Isn't the Devil good if he punishes bad people?

[triggerperson]

Just something I've been thinking about...

[Abyssal Echo]

nah he is the Prince and power of this earth he is a liar his job is to steal kill and desttroy. if your a bad person you are already on his side so he wont bother you.

[Mortal Coil]

*This is not my personal opinion, but rather what I understand the bible to say*

The devil hurts everyone that God allows him to hurt, and it is God's decision to give the bad people to Satan. Therefore, since the devil is not consciously punishing bad people, but instead just being manipulated by God so that he ends up hurting the bad people, no.

[triggerperson]

*This is not my personal opinion, but rather what I understand the bible to say*

The devil hurts everyone that God allows him to hurt, and it is God's decision to give the bad people to Satan. Therefore, since the devil is not consciously punishing bad people, but instead just being manipulated by God so that he ends up hurting the bad people, no.

So the Devil wants to torture everyone but can only do so to people God allow him to? So God has the power to save everyone from Hell? From eternal torture? Yet chooses not to? He sounds like a swell guy!

[Cicero]

So the Devil wants to torture everyone but can only do so to people God allow him to? So God has the power to save everyone from Hell? From eternal torture? Yet chooses not to? He sounds like a swell guy!
according to christianity.
Well, in a sense he does and doesn't. To go to heaven, you must accept Christ into your heart. If you chose to accept him, you go. If you don't, you don't go. .

Usually, what happens, is people sell they're souls to the devil. Meaning they let the devil take them to hell. But they can have every earthly thing they want, drugs, money, power, girls. Anything that's earthly. In a sense, the earth, is Satans territory. What satan wants to do, is bring as many people to hell as he possibly can. He can do it any way he wants. If he wants to take over a human body he can. But God says that he cannot even touch his "children" meaning those who have accepted Christ.

[UnknownError]

I was once told that "Hell" didn't actually exist, but that you had to sit and watch what your afterlife could have been like in Heaven had you been a better person.

I prefer that view better lol. I don't believe in either however.

[Sudds3]

I he doesn't really punish bad people, he tempts them to be bad so then they join his ranks persay.

[Clawhammer]

This is actually a widespread misunderstanding of who the devil is. He isn't actually handing out the punishment, it says that he and all the demons will be cats into the lake of fire in the end-times. He's the one who will receive punishment. The devil is the devil, but he's God's devil, on a short leash. He doesn't rule over hell, God does. It's our choices that define who we are and where we're supposed to go after death, and not by human judgement, but by judgement of the heart. That is a task left for God alone. So, no, the devil is the embodiment or personification of evil, just as God is the embodiment of justice.

In addition, I think that C.S. Lewis' portrayal of hell is the most accurate. I don't know anything about fire and brimstone, I can't pretend to be "in the know" of what the afterlife looks like, and Lewis claims this as well. But if you read The Great Divorce, he shows hell as an endless town that keeps expanding due to the quarrelsome nature of its inhabitants, who do not actually know that this place is hell, but are all bitter and resentful, arguing with each other and moving away from each other. In other words, it is is place where the things which are of God, peace, patience, kindness, love, etc. are absent. The specific picture he presents I cannot claim is accurate, but the idea and principle of it makes sense. Our choices in life make us, in the end, one of two people, and you will end up, on the other side, as one out of two, with no more middle ground.

[Gaybaby94]

The devil doesn't exist. But if he did, no. It's like putting a mass murder to death.

[huginnmuninn]

well in the bible it says only 144000 will reach heaven (rev. chapter 14 i think) it also specifically talks about fire and brimstone and a furnace of fire in hell so i hope it's wrong otherwise a lot of people are going to be in hell even a ton of christian who believe that jesus died for their sins and such.

[Cicero]

well in the bible it says only 144000 will reach heaven (rev. chapter 14 i think) it also specifically talks about fire and brimstone and a furnace of fire in hell so i hope it's wrong otherwise a lot of people are going to be in hell even a ton of christian who believe that jesus died for their sins and such.

WRONG!!! That's just from the different churches, millions will go to heaven. You are so far off. You cannot understand the hardest book of the bible like that, it's full of different meanings and symbols. That's a difficult chapter, it doesn't mean that much will go to heaven. During that time, after The rapture, millions will go to heaven, maybe hundreds of millions.

[War-Is-Real]

The devil may not be punishing the ones in hell. He might no exist.
The Bible was written by illiterate men.

[huginnmuninn]

WRONG!!! That's just from the different churches, millions will go to heaven. You are so far off. You cannot understand the hardest book of the bible like that, it's full of different meanings and symbols. That's a difficult chapter, it doesn't mean that much will go to heaven. During that time, after The rapture, millions will go to heaven, maybe hundreds of millions.
wow stop getting angry bro... it specifically gives the number 144000 in the bible so i don't get why you're saying it's symbolic it doesn't say a large number or anything it says 144000. something that specific can probably be taken literally.

But seeing as the bible is just a story book all this hypothetical talk is pointless

[randomnessqueen]

it would, except youre missing two pieces of information
one- he doesnt punish them because theyre bad, thats just an excuse, he punishes them because he enjoys seeing them suffer
two- he influences them to become bad so that he will have more to make suffer.
with the assumption of his existence that is

[Cicero]

wow stop getting angry bro... it specifically gives the number 144000 in the bible so i don't get why you're saying it's symbolic it doesn't say a large number or anything it says 144000. something that specific can probably be taken literally.

But seeing as the bible is just a story book all this hypothetical talk is pointless

Well your wrong, that cannot be taken literally, I doubt a teenager would understand the book of revelations, because bible scholars don't fully understand it. No one in the world, will ever fully understand the bible.

[huginnmuninn]

Well your wrong, that cannot be taken literally, I doubt a teenager would understand the book of revelations, because bible scholars don't fully understand it. No one in the world, will ever fully understand the bible.

it's a number! there isn't much to read into symbolically. if it was a number that was used often in the bible like 7 or 3 or even 12 i could accept that it was symbolic but it's not it means nothing but 144000. stop making up stuff because you don't think it makes sense and your fragile mind can't take that your religion may not make sense.

[Cicero]

it's a number! there isn't much to read into symbolically. if it was a number that was used often in the bible like 7 or 3 or even 12 i could accept that it was symbolic but it's not it means nothing but 144000. stop making up stuff because you don't think it makes sense and your fragile mind can't take that your religion may not make sense.

Liar. It says the 144,000 people of ISRAEL. Your twisting the words, or you just don't know how to read. Probably both. The bible was talking about the different tribes of Israel.

[StoppingTime]

Liar. It says the 144,000 people of ISRAEL. Your twisting the words, or you just don't know how to read. Probably both. The bible was talking about the different tribes of Israel.

It's funny because the Book of Revelations is in the New Testament.

[Cicero]

It's funny because the Book of Revelations is in the New Testament.

And?? Ok it's in the new testament.

[StoppingTime]

And?? Ok it's in the new testament.

So it wouldn't be talking about the Israelites in that.

[Cicero]

So it wouldn't be talking about the Israelites in that.

It's hard to explain. It was visions John had of the future, and it was about the 12 tribes of Israel. As I said, the tribes are symbols. So yes, the title specifically says "The 144,000 people of Israel". You are wrong. Theologians spend they're whole lives on the book of Revelation, yet they don't understand many parts.

[huginnmuninn]

It's hard to explain. It was visions John had of the future, and it was about the 12 tribes of Israel. As I said, the tribes are symbols. So yes, the title specifically says "The 144,000 people of Israel". You are wrong. Theologians spend they're whole lives on the book of Revelation, yet they don't understand many parts.

It's about the tribes of Israel. You were never a Christian to begin with. It's not a religion it's a way of life, you didn't fool God. You were never written in the book of life. No, you don't understand the whole bible. Theologians don't understand the bible, so I doubt some teenage kid would understand the whole bible.vas I said I'm done arguing with you. Please stop contacting me.
*second quote comes from personal message.

Fine i won't message you but i will argue my case.
I can accept the tribes being a symbol ( a stupid symbol but a symbol nonetheless) but not a number. if the number was given in a weird way like "as many as the stars in the sky" i could accept that as a symbol but if a number is specifically written then it can't be a symbol.
And are you implying that people don't have the free will to choose God? that no matter what happens if you aren't predestined to go to heaven you can't? If anything it proves my point more because if there is a list of names already written and nothing people could do could change that then a set number would be more appropriate. I'm not even going to go into Christianity being a religion.

[Cicero]

*second quote comes from personal message.

Fine i won't message you but i will argue my case.
I can accept the tribes being a symbol ( a stupid symbol but a symbol nonetheless) but not a number. if the number was given in a weird way like "as many as the stars in the sky" i could accept that as a symbol but if a number is specifically written then it can't be a symbol.
And are you implying that people don't have the free will to choose God? that no matter what happens if you aren't predestined to go to heaven you can't? If anything it proves my point more because if there is a list of names already written and nothing people could do could change that then a set number would be more appropriate. I'm not even going to go into Christianity being a religion.

God already knows the future. God already knows who's going to heaven. But it's that persons choice whether they accept him or not. You can't just say, "Oh I accept him", and then a few years later say, never mind. God knows whether you truly accept hm, and if you do, then your written in there. He understands that Christians fall away from him, and he's ready with open arms. Kind like the analogy of the father and son. The son asked his father for his inheritance early. So the father gave it to him, after he spent it all, he was left with no home. Later he went back to his father, and the father gladly welcomed him, even threw a celebration. That's like God, for people who lose touch with God, he lets them go off and do they're thing, so that they may learn they're lesson. then, when they're done and they wanna come back to him. God will always accept them back. The stories the prodicle son I believe.

Yes, the 144,000 is about the tribes of Israel. That's a whole different thing I do not understand. But that's not how many will be going to heaven. Millions of the people on earth will go to heaven, maybe even hundreds of millions. But that number, is pointed specifically to the tribes of Israel, and doesn't have much to do, with anyone who isn't of those tribes. Once again symbols. And no, it's not a stupid symbol. It all might be going back to Johns day in age. I'm not sure, the book of revelations can be very confusing.

[Sudds3]

WRONG!!! That's just from the different churches, millions will go to heaven. You are so far off. You cannot understand the hardest book of the bible like that, it's full of different meanings and symbols. That's a difficult chapter, it doesn't mean that much will go to heaven. During that time, after The rapture, millions will go to heaven, maybe hundreds of millions.

I agree, because the Bible was supposedly written 2000-6000 years ago, when earths population was only a small fraction of what it is today. So 144000 then is like 3 billion now. It's all relative.

[War-Is-Real]

THE BIBLE WAS INFACT WRITTEN BY ILLITERATE MEN. That's the only reason the bible exist today. It's the only reason for religion at all.
And, you can't just give bad rep because someone's facts don't meet your faith.

[Sudds3]

THE BIBLE WAS INFACT WRITTEN BY ILLITERATE MEN. That's the only reason the bible exist today. It's the only reason for religion at all.
And, you can't just give bad rep because someone's facts don't meet your faith.

How can something be written by someone who can't write or read....and then why would that be the only reason it still exists. I might not understand your statement correctly, but from what I understand....I don't think it makes sense.

[Jefflikespie]

The Christian and Islamic versions of the devil evolved from the original Jewish traditions which mention "the accuser" or "the adversary" or Ha-Satan. Originally his function was to test human's faith. His position was subordinated to God's and thus wasn't the embodiment of evil that the new religions portray.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satan