Answer to DTRT
Part 4
And once again, some words of explanation and a warning: This is the last of four parts answering DTRT's questions that were attached to the bottom of "Satan's Achilles' Heel" aka "The little piss-ant panty-waist 'god' "(meaning Satan) (http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/216795/1/Satan-The-little-piss-ant-panty-waist-god ). If you haven't read that first part, you may need to go back and review it in order to have some continuity.
The first of the answer's four parts is located here: http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/217242/1/Answer-to-DTRT-Part-1, the second one here: http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/217479/1/Answer-to-DTRT-Part-2, and the third one here: http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/217690/1/Answer-to-DTRT-Part-3
As to the warning: As mentioned before, some people find this subject disturbing, because we are tromping all over "forbidden" territory. Some will find it advisable to take these a piece at a time.
Again I address the Totchwower spies: Please note that nowhere in this series do I attempt to claim that I am "inspired" or am guided by Holy Spirit. Rather, I became rather tired of waiting around for you to cease and desist in kissing each other's big, broad, fat, hairy butts (the view must be perfectly awful) and turn your attention to something that involves spirituality instead. This would need to be something a little more substantial than your usual regurgitated pap, and should be something that could be classified as "New Light" in the true sense.
Therefore, I decided to do a little investigating of my own in the true spirit of Matt. 11:12 "But from the days of John the Baptist until now the Kingdom of the heavens is the goal toward which men press, and those pressing forward are seizing it.". I'm submitting this series to everyone for the express reason that I want more input, such as DTRT gave me. It is due to such input that progress is made.
The "everyone" includes you. I don't expect much from you, but if I don't give you a chance, then I will be guilty of the same blind prejudice you are, will I not? However, your usual apostate answer (a haughty nose-in-the-air silence, followed when pressed, by name calling and slander) just won't cut it.
So far, your conduct reminds me of the situation with Elijah and the priests of Baal that is recounted in the chapter at 1 Kings 18. Just like those Baal priests, you do an awful lot of hollering and screeching, put on grand displays of holiness, and claim all kinds of things that you have no right to - and its all hot air and hogwash. There is no substance behind all your claims and the result is predictable.
Okay, here's the fourth part:
Hi, DTRT!
Part 3 ended this way:
"There's one last thing that should be included in regard to your questions. As mentioned before, when pondering an answer, another major piece of the puzzle fell into place. Others have objected to the analysis of the events in Eden, because it tended to make Jehovah appear like a patsy or naïve fool whom Satan outsmarted and took to the cleaners. There was an answer for that, but it was incomplete and unsatisfying.
"A much better one has presented itself, and this last part will cover it."
And there's something else that's good about this new piece of the puzzle. As was observed some time back about this study, it seems that whenever an additional facet comes into play, it dovetails into everything else that came before it in a manner that gives a fellow the feeling that it belongs there. But it doesn't stop with that, for it also sheds light on unrelated areas that have never been considered before. This is a case in point.
THE UNSATISFYING ANSWER
The answer to the above question that felt incomplete and unsatisfying was simply an analysis of how a truly powerful individual would handle rebellion like this. Such an individual has no need to give excuses to or nag others into doing whatever is needed. Rather, as Isaiah 55:11 states, "so my word that goes forth from my mouth will prove to be. It will not return to me without results, but it will certainly do that in which I have delighted, and it will have certain success in that for which I have sent it."
There is no problem with that in itself. A truly powerful individual is comfortable with his power and knows it well. Challenges and/or rebellion won't bother him because he knows his strength. Therefore he feels no particular need to respond in a hurry.
Rather, the source of the dissatisfaction centers on our impatience. An injustice was done and it is aggravating to see a crook apparently getting away with what he is doing. Most people want to see more, preferably some sort of immediate sanctions.
So let's see if this makes any sense to you.
Ever since we first started stirring this spiritual stew of ideas about the spirits needing to take in some sort of sustenance, one little morsel kept bobbing to the surface begging for attention, but everything else was too fascinating to do anything with it. It would disappear for a while only to bob up again later. This last time was during our pondering on how to answer your questions, and it seemed like it was time to finally fish it out and examine it closer.
Here it is: If the angels and their fallen brethren need sustenance as is suggested by the incident with the swine in Luke 8:27-33, then if we were in Satan's position, Jehovah's words to Adam and Eve as he kicked them out of Eden would be rather alarming: ". . . cursed is the ground on your account. In pain you will eat its produce all the days of your life. And thorns and thistles it will grow for you, and you must eat the vegetation of the field. In the sweat of your face you will eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For dust you are and to dust you will return." (Genesis 3:17-19)
Upon witnessing the imposition of such a sentence, the first thought that would enter our mind would be "could something like that happen to me, and if it did, what would I do?" Satan is a lot more intelligent than we are, so it's hard to feature it not occurring to him. If so, this throws a whole different light on everything as well as brings some rather startling possibilities into play.
THE MIND GAME
But first things first. Few warriors would argue with the statement that warfare is fought in the mind as much as it is fought on the battlefield. Note the differences those few sentences would make in the heavenly equation:
For one, the words are not spoken to Satan, but are said in his presence, and the implications would be clear to him - unless he is totally obtuse. This indirect approach when used against a powerful and dignified individual would be viewed as a snub or insult that is, even over and above the actual words, a slap in the face when considering that it was done in a very public manner. To understand this better, think about how old people feel when someone talks past them to their grown children, or handicapped people feel when people talk about them to their caregivers as though they weren't even there.
Even the statement before that "And Jehovah God proceeded to say to the serpent: 'Because you have done this thing, you are the cursed one out of all the domestic animals and out of all the wild beasts of the field. Upon your belly you will go and dust is what you will eat all the days of your life. And I shall put enmity between you and the woman and between your seed and her seed. He will bruise you in the head and you will bruise him in the heel." (Genesis 3: 14, 15) was addressed to the snake! Satan would realize they were spoken for his benefit, but Jehovah isn't acknowledging his presence. Again, he is being slapped in the face.
So the words are harsh enough, but the manner in which they were conveyed would also be a direct blow to Satan's pride. He is being treated like an immature child.
THE MISCALCULATION
What that specific consists of - the requirement that he provides his own sustenance - is an even greater blow to his pride and dignity. Criminals view themselves as superior to, and smarter than their intended victims, and their usual downfall is that they underestimate them. Similarly, Satan figured that he had Jehovah in a bind that he couldn't escape. But now in only a few words to a third party he finds out that he is not only the one in jeopardy - but exactly where he miscalculated. The very ease with which this is done makes him feel like a fool who is being laughed at.
Plus, he has another problem. Is there a way out? He has a hellish choice. Does he immediately recognize his stupidity and confess all, throwing himself on Jehovah's mercy? That would be nigh onto impossible for an egotistical self-centered individual of this stripe. He'd rather die first. Plus, he had already passed the point of no return and there's no turning back.
The only other alternative would be to use the time he forged by blaming everything on humankind, to put on a big front of strength and indignation, rally as many of the other angels to his side as he could, and try to figure out a way of providing his own "food" - just in case his plot fails.
And it is about now that a realization would come to him that would be utterly galling. Without even realizing it at the time, Satan himself was the one who suggested the curtailing of his "food" supply. How? By putting Jehovah in the position of having to provide the energy necessary to continue his rebellion.
How many countries do you know who would be willing to provide the fuel to an enemy who wishes to wage war against them? Furthermore, would you as an individual provide a car and fuel to someone who you knew wished to rob a bank? Wouldn't you be acting as an accomplice? How could Jehovah be faulted for not wishing to be involved in furthering Satan's misconduct?
In short - Satan outsmarted himself.
THE "FOOD" SUPPLY
But how could Satan concoct a "food" supply? The additional factor above throws an entirely new and sinister light on the section of The Outline dealing with D.N.A, for now he has a dire need over and above the desire for recreation.
Could he invent something that could tap into other forms of life and drain enough life force to sustain itself and provide a source he could harvest? We don't have enough information yet to make an intelligent decision either way --- BUT:
Human life was shortened by over 90% shortly after the time of the Flood. Could this be an explanation? It shouldn't take much life force to keep a few bugs alive, so what happened to all of the extra that's left over?
Another question arises involving disease organisms. The people of that day had no comprehension of germs, bacteria, viruses, etc., so terms had to be used that the common people could understand. If a demon was using these pathogens as a source of "food", then the pathogens would be merely a tool they could use like we use a straw to suck a drink out of a glass, and the real problem would be the demon himself. "Casting the demon out" would fix the problem whether the person was literally possessed as we commonly use the term, or he was under an attack by the demon using the pathogen as a weapon. In either case, the terminology would be correct.
In addition, these tools would give Satan another advantage. As mentioned some time ago (Satan's Achilles' Heel), if Satan is limited to physically "possessing" only human beings and has to ask permission to enter into other creatures as happened with the swine, then using such pathological tools could be a way to get around that rule and tap the life force anyway.
SHEDDING LIGHT ON UNRELATED AREAS
"And I shall put enmity between you and the woman and between your seed and her seed. He will bruise you in the head and you will bruise him in the heel." (Genesis 3:15)
Christendom applies the phrase "woman's seed" to Jesus Christ almost across the board, and there is no need to argue against that. However, the scenario above makes one wonder if this could be referring to more than just Jesus. Could it have a greater fulfillment, even as many other prophecies in the Bible have two or more fulfillments, both immediate and long-term?
Look at it this way: In the more immediate sense, when human beings are robbed, their natural instinct is to resist. They will endlessly search for ways and means to prevent it and will not quit until they find something. They may not know how it works or even what happened; all they care about is that they get relief. Therefore, if Satan's robbing them of life force causes them distress, they are going to resist and search until they find relief. In turn, if they find that relief, it screws up Satan's foraging.
There would be then, a very real enmity "between your seed and her seed" based on need, and if one prevails, the other is hurting.
Now crank in the factor of modern medicine with its antibiotics, immunizations, etc. These would tend to interfere with Satan's need and it would stand to reason that he would resist them. Could this throw a little additional light on the way so many diseases and their vectors have gained a resistance to these preventatives? Apparently Satan really has to work at it and, like humans, has to do so"In the sweat of your(his) face"!
That's not all though, and this goes back to the theme that runs through all of this - the giving of an answer. (Proverbs 27:11)
Jesus provided the ransom sacrifice and gave us much of the knowledge we needed, yet he didn't provide the "answer" spoken of in that scripture, as is evident by the fact that we are still living under the conditions we are now. This means that part of the "answer" has yet to be given.
And that brings us to the last part of Genesis 3:15: "He will bruise you in the head and you will bruise him in the heel." Few would wish to argue against the statement that Satan has "bruised" the woman's seed (all of us) in the heel, considering the misery he's put us through during our existence down over the past 6,000 years. In fact, that could be classified as an understatement that makes us wonder just what his being bruised in the head would mean!
Just this: in spite of all he's done to us, we still exist. On the other hand, if we could figure out what is needed in that answer and give it, the impasse would be solved and he would cease to exist. He would indeed be bruised in the head.
No wonder he views us with enmity! We will be going into that with much more detail in A Role for Humankind.
ANOTHER SIDELIGHT
One more thing and then we will quit (for now). (Grin)
The 38 th chapter of Ezekiel is an intriguing and puzzling passage, especially the 4 th verse: "And I shall certainly turn you around and put hooks in your jaws and bring you forth with all your military force, ..." These words were pronounced against "Gog of Magog", a name that has long and widely been associated with Satan.
In view of the thoughts above, forcing him to do that would be easy enough. All one has to do is to threaten to throttle his "food" supply and he has no choice but to attack.
Now, it would really be a delight to believe that passage and see him rendered helpless, but one has to admit that to all outward appearances, Satan has been running high, wide, and handsome here on the earth for thousands of years, and pretty much doing and having things his way.
But - was he? If the deductions above were true, then he has indeed been outmaneuvered right from square one there in the Garden of Eden, and has had little or no wiggle room ever since. Furthermore, the reason he puts on this front of impunity becomes clear too.
He is vulnerable to what we do, and is therefore afraid of our reaction if we become aware of that vulnerability. He must use every means at hand to keep us in ignorance.
Okay, 'nuff for now.
Tom