Why Is The Satan Of The OT Different Than The Satan Of The NT?

[GeneralT001]

In the OT Satan can only do what God allows him to do (see Job). It seems Satans main cause is to tempt us to sin and thus exercise the freewill God has given us.
He cannot attack us or do whatever he wants more than God allows. Does it make any sense to anyone that an Omniscient God is going to create and empower any divine being to the extent that He puts his own immortality in jeopardy? Would you?

 

[Dylan569]

In the OT Satan can only do what God allows him to do (see Job). It seems Satans main cause is to tempt us to sin and thus exercise the freewill God has given us.
He cannot attack us or do whatever he wants more than God allows. Does it make any sense to anyone that an Omniscient God is going to create and empower any divine being to the extent that He puts his own immortality in jeopardy? Would you?

After reading a couple of your posts, I checked your profile. I was not surprised to see you answered that you are not born again, but I was surprised to see you are actually(?) of the mature age of 64. When someone exhibits such an ignorance of the Bible, and of the Christian faith as you express, I doubt you could understand the answers given to you, even after corrections made to the lack of understanding behind your questions. If you wish to be a skeptic, at least try to be one with some intelligence.

 

[GeneralT001]

After reading a couple of your posts, I checked your profile. I was not surprised to see you answered that you are not born again, but I was surprised to see you are actually(?) of the mature age of 64. When someone exhibits such an ignorance of the Bible, and of the Christian faith as you express, I doubt you could understand the answers given to you, even after corrections made to the lack of understanding behind your questions. If you wish to be a skeptic, at least try to be one with some intelligence.

Not particularly helpful.

 

[KingJ]

In the OT Satan can only do what God allows him to do (see Job).

This is true. There are some OT prophets that were so close to God that He bent the rules a bit, just for them.

We see this with David and Job. David committed two mortal sins, and the people were not allowed to stone him for this. God had a separate covenant with him. This only because David was a man after God's heart at a level that warranted this sort of special treatment.

Same thing with Job. God knew that Job would be loyal to Him despite all the terrible things that the devil would do to him. God gave the devil power to do anything bar killing him Job 1:12.

Now there is a lot to unpack on this. God does use the devil. Thats a fact. You are correct that the devil is very limited in his interactions with us. Let's call 'us' the common person . Do you want to be as close to God as Job? if so, maybe God will put you through the same? I don't and can't. God knows this. That is why I will report to Job in heaven one day. I have no problem with that.

It seems Satans main cause is to tempt us to sin and thus exercise the freewill God has given us.

Yes correct. I believe that Adam and Eve would probably have eventually eaten the forbidden fruit themselves. The devil simply sped up an inevitable fall. God certainly does want a balance of good and evil and the devil helps with that.

He cannot attack us or do whatever he wants more than God allows.

Correct.

Does it make any sense to anyone that an Omniscient God is going to create and empower any divine being to the extent that He puts his own immortality in jeopardy? Would you?

Well God is such a good, kind, humble and loving Being that I believe it is not that He won't make someone else powerful for 'selfish and prideful' reasons. But rather that it is simply not possible for a creation to ever be Him.

The devil has a lot of power and even in his state has still not been robbed of it. Same with every fallen angel. That can still walk around with their heads lifted high. Albeit they pulled the middle finger to God and were removed from heaven.

 

[KingJ]

Why Is The Satan Of The OT Different Than The Satan Of The NT?​

He is not different. As you correctly said in your post, he can only do what God allows him to do.

1 Pet 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

 

[Dylan569]

Not particularly helpful.

It is not always easy to distinguish the troll from the fool.

Proverbs 26:4-5
v. 4. Answer not a fool according to his folly, by putting oneself on a level with him in speech and actions, lest thou also be like unto him, be placed in the same class with him by decent and intelligent people.

v. 5. Answer a fool according to his folly, a sharp and decisive answer being framed to meet foolish remarks, lest he be wise in his own conceit, filled with the notion that he really possesses wisdom.

From Paul Kretzmann in The Popular Commentary

 

[GeneralT001]

We see this with David and Job. David committed two mortal sins, and the people were not allowed to stone him for this. God had a separate covenant with him. This only because David was a man after God's heart at a level that warranted this sort of special treatment.

Thats also something that struck me as odd? King David was raised with The Torah and yet it took Nathan to get him to see the sin he had committed? Really? David's a pretty sharp tack and he didn't know this was a bad sin before Nathan told him? Not believable.

Yes correct. I believe that Adam and Eve would probably have eventually eaten the forbidden fruit themselves. The devil simply sped up an inevitable fall. God certainly does want a balance of good and evil and the devil helps with that.

Thats something else I wondered about. God says that women will have pain in childbirth after Eve's sin of eating the forbidden fruit. Does that mean Adam and Eve were already having babies before the fall? If so, would they be sinless?

 

[GeneralT001]

It is not always easy to distinguish the troll from the fool.

Proverbs 26:4-5
v. 4. Answer not a fool according to his folly, by putting oneself on a level with him in speech and actions, lest thou also be like unto him, be placed in the same class with him by decent and intelligent people.

v. 5. Answer a fool according to his folly, a sharp and decisive answer being framed to meet foolish remarks, lest he be wise in his own conceit, filled with the notion that he really possesses wisdom.

From Paul Kretzmann in The Popular Commentary

Proverbs 16:24

Pleasant words are like a honeycomb,
Sweet to the palate and a cure for the body.

I don't think God is in you?

 

[KingJ]

Thats also something that struck me as odd? King David was raised with The Torah and yet it took Nathan to get him to see the sin he had committed? Really? David's a pretty sharp tack and he didn't know this was a bad sin before Nathan told him? Not believable.

Nathan came to David with a message from God. To suggest it was him who made David aware of the degree of the sin he committed is grabbing a straw that does not exist.

2 Sam 12:7 This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says....

Thats something else I wondered about. God says that women will have pain in childbirth after Eve's sin of eating the forbidden fruit. Does that mean Adam and Eve were already having babies before the fall?

Possibly. Sure.

If so, would they be sinless?

Yes. All children under twenty are sinless.

Num 14:29 You will all drop dead in this wilderness! Because you complained against me, every one of you who is twenty years old or older and was included in the registration will die.