What is it that the Devil wants more than anything else?

[MarcATL]

We had many good comments but this is the one I was looking for.

Now what if the devil got exactly that? What would that have to mean?

I believe that all of the devil's dreams and desires have been fulfilled. With grave consequences.

Pretty good indeed, but it goes further than Sister Heir illustrated.

What Satan wants ultimately, is to show God's character to be flawed. He wants to paint God as unfair, unjust and ultimately, a liar. Ironic, yes.

Let's look at what happened in Genesis, in the garden of Eden here on earth. The first lie ever told was what? "Thou shall not surely die." Which was in direct contradiction to what God told Adam and Eve would happen if they partook of the forbidden fruit.

He convinced Eve that God was withholding something from them. So everything Satan was doing from the beginning of time was trying to paint God, the Creator as unfair, unjust and a liar.

Let's go to Revelation, where the apostle John illustrates what happened in heaven. Lucifer managed to convince 2/3rds of the angels to rebel against God. He did this by painting him as unjust, unfair and a liar. However, half went back to God leaving a third on Satan's side. That is a third of beings who spent eons being in God's presence worshipping him always, Lucifer managed to convince them that God was not who He said He is, and is. Think about that for a while. And we humans are so foolish to think we are a match for Satan.

Anyway, Satan wants to convince all of mankind and ultimately the entire universe that God created that God is unjust, unfair and is a liar. His plan is that once everyone sees this, HE can then rise and ascend as the being worthy of worship.

The OP asked what does Satan want, and that's what he wants.

 

[bybee]

Excellent post!
Years ago I worried about Satan's ability to deceive. So I pledged myself to God that I would rather be dead than be a pawn in the hands of Satan. I realized that evil itself may destroy my life but it cannot take my soul. My soul belongs to God.

 

[Jamie Gigliotti]

Right now it's deception of those God loves.
For non-believers one of the biggest lies is that he does not exist. And for believers one of the biggest is that He is no threat.

 

[aikido7]

Right now it's deception of those God loves.
For non-believers one of the biggest lies is that he does not exist. And for believers one of the biggest is that He is no threat.

But for most other humans--atheists as well as theists--evil is a real presence in the world and in everyone's heart.

The ones felt loved by God do not acknowledge (they CANNOT acknowledge) any trace of evil within themselves, so they project that quality onto others or on a mythological idea of evil incarnate--the Devil with a tail and a pitchfork or something.

 

[Jamie Gigliotti]

Satan despises God and He knows the only thing that He can do to get back at God is take part in the destruction of the lost.

 

[Jamie Gigliotti]

But for most other humans--atheists as well as theists--evil is a real presence in the world and in everyone's heart.

The ones felt loved by God do not acknowledge (they CANNOT acknowledge) any trace of evil within themselves, so they project that quality onto others or on a mythological idea of evil incarnate--the Devil with a tail and a pitchfork or something.

We do have our sinful nature, which is plenty evil enough, but most have sensed a Spiritual evil presence beyond themselves, that scares the daylights out of them, but pretend it doesn't exist because the have not found the power over it in Christ, so they try and pretend it doesn't exist. Those who truly look for the very real devil find him quite easily.

 

[aikido7]

We do have our sinful nature, which is plenty evil enough, but most have sensed a Spiritual evil presence beyond themselves, that scares the daylights out of them, but pretend it doesn't exist because the have not found the power over it in Christ, so they try and pretend it doesn't exist. Those who truly look for the very real devil find him quite easily.

I tend to believe that we all have trouble dealing with existential fear. So it just makes sense to me that we prefer to locate its source outside ourselves. It's much easier to claim "A bad man named Hitler took us over" than to admit "We voted him in with a democratic process."

We may differ big-time as far as St. Augustine's notion that sin is passed down through the generations in male sperm cells. I do not believe in the Augustinian concept of "original sin."

Having been an attentive and devoted father, I cannot accept the notion that all of us are "born into sin." Our shared DNA gives us free will, not a life sentence to behave badly.

 

[Jamie Gigliotti]

I tend to believe that we all have trouble dealing with existential fear. So it just makes sense to me that we prefer to locate its source outside ourselves. It's much easier to claim "A bad man named Hitler took us over" than to admit "We voted him in with a democratic process."

We are accountable to whether or not our pride resists God and bad results. That has nothing to do with Spiritual realities.

I understand why you wouldn't believe my testimony. Believe Jesus.

 

[MarcATL]

Right now it's deception of those God loves.
For non-believers one of the biggest lies is that he does not exist. And for believers one of the biggest is that He is no threat.

Satan already has the world deceived, nothing new there.

Again, the main issue is not THAT God exists or doesn't exist its WHO God is. Without a correct understanding of WHO God is a soul WILL be lost. Period. Point blank.

Hence, Satan's goal is to paint God as unfair, unjust and a liar. AKA a FALSE portrayal of who God is, resulting in billions of lost souls.

 

[MarcATL]

I tend to believe that we all have trouble dealing with existential fear. So it just makes sense to me that we prefer to locate its source outside ourselves. It's much easier to claim "A bad man named Hitler took us over" than to admit "We voted him in with a democratic process."

We may differ big-time as far as St. Augustine's notion that sin is passed down through the generations in male sperm cells. I do not believe in the Augustinian concept of "original sin."

Having been an attentive and devoted father, I cannot accept the notion that all of us are "born into sin." Our shared DNA gives us free will, not a life sentence to behave badly.

Scripture states that we are born in sin and shapen in iniquity. That's all of us, aka every human being ever born.

 

[RBBI]

Salvation....