All About Satan

Hello everyone.  Praise the Lord!

ALL ABOUT SATAN.

What do the Scriptures say regarding Satan's nature and character? The biblical names given to Satan reveal his nature, character, and also show his realm of authority on this earth.

- Adversary: “... your ADVERSARY the devil...walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8).

- Thief: "The THIEF cometh...to steal, and to kill, and to destroy ..." (John 10:10).

- Murderer and liar: "Ye [the scribes and the Pharisees] are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a MURDERER from the beginning ...he is a LIAR, and the father of it" (John 8:44).

- Accuser of the brethren: “... THE ACCUSER OF OUR BRETHREN is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night" (Rev. 12:10).

- Deceiver "And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which DECEIVETH the whole world ..." (Rev. 12:9).

- Angel of light: "... for Satan himself is transformed into an ANGEL OF LIGHT" (2 Cor. 11:4). As a deceiver, Satan transforms himself into an angel of light.

- The prince of this world: "Now is the judgment of this world: now shall THE PRINCE OF THIS WORLD be cast out" (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:8,11).

- Prince of the power of the air: “... in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to THE PRINCE OF THE POWER OF THE AIR, THE SPIRIT that now worketh in the children of DISOBEDIENCE" (Eph. 2:2).

The god of this world system: "In whom THE GOD OF THIS WORLD hath blinded the minds of them which believe not..." (2 Cor. 4:4).

Ministers have said to me, "Satan was just lying to Jesus by saying he would give Jesus the authority over the kingdoms of the world, because Satan didn't have authority over them." But Satan did have that authority because the kingdoms of the world had been delivered over to Satan by Adam when he sinned against God.

Also, if Satan didn't have the authority over the kingdoms of this world, then the Bible is lying when it says that Jesus was tempted by the devil (Luke 4:2). If Satan had no authority and no real dominion over the kingdoms of the earth, this wouldn't have been a real temptation to Jesus. But the Bible calls it a temptation:

"And Jesus ... was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, Being forty days, TEMPTED OF THE DEVIL ..." (Luke 4:1,2). Therefore, Satan did have authority and dominion on the earth because he could tempt Jesus with it.

So Satan took Adam's place of dominion and authority on the earth. But is that the end of it? Emphatically, no! God sent Jesus to the earth to redeem mankind and to restore to man his lost dominion and authority on this earth. And as man exercises the authority he has been given in Christ, he fulfills God's plan and will upon the earth.

However, until Adam's lease runs out—that is, until time as we know it comes to an end and Satan receives God's final judgment—Satan has authority to be here.  Remember in the New Testament when Jesus would enter into the synagogue, many times people who were possessed with demons would cry out, “... What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us BEFORE THE TIME?" (Matt. 8:29).

Satan knows his time on this earth is running out, and he knows his impending torment and doom are prophesied in the Book of Revelation (Rev. 20:10).

- Kenneth E Hagin ( The Triumphant Church )

William James Roop

Hospice Care and Dying

The Trucking Tango

Brother Roop teaches the Bible

I'm Done With Church!

Hello everyone.  Praise the Lord!

Here is an article from an unknown author that I wanted to share with you.

🚫 "I'm done with church." 🚫

Have you ever felt this way? Maybe someone at church said or did something that hurt you deeply, and now you're considering walking away altogether. But before you make that decision, consider this:

If someone in your family hurt you, would you quit the whole family? Would you say, "Sorry Mom and Dad, I can't come over for the family meal because my brother will be there and he said something mean to me!" Probably not, right?

And if someone at work hurt your feelings, would you quit your job? Someone at the gym took your machine, would you quit the gym you love to go to? What about if someone at the park looked at you funny? Would you stop going to the park altogether? And if the owner at your favorite restaurant didn't shake your hand one time, would you quit and never go back?

Chances are, you wouldn't.

 So why should it be any different with church? Yes, we're all human, and sometimes people in the church hurt us. But let's not let those hurts drive us away from the community that God has called us to be a part of. Many people often claim, "Pastor, God led me to this Church," only to disappear a little later. What happened? Did God change His mind? No, but the Devil was at work.

 Sometimes it's rooted in bitterness, sometimes it's the result of backsliding, but if the Church is following the Bible, we must recognize that the excuse is flimsy and we should swallow our pride and stay to help and heal.

Instead of quitting church, let's work through our hurts and conflicts together, just as we would with our families, friends, or colleagues. Let's remember that the church is made up of imperfect people, just like you and me, and let's extend grace and forgiveness to one another.

So if you're feeling hurt or discouraged, reach out to someone you trust at church, whether it's a pastor, a friend, or a small group leader. Let's lean on each other and continue to grow together in our faith journey.

THINK: If you ever choose to depart from a church, it's essential to have a face-to-face conversation with the pastor before leaving. Showing respect to the servant of God by engaging in dialogue and offering the opportunity for prayer is crucial. Anything less than this is cowardice and cannot be justified by claiming that "God led me to leave." 

The Devil continually seeks to undermine good, Bible-believing churches and families. We all face temptations to become discouraged, experience misunderstandings, get hurt, and even contemplate quitting. However, these moments aren't when we should succumb to temptation; rather, they're opportunities to draw closer to God and reconcile with others. 

Finally, we could fill a football stadium with people who have come and gone from a good, Bible-believing church without valid biblical reasons to depart. Don't be the one who leaves; be the one who stays!

William James Roop

Roop-Crappell Ministries

Hospice Care and Dying

The Trucking Tango

Brother Roop teaches the Bible

Why Did God Create Evil?

Hello everyone.  Praise the Lord!

Here is a fun story from an unknown author.

THIS…

Why did God create evil? The answer struck me to the core of my soul!

A professor at the university asked his students the following question:

- Everything that exists was created by God?

One student bravely answered:

- Yes, created by God.

- Did God create everything? - a professor asked.

“Yes, sir,” replied the student.

The professor asked :

- If God created everything, then God created evil, since it exists. And according to the principle that our deeds define ourselves, then God is evil.

The student became silent after hearing such an answer. The professor was very pleased with himself.

 He boasted to students for proving once again that faith in God is a myth.

Another student raised his hand and said:

- Can I ask you a question, professor?

"Of course," replied the professor.

A student got up and asked:

- Professor, is cold a thing?

- What kind of question? Of course it exists. Have you ever been cold?

Students laughed at the young man's question. The young man answered:

- Actually, sir, cold doesn't exist. According to the laws of physics, what we consider cold is actually the absence of heat. A person or object can be studied on whether it has or transmits energy.

Absolute zero (-460 degrees Fahrenheit) is a complete absence of heat. All matter becomes inert and unable to react at this temperature. Cold does not exist. We created this word to describe what we feel in the absence of heat.

A student continued:

- Professor, does darkness exist?

— Of course it exists.

- You're wrong again, sir. Darkness also does not exist. Darkness is actually the absence of light. We can study the light but not the darkness. We can use Newton's prism to spread white light across multiple colors and explore the different wavelengths of each color. You can't measure darkness. A simple ray of light can break into the world of darkness and illuminate it. How can you tell how dark a certain space is? You measure how much light is presented. Isn't it so? Darkness is a term man uses to describe what happens in the absence of light.

In the end, the young man asked the professor:

- Sir, does evil exist?

This time it was uncertain, the professor answered:

- Of course, as I said before. We see him every day. Cruelty, numerous crimes and violence throughout the world. These examples are nothing but a manifestation of evil.

To this, the student answered:

- Evil does not exist, sir, or at least it does not exist for itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is like darkness and cold—a man-made word to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is not faith or love, which exist as light and warmth. Evil is the result of the absence of Divine love in the human heart. It’s the kind of cold that comes when there is no heat, or the kind of darkness that comes when there’s no light.

William James Roop

Roop-Crappell Ministries

Hospice Care and Dying

The Trucking Tango

Brother Roop teaches the Bible

Blood of the Lamb

Hello everyone.  Praise the Lord!

Here is a cute story from an unknown author.

A rattlesnake bit one of my sheep in the face about a week ago.  The deadliest snake that lives around here.  The sheep's face was swollen and hurt like crazy, but the old rattle did not know the type of blood that runs in the sheep. 

The antidote is usually made from sheep's blood. The sheep was swollen for about 2 days but the blood of the lamb destroyed the serpent's venom.  I was worried, but the sheep didn't care. He kept eating, he kept drinking, and he kept walking because he knew he was fine.

Don't worry about the serpent (the devil) or his bite, just be sure that the Lamb's Blood (Jesus Christ)  flows through your veins. 

William James Roop

Roop-Crappell Ministries

Hospice Care and Dying

The Trucking Tango

Brother Roop teaches the Bible