Atheist, Mark D, stated: “The believing mind is externally impervious to evidence. The most that can be accomplished with it is to induce it to substitute one delusion for another. It rejects all overt evidence as wicked.” “Not by accident, you may be sure, do the Christian Scriptures make the father of knowledge a serpent — slimy, sneaking and abominable.”

The quotes above are from American journalist and essayist H.L. Mencken. What do you think?

Christian response to Mark,

Christianity is under girded by extant, empirical, irrefutable, evidence relevant to the validity of the Creator of the Universe while Atheism is likened to a fish denying the reality of water.

God initially draws the inquiring mind and sincerely searching heart to Himself via what He has made in Nature and through His written word while Atheism defies logic, reason, evidence and commonsense. Atheism is truly “the fools” domain (Psalm 14:1; Proverbs 1:7; Proverbs 9:10). Please permit me to explain…

What is true and lasting knowledge?

The beginning of knowledge, wisdom and Truth is ONLY acquired by,

• Humbling oneself before God the Father (James 4:10; 1 Peter 5:6; Isaiah 66:1-2; Hebrews 11:6)

• Acknowledging/believing in Jesus Christ as one’s personal Savior for the mediation of sin (Romans 10:9-10)

• Receiving the indwelling Holy Spirit of Truth (Ephesians 1:13-14)

• Diligently studying the word of God and walking in obedience to same in pursuit of Sanctification (2 Timothy 2:15)

Then and only then will a life constrained by Time begin to take-on true reality and one’s eyes will be opened, their mind enlivened to see and understand God’s Plan and purposes for Time and Eternity (Romans 12:1-2). Void the indwelling Holy Spirit, true knowledge and a fulfilling life will never be realized (1 John 2:27).

Christian faith is substantiated by God’s evidence…

A Christian’s faith is not impervious to evidence; in fact, it is the irrefutable evidence of our Creator’s reality that has motivated many Christian’s to pursue that Creator’s Name and His purpose in Creation. Even as a child, the clear night sky confirmed for me that what I was observing mandated design and a Designer though I did not know said Designer’s Name. Denying what is before one’s eyes can be equated to a form of psychosis. Atheism, for all intents and purposes, is a form of mental and spiritual illness. Consider the following,

1) Our Creator has provided extant, preliminary evidence relevant to His reality and validity via what He has made in Nature; therefore, the atheist will be “without excuse” at their Judgment in Eternity. There is NO scientific explanation for the presence of the supernatural Sun, the Moon, the Stars, void design which mandates a Designer (Romans 1:18-32).

Mankind nor his science can explain origin of matter; the Universe; the complex human genome; science and the insanity of evolution i.e. “historical science” fail to explain these supernatural evidences of design and a necessitated Designer; these supernatural forms of evidence will testify against the foolishness of atheism and the rebellious atheist at the Judgment of the Condemned in Eternity! (Revelation 20:11-15)

Our Creator, Who is a Spirit (John 4:24), took elements from the Spiritual World and formed those elements into matter that is visible to the human eye/senses and constrained this matter within the Realm of Time (Hebrews 11:3). Mankind, cognitively constrained by Time and limited in cognitive function by The Fall/the Curse on Adam, will NEVER define/explain origin of matter because all that we see finds its genesis in the unseen Spiritual World.

2) Another form of empirical-extant-irrefutable evidence is the truism that our Creator, Jesus Christ-Yeshua, left Eternity (the Spiritual World) some 2019-years ago and entered Time through the seed of the woman (a virgin) as prophesied in Genesis 3:15; Jesus walked among mankind in the flesh for 33.5-years defining God to everyone who would receive His Gospel of Grace through faith (Philippians 2:5-11) and then humbly/obediently/faithfully walked to the horrors of a Roman Crucifixion thereby shedding His perfectly innocent blood as payment for the sins of mankind (Genesis 3:21 is the 1st-Prophecy concerning blood sacrifice of Messiah).

3) Our Creator has provided His creation with a written Covenant (The Scriptures – The Gospel) explaining origin-meaning-morality-destiny and anyone who rejects this Covenant as articulated within the Holy Bible will die in sin and die a second death in Hell for rejecting Jesus Christ as Lord and Mediator for sin (John 8:24). This second death in Hell will be necessary because unrepentant sin will NOT be permitted to enter God’s Kingdom subsequent to death of the body constrained by Time (Revelation 21:27).

Therefore, it’s NOT that evidence for our Creator’s reality is absent; it’s NOT that “the believing mind is externally impervious to evidence;” it’s the Truth that the atheist rejects the extant evidence for our Creator because they love their sin, their sexual immorality, their antisocial conduct, their moral relativism, more than Truth and life itself. The atheist loathes the moral authority of our Creator over their life; therefore, the atheist makes a futile attempt to assuage themselves of guilt, the moral law/natural law/divine law and conscience (Romans 2:15) through rejection of that which they intuitively know to be the Truth (Romans 1:18-32). This deception is a lie of the Devil and anyone deceived by him in such a manner will suffer a similar fate as he in Hell (Revelation 20:10; Matthew 10:28).

In conclusion…

Understanding and acknowledging these forms of empirical, irrefutable, evidence relevant to the validity of our Creator is the only pathway to tangible, useful, eternal, knowledge and wisdom that surpasses human intellect/understanding which is constrained/limited by Time/the Curse/the sin-nature; the knowledge provided by the Holy Spirit is that which originates in the Spiritual World (John 14:16-18) and is carried-over into the Eternal Realm subsequent to death of the body in Time (1 John 2:27; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Matthew 24:35); unfortunately, the Atheist is carnal, worldly, fleshly, in thought and in deed (Romans 8:6-10); therefore, the atheist will never understand life’s deeper Truths in Time nor will they ever acquire knowledge that is relevant in both Time and in Eternity as they “exist” in unrepentant sin apart from the love, forgiveness, redemption, eternal life, only available by grace through faith in Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 2:14; 2 Corinthians 4:4).

It is written…

“For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” Romans 8:5-8 (NASB)

Finally…

Tragically, the Atheist is a slave to their flesh and therefore a slave to their sin (Romans 6:17-23) and a slave to the god of this World, Satan (Ephesians 2:1-4: John 8:44); therefore, the unrepentant atheist is destined to die in sin and die the “second death” in Hell in futility (John 8:24; Revelation 20:14); their worldly knowledge under girded by foolish men like H.L. Mencken (Quoted in Mark’s OP above) will culminate in nothingness and their brevity in Time will be erased forever as if they never existed (Matthew 16:26).

Question…Are Atheists generally smarter than religious people and is it not a rather hypocritical statement because Atheism is also a “religion;” therefore, the entire premise is a contradiction, yes?

A Christian response…

If by religious, you include Christians under that wide-banner then…Atheists are not smarter…they’re simply self-absorbed and know much about nothing important. Atheists are typically the first-born of Darwin’s idiocy; therefore, Atheists know much about men’s lies and deception involving historical science but they know little to nothing about that which under girds and supports a life that is worth living and a life that is honorable to God.

Knowledge is a deceptive thing when one possesses an abundance of knowledge that is eternally irrelevant/insignificant i.e. Atheism; knowledge that will die with the body and have zero-impact on their eternal destiny. True knowledge is honoring our Creator, His words, and pursuing a life seeking the glory that is to come in Jesus Christ, not the temporary narcissistic self-glory that fades with age and dies with the body of the one who serves Satan and their own self-interests in this temporary life constrained by Time.

Atheist, Mark D, wrote: “A Christian poster told me yesterday that she would under no circumstances vote for an atheist for President of the USA. I asked her if the person had the best ideas for the country, would she reconsider? “No”, she said. This is a fine example of a Christian putting her religion over the interests of her country. Millions more embrace her misguided values at the voting booth. They believe that atheists can’t be moral people, so they shouldn’t hold high public office. Nonsense! What is so striking is that they never mention that the Presidents who have committed the worse deeds in the modern era identified as Christian. God only knows when narrow minded Christians like this will come to realize that God has no place in the White House. Thoughts?”

A Christian response…

Atheists are demonically influenced and don’t have America’s best interest at heart. Atheists are servants of Satan, either aware or unaware. Atheists typically represent behaviors that are the antithesis of mores, norms, values, foundational to a sustainable Constitutional Republic and behaviors that have brought God’s wrath upon America i.e. atheism = abortion, sodomy (LGBTQ), antisocial conduct, Socialism-Communism/deadly Marxism-Leninism, secularism, moral relativism, nihilism, hedonism, pedophilia. These behaviors and ideologies cannot, will not, do not, promote a healthy, sustainable, productive, happy, honorable, society.

God’s wrath and His anger are present in America and Progressive-Socialism, represented by Atheism, is the manifestation of that wrath and anger. We see the tenets of Atheism at work in the modern Progressive-Socialist-Democrat Party, the Party of Satan, that mutilates babies by the millions and froths over supporting unconscionable sexual perversion that is destroying America’s posterity as well as seeking to morph America into a Socialist-state; Socialism, a demonic ideology that is responsible for the death of 100-million people over the last 100-years.

No thanks, but at as a Christian who loves and honors the Word of God, Jesus Christ, I choose to NEVER support an Atheist from school board elections to the Presidency; the Atheist does not represent Christ, my family, my values or my Nation in any way. The Atheist represents evil in our society and without Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit reigning supreme in the hearts and minds of the majority, America’s Constitutional Republic cannot be sustained.

I fear that void another Civil War to once again force the demonic ideology of Progressive Socialism i.e. the demonic Democrat Party into the oceans, America will surely die in apostasy and it is the Progressive Socialist represented by the Atheist-Secularist-Naturalist that will lead the way to unconscionable suffering and death of America’s posterity. May God have mercy on my beautiful Grandson!

“Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is their duty – as well as privilege and interest – of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers.” – John Jay

-John Jay – First Supreme Court Justice of the United States

Letter 1 – The Correspondence and Public Papers of John Jay, Henry Johnston, editor (New York: G. P. Punam’s Sons, 1893), Vol. IV, pp. 391-393, 403-419, letters to John Murray, October 12, 1816 and April 15, 1818.

Atheist, Jim Mader, stated: “Circular reasoning doesn’t prove God exists.”

Response to Jim, (content added for OP publication)

I grow so weary of atheistic obfuscation and foolishness. God has proven His validity, initially, through what He has made in Nature and placed before our senses; therefore, in your atheism, you’re “without excuse.” I’m not your fool; you’re smarter than to truly believe there is no Creator (Romans 1:18-32).

Even an immature child can observe the Sun, the Moon, the Stars, life, and understand design and the necessity for a Designer. That child may not know God’s Name but they know the undeniable intricacy of our Creation mandates a Designer. Until and unless you can prove God a liar, why not be ashamed of the absurdity and embarrassment that is Atheism and stop advertising this ideological facade to the World?

You insult yourself in the futility of Atheism and, according to the Scriptures, you make yourself “the fool” of Time and Eternity (Psalm 14:1; Proverbs 1:7).

It is your decision via free will as an “atheist” to reject Jesus Christ as Lord, Creator, Messiah, Judge and as a result of said decision, it is your option to die in sin and die in Hell but please, be honest and admit that your rejection of God is motivated by narcissistic and aberrant sensuality purposes and NOT a lack of evidence?

I do wish that all Atheists would please stop with the charades and the deceit that defines Atheism; I’m not buying your nonsense, I know better…sorry. 😊 At least Huxley made an attempt to be honest and forthright.

Atheist/Agnostic/Confused? Jim DeMaegt, stated: “Everything that Exists Had To Have Had a CREATOR! THEREFORE SATAN CREATED THE UNIVERSE!!”

Response to Jim,

Satan is created not Creator; Satan-Lucifer is an anointed cherub angel that coveted God’s creative ability. It is Lucifer’s-Satan’s introduction of destructive SIN into the Kingdom of God that is causation for our Creation in Time (Ezekiel 28:11-19). Please permit me to explain with as much brevity as possible…

How and why did God create the Universe?

God took elements of the Spiritual World (Hebrews 11:3) and formed them into matter that is visible within the constraints of Time and He then created the Universe, Earth, mankind, at which time our Creator (Jesus Christ-Yeshua) removed Lucifer-Satan from the Kingdom and placed him upon the Earth along with the rebellious angels that supported Lucifer in his coup d’état (Luke 10:18). Lucifer was provided access to mankind who relented to Lucifer’s enticement to rebel against God’s Covenant of Provision with Adam (Genesis 3).

The entire Biblical account stemming from The Genesis to the Revelation is God’s Plan for dealing with Lucifer apart from the Kingdom as he is constrained here in Time as the faithful angels in Heaven observe the horror and unconscionable destruction of SIN at the behest of Satan and his demons. We are in the midst of an unconscionable spiritual war (Ephesians 6:12).

This has been done because had our Creator simply destroyed Lucifer and the rebellious angels at the moment of their attempted coup, the faithful angels that remained loyal to God would no longer love God via free will/volition but out of fear. Pure and authentic love and relationship cannot exist in fear; therefore, our Creator is allowing SIN to play-out within the constraints of Time as the faithful angels look-on; at the summation of Messiah-Yeshua’s Millennial Reign, the faithful angels in the Kingdom, having observed thousands-of-years of carnage at the hands of Satan, they will agree with God that Satan does indeed deserve confinement in Hell forever (Revelation 20:10).

The primary purpose for Messiah’s incarnation (God becoming flesh) some 2019-yrs ago was to destroy the works of Satan which He has done successfully at the Crucifixion (1 John 3:8). Mankind is playing an intricate role in the cosmic struggle that is manifest before our eyes. We can witness elements of this cosmic struggle in the strife between Allah-Islam (Satan) v. Yeshua-Israel (God). It will be Allah-Satan/Islam that will be the aggressor which initiates the coming Tribulation/Apocalypse (nuclear war) that will manifest initially in Jerusalem, Israel (Zechariah 14:12). It will be Messiah-Yeshua’s victory over the armies that come against Jerusalem that will initiate His Millennial Reign over the Nations of the Earth.

Gary Labuscagne stated on a FB debate site: “Forcing any religious views into a child is child abuse and has very real negative consequences”

Gary’s OP statement was accompanied by an article-heading and a photo of a Catholic Nun and children under the Nun’s tutelage. Let’s discuss Gary’s premise relevant to training our children to be good, honorable, faithful, citizens.

Response to Gary…

Having policed the mentally and spiritually ill society in America for 31-years and having experienced America’s public education system up through a Graduate program and more importantly, as a Christian who loves and adores God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, I will concur with Gary relevant to his warning concerning “religion” and its potential detrimental effect on our children.

For clarification, when I speak of religion I point to Catholicism, Islam-the Quran, Buddhism, Hinduism- the Vedas, certain specific cults and sects such as Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, radical off-shoots of Christianity such as ultra-charismatic movements defined by Pentecostalism and Church of God charismata, those Churches teaching a “health-wealth-prosperity Gospel;” such beliefs and teaching are not of God as they’re a demonic confluence of Truth and Hersey = confusion.

Having walked with my Lord Jesus Christ for 27-years, I believe there is only one viable solution to America’s woes and that is the purity and simplicity and life-changing aspects of the Gospel of Jesus Christ taken literally and honestly from the Scriptures and applied to one’s personal life; anything other than the purity of the Gospel of Jesus Christ will ultimately be self-defeating and Eternally futile. Please allow me explain…

My personal observations subsequent to 62-years of life…

In my life-span of 62-years thus far, I can testify that there are three-demonically-based entities that have destroyed the faith, the future, the lives, of millions of America’s children and this destruction is presently seen coming to fruition in the Millennial and Gen-Z generations. These three-demonically-based entities are Progressive Socialism, Roman Catholicism, Darwinian Evolutionary Theory.

1) PROGRESSIVE SOCIALISM: Progressive Socialism, as initiated by John Dewey in 1900, incrementally-systematically infused revisionist history into America’s public education system by subtly planting the seeds of Socialistic-Marxist Communist thought into the classroom while teaching falsity relevant to America’s founding, America’s Founders, America’s founding documents. The resultant of John Dewey’s strategy and the Progressive Socialist’s who have implemented said strategy is the present-day historical ignorance that is rampant in the Millennial and Gen-Z Progressive Socialist.

2) ROMAN CATHOLICISM: The second-entity that has destroyed the faith and future of millions of America’s youth is the pagan cult of Roman Catholicism. Catholicism has never been Christian. The abuse of children in the Catholic Church is demonic and is a natural manifestation of any pagan cult. Catholicism was founded by Constantine in 312-313 AD via the Edict of Milan by merging Babylonian Paganism/Roman Paganism with elements of Christian and non-Christian (Apocrypha) doctrine in order to make the pagan cult more palatable to the masses. Nothing has been more damaging to the Christian faith, grace, Truth, the purity and Truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ than the pagan cult of Roman Catholicism.

The Mass; The Sacraments; Transubstantiation; Purgatory; The Rosary; Statues in Worship; The Perpetual Virginity of Mary as the Goddess of Heaven; The Idolatry of Mary Worship; calling Catholic Leadership as “Father”; Confessing sin to a Priest; The Magisterium; Indulgences, Infant baptism; these are NOT Scriptural and undermine the purity and simplicity of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ as Lord; thereby, leading the innocent millions/billions in the way of deception and hopelessness in both Time and in Eternity.

3) DARWINIAN EVOLUTIONARY THEORY: The third-entity culpable for the destruction of the faith and the Eternal future of millions of American youth who will ultimately lose their soul in Hell is the demonically-based Progressive Socialist strategy of infusing Darwinian Evolutionary Theory into America’s classrooms in the early 1960’s.

Darwin’s unsupported theory of historical science is a most efficient progenitor of radical Atheism, Secularism, Nihilism, Eugenics, Abortion, Moral Relativism, manifesting in mass hopelessness, destruction of the Biblical family unit, youth suicide, addiction, demonic persuasion, sexual immorality, Socialism, Communism, hatred for religious thought with an emphasis on hate for Jesus Christ and Christians. Darwin’s theory emanates directly from the mind and motives of Satan and is the greatest and most destructive deception since Satan’s deception of Eve in “The Garden.”

If my Lord tarries another Century…

If Jesus Christ tarries for another 100-years, honest historians will reflect back on the destruction of America’s Constitutional Republic and they will point to Progressive Socialism, Roman Catholicism (and related cults and sects), Darwin’s idiocy, as the three primary culprits that led to the destruction of the World’s greatest hope for peace and prosperity i.e. the United States of America.

As America has moved away from faith in the purity and simplicity of the Gospel of Jesus Christ; as America has “progressively” rejected the Bible as Truth while seeking an ideology of demonically-based secularism through radical atheism, naturalism, nihilism, moral relativism, America began systematically murdering millions-upon-millions of its posterity in the womb (61-million American babies slaughtered to date since 1973) while America’s youth have compromised with the most unconscionable forms of sexual immorality, self-degradation, self-mutilation, gender-confusion, Socialistic thought and Socialistic ideological implementation; Socialism, an ideology that has led to the death of 100-million people in the last 100-years; as a result, America and America’s Constitutional Republic is dying before our eyes.

Parents, the only solution…

Parents, use caution, wisdom, discernment, in choosing educational facilities for your children as an overwhelming number of America’s High Schools and Universities are nothing more than Progressive-Socialist Indoctrination Centers. Parents, the only answer/solution to raising productive, loving, patriotic, honorable, honest, moral, mentally and spiritually healthy children is to raise them by the precepts of the Holy Bible, involve them in a Bible believing and Christ honoring Church and train your children in the purity and simplicity of the Gospel of Jesus Christ; otherwise, your children will also become hopeless, directional-less, godless, fruitless, atheistic-socialists, who will not only ally with those seeking to destroy the greatest Nation ever known to mankind but they will destroy themselves and their soul and their Eternity in Hell through living a life of unbelief in and disobedience to Jesus Christ as Lord; Faith in, obedience to Jesus Christ is the ONLY Way to an honorable and sustainable life in Time and in Eternity.

America’s future…

America has gone too far for too long in its rebellion toward Jesus Christ; therefore, America will die in apostasy under God’s wrath, but there is hope for your children in Jesus Christ if you will raise them to know, to love, to honor, God the Father – God the Son – God the Holy Spirit through teaching your children the Scriptures, praying with them daily, modeling a Godly life for them and loving them with the love of God as they are His children and you are their caretakers but for a very short time. Though your children may suffer horrifically under the demonic tenets of Progressive Socialism, their faith and the faithfulness of the Holy Spirit will guide them through this life and into the glorious life that is to come in the presence of our Creator, Jesus Christ.

Atheist or Anti-theist, James Robinson, stated: “I do say that atheism is a philosophy that speaks about the truth of [the] subjective mind of man.”

Response to James,

Atheism is a scam, a sham, a facade, a lie, for men and women seeking to justify behavior they intuitively know runs afoul of the Natural Law, Divine Law, Moral Law, that has been written upon our heart by our Creator from The Beginning (Romans 2:15). The disobedience of the Atheist is not the resultant of subjectivity but of rebellion; in fact, there are no true Atheists…only those living in self-deception in a facade of unbelief.

Atheism is fertile ground for foolishness, obfuscation, sexual immorality, rebellion, antisocial conduct, naturalism (Darwin’s nonsense), moral relativism, all of which are demonically inspired and ultimately destroy the mind, body and soul of the participant (Ephesians 4:17-19).

Atheism is a practice in futility by those who reject what they intuitively know exists i.e. our Creator (Romans 1:18-32).

Atheism and its demonic tenets of secularism, nihilism, moral relativism, naturalism, infanticide, sexual perversion, socialism, communism, will be the downfall of America’s Constitutional Republic in Progressive Socialism and apostasy under God’s wrath and judgment.

Atheism and rampant sexual immorality, sexual confusion, destruction of the Biblical family unit, mass murder of the pre-born baby, are the tell-tale signs that a people, a society, a nation, are under God’s wrath and that a nation’s people have been given-over to internalize a debased mind to do those things which are not proper and are self-destructive (Romans 1:18-32; 2 Timothy 3:1-5).

The Truth remains, Atheism is a tool of Satan to deceive and seduce “many” to death in sin and death in Hell via the rejection of Jesus Christ as Lord (John 10:10; Matthew 7:13-14).

Atheist, Aldous Huxley, said…

An Atheist mocks Jesus’ command to love our enemies. Let’s discuss that.

Atheist, Mark D, stated: Jesus said: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

Mark continues: “In the history of bad advice this has to rank in the top ten! If you love your friends as well as your enemies, then you dilute the value of your love, because you have given a precious emotion to all. Moreover, it is unnatural to love your enemies, and it has the potential to make you a dupe, sucker, victim, and even dead. Jesus also advises praying for those who persecute you, and, once again, it is unnatural to do so. To remain mentally healthy, you must do what is natural or normal–not abnormal. I would venture to say that the vast majority of Christians don’t love their enemies and pray for those who persecute them. Hypocrites a plenty! What say you?”

Response to Mark’s comment…

Mark, you do not understand the relationship between God and His faithful children. As an atheist, this relationship is foreign and “abnormal” to you because you exist in a relationship with your spiritual father, Satan, who appeases your flesh and gives you eyes, ears, a heart, that equate “normal” to the deceit of moral relativism defining this lost and dying World. You are a stranger to the ways of God the Father and you have positioned yourself as His enemy in Time and in Eternity via your alliance with Satan; therefore, God’s love, His wisdom, Plan and purposes for Time and Eternity are foreign to your naturalistic-atheistic worldview (1 Corinthians 2:14).

Mark, I invite you to read the entire 5th-Chapter of the Gospel of Matthew (The Sermon on the Mount; The Beatitudes) in order to understand the context of Jesus’ edict to love one’s enemy. Following is the partial text of Matthew 5 you mention in your OP.

Jesus said…

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”  Matthew 5:43-48 (NASB)

Mark, where you fail in your understanding of God’s relationship with His children is differentiating between Justification of the sinner by grace through faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and the process of Sanctification where the justified sinner is incrementally changed into the image of Jesus concerning a life of righteousness through obedience as the faithful in God prepare for servitude in the Kingdom subsequent to death of body constrained by Time.

Sanctification is an incremental life-long process manifesting by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit in the life of a believer in Jesus Christ; this spiritually morphic change from a life of compromise with evil/disobedience to a life of obedience in the Spirit is at the center of Jesus’ command to love our enemies.

The supernatural life in the Spirit of God is wholly foreign to the natural man who seeks to live and die without knowledge of true life, life that is only possible by obedience to the Spirit of God. Jesus’ words are Spiritual and He is commanding His followers to live apart from this lost and dying World by pursing the things of God which bring true life and peace and fellowship, the origin of which are beyond the constraints of Time.

Jesus’ words to love our enemy is NOT for the benefit of our enemy but for the benefit of the faithful, for the benefit of our sanctification process as we are to become like our God in holiness and purity, in thought and in deed. Loving one’s enemy brings victory over evil through obedience and love. It is by one’s love for God and mankind, created in God’s spiritual image, that God is glorified in this World (John 13:35).

The Apostle Paul, in the Spirit, writes…

“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. “But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:14-21 (NASB)

Mark, as one who loves Jesus Christ, I urge you to turn away from your servitude to Satan and repent of your sins, believe in your heart and confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus Christ and find forgiveness of sin, peace, joy, assurance in this life in Time and in the life to come in Eternity (Romans 10:9-10).

Atheist, Mark D, stated: “Christians believe that God is merciful, but they can’t point to one real life example of God’s mercy. What does that tell you?”

Please allow me to point out just three-examples of God’s mercy…though the examples are innumerable in our personal lives and in the Scriptures…

1) God’s incredible mercy and compassion concerning mankind was initiated “before the creation of Time,” before the creation of visible matter e.g. the Universe, Earth, Life constrained by Time.

It is written concerning the Gospel (Good News) of Jesus Christ who saved us from death in sin and Hell for everyone who believes in Him as Lord…

“Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.” 2 Timothy 1:8-11 (NKJV) (Underlined emphasis is mine)

2) God’s incredible mercy toward mankind unfolded in Eternity when His anointed cherub angel introduced sin into the purity of the Kingdom and challenged God’s justice, mercy, holiness, righteousness, compassion. God’s mercy, love and cherished relationship with His faithful angels was put to the test and the most expedient remedy was to destroy Lucifer and the rebellious angels that followed Lucifer in his attempted coup d’état against God’s authority; but God, in His infinite wisdom and desiring to maintain volitional love with the faithful angels in the Kingdom, opted to implement a Plan of grace, mercy, self-sacrifice, as opposed to arbitrary punishment that would have undoubtedly destroyed volitional love between God and the faithful angels remaining in solidarity with God’s dominion and authority in the Heavenly Kingdom.

In order to deal with Lucifer’s sin and rebellion, God took elements from the Spiritual World and formed them into matter that is visible and interactive in a World subject to Time (Hebrews 11:3). Out of love, mercy and compassion, God took the matter He had formed from elements found in the unseen Spiritual World and formed the Universe with a special emphasis on the Earth and with the creation of mankind on the 6th-Day of Creation; it is only mankind which God created in His spiritual image and provided mankind with certain attributes relevant to God including an eternal spirit. God clothed that eternal spirit with flesh in order that mankind could function and interact within the constraints of Time. By His love, mercy and compassion, God chose to enter into a relationship with mankind as an ally to battle the Evil One through spiritual warfare.

God removed the destructive sin of Lucifer from the Kingdom and placed Lucifer, the demonic angels, their sin-nature, on the Earth and the greatest mystery of God’s creation was then initiated as Lucifer introduced sin into the realm of Time. Man/Adam found Lucifer’s sin more appealing than God’s Covenant of sustenance/provision; therefore, sin entered into the World and corrupted the perfection of the human genome resulting in death of the body as well as fracturing the relationship between God and man. God, in His mercy and compassion, did not leave mankind in his helpless state but immediately set-forth a Plan to reconcile Himself with mankind through selfless love and self-sacrifice.

Following, is the first prophecy in Scripture concerning God’s mercy toward fallen, sinful, mankind…

So the Lord God said to the serpent [Lucifer]:

“Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life. 15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” Genesis 3:14-15 (NKVJ)

Here, we see that God, in His mercy, intervened immediately subsequent to Adam’s rejection of God’s Covenant of Sustenance. God articulates His Plan to bring forth a Redeemer/a Mediator through the seed of the woman (a virgin) apart from Adam’s seed (Joseph’s seed) which carries the sin-nature. Then God articulates the victory of this Redeemer over Lucifer-Satan, v.15: “And I will put enmity Between you [Lucifer] and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed [Yeshua]; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.”

Next, we see the second prophecy in The Genesis concerning God’s mercy toward mankind…

“The LORD God fashioned garments from animal skins for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.” Genesis 3:21 (ISV)

Often times, this obscure verse of Scripture is read without thought or concern relevant to its importance concerning God’s compassion, mercy and Plan for the redemption of mankind. The moment Adam conspired with his wife to disobey God’s edict (Genesis 3:6-7) they died spiritually and their relationship with God was fractured; therefore, Adam and Eve internalized the symptomatic ramifications of sin which are partially exemplified by shame, fear, deceit-lying, obfuscation concerning culpability. To cover their shame as they fearfully hid from God in the Garden, Adam and Eve sewed fig-leaves together to cover their nakedness.

Genesis 3:21 is the first prophecy in Scripture that articulates God’s self-sacrifice, mercy, LOVE, in order to reestablish and repair the broken relationship between mankind and Himself as the resultant of Adam’s sin. In v.21 we see God slay an innocent animal (or animals) and the blood of that animal flowing onto the ground as God took the skin of said animal and clothed Adam and Eve in place of the fig-leaves.

This most significant Prophecy shows God’s compassion and His future self-sacrifice as God demonstrates that by the work of man’s own hands (the fig leaves) to cover his sin and conceal said sin from God, that mankind’s attempts to earn his own righteousness (a right standing) with God is not possible but that God Himself, through the shedding of innocent blood, would cover (forgive) the sin of mankind by grace through faith, in other words, it would be God Himself that would forgive sin through His own selfless sacrifice (Ephesians 2:8-9).

It is the innocent blood of Messiah-Yeshua/Jesus flowing onto the ground beneath the Cross/Crucifixion outside of the gates of Jerusalem approximately 1,986-years ago that paid for the sins of mankind and anyone who trusts in the innocent blood of Messiah as payment for sin will be forgiven of all sin and the fractured relationship between mankind and God will be repaired/reconciled for Eternity (John 3:16).

Just as the innocent blood of that animal in the Garden flowed onto the ground and the skin of that animal covered the shame of Adam and Eve, God the Father looked at the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ, flowing onto the ground at Golgotha and pointed to the innocent blood of His Son and declared said blood as the ONLY acceptable payment for the sins of mankind. Approximately 4000-years before the Crucifixion of Messiah-Yeshua, God was prophetically and literally demonstrating His self-less love, mercy and compassion for His beloved creation. This is, without-a-doubt, the epitome of God’s mercy.

3) The Atheist fails to see God’s mercy in our daily lives as each one of us, having been chosen by God to participate in this unfathomable cosmic struggle between good v. evil, have a unique opportunity to fight along side God by grace through faith in Jesus Christ as Lord. God has promised victory over Satan and death and the grave to everyone who will trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and God gives each of His faithful warriors the indwelling Holy Spirit Who teaches and prepares the faithful for spiritual warfare in the Realm of Time and prepares them for life in the Kingdom of God as servants of the Most High God forever in Eternity subsequent to death of the body (1 John 2:27; 2 Corinthians 5:8). In fact, the primary purpose of our lives constrained by Time upon this Earth is to prepare for service in God’s Kingdom.

It is written…

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints…” Ephesians 6:10-18 (NKJV)

God’s mercy is new every morning…even for the Atheist,

Unfortunately, the Atheist fails to understand and see the blessings and mercy of God with the dawning of each new day as God displays His compassion for the Atheist by providing them another opportunity to reconcile with Him by grace (unmerited favor) through faith (trusting-believing) in Jesus Christ as Lord. The Atheist does not understand that God holds their next breath in the palm of His hand (Daniel 5:23) and it is only by God’s mercy and grace that they are given the opportunity to repent of their sin and find life in Jesus’ Name.

It is written…

“For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time,” 1 Timothy 2:3-6 (NKJV)

God’s mercy toward mankind demonstrated…

“For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.” Romans 5:6-11 (NKJV)

Atheist, Mark D, stated: Christians believe that Satan is real, but what’s interesting is that Satanists don’t. On the Satanic Church website they state their view. Do you believe in Satan: “No, nor do we believe in the existence of Satan or the supernatural. The Satanic Temple believes that religion can, and should, be divorced from superstition. As such, we do not promote a belief in a personal Satan.” Are Satanists right when they say that Christians are superstitious when they promote a belief in a personal Satan?

Response to the Atheist

The most effective strategy in Satan’s repertoire is his skill in convincing mankind that he does not exist. The opinions and beliefs or unbelief of Atheists and Satanists concerning Satan is truly of no concern in reality for they are Satan’s servants, unaware. What is relevant is what Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit have said about Satan. Before we review the relevant Scriptures, remember this; in this life constrained by Time, mankind has but two-options concerning their Eternal destiny,

1. Trust in Jesus Christ as Lord for the mediation of sin and find life in God’s Kingdom

– or –

2. Deny Jesus Christ as Lord and serve Satan by default and ultimately die in sin and die the “second death” in Hell in futility.

Please do not follow the lead of Satan’s servants as exemplified by Mark and other atheists who defend Satan as they store-up wrath against themselves for the Day of Wrath at the Judgment of the Condemned manifesting subsequent to the Millennia Reign of Jesus Christ.

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Scriptures relevant to Satan…

1 Peter 5:8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

1 John 3:8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.

John 8:44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

2 Corinthians 11:14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.

James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Revelation 12:9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

2 Corinthians 11:3 But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

Romans 16:20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

2 Corinthians 4:4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Ephesians 6:11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

Luke 10:18 And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.

Ephesians 4:27 And give no opportunity to the devil.

Matthew 16:23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

Isaiah 14:12-15 “How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit.

1 John 5:19 We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

Ephesians 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Revelation 12:9-12 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”

Revelation 20:10 And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Job 1:6-12 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. …

Job 1:7 The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.”

John 12:31 Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.

Hebrews 2:14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil,

Matthew 25:41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

1 Chronicles 21:1 Then Satan stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel.

John 13:27 Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.”

John 14:30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me,

Ephesians 2:2 In which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—

Isaiah 14:12 “How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low!

Colossians 1:13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,

1 Peter 5:8-9 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

Revelation 20:2 And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years,

Ephesians 6:11-16 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. …

Luke 22:31 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat,

Luke 13:16 “And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?”

Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”

Matthew 13:19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path.

Ezekiel 28:12-19 “Son of man, raise a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say to him, Thus says the Lord God: “You were the signet of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle; and crafted in gold were your settings and your engravings. On the day that you were created they were prepared. You were an anointed guardian cherub. I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God; in the midst of the stones of fire you walked. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, till unrighteousness was found in you. In the abundance of your trade you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned; so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God, and I destroyed you, O guardian cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. …

Job 1:6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them.

2 Corinthians 2:11 So that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.

1 John 3:10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

Acts 26:18 To open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

John 16:11 Concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

Zechariah 3:1-2 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. And the Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, O Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this a brand plucked from the fire?”

2 Peter 2:4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment;

2 Timothy 2:26 And they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

1 Corinthians 7:5 Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

Acts 5:3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land?

Revelation 9:11 They have as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he is called Apollyon.

Matthew 4:1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

Revelation 3:9 Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—behold, I will make them come and bow down before your feet and they will learn that I have loved you.

Isaiah 14:12-14 “How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’

Revelation 12:4 His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it.

2 Thessalonians 2:9 The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders,

1 Thessalonians 2:18 Because we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, again and again—but Satan hindered us.

Genesis 3:1-24 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” …

Jude 1:9 But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you.”

Luke 11:18 And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul.

Genesis 3:15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

Acts 13:10 And said, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord?

Luke 4:1-13 And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’” And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, …

1 Timothy 3:6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil.

Revelation 12:10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.

Matthew 4:10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”

Revelation 2:10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.

John 13:2 During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him,

Ezekiel 28:1-26 The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre, Thus says the Lord God: “Because your heart is proud, and you have said, ‘I am a god, I sit in the seat of the gods, in the heart of the seas,’ yet you are but a man, and no god, though you make your heart like the heart of a god— you are indeed wiser than Daniel; no secret is hidden from you; by your wisdom and your understanding you have made wealth for yourself, and have gathered gold and silver into your treasuries; by your great wisdom in your trade you have increased your wealth, and your heart has become proud in your wealth— …

Luke 22:31-32 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”

Revelation 20:7-10 And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Matthew 13:38 The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one,

Matthew 4:1-11 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple …

Revelation 20:7 And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison

Revelation 12:3 And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems.

Revelation 2:9 “‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.

1 Timothy 5:15 For some have already strayed after Satan.

1 Timothy 1:20 Among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.

1 Timothy 3:7 Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.

1 Thessalonians 3:5 For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to learn about your faith, for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you and our labor would be in vain.

Revelation 20:1-3 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.

James 2:19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!

Zechariah 3:2 And the Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, O Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this a brand plucked from the fire?”

Job 2:1 Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord.

Job 1:6-7 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.”

Mark 4:15 And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them.

Zechariah 3:1 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him.

Jude 1:6-9 And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day— just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire. Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones. But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you.”

Matthew 12:29 Or how can someone enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house.

Revelation 19:20 And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.

Matthew 12:24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.”

Revelation 20:3 And threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.

Acts 10:38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.