Expert: Dean Gade - 8/7/2008

Question
Can you explain this? I would like to know what you think. To me, it sounds as if the devil has deceived someone. I personally feel that we were shown events to come but aren't given the insight to fully understand the mysterious works of GOD and his words.  ".....God will defeat Satan, unless Satan reads the prophecies regarding all his yet future actions, and decides to choose not to obey these prophecies. If the Devil is as smart as you and I, he will easily defeat God and Jesus Christ by doing what we would do if we were in his predicament, that is, to choose NOT to obey bible prophecies regarding his yet future actions. This defeats God and Jesus Christ by discrediting their ability to tell the truth about the Devil's yet future actions. The whole universe will know that God and Jesus Christ make mistakes, and so the Devil can defeat them, by choosing not to do what the bible says he will do. The Devil could never defeat God or Jesus Christ in a fist fight, as they're just too strong. But, the Devil easily defeats them in brain fight because God and Jesus Christ gave to the Devil the ammunition he needs to shoot down their credibility. That is, by givng prophecies regarding the Devil's yet future actions, the Devil simply chooses not to obey them, and this defeats God and Jesus Christ by showing that they cannot tell the truth about the Devil's yet future actions.

And in case the Devil is the bumbling idiot the bible makes him out to be, I have told him how he can legitimately defeat God and Jesus Christ by choosing NOT to obey bible prophecies. I wanted to level the spiritual playing field, so to speak, so that the Devil had at least some chance of actually winning against God and Jesus Christ. If he is stupid, he will choose to obey the bible prophecies about his yet future actions, and then of course God and Jesus Christ will easily defeat the Devil.

Now, don't get me wrong here. I HATE the Devil! There is no love lost between he and me. But, I also hate illogic and foolish theology which hasn't taken the time to think through the logical ramifications of its statements. When the bible gives prophecies regarding what the Devil will do, it just gave the Devil the very ammunition he needs to shoot down God's credibility because, if he can read, or gets Internet down where he's at, he can choose to disobey the prophecies and defeating God by discrediting God's ability to tell the truth about the Devil's yet future actions.

So then, how can we save God and Jesus Christ from an embarrassing defeat? Easy. Just realize that all prophecies regarding the Devil's yet future actions are the word of foolish, shortsighted men, claiming to speak for God. No God worthy of the name would be so stupid as to give the Devil the means to actually defeat Him, now would he. Not everything in our bible is God's word, unless you want to admit the errors are His word, too. If so, that would explain a lot. But I do believe that most of the bible is God's word, minus the errors, of course."


Answer
Your logic is valid in a temporal world, the world in which we live.

However,  God is not temporal.  He is eternal and lives in eternity.  The prophecies that He gave to His prophets are not "hopes" of the future but rather they are visions of what happens.   He is above the past, present and future.   

Our logic can only based on "time" as we have experienced it.  We may predict,  but we do not KNOW what will happen.   What we predict may be wrong because circumstances may change.   God has told us what "happened in the future".      Since it already happened,  it can't change.     It's somewhat like our watching a movie:  no matter how much we may try to change it.....it is always the same because it is written, acted and produced.

So, the explanation is that we are mortal,  God is eternal.   We can only think according to our mortality and have no ability to discern spiritual and eternal things of ourselves.

God's Word is eternal also.   Man's interpretation of it may have errors, but God is absolute and perfect and His word came to earth in Jesus Christ who has already defeated the devil.  The devil has lost already.   What we have from God is a record of that loss so that we may be sure of our victory in Christ who is far superior to the devil as He is above any other angel.

We, who know God and know that it is true have power over the devil.  It is our doubts which allow the devil steal and destroy the abundant life which Jesus came to give us:

John 16:33

33 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
NIV



1 John 2:14
I write to you, young men,
because you are strong,
and the word of God lives in you,
and you have overcome the evil one.

The devil is "the thief" in the following:

John 10:9-10
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
NIV

NIV