I’m confused … Did Satan lie?
It was when I was reading a great book by Dr. Eben Alexander, about his N.D.E. ( Near Death Experience ) that I remembered a passage from the Book of Genesis which read like this.
Gen: 3 verse 1– 4
1) Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
2) The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,
3) but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”
4) “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman.
5) “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
Here is the question:
Did he lie about death ?
Lately I have taken an interest in reading of individuals who had Near Death Experience ( NDE ). One particular story about a woman who saw herself on a medical bed one moment, then saw herself floating, in the air outside looking down at a shoe, on the roof of an adjacent building.
The strange part of the story was revealed after she woke up from her coma. She described in detail, where the shoe was, what it looked like, in what position were the shoe strings, and the places where the scuff marks and holes where located on the shoe itself.
A psychologist who was doing research on Near Death Experiences wanted to see if there was any truth to the woman story.
He went to the rooftop of the adjacent building and sure enough found the shoe in the exact place and condition the woman was describing earlier.
Which brings me back to the question: Did Satan lie?
If you were to ask Jesus that question he would say this:
John 8:44
You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
He ( Satan ) was a murderer from the beginning, but how and what did he murder? To answer that I took a look at another interesting passage from the bible which read like this:
Matt 10:28
And you should not be afraid of those killing the body but not being able to kill the soul. Indeed rather you should fear the One being able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.
So?
Was Satan a murderer of the fleshly part of man? If so, what happened to the part that was not killed, namely the soul/spirit
The answer came in another passage from the bible found in,
1 Samuel 8: 8–19
8 So Saul disguised himself and put on other garments and went, he and two men with him. And they came to the woman by night. And he said, “Divine for me by a spirit and bring up for me whomever I shall name to you.” 9 The woman said to him, “Surely you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off the mediums and the necromancers from the land. Why then are you laying a trap for my life to bring about my death?” 10 But Saul swore to her by the Lord, “As the Lord lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing.” 11 Then the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” He said, “Bring up Samuel for me.” 12 When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice. And the woman said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me? You are Saul.” 13 The king said to her, “Do not be afraid. What do you see?” And the woman said to Saul, “I see a god coming up out of the earth.” 14 He said to her, “What is his appearance?” And she said, “An old man is coming up, and he is wrapped in a robe.” And Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground and paid homage.
15 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” Saul answered, “I am in great distress, for the Philistines are warring against me, and God has turned away from me and answers me no more, either by prophets or by dreams. Therefore I have summoned you to tell me what I shall do.” 16 And Samuel said, “Why then do you ask me, since the Lord has turned from you and become your enemy? 17 The Lord has done to you as he spoke by me, for the Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David. 18 Because you did not obey the voice of the Lord and did not carry out his fierce wrath against Amalek, therefore the Lord has done this thing to you this day. 19 Moreover, the Lord will give Israel also with you into the hand of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons shall be with me. The Lord will give the army of Israel also into the hand of the Philistines.”
Question?
Where or what is this place the prophet Samuel told King Saul he and his sons will be?
Why was Samuel the prophet NOT disoriented?
Did you notice Samuel did not ask “ Where am I ? “
BUT …
“ Why did you disturbed me ?” (As if to indicate he was aware of his surroundings, and was perturbed when he was bothered ?)
I found it interesting in light of the story told by Dr. Eben Alexander in his book “ Proof of Heaven “ , how he described his surroundings.
At first he was in a dark place filled with, what looked like human figures in a worm like condition, to next being drawn to a portal of light and into a world of brilliant colors and sounds all held together by a feeling one would only describe as LOVE.
When he came back from his coma, Dr. Alexander, described in detail, everything that happened, of his awareness of his surroundings, and the one person that brought him back to his earthly realm, namely his son.
But ….. DID SATAN LIE ?
The answer … He told a half truth.
Or looking at it from another perspective … he left out some information that would have lent clarity to the moment.
Yes they, (Adam and Eve) did die in the flesh. But the soul/spirit part of a man is in another realm, waiting to be brought back by God at the appropriate time. But will it be in Heaven?
I don’t think so. This is based on what a man by the name of Paul said in Acts 24: 14–16
14) I do confess to you, however, that I worship the God of our fathers according to the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that is laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets,
15) and I have the same hope in God that they themselves cherish, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.
16) In this hope, I strive always to maintain a clear conscience before God and man.…
A resurrection … a coming back to life, not in heaven, but on a renewed earth. For in Dr. Eben Alexanders book his description of the other dimension was earthlike yet different.
But … DID SATAN LIE ?
Answer … He told a half truth.
