Wednesday, July 27, 2022

Satan Hates You

If you're like everyone else who's ever lived you probably often wonder, "Who did I piss off?"

It's a fair question. Somebody, somewhere seems to have it in for you. I can guarantee Bill Gates asks himself the same thing. We all do. "Why me? What have I done that's so bad?"

You might not have done all that much - or maybe you have. Serial killers too give reasons why they're "not so bad". Well, if you're here you're probably not a serial killer. Or so I hope.

Unfortunately for us, Adam and Eve signed all their descendants up on a cruise to hell. And you're on it too! Maybe you're even onboard with it? A little...?

Christian evangelicals like to say, "Jesus loves you!" Maybe He does. He certainly chose a hard end for Himself if He didn't. However, if you're uncertain whether Jesus loves you, you CAN be certain of one thing: satan HATES you. Yes, dear friends, he hates YOU with a burning passion. It's one reason, a big reason, why things often go wrong in your life.

You might be thinking, "WTH? Why would HE hate ME? What have I ever done to him?" In truth you probably haven't done much to get his ire up. It doesn't matter. Even if you gave yourself wholeheartedly to him... even if you sell your soul to him... he still hates you.

When I say satan hates you that isn't to say he knows you from a pile of rocks. He no doubt knows who the big shots of the World are. Those he can use to mislead and destroy others, body and soul. And he knows, or knows of, those of who give him real trouble, i.e. saints.

The greater part of humanity gives him no trouble at all and few of us are bigshots so it's very unlikely your name has ever come up before him; any more than the CEO of some Ozark chicken farm knows the name of any of the chickens at his facility. Still, satan hates you. Why? Because you're a human being - made in the image of God. And he's one furiously bitter demon with an axe to grind, and he wants you damned, just like he is. It's as simple as that.

Does satan hate his fellow demons too? He certainly doesn't love them. Being an egomaniacal fallen Seraph he's contemptuous of everyone and everything (except for God) as being far beneath his magnificent self. And though he's no doubt a vicious boss, misery loves company. He and the other demons are all in the same miserable boat so there's a fraternity of sorts among them.

The demonic hierarchy for its part is a "top down" organization and mirrors the angelic hierarchy:

And while we're at it, let's correct a common misconception: satan isn't God's "opposite". God has no opposites. Or equals. Or remote equals. Strictly speaking satan is St. Michael's opposite. And he lost there. St. Michael is an archangel. In the divine hierarchy St. Michael is the equivalent of a senior NCO or junior grade officer. But he chased satan, the equivalent of a FIVE STAR GENERAL, from Heaven. That musta' smarted.

Exorcists tell us that demons are acutely conscious of their status. The greater demons lord it over the lesser demons and sometimes treat them with great cruelty. And the lesser demons lord it over lesser demons, and so on. If there is anything approaching friendship among them it can be guaranteed that whenever a demon runs afoul of a superior his peers never come to his defense. Why would they? He wouldn't come to theirs. However satan, in a pretense of magnanimity, may sometimes "pardon" an offender. But it's all fake.

C.S. Lewis understood these things and wrote a classic book about it. Hell is a lot like an insane, tyrannical corporation. With a mad, vicious and mercurial CEO. Under him are middle management toadies, fawning and scraping, and so on down to the lowliest peon demon. It's merciless as hell in hell. The punishments are capricious and severe. Greater demons blame subordinate demons for their own failures and the "unchangeable" laws of hell in fact change from minute to minute.

OK. But why specifically do satan and the demonic multitudes hate YOU.

There are a number of reasons. For one, demons are spirits. They look at matter as the detritus of creation. Vastly inferior to spirit. And we are *spirit-matter composites*. Bodies and souls. A compound they regard as repugnant. Yes, they still see themselves as angels. And to correct another misconception, we don't become "angels" when we die. We become disembodied spirits. However, on Judgment Day we get our bodies back, and thus recomposed go to meet God Almighty, face to face. Same with the demons.

Demons are much smarter than we are and they're contemptuous of us for that too. To them we're akin to grunting beasts. Things to mess around with and trick into assenting to our own damnation. Leading us to perdition is the only joy left to them. Well, maybe not "joy". Malicious glee really. Schadenfreude. Whenever a demon succeeds in luring someone into hell it gains status. Something greatly sought after in their world. Demons CAN rise in hell. And fall.

We all have a personal demon. Maybe several. It studies us and thinks of ways to ambush and trick us. Colluding with other demons in cooking up schemes to make us as miserable as they are; and alternately tempting, cajoling, pushing and whipping us down the highway to hell. And laughing at our stupidity all the while. It's how they roll.

Eventually they get us so habituated to our sins they don't need to do much anymore. Just sit around and laugh as we spiral down into the great abyss. And to make sure we DO NOT go off the highway.

Those times when someone does go off the highway, i.e., turn to Christ, it goes bad for the demons(s) involved. They are held strictly accountable and will answer for it. To Satan himself perhaps but more likely one of his lieutenants. Think of a show trial in Maoist China. Accusations... beatings... forced confessions... self denunciations... public humiliation... then off to a miserable prison.
Another reason they hate us is because God shows us mercy. Mercy is denied them. Of course if they'd repent and ask God for forgiveness He would take them back. But they won't... because they can't. Being fully intellectual beings they understood the consequences of their disobedience in a way Adam and Eve could not.

One exorcist told of having broken a demon down to the point where it finally cried, "I'm a liar, and I've been a liar from the beginning! But I'm telling the truth now: I would trade a thousand years in hell to see God for just five minutes!" Somewhat moved, the exorcist replied: "Then why not repent? He'll take you back." At this the demon began ranting: "Repent?!? NO! I will NOT repent! I will spend eternity in hell but I will NEVER repent!!!"

Another exorcist told of questioning a demon he was working on:

"So, you rebelled against God?"
"Yes!"
"And you were damned?"
"Yes!"
"And you're suffering now - and you will suffer in hell for all eternity?"
"Yes!"
"Pretty stupid of you wasn't it?"
"Yes!"
"Would you do it again?"
"Yes!"

Does that sound like someone you'd want to spend eternity with?

One of the saints told of being shown hell by Christ. Across a chasm satan was seated on a throne. He cried out angrily:
"I sinned only once - and for that I was damned eternally! He has sinned countless times, yet him you bless!?!"
Jesus answered: "He's repented of his sins. What about you?"
"No! Never! I will NEVER repent! NEVER!!!" the great demon screamed.

Psychologically the demons are very, very messed up. Their smarts they kept but everything else about them is twisted into parodies of their once beautiful and perfect selves. They're well aware of it too - and how badly they screwed up. They hate their lives and want to return to God but they can't, and it drives them mad. Instead they must kiss up to their vicious bosses. Telling them how wonderful and beautiful they are even though it's a grotesque, sycophantic lie - and everyone knows it.

Satan and the demons hate us because in spite of our sins, for some reason God still loves us and offers us grace, mercy and forgiveness. If He didn't He'd allow the demons to have their way with us. Given your many sins how do you suppose that'd go?

They also hate us because they know that those who are saved will inherit their former places in heaven. Some greater, some lesser, depending on their virtues. During exorcisms demons are often anxious to find out who might be getting their old positions.

Finally, for the point of this exposition, The demons blame US for their fall. Their rebellion was about US. About YOU. There were things about us they would not assent to. If the theologians and exorcists are correct, God put the angels to a test - showing them that lowly men would attain Heaven too. Many even excelling them! Some angels refused to accept it.

In conclusion:

The angels were put to the test. A third of them failed, went rogue, and morphed into demons

Angels, demons too, are purely intellectual spirits whereas men are spirit+matter. They view us as inferiors for that. But we're also made in God's image and they envy us for that.

They're embittered that some among us will be taking their former positions in the celestial hierarchy.

They are tormented by their fall from holiness. And while there's hope and forgiveness for us there's none for them. They resent God for that. Men too.

Finally, like the angels, we too are being put to the test. Do we love God... or ourselves? Some will pass. Many won't. Be one of the few. Stay holy, my friends.

Deus misericors est, sed iustitiam Eius est furoris.


Citizenfitz

2 Comments:

Blogger deb harvey said...

thank you... just found you today ... very informative ... never hear clergy preach on this

October 21, 2022 at 12:39 PM  
Blogger Citizenfitz said...

Thank you for that! I don't make a penny off of any of this.

October 21, 2022 at 9:07 PM  

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