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The Bible represents a multitude of writings compiled from history. One of the most ancient stories, recorded for us from Moses study of Egyptian texts reflects a serpent in a garden. Following an image of temptation of man, Genesis 3:15 states "I will put enmity between you and the woman, he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.
Interestingly, many stories later (Genesis 25:23-26), Jacob and Esau were born. Two nations would be divided. The older (Esau, (Red/routinely imagined wrathful)) seems to be representative of all men while the younger, (Jacob) had firm hold of his heel in seeming reference to the (serpent) of Genesis 3:15.
Indeed, in the Jewish consideration of being "Chosen" or "Set Apart", there has been a perceived enmity between this people group and all others for much of history culminating in the tragedy of the holocaust of WWII and the emergence of the Zionist movement which has been anything but pure. This "separatist" imagery on the part of a seemingly "partial" god has certainly been influential in the wars and religious movements of the 20th and 21st centuries regardless of approximately 30 Biblical claims that the God of the Bible is not partial and shows no favoritism ( http://www.biblegateway.com/keyword/?search=partial&version1=49&searchtype=all. ) As God set up their form of worship through Moses, there was a symbolism of the sacrifice where the Priest would take coals from the fire and bring them outside the camp, outside the walls of the city to a designated place to offer atonement for [all] of the people.
Another depiction of "Hell" came in the judgment of Korah and a group of religious and political leaders that challenged Moses authority. The earth opened up and swallowed these adversaries, obviously shocking the culture (http://www.biblegateway.com/keyword/?search=opened%20swallowed&version1=102&searchtype=all!)
In my early days of Christianity in the 1960's, a vast number of believers still imagined "Hell" was a place within the very earth. Few if any still believe that ideology, but few have dismissed the shaky grounds of shifting Biblical stories and ideologies of both this angel who fell from Heaven - fully dependent upon God, but too often deified even by the most prudent of Biblical scholars. In studying these ancient documentations of myths and legends within the Bible, it also becomes obvious we are witnessing the existence of documentations accessed by the Biblical writers which are not contained within the Bible itself. As witnessed within our own lives, this shifting identity continues dramatically through different generations of Biblical ideologies and from there, right up to the present day. With so many unanswered questions - and Biblical mythology and symbolism, this question "Does the devil or hell for that matter exist" is a powerful question indeed! We can prove God, but can we prove the devil outside of our own selves?
In Jesus day, this reference to atonement or refinement of outsiders (Hell) was further symbolized by a place of eternal burning - the refuse of the city was placed there - the dead of the poor were burned there. This city dump was called Gehenna ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2010:28;Matthew%2018:9;Mark%209:45;Luke%2012:5;Jeremiah%207:31-32&version=NIV1984. ) (Jeremiah 7:31-32 refers to this as Topheth [place of burning] to molek(ch) [king] to which God states such a practice never entered His mind.)
Jesus would claim as men cast out demons and ideologies that caused pain and suffering that he saw the devil falling from heaven. All very symbolic of the refinement of the understanding of our spirits as God sent the Christ to pay the atonement for all of our sins, including those of the deceiver (Jacob). This salvation considering John 3:16-17, Matthew 12:31 and Mark 3:28 again appears to cover both for those within the city walls, and that scum of the earth (given the ideals of bigotry we often have in ideologies of self-righteousness) destined for Gehenna. With universal forgiveness on the table - and the awesome power of Salvation over sin as reflected in Romans 5:15, one must question their judgment of their fellowman and how such resulting actions will affect their relationship with this Savior who gave His Life for [all] men!
Revelation 19:18-21 states that these false prophets and this beast - this image - we have served in our pride and self righteousness shall be thrown into an eternal lake of fire as our ideologies are refined to reflect the Almighty power and Saving Grace of our Lord and King who is blessed forever! No living or dead person was thrown into that lake - the understandings of our flesh are thus burned away and feasted upon in a celebration of universal spiritual renewal. Again, no room for a devil.
Revelation 20:14-15 states that Death and Hades are emptied of the dead in them as all peoples, nations, and tongues are judged and refined. Our badness is thus stripped away through Christ's ultimate power over the evils of mortal death and we are redeemed, cleansed by the blood of the lamb. Death and Hades are thus thrown, emptied of all who were in them, into that eternal lake of fire.
Given the fuller biblical imagery carried forward through Hebraic prophecy and religious history, it would seem that, at least Biblically, this imagery of the devil only exists in our ideologies, and Biblically documented -and extra-biblical myths and legends apart from the overpowering Love of an Almighty God.
As we depict God as a deity of wrath - thus being adversarial to our perceived enemies, we become adversarial and destructive to the very creation of the God we imagine we serve. We find ourselves at enmity with creation and become lost in fear of the spirit world. Thus, it would seem that the imagery of both d'evil and hell within the Bible have only been meant to bring us closer to him as we are forced to judge our own behaviors and resulting emotions.
Christs summary of all the law and the prophets (love your neighbor as your self) once and for all time destroyed the myth that the ancient Hebrew word for "destroy" [shad] meant something of military action; It meant the divine interpretation of "totally devote them to God"
Interestingly, many stories later (Genesis 25:23-26), Jacob and Esau were born. Two nations would be divided. The older (Esau, (Red/routinely imagined wrathful)) seems to be representative of all men while the younger, (Jacob) had firm hold of his heel in seeming reference to the (serpent) of Genesis 3:15.
Indeed, in the Jewish consideration of being "Chosen" or "Set Apart", there has been a perceived enmity between this people group and all others for much of history culminating in the tragedy of the holocaust of WWII and the emergence of the Zionist movement which has been anything but pure. This "separatist" imagery on the part of a seemingly "partial" god has certainly been influential in the wars and religious movements of the 20th and 21st centuries regardless of approximately 30 Biblical claims that the God of the Bible is not partial and shows no favoritism ( http://www.biblegateway.com/keyword/?search=partial&version1=49&searchtype=all. ) As God set up their form of worship through Moses, there was a symbolism of the sacrifice where the Priest would take coals from the fire and bring them outside the camp, outside the walls of the city to a designated place to offer atonement for [all] of the people.
Another depiction of "Hell" came in the judgment of Korah and a group of religious and political leaders that challenged Moses authority. The earth opened up and swallowed these adversaries, obviously shocking the culture (http://www.biblegateway.com/keyword/?search=opened%20swallowed&version1=102&searchtype=all!)
In my early days of Christianity in the 1960's, a vast number of believers still imagined "Hell" was a place within the very earth. Few if any still believe that ideology, but few have dismissed the shaky grounds of shifting Biblical stories and ideologies of both this angel who fell from Heaven - fully dependent upon God, but too often deified even by the most prudent of Biblical scholars. In studying these ancient documentations of myths and legends within the Bible, it also becomes obvious we are witnessing the existence of documentations accessed by the Biblical writers which are not contained within the Bible itself. As witnessed within our own lives, this shifting identity continues dramatically through different generations of Biblical ideologies and from there, right up to the present day. With so many unanswered questions - and Biblical mythology and symbolism, this question "Does the devil or hell for that matter exist" is a powerful question indeed! We can prove God, but can we prove the devil outside of our own selves?
In Jesus day, this reference to atonement or refinement of outsiders (Hell) was further symbolized by a place of eternal burning - the refuse of the city was placed there - the dead of the poor were burned there. This city dump was called Gehenna ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2010:28;Matthew%2018:9;Mark%209:45;Luke%2012:5;Jeremiah%207:31-32&version=NIV1984. ) (Jeremiah 7:31-32 refers to this as Topheth [place of burning] to molek(ch) [king] to which God states such a practice never entered His mind.)
Jesus would claim as men cast out demons and ideologies that caused pain and suffering that he saw the devil falling from heaven. All very symbolic of the refinement of the understanding of our spirits as God sent the Christ to pay the atonement for all of our sins, including those of the deceiver (Jacob). This salvation considering John 3:16-17, Matthew 12:31 and Mark 3:28 again appears to cover both for those within the city walls, and that scum of the earth (given the ideals of bigotry we often have in ideologies of self-righteousness) destined for Gehenna. With universal forgiveness on the table - and the awesome power of Salvation over sin as reflected in Romans 5:15, one must question their judgment of their fellowman and how such resulting actions will affect their relationship with this Savior who gave His Life for [all] men!
Revelation 19:18-21 states that these false prophets and this beast - this image - we have served in our pride and self righteousness shall be thrown into an eternal lake of fire as our ideologies are refined to reflect the Almighty power and Saving Grace of our Lord and King who is blessed forever! No living or dead person was thrown into that lake - the understandings of our flesh are thus burned away and feasted upon in a celebration of universal spiritual renewal. Again, no room for a devil.
Revelation 20:14-15 states that Death and Hades are emptied of the dead in them as all peoples, nations, and tongues are judged and refined. Our badness is thus stripped away through Christ's ultimate power over the evils of mortal death and we are redeemed, cleansed by the blood of the lamb. Death and Hades are thus thrown, emptied of all who were in them, into that eternal lake of fire.
Given the fuller biblical imagery carried forward through Hebraic prophecy and religious history, it would seem that, at least Biblically, this imagery of the devil only exists in our ideologies, and Biblically documented -and extra-biblical myths and legends apart from the overpowering Love of an Almighty God.
As we depict God as a deity of wrath - thus being adversarial to our perceived enemies, we become adversarial and destructive to the very creation of the God we imagine we serve. We find ourselves at enmity with creation and become lost in fear of the spirit world. Thus, it would seem that the imagery of both d'evil and hell within the Bible have only been meant to bring us closer to him as we are forced to judge our own behaviors and resulting emotions.
Christs summary of all the law and the prophets (love your neighbor as your self) once and for all time destroyed the myth that the ancient Hebrew word for "destroy" [shad] meant something of military action; It meant the divine interpretation of "totally devote them to God"
