Thoreau
Valued Senior Member
In Matthew 4-1:11, Jesus wonders out into the wilderness and is encounted by Satan, who then tests Jesus' faith....
Under the unlikely presumption that this actually happened, this tale presents many questions:
1) How does Jesus know that the being/person he encountered was Satan and not just some random doubter, or even a hallucination?
2) In all three tests, Jesus refused to obey. If he was truly the literal Son of God, why would he not have exerted and demonstrated his superiority and divine powers to Satan? Some would say that to do so would show that Jesus would have given into Satan and his commands (with exception to Satan's third test). But the fact is that Jesus did NOT turn the stone into bread, and he did not jump from the highest point of the temple. Instead, he created excuses as to why he wouldn't do so. Had he truly been the Son of God, surely Jesus would have shown Satan his true identity.
3) If God, being all-knowing, had sent Jesus to the wilderness (as is written), then God would have done so knowing that Jesus would have encountered and been tested by Satan. But why? Why does God need to test his son? What is the purpose? This seems to be yet another example that goes against the very concept of a trinity (God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit being the same). God sent himself to earth to test himself and his faith in himself, then sacrifice himself to himself to appease himself. This makes no sense. So, throwing the entire concept of the Trinity right where it belongs - in the trash bin - we are still left more questions...
4) Why would God not only allow Satan's existence, but further allowed Jesus - the ONLY savior (according to Christianity) to be tested by the Satan? Going outside of the Book of Matthew, we read that much earlier God casts Satan out of Heaven (Isaiah 14:12-14 & Ezekiel 28:12-18) where he later roams the Earth for a while (Job 1:6-7). At some point, God is the one that created Hell for Satan. (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:10). Furthermore, we read in various verses that unbelievers will go to Hell and believers will go to Heaven (Daniel 12:2,3; Matthew 25:46; John 5:28; Revelation 20:14,15, John 3:16, 36). In this Hell, non-believers will be punished for all eternity (Matthew 13:41,50; Revelation 20:11-15; 21:8).
Bear with me here, I know there's a lot of citations...
5) With being said, what would have happened had Jesus accepted Satan's third offer? This would have gone against God's will for him to be the savior. This of course means that God is not all-knowing or all-powerful. And, going even further, and reintroducing the Trinitarian belief, this would have been even more completely absurd because it would have meant that God tested himself, failed his own test, then cast himself into Hell (upon his death) to be tormented by Satan - an angel who God created, and in a place that God created. And of course, this would have been irrevocable (Hebrews 9:27). Thus, via the process of elimination, Satan would become God - the almighty ruler of the Universe, never to be removed. And God would have been the one to permit this.
My conclusion:
Under the Trinitarian belief, God is, if not unable, then certainly unwilling to save humanity and our souls.
Under the non-Trinitarian belief, God is nothing more than a sadistic, jealous, and schizophrenic deity with a passion for suffering and mind games.
Under the unlikely presumption that this actually happened, this tale presents many questions:
1) How does Jesus know that the being/person he encountered was Satan and not just some random doubter, or even a hallucination?
2) In all three tests, Jesus refused to obey. If he was truly the literal Son of God, why would he not have exerted and demonstrated his superiority and divine powers to Satan? Some would say that to do so would show that Jesus would have given into Satan and his commands (with exception to Satan's third test). But the fact is that Jesus did NOT turn the stone into bread, and he did not jump from the highest point of the temple. Instead, he created excuses as to why he wouldn't do so. Had he truly been the Son of God, surely Jesus would have shown Satan his true identity.
3) If God, being all-knowing, had sent Jesus to the wilderness (as is written), then God would have done so knowing that Jesus would have encountered and been tested by Satan. But why? Why does God need to test his son? What is the purpose? This seems to be yet another example that goes against the very concept of a trinity (God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit being the same). God sent himself to earth to test himself and his faith in himself, then sacrifice himself to himself to appease himself. This makes no sense. So, throwing the entire concept of the Trinity right where it belongs - in the trash bin - we are still left more questions...
4) Why would God not only allow Satan's existence, but further allowed Jesus - the ONLY savior (according to Christianity) to be tested by the Satan? Going outside of the Book of Matthew, we read that much earlier God casts Satan out of Heaven (Isaiah 14:12-14 & Ezekiel 28:12-18) where he later roams the Earth for a while (Job 1:6-7). At some point, God is the one that created Hell for Satan. (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:10). Furthermore, we read in various verses that unbelievers will go to Hell and believers will go to Heaven (Daniel 12:2,3; Matthew 25:46; John 5:28; Revelation 20:14,15, John 3:16, 36). In this Hell, non-believers will be punished for all eternity (Matthew 13:41,50; Revelation 20:11-15; 21:8).
Bear with me here, I know there's a lot of citations...
5) With being said, what would have happened had Jesus accepted Satan's third offer? This would have gone against God's will for him to be the savior. This of course means that God is not all-knowing or all-powerful. And, going even further, and reintroducing the Trinitarian belief, this would have been even more completely absurd because it would have meant that God tested himself, failed his own test, then cast himself into Hell (upon his death) to be tormented by Satan - an angel who God created, and in a place that God created. And of course, this would have been irrevocable (Hebrews 9:27). Thus, via the process of elimination, Satan would become God - the almighty ruler of the Universe, never to be removed. And God would have been the one to permit this.
My conclusion:
Under the Trinitarian belief, God is, if not unable, then certainly unwilling to save humanity and our souls.
Under the non-Trinitarian belief, God is nothing more than a sadistic, jealous, and schizophrenic deity with a passion for suffering and mind games.