are you saying Jesus was not tempted in the wilderness from satan, the devil ? Scripture and Jesus use them interchangeable being one in the same being- the devil/satan.
Matthew 4
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by
the devil.
2After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.
3
The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
4Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’
5Then
the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple.
6“If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’
7;Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’
8Again,
the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9“All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
10Jesus said to him, “Away from me,
Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.
11Then
the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
conclusion: Scripture declares the being who temps is known as satan/ the devil. Peter says he prowls around like a roaring lion to devour. 1 Peter 5:8. After-all He like Jesus was tempted by the same being. Peter failed, Jesus did not. The other Apostles also affirm he is real, exists and is still active. see below:
Luke 22:31
Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you like wheat.
James 4:7
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Ephesians 6:11-12
Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes. / For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
2 Corinthians 11:14
And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.
2 Corinthians 2:11
in order that Satan should not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.
1 John 3:8
The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the very start. This is why the Son of God was revealed, to destroy the works of the devil.
hope this helps !!!
I agree the names "devil" and "Satan" are used interchangeably in the New Covenant writings, but this is clearly non-existent in the Hebrew Scripture (Old Testament.) Why is that?
1. The term "devil" comes from the Greek word
(diabolos), which means "
slanderer" or "
accuser."
This Greek word is part of the
New Testament, which was originally written in Greek.
The
Old Testament was written almost entirely in Hebrew, and the word (devil) simply
does not appear in the Hebrew text.
2. The Word "Satan" in the Old Testament
The word
"Satan" comes from the Hebrew word
(satan), which is a generic noun meaning
"adversary," "opponent."
In the Old Testament (KJV):
It is often used in a general sense to refer to
human adversaries (e.g., 1 Kings 11:14).
Human adversaries? Man is called "satan"?
When it refers to the specific supernatural figure, it is most often found with the definite article as
"the Satan" (Hebrew:
ha-śāṭān), meaning
"the Adversary" or
"the Accuser." This is the figure that appears in
Job 1-2 and
Zechariah 3:1-2.
3. Connection in the Septuagint and New Testament
Although the Hebrew text of the Old Testament does not use "devil," the connection between the two terms is established in later translations and the New Testament: The Greek translation of the Old Testament, the
Septuagint (LXX), often translated the Hebrew
ha-śāṭān in places like Job and Zechariah using the Greek word
(diabolos), linking the concepts.
The
New Testament (and the KJV translation of it) explicitly uses both "Devil" and "Satan" to refer to the same ultimate evil being, often using them interchangeably or side-by-side (e.g.,
Revelation 12:9 in the KJV: "And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent,
called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world...").
The Old Testament itself, the word for "devil" is absent, while the word "satan" is often a generic term for "adversary." (Satan) had evolved into the concept known as the (Devil), and the terms became synonyms.
--edited w/ Gemini.
The prophecy of Lucifer/devil/Satan in Isaiah 14 places this event before the creation of man. I won't get into my understanding of what transpired in the narrative but the result of Lucifer's desires is his being "brought down to "hell" to the sides of the pit.
15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. Isaiah 14:15.
This is also stated by Peter. But Peter adds more to the narrative of this Lucifer by saying [he] "was delivered into chains of darkness and reserved unto judgment. In short, Lucifer/devil/Satan is 'locked up' and awaiting final judgment. There is no passage in Scripture that this Lucifer/Satan had been released to dwell among men. The angels that sinned are all locked up (restricted/subdued) in chains of darkness awaiting judgment. According to Peter - who agrees with Isaiah - Lucifer/Satan is 'locked up.'
4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; 2 Peter 2:3–4.
I used to believe the textbook version of Lucifer/Satan roaming the earth "seeking whom he may devour" (Peter) but I always came back to Isaiah's, Peter's, and Jude's word that the angels that sinned were locked up awaiting judgment. There is nothing in Scripture that he was given pardon, escaped, or paroled and is today roaming the earth. Peter's words, along with Jude, must be considered as final. And this sets us up to deal with James who says:
14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. James 1:14.
This states that there is only ONE way men are tempted. This includes Jesus - who is a man.
1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
4 But he answered and said,
It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Matthew 4:1–4.
The word "devil" in the passage above is an adjective. Thus, it is not speaking of "Lucifer/Satan." An adjective modifies or describes a noun or pronoun. So, what does Matthew say? He says Jesus "fasted forty days and forty nights and was afterward [an] hungered." Hunger is a function of the flesh. Jesus' human part is being tested. Jesus was hungry after this supernatural fast and so His flesh was the subject and itself was the "tempter." And what does Jesus consider in His thoughts? "IF" thou be the Son of God He could command these stones be made bread. There is nothing wrong with this. As James says, "But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed." Look at the word "lust." This is not a 'dirty' word. It merely means:
Greek Word: ἐπιθυμία
Transliteration: epithymia
Strong's [#1939] from [#1937] (epithumeo); a
longing.
Jesus was hungry and He 'longed' to eat. This is as human one can get. The whole narrative brought out by Matthew describes three 'things' that refer to Jesus' humanity.
16 For all that is in the world, the
lust of the flesh, and the
lust of the eyes, and the
pride of life 1 John 2:16.
Again, the word "lust" is: Strong's [#1939] ἐπιθυμία epithymia.
Lucifer/Satan is not part of Jesus' testing. The angels that sinned are 'locked up.' It is the Word who took upon Him the nature of man and the man Jesus' "hupostasis" is being tested. And to all this what does Jesus say?
30
Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me. John 14:30.
There was nothing in and of His flesh or human side that could claim any weakness common to man. For by having two natures, His "hupostasis" or "setting under" or human side was being upheld by the Divinity of the Christ, the Messiah.
The "prince", the "god of this world" is man. Lucifer/Satan is locked up awaiting judgment and there he remains with his compatriots, the one-third of the angelic realm, 'locked up' and awaiting judgment. As a man Jesus was tempted and as a man overcame and in the end was victorious.
15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Hebrews 4:15.
IF Jesus was tempted/tested by Lucifer then Jesus was not tested in all ways common to man and His testing is a farce. He could NOT be our High Priest and intermediary of us to God and of God to us. It is our flesh that we deal with in our walk with Jesus. But He says, "
In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." John 16:33. And this He did in the wilderness when His human side [flesh] was tested and He remained strong in the Lord.
Our weakness is that we are human. We were created "sinful" ("missing the mark") And that "mark" is the glory of God, or the glory
that is God. Jesus Christ died as a man and was glorified as God. He took upon Himself flesh but was upheld by His Divinity. In similar fashion we, too, when we submit to God will be upheld by God, by divinity. Our Comforter is always with us for He will never leave nor forsake us. The Doctrine of Imputation is clear. Jesus took upon Himself our sinful nature and we are imputed His Righteous nature. It was a nature-swap. For there are those who say Jesus died for our sinful
acts. This position destroys the Doctrine of Imputation. The passage reads:
21 For he hath made him [
to be] sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. 2 Corinthians 5:21.
It does not say He took upon Himself our sinful
acts so that we would be imputed His righteous
acts. Our sinlessness is the application of Jesus' sacrifice who as a man and as God died so that we may be given His divinity. It was a nature-swap, not an act-swap.
4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be
partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through
lust [Strong's #1939]. 2 Peter 1:4.
