Destroy the Devil?

[Truth96130]

If the devil will be saved some day then why dos Hebrews 2/14 say- For as much then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil?

[Cypress]

I guess you'd have to look at the original text to see what it says. NIV does not say "destroy" for instance. Seems to me they are saying his power over death is destroyed. It's so interesting to me how much the different translations vary. Just another fact most Christians turn a blind eye to.

Hebrews 2:14-15
New International Version (NIV)
14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.

Hebrews 2:14-15
The Message (MSG)
14-15Since the children are made of flesh and blood, it's logical that the Savior took on flesh and blood in order to rescue them by his death. By embracing death, taking it into himself, he destroyed the Devil's hold on death and freed all who cower through life, scared to death of death.

Hebrews 2:14-15
New Life Version (NLV)
14 It is true that we share the same Father with Jesus. And it is true that we share the same kind of flesh and blood because Jesus became a man like us. He died as we must die. Through His death He destroyed the power of the devil who has the power of death. 15 Jesus did this to make us free from the fear of death. We no longer need to be chained to this fear.

[lilitalienboi16]

If the devil will be saved some day then why dos Hebrews 2/14 say- For as much then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil?

Here is some information you might find useful, and I believe the answer you are seeking.

DESTROYED, PERISHED, AND LOST

DESTROYED: Is being destroyed a condition from which there is no salvation? Jesus said,

"And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him which is able to DESTROY both soul and body in hell [the Greek is "gehenna" NOT hell. It is 'gehenna fire,' Mat. 5:22, not 'hell fire']" (Matt. 10:28).

Is there no salvation from this "destruction" in gehenna fire? Notice that they are not "eternally lost" in gehenna fire, but they are "DESTROYED" in gehenna fire. Their condition is that of being DESTROYED. This is not a hopeless condition or even our own Lord would have been put into a hopeless condition.

"Jesus answered and said unto them, DESTROY this temple, and in three days I will raise it up ... but He spake of the temple of His BODY" (John 2:19 & 21).

Later they did destroy Jesus Christ and sure enough three days later God SAVED Jesus from that destruction.

Notice what Job said with relation to being "destroyed":

"Thine hands have made me and fashioned me together round about; yet Thou dost DESTROY me" (Job 10:.

Yet Job knew that God would yet save him. In Jeremiah 18 God tells Jeremiah to go down to the Potter's house and observe him at work. Jeremiah sees the potter destroy a marred work in his hand and refashion it into something useful. This we learn is an analogy of how God would "destroy" Judah (Ver. 7), and yet save him in the end. God will refashion all of marred (destroyed) mankind into glorious sons of God!

PERISHED: Can a person perish and still be saved? Of course. Even "righteous" men can perish,

"All things have I seen in the days of my vanity: there is a JUST MAN that PERISHES in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that prolongs his life in his wickedness" (Ecc. 7:15).

One more,

"The RIGHTEOUS PERISHES, and no man lays it to heart..." (Isa. 57:1).

Perishing is not something that can cut off God's arm of salvation.

LOST: Can a person sin, be lost, die, and then be saved? Certainly. Let's look at one of those parables of Jesus that Christendom thinks of as easy to understand little stories, when in fact they don't even begin to understand. You all know the story contained in the parable of the Prodigal son so I won't read it all, but let me give you the "truth" of this parable.

God is the "Father" in this parable, and the Prodigal is EVERY SON WHO HAS GONE ASTRAY.

"And when he had spent all ... And when he came to himself ... I will arise and go to my father ... I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight ... And am no more worthy to be called thy son ... But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring hither the fatted calf ... For this my son was DEAD, and is alive again; he was LOST, and is found. And they began to be merry" (Luke 15:14-23).

This man SINNED, he was LOST, and he SPIRITUALLY DIED! Do we ALL spiritually DIE? "AND AS IT IS APPOINTED UNTO MEN ONCE TO DIE..." But isn't this speaking of the PHYSICAL death of our bodies? No it is not. The second part of the verse gives us the answer as to which death this is,

"And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but AFTER this the JUDGMENT" (Heb. 9:27).

Notice that "judgment" comes after this death, and not before. We already learned that JUDGMENT is upon the house of God NOW! Each individual Christian in every generation is judged NOW, in THIS life, BEFORE he physically dies! And so the "death" that all men must partake of before judgment is SPIRITUAL DEATH. Notice:

"And I saw THE DEAD, small and great, STAND before God" (Rev. 20:12).

How pray tell can the physically dead, stand, if they are dead?

So here then is the order of things. The Prodigal Son SINNED, he was LOST, he spiritually DIED, and then? And then he was JUDGED! Where and when was he judged? In the hog pens of a far alien country, that's where. God had to bring him out of this alien county (Mystery Babylon the Great) with all its "riotous living" (Luke 15:13). And so it was that God JUDGED this Prodigal with the beasts and swine of Babylon until he "came to himself." (Ver. 17). Seems to me that God sent King Nebuchadnezzer into the fields with the beasts to live like a beast, so that he too "came to himself." God has not warned in vain to

"Come out of her [MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH] my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues" (Rev. 17:5 & 18:4).

He that has an ear, let him hear.

And so this Prodigal SINNED, was LOST, and spiritually DIED. Surely he is outside of the realm of salvation now. No, he is in the perfect realm FOR SALVATION. How many millions of times this parable of the Prodigal Son has been read, but how many times has its truth ever been understood and perceived? This prodigal was, according to his father, "DEAD." And it was after his father said that he was "dead" that he welcomed him back, forgave him, exalted him, and rewarded him! Now who says one can't be saved after death. It is after death that most of humanity will be saved.

May God finally grant you to SEE SOMETHING SPIRITUAL! Parables are NOT literal, that's why they are called "parables" instead of "history." This parable pictures the carnal mind going the way of the flesh. What are the wages of living a riotous life in the alien land of lustful Babylon? Is it "life and joy in the holy spirit?" I speak as fool. Here is the wages of riotous and carnal living in the hog pens of Babylon: "For the wages of sin is DEATH..." (Rom. 6:23). SPIRITUAL DEATH! What must happen AFTER we spiritually DIE? "JUDGMENT!" The spiritual DEAD must be JUDGED. Does judging CORRECT the spiritually dead sinners? Yes it does. That is what the parable of the Prodigal Son is all about. God's "ways and means" ALWAYS WORK!

"...For when Thy [God's] JUDGMENTS are in the earth, the INHABITANTS OF THE WORLD WILL LEARN RIGHTEOUSNESS" (Isa. 26:9)!

The above was taken from rays article; http://bible-truths.com/lake4.html

Below is an email or two, with specific detail on the word Destroyed;

Hi Ray, i came across your site by accident.  

I grew up in a Muslim country of Iran.  Two years ago i became a christian and ever since i have fallen inlove with our lord Jesus Christ.

I have to tell you that i have read some of your teachings and i do belive that Christ saves all men.  Our god is love and will not allow his creatures to be eternally tortured as some pastors teach.  Some of these monkeys teach that god is more cruel as Satan: there is not a bigger Blaspheme.

However, what did Jesus mean when he said in John that "for god so loved the world that he game his only begotten son that Whomever  believes in him shall be not perish..,

This sounds like there will be some who will Perish if they don't believe in christ.

Please explain this verse to me at your convenience

May God's presence be with you everywhere you go.

Mike


Dear Mike:
Not only do some reject Jesus and perish, MOST reject Jesus and perish. But that is not the end. That is not their eternal destiny. The Greek word "apollumi" is the word translated "destroy," "lost," and "perish" in the King James Bible. All three are translated from this one Greek word, many times.  Appolumi is translated according to the context of a verse, hence: the sheep was LOST (it did not perish, nor was it destroyed, as it was later FOUND, but it was "apollumi" in that it was lost.  Those that enter into the "broad way that leads to DESTRUCTION" are also "apollumi"--destroyed.  And those who do not accept Jesus as their Saviour will also "apollumi," that is they will PERISH.  It's all the same condition. One can be lost in a fire, destroyed in a fire, or perish in a fire. Regardless, you loose your life.

But (and here comes the good news), Jesus came TO SAVE THAT WHICH WAS LOST [apollumi]" (Mark 18:11;  Luke 19:10).  Jesus Christ came for the express purpose of SAVING all those who are "apollumi"--LOST, DESTROYED, AND PERISHED!  There it is. Simple, huh?  One just needs to believe the Scriptures.
God be with you,
Ray

Link; http://forums.bible-truths.com/index.php/topic,2389.0.html

Ray, I have a question about the scripture that says, strait is the gate that leads to life everlasting and few there be that find it, but broad is the way that leads to destruction and many will go there in at. How can we believe all of humanity will have life eternal unless we take this verse out of the Bible? maybe I need to hear your interpretation of this verse because we both know there is no contradictions in the WORD of GOD.
                                     please respond
                                     John

Dear John:
I guess I have probably answered this question at least a hundred times by now.
Being "destroyed" has absolutely nothing to do with the eternal destiny of a person.
Everyone dies by some means. The church teaches that if one dies before he is "saved," then he will never ever be saved. Well, the Church LIES!

Even the RIGHTEOUS "perish" (Isa. 57:1).  Are the perished righteous people also to find themselves in an eternal hell of torture?

The words "destruction," "perish," and "lost" in the Gree New Testament all are translated from the same ONE Greek word "apollumi."  And Jesus came to SAVE

those which are "apollumi"--"For the Son of man is come to SAVE that which is [apollumi] LOST" (Matt. 18:11).  Most of humanity will be saved in Judgment, not in this life. Read my Lake of Fire series for the details.

God be with you,

Ray

Link; http://forums.bible-truths.com/index.php/topic,1938.0.html

God bless,

Alex

[Cypress]

Great post.