heart because the elect reacts to the truth).
Who made Hell?? Wasn't HE? Is Hell good? Not for the ones who are there suffering now...
Who made death? It made it self? If HE did not wanted to exist why would it still exist? And ate the end of times HE will end (death) it... however not before... why do you think that is? Because HE can't??
My friend, everything that exists is GOD's work not accidents or something that was out of HE's plans.... HE does not fail.
I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these {things}.
Is 45:7
Like I showed before, the Devil was bad from the beginning, and when he sin's he's doing what is he's own nature... and no one can change his one nature .... I thought you know that since you say you believe in predestination!!!
Please James... think about it.
B-A-C...
Of course, the third option is... he simply had a choice.
I'm fairly sure God knew in advance this would. I doubt he was surprised. But even when "we" fail. It doesn't have anything to do with God failing.
I'm not sure where this notion of how well we do morally determines how powerful God is.
When Adam and Eve ate of the fruit, 100% of the human race was in sin. Did God quit being God during this time?
Now I believe that perhaps hundreds of millions of people will be saved. But even if they aren't... does it mean God made a mistake? Will God quit being God?
Why do keep trying to make God adhere to our ideas of "how things should be", instead of us adhering to his ideas.
It seems to me, God knows many won't choose him.
Matt 7:13 "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.
But even if 99% get thrown into the Lake of fire, does that mean God failed? I'm pretty sure he will still be God.
Third choice???
If HE knew it advance (and it's obvious HE did) and still created the serpent (the smartest animal) and the tree that killed them and man without understanding (they didn't even know they were naked - nor what it was sin) and joined them all in the same spot why did HE not do things in another way so that man was saved?
He knew what would happen that way, but still did everything that same way...
You create and join a forbidden temptation with desirable looks, with the smartest tempter that wants and needs to fool man, with man a creature that has no knowledge OF WHAT IS GOOD OR EVIL or even that he was naked and DESIRES that same temptation that the serpent need him to eat...
What do you think will happen?
If you join a naive creature whit the most astute creature who will prevail?
If there could be a small chance of Man no falling into temptation it would be to have the knowledge that the forbidden fruit gave him... for after he eating it he understood what he had done and felt shame (not before)... however even that knowledge was denied to them by it's creator.
Because before that knowledge telling man that he will die is like telling that to an animal ... he listen and IF HE UNDERSTAND (in this case an animal) he thinks "die? what is that? Ok... so I die..." because the CONSCIOUSNESS of good and evil was in that tree, not in man.
And just like any animal he would react to his instincts... when hungry eat, when desire anything he would just take, and so on... like a baby.
What prevents man to sin more nowadays it's that consciousness that tells him "that's right" or "that's wrong" and make him fell shame or vanity ... and having that in the same creature where sin habitats in turns him into guilty... before that it would be just sinner but without law, but now the sin is exposed by that law (consciousness).
Again the conclusion is obvious... it was HIS intention... not a third option... if it was not HIS intention, well, then HE failed and HIS plan were frustrated by the serpent.
However HE never does fail.
This is not what this topic it's about (so I will stop here about this) but we can create one for this discussion if anyone wants...
About Eze 28... he is talking for the future NOT THE PAST ... prophecys usually are for the future... and it was for the King of Tyre, NOT THE DEVIL.
However this is a prophecy about the Antichrist and what will happen in the last days... and watch how it ends:
"All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never {shalt} thou {be} any more. {a terror: Heb. terrors}"
Ez 28:19
It is the Devil total annihilation which will happen in the day of the Lord.... if this is about a rebellion in the past, this would be wrong (has many other things in this chapter).
This does not say that Devil was ever good...
...however Christ did directly say that he was bad from the beginning... will you ignore this?
Luke 10:18 it's talking about the devil being expelled from heaven where he went to accuse us day and night (like we see in Job where he ask GOD's permission to hurt Job and GOD grant it)... that happened when Jesus sent the 70 disciples to preach the gospel and the heavens started to be purified (Yes, heavens where purified in Jesus like Paul says in Hb 9:23)
"{It was} therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these."
Hb 9:23
... and the first thing that happened before the heaven purification was that devil was expelled from there (this is also testified in Revelation 12:10-11) ...
"And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death."
Rev 12:10-11
...by the preaching of the gospel ... that was what it happened that moment, not before...
...so that does not mean that he was ever good... or does it??
About Isa 14... it talks about the day of the LORD again... and again it's the future not the past... because it says :
And it shall come to pass in the day that the LORD shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve,
That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased! {proverb: or, taunting speech} {golden...: or, exactress of gold}
Isa 14:3-4
This is what we are going to say about the Antichrist in the day that Jesus annihilates him ... when the oppressor ceases ... not what happened before... this is what well say in the day of the LORD when the Devil will be annihilated by the splendor of the appearing of our Lord.
Spirit1st...
Sin destroys it changes everything . That Why we must be BORN _Again . Made a New Creature.
Sarg are you a J.W. You seem to have a lot of misunderstandings ?
Eph_3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
Rev_4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
No, I'm not a
J.W.... I'm an elect.
Before you say I have many misunderstandings you should be able to show me my flaws ... but I will answer you on this anyway.
About Ez I already show that is not about the past but the future... it's about the day of the Lord where it ends up with the Devil total annihilation... if that was in the past it would mean that the Devil was already been annihilated at the time the that was written... however that is a prophecy, and for the future.
Sin? Ok... and who created sin? Did it created it self on it's own???
See the answer in your quoting of Eph 3:9 and Rev 4:11.
That is why HE is worthy... because HIS WILL IS BEING DONE WITHOUT FLAWS.
That's how perfect HE is...
The rest of your post has nothing to do with the devil ever being good... now, if you wish to answer PLEASE do not ignore what I just shown... do not pretend that you do not see it.
Clark...
Hi... Clark..
The devil and fall of man is part of God's plan. God's plan from the beginning was to send Christ, it was not somethimg He did because His first plan of man living perfectly in the garden failed, He knew they would fall by the snake's influence and because of this it was planned to let them fall and send Christ for them to be brought back to glory.
Yes... that is the truth...
And do you understand this? Why did GOD do this? What are your thoughts about this?
Brighthouse ...
Hello...
Sargento, It is not the first part that I pay attention so much is the second part!! No free will you say? Believing is having free will, here is a scripture concerning free will. rom 10:10 for with the heart a PERSON!!!! BELIEVES!! Mark 5:35-36Jesus said only believe!! God cannot do the believing for the believer!! WE must believe! Free will! The myth is that God does the believing for us,and if this were true, he would never have needed to die and rise again for us to believe. Unbelief is the only sin not covered by the blood of Jesus in the New Covenant.Rev 21:8Some reformed doctrine teaches that faith and belief are they same, they are not.For one can have faith yet have unbelief!( mark 9:23-24) Faith is perfect, given by God( to all the very same measure( rom 12:3),but our BELIEF in HIS faith must come from us.Hope that helps you.Remember Adam and Eve? The sin was not eating from the tree of good and evil, the sin was not believing God!!Adam choose to listen to Eve!!( gen 2:17!!!) Same with the enemy he believed he was equal or even greater then God. LOL His 5 I wills came from his free will.Isaiah 14(13-14) Blessing bro
Well this is not the topic here, but I'll answer it for now...
About Rom 10:10... Free will? Where my friend? How does that mean free-will? Because we have to believe?
My friend, believing is a GIFT from GOD, not own virtue.... our capacity to believe comes from him for is HE who supports everything that exists including you and our live and thoughts and nature... or are you?
When Peter told Jesus that HE was the Messiah what did HE answer to him?
"And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed {it} unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven."
Matt 16:16-17
KNOWING Jesus as Messias (believing) comes from GOD, not for own virtue...
Tell me something Brighthouse...
Do you control what you believe in?
If I ask you to believe in me (that you have no free will) could you?
And I'm not saying to PRETEND or to ACT LIKE YOU BELIEVE (because that would be fake, not real belief)...I mean REALLY BELIEVE.
Can you?
Or a smaller example...
If you see a red car in the street do you have the power to believe that it is blue? Again, I'm not talking about pretending, I'm talking about genuinely believing... can you?
Do you have free will in what you believe in?
Do you CHOOSE what to believe?
If you do than believe in me now... just for 2 weeks so we can talk like brothers in faith... don't worry, after that time you can just choose to believe in something else again, so there's no risks.
Think my friend...
By the way, this weekend I will probably not be able to answer, so only Monday.