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The Real Devil A Biblical Exploration |
Contact the author, Duncan Heaster |
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The Real Devil: Testimonies And CommentsI have started the first chapter of your book "The Real Devil". Let me just say it is a real eye opener and I have obtained at the outset so much useful information from the book that I have shared via the internet with many people from all over the world. I am so grateful that God is using you just as he used others from the past to spread the truth of his word. I can not believe how uninformed that people are concerning true biblical doctrine. Futhermore, it is almost unbeliveable that the false beliefs that people have are the result of non biblical doctrine. It is amazing how the so called Church Fathers and people like John Milton through their commentary and writings (which were their own Biblically unsupported personal beliefs) could influence thousands of years of true Christian thought. How pagan beliefs (which God warned his people against) have become ingrained in the minds of the uninformed. How in the world could this happen Duncan? How can we all read from the same Bible (for a practical purposes) but many take from it ideas that are not even hinted at in the Bible? How in the world can something like that occur?... Your book the "Real Devil" is such a amazing piece of work. The words jump right of the page and ring so true. So much information that is there to be read and shared has gone unnoticed by mainline Christendom. What a shame. So many of the myths that have been handed down to us can so easily be refuted if people did their own independent research instead of relying like the Bereans on the scriptures which they searched to determine if what Paul (and others) were teaching were true. Why do you think people are no longer like that Duncan? Has the human race sunken so low in a lazy stupor as to have others think and act for them? What happened to personal responsiblity in order to gain eternal salvation? I think that you are correct in saying that the so called church fathers, Dante, and other related works really damaged the true beliefs found in the Bible. Their commentary has had such a disastrous effect on the minds of millions.... It is like you stated in the Real Devil. When they are cornered in false belief and inherit a false belief they must come up with another false belief to explain a previous false belief. Such as purgatory and limbo. When they don't have an answer they give in to false belief. Eldridge (Chicago, USA) I'm currently studying this idea of Satan. It is very interesting to me. I was quite shocked in my study of the OT in trying to find a history of Satan. On my own I had already come to the conclusion that the traditional Satan was a bunch of bull... LOL... because I couldn't find him in the OT. However, it is when I got to the NT that I really wanted to know where he came from. I mean, in the NT, he just shows up. And he seems to be fully developed, have demons under him, tempting Christ, have a kingdom to offer Christ, etc. I am REALLY enjoying the book. Your studies are a blessing to me. My favorite chapter so far is Chapter 3 where you discuss the practical implications of the belief. I have already experienced these ideas in my life and put them into practice. In fact, in my devotion to my Lord Jesus, I have never had Him tell me in prayer that the problem was an external being (even when I believed in Satan!). He always revealed to me that 99% of the time it was my own carnal nature that was the problem. The other 1% it was another human being acting in their own carnal nature causing the problem. But, I have a little bit of a different approach than you do to the subject. I am a preterist in terms of eschatology, which basically means I believe Jesus came in AD 70 at the destruction of Jerusalem like He emphatically states. So, for me, regardless of what Satan is, I see him as history in AD 70 and no longer influencing humans (if he ever did) post AD 70. I take it by reading your book that you are premillennial dispensationalist, or some form thereof? But, thanks for your thoughts and your generosity, dear brother. Your input is helping me repent (change my thinking)... and for that I pray God's rewards on your life as I crush the "Satan" in my own life. :) In Jesus, The more we search out the topic the more we realize that the context
of scripture will determine the "Satan" or "Adversary"
or "Devil". The preconceived idea of tradition distorts the
Gospel and sent us chasing after phantoms. While chasing after these phantoms,
we were not dealing with the real issue of sin in the flesh. The traditional
doctrine robbed us of the power of the cross and the blessings given to
us by God through the Son of God. We have been given the victory! I guess every time you accept some new concept it rattles the cage of the other concepts you have. So what is the implication of no Devil? People are afraid to take the step....... G (Canada) Even though I don't agree with some of the author's theology, I have to admit that he has done his research. Where did you get this information? I have sent it on to {}. He wants to contact the author to try to get him on his radio broadcast. Can you help with that? Lynn F. (Canada) When I was a kid, I was in the Baptist Church. I used to have a terrible
fear of the Devil, Demons, Judgment and Hell. As a youth, when I struggled
with sin, I thought that perhaps a demon was attempting to poses's me
to do wrong. I had a fear that when I died, I'd go to a burning hell.
When I learned the truth about what hell really is [i.e. just the grave],
and also the truth about demons and the devil, I realized that I was personally
responsible for my actions. As I've grown older, and studied the word
more, I realize that a proper understanding of the devil & demons
is very, very important. The past few years I've been challenged by friends
who do believe in the devil. I've delved into this subject from a biblical
perspective, and now believe that some people actually elevate the Devil
& Satan to a godlike status. If the 'Devil' tempts each of us, he
must be omnipresent. Well, omnipresence is a Divine attribute! I also
believe that some blame the Devil for things that God is responsible for:
such as floods, earthquakes, death, etc. Some Christians actually believe
the Devil does these things. I think it's dangerous to give a false god
(the Devil) credit for things that God does. So, I think that this book
is a good project. I think it's a very important thing for people to come
to understand. When I learned about the Kingdom of God, I started to question other
doctrine that I had been taught. It seemed to me that if most believed
that you went to heaven when you died, then what else did they believe
incorrectly? In my study of the Kingdom of God, I learned that we are
not born with an immortal soul. This then led me to the belief that there
are no demons and then that there is no devil. I tell those who believe
in the devil that if you want to believe in a devil, go ahead, Am on Chapter 4 of Duncan's "devil" book -- and while I held this belief prior to reading his book [from Peter Watkins' book] -- Duncan has some EXCELLENT material on the subject. While I have believed that there is NO Satan -- that the "adversary" is our human nature -- for at least 20 years -- this particular book really does an excellent job of explaining things. If you just look at the first chapter -- the history of the concept -- you may find it of great interest. Your book is FANTASTIC!! You have done a marvelous job -- the whole "concept"
of the Bible not really taking shots at the "views" that people
had --but rather pointing out that "He" is God and "He"
can do all those things that the "false gods" do. In all my
years, I have NEVER heard that before...... And not correcting people's
beliefs .... This is "the" approach that purveyors of Christianity
should be taking. The more I read your book and your style and point of
view -- the more I believe that -- in time -- you will see that Biblical
prophecy is written EXACTLY the same way as the rest of the Bible. Literalism,
dualism -- just doesn't cut it [for me] anymore. Note: You can contact all these folk via our email. |
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