Riddles Of Satan: What Is His Name, Where Did His Horns Come From And What Connects Him With The Antichrist - Alternative View

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Riddles Of Satan: What Is His Name, Where Did His Horns Come From And What Connects Him With The Antichrist - Alternative View
Riddles Of Satan: What Is His Name, Where Did His Horns Come From And What Connects Him With The Antichrist - Alternative View

Video: Riddles Of Satan: What Is His Name, Where Did His Horns Come From And What Connects Him With The Antichrist - Alternative View

Video: Riddles Of Satan: What Is His Name, Where Did His Horns Come From And What Connects Him With The Antichrist - Alternative View
Video: The Terrifying Truth About The Antichrist 2024, March
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Satan has become an incredibly popular figure in modern religion and popular culture, but there are practically no details about him in religious texts, which is confusing to many. This raises many questions about Satan and not all of them can be answered.

Is Satan the same Serpent who gave the apple to Eve?

The figure of the Serpent-tempter, who persuaded Eve to try the forbidden fruit in the form of an apple, after which Eve and Adam were expelled from the Garden of Eden, is firmly associated with Satan. But in fact, the Bible does not say anything about this connection.

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Moreover, in the first book of Genesis, the serpent is described as "the smartest of the beasts in the field." Only in the Revelation of John the Theologian does the first comparison of Satan with a snake appear: "And the great dragon was cast out, the ancient serpent, called the devil and Satan, who deceived the whole universe, was cast down to earth, and his angels were cast out with him."

According to Bible scholars, when Genesis was written, no one connected the tempting serpent with Satan. However, if this Serpent is not Satan, then who is he? Just a talking snake? If so, this is the only such animal in the Bible.

He has no name

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The word Satan is familiar to us is actually translated from the Hebrew language as "enemy" or "slanderer" and it is never used in the Old Testament as a name, but it is often used in relation to people, for example, King Rizon from Syria is called Satan (adversary) King Solomon.

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There is also an angel under the same nickname "Satan", who acts as a testing the faith of the righteous. For example, God wants to test a person and sends an angel-Satan, who sends various troubles to a person to see if this person will still believe when he has lost everything.

The word "devil" also means just "accuser" and it is simply a translation of the word "satan" into Greek. And of course Satan is not called Lucifer ("Morning Star"), in the Bible this name is used only once, and then only in the book of the prophet Isaiah, when he writes about the Babylonian king. Later, the churchmen associated this with Satan, which became the source of the myth of the fallen angel.

It is curious that in the New Testament Jesus Christ is called the morning star: “I, Jesus, have sent My Angel to testify to you of this in the churches. I am the root and descendant of David, the bright and morning star."

Did he rule in Hell?

Everyone knows that Satan is the ruler of Hell, in which he delights in torturing sinners. Everyone knows, except for the sources themselves in all Abrahamic religions. Nowhere in the Bible is Satan associated with Hell in the sense that it is his kingdom.

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So where did this idea come from? This is actually a big mystery, but according to the most widespread version, Satan just at some point was mixed with the Greco-Roman gods of the underworld, namely Hades and Pluto.

Another version points to a source in Zoroastrianism, in which there is an evil spirit Angra Mainyu, which torments the souls of evil people who fell after death in his underworld.

What are his powers on earth?

Pop culture empowers Satan with tremendous power, but biblical Satan seems to have many limitations on earth. In the Old Testament, he could instantly destroy life, but only after permission from God. In the New Testament, he is only able to tempt Jesus by inciting him to use his immense power. For example, when Jesus is hungry, Satan invites him to turn stones into bread, but does not do it himself.

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Mark and Luke, on the other hand, tell how Jesus cast demons out of people, implying that Satan and demons have the power to take over human bodies. Satan also offers Jesus “all the kingdoms of the world,” at some point, but it is unclear if he can actually do this.

Most Christian groups are convinced that the real power of Satan on earth is precisely the temptation and this is exactly what should be feared.

Where did the horns and red skin come from?

Today, the classic image of the devil-satan includes red skin, horns, hooves and a tail. And in his hands he holds a pitchfork. This image has been replicated millions of times and appears in everything from films and cartoons to comics and cartoons.

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However, the Bible does not describe any of this, these traits first appeared in the image of Satan only in the late Middle Ages. Where did they come from? Also unknown.

According to the most common version, the horns and hooves could have gone to Satan from the Greek god Pan, who was a wild and rather unpleasant creature. The pitchfork probably came from Poseidon, and the color probably comes from the red dragon described in the book of Revelation.

What connects him to the Antichrist?

The New Testament describes the coming appearance of a false messiah under the name Antichrist (among other names). The First Epistle to the Thessalonians and the Revelation of John the Theologian connect this name with Satan, but at the same time make it clear that these are different persons. So what is the connection between Satan and the Antichrist? And does it exist at all?

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In the Middle Ages, it was believed that the Antichrist would be opposite to Jesus in everything, so if Jesus was born of God through a virgin, then the Antichrist will probably be the son of Satan, born of a dissolute woman. However, it rather looks like a too literal understanding of the word Antichrist, nevertheless, such an interpretation quickly became popular, and in our time it is considered almost canonical because of films like "The Sign".

At the same time, mainstream Christianity rejects the idea of the Antichrist as the son of Satan, and in fact, the connection between these two persons is another insoluble religious mystery.

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