Satan is NOT the Devil - Cheol is NOT Gehenna (Hell)

[Judas Thomas]

Many Christians today unknowingly mix biblical terms with medieval theology. Let’s clarify two common misunderstandings:


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1. Satan ≠ the Devil

In the Old Testament, haSatan ("the accuser") is not an enemy of God but part of His heavenly court (Job 1–2). He acts as a kind of prosecutor, testing the faithful and bringing accusations — with God's permission.

> “Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.” – Job 1:12



In contrast, the Devil (diabolos) in the New Testament is a symbol of deception, rebellion, and chaos — opposing God’s will and misleading humanity (John 8:44, Revelation 12).

Many early Christians conflated these figures, but they are not the same in Scripture.


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2. Sheol ≠ Gehenna

Sheol is the realm of the dead in the Hebrew Bible — a shadowy underworld for everyone, righteous or wicked (Psalm 6:5, Ecclesiastes 9:10).

Gehenna, by contrast, is a New Testament symbol of divine judgment — based on a real valley outside Jerusalem used historically for idolatry and waste-burning (Matthew 5:22, 10:28).


Sheol is neutral; Gehenna is punitive. They are not interchangeable.


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3. The Devil is real — and religious

The Devil is not Satan but a false god, a spiritual deceiver. He often manifests through systems, especially organized religion when it distorts God’s nature.

Even Christians are not immune.

> “For such men are false apostles... even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.” – 2 Corinthians 11:13–14



Whenever religion teaches an unbiblical God — one of cruelty, nationalism, greed, or exclusion — it risks becoming a tool of the Devil.

Not every church teaches Christ.


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Why this matters:

Misusing biblical terms leads to bad theology and spiritual blindness.
Jesus came to reveal the true heart of God — one of mercy, justice, and love.

Let’s honor that truth.

 

[Truly]

These two are not the same?

Matt 4:8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;

Luke 4:8 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

 

[Truly]

Shows satan and the devil being used interchangeably

Mark 1:3 And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.

Mat 4:1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

 

[Judas Thomas]

Shows satan and the devil being used interchangeably

Mark 1:3 And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.

Mat 4:1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

For context: Only Matthew calls him the devil. For Luke it's Satan, for Mark it's Satan, for Jesus it's Satan, even in Matthew. So all this proves is that the church used the wrong word when canonizing Matthew.
The Bible contradicts among the scripture all the time, cause people make mistakes. Jesus calls him by name. It was Satan tempting him. Not because he thought Jesus would fall, but so Jesus gives us an example how to resist Satan.

Jesus doesn't use Satan and Devil interchangeably. Satan tests him, like he tested Job. The devil is a false God and acts without God's permission.

 

[Truly]

For context: Only Matthew calls him the devil. For Luke it's Satan, for Mark it's Satan, for Jesus it's Satan, even in Matthew. So all this proves is that the church used the wrong word when canonizing Matthew.
The Bible contradicts among the scripture all the time, cause people make mistakes. Jesus calls him by name. It was Satan tempting him. Not because he thought Jesus would fall, but so Jesus gives us an example how to resist Satan.

Jesus doesn't use Satan and Devil interchangeably. Satan tests him, like he tested Job. The devil is a false God and acts without God's permission.

John shows they are all the same and could be used interchangeably

Rev 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Rev 20:2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,

 

[Truly]

Jesus calls him by name. It was Satan tempting him. Not because he thought Jesus would fall, but so Jesus gives us an example how to resist Satan.

James says resist the devil

James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Jesus himself called the devil "Satan" in the very same place here

Mat 4:1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

Mat 4:8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;

Mat 4:9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

Mat 4:10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

 

[Judas Thomas]

John shows they are all the same and could be used interchangeably

Rev 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Rev 20:2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,

Revelation came more than 100 years after Jesus died and is well, controversial. Orthodox Christians don't even accept it as part of the Bible, Catholics and Evangelicals do, it's highly symbolic and polemic, not an accurate description of reality. It shows early Christians started conflating both the devil and Satan. During that time duality was very popular. Good vs Evil. However the Bible paints a totally different picture, more complex, with more than 2 characters.
I suggest you to read the book of Job, so you learn about Satan's role within God's council and see why the devil is even more dangerous than Satan.

 

[Truly]

Revelation came more than 100 years after Jesus died and is well, controversial. Orthodox Christians don't even accept it as part of the Bible, Catholics and Evangelicals do, it's highly symbolic and polemic, not an accurate description of reality. It shows early Christians started conflating both the devil and Satan. During that time duality was very popular. Good vs Evil. However the Bible paints a totally different picture, more complex, with more than 2 characters.
I suggest you to read the book of Job, so you learn about Satan's role within God's council and see why the devil is even more dangerous than Satan.

You definately belong in this section of the forum.

And what makes you think I haven't read Job?

 

[Judas Thomas]

You definately belong in this section of the forum.

And what makes you think I haven't read Job?

I didn't say that. We all read books multiple times to understand.
Job shows that Satan serves God's will, the devil doesn't. Not hard to understand. The stories of the Bible were put together from fragments by the church hundreds years after written. Some books like John were heavily redacted, for example regarding Mary Magdalene. Papyrus 66 shows Maria was overwritten with the letter theta to turn her into Martha for example, so by historical evidence we know Mary Magdalene was Lazerus sister, explaining why she's so close to Jesus, while the final version just turned her into two sisters named Mary and Martha cause theologians were confused which name was true.
Without access to old writing we don't know how the conflation of Satan and Devil occured, but by comparing the texts we have we see they have different characterictics and conflating them, makes theology so hard, if you try to be logically coherant, cause if that was true, the statement God allows evil, would be true, cause Satan acts with God's permission, which is well obviously not what we believe in, cause God is just, loving and mercyful.

 

[Truly]

I didn't say that. We all read books multiple times to understand.
Job shows that Satan serves God's will, the devil doesn't. Not hard to understand. The stories of the Bible were put together from fragments by the church hundreds years after written. Some books like John were heavily redacted, for example regarding Mary Magdalene. Papyrus 66 shows Maria was overwritten with the letter theta to turn her into Martha for example, so by historical evidence we know Mary Magdalene was Lazerus sister, explaining why she's so close to Jesus, while the final version just turned her into two sisters named Mary and Martha cause theologians were confused which name was true.
Without access to old writing we don't know how the conflation of Satan and Devil occured, but by comparing the texts we have we see they have different characterictics and conflating them, makes theology so hard, if you try to be logically coherant, cause if that was true, the statement God allows evil, would be true, cause Satan acts with God's permission, which is well obviously not what we believe in, cause God is just, loving and mercyful.

I'm going to pass on what you are trying to sell here. It sounds like you are confused about alot of things, maybe someone else here can help you sort that all out much better than I can. Thats sort of all over the place.

 

[Judas Thomas]

I'm going to pass on what you are trying to sell here. It sounds like you are confused about alot of things, maybe someone else here can help you sort that all out much better than I can. Thats sort of all over the place.

Yes it is. That's called theology. You're into apologetics. I'm a studied theologian. I need more proof than the fact Christians thought Satan and the devil are the same. As this is a highly controversial position and incoherant with the old testament.
If you ask a Jew, they will say Satan is the accuser and link the devil to the morning star, who was the King of Babylon.
The devil is linked with worldly power, while Satan is a spiritual figure, one of God's servants.

 

[Truly]

Yes it is. That's called theology. You're into apologetics. I'm a studied theologian. I need more proof than the fact Christians thought Satan and the devil are the same. As this is a highly controversial position and incoherant with the old testament.
If you ask a Jew, they will say Satan is the accuser and link the devil to the morning star, who was the King of Babylon.
The devil is linked with worldly power, while Satan is a spiritual figure, one of God's servants.

Here is the devil showing Jesus all the kingdoms of the world

Mat 4:8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;

Who also desires worship

Mat 4:9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

And what does Jesus say to the devil?

Mat 4:10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

Jesus calls the devil Satan there, who is also the dragon

In Rev 13:2 it shows the dragon giving the beast his power, and his seat, and great authority.

They are equally the same

Rev 20:2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, **WHICH IS** the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years

I think that sounds correct concerning what Jews might think of Jesus,

In John 10:20 The Jews said, "he hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him?"

Jesus says here

Rev 22:16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.

Who also said he would manifest himself

Rev 2:28 And I will give him the morning star.

 

[Judas Thomas]

Here is the devil showing Jesus all the kingdoms of the world

Mat 4:8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;

Who also desires worship

Mat 4:9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

And what does Jesus say to the devil?

Mat 4:10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

Jesus calls the devil Satan there, who is also the dragon

In Rev 13:2 it shows the dragon giving the beast his power, and his seat, and great authority.

They are equally the same

Rev 20:2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, **WHICH IS** the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years

I think that sounds correct concerning what Jews might think of Jesus,

In John 10:20 The Jews said, "he hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him?"

Jesus says here

Rev 22:16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.

Who also said he would manifest himself

Rev 2:28 And I will give him the morning star.

Oh I see you're going the route of abrogation, cause the Jews denied Jesus, their scripture is false, or their traditional interpretations are false. Basically like Muhammad does who corrected his own earlier divine revelation, saying Jesus is the word and spirit of God, for a later revelation denying Jesus divinity, to put himself above Jesus.

Also this is all gnostic scripture you're dealing with right now. John is more on the "YHWH is the devil and Jesus is the true God" side, especially in revelation.
That's a valid standpoint to embrace the gnostic history of Christianity, but I doubt that's your intention. Also Luke and Matthew deny that and say YHWH is our father.

We're talking about interpretation of scripture, declaring the old Testament invalid if it contradicts own interpretations, is dangerous territory.

 

[Truly]

Oh I see you're going the route of abrogation, cause the Jews denied Jesus, their scripture is false, or their traditional interpretations are false.

I posted a scripture showing what they had spoken falsely concerning Jesus

Do you want me to somehow validate what the Jews had spoken (as is recorded in scripture) agreeing with them that Jesus had a devil?

Basically like Muhammad does who corrected his own earlier divine revelation, saying Jesus is the word and spirit of God, for a later revelation denying Jesus divinity, to put himself above Jesus.

Can't make sense of any comparison made with Muhammad I do not follow him

Also this is all gnostic scripture you're dealing with right now. John is more on the "YHWH is the devil and Jesus is the true God" side, especially in revelation.

Not really seeing it

That's a valid standpoint to embrace the gnostic history of Christianity, but I doubt that's your intention. Also Luke and Matthew deny that and say YHWH is our father.

Can't make heads or tails of anything you are going on about

We're talking about interpretation of scripture, declaring the old Testament invalid if it contradicts own interpretations, is dangerous territory.

Alrighty.

 

[Judas Thomas]

For example: in John Jesus calls the devil the ruler of the world. Ask a Jew or a Muslim "who rules the world?", they will say "God the almighty". That doesn't make God the devil, neither powerless in this world. So this is more complex. The devil manifests in lie about God, to seek power.

 

[Stumpmaster]

That's called theology.

Theology of a kind that Satan loves to deceive with, I strongly warn.


“Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.” (NKJV)

 

[Judas Thomas]

Theology of a kind that Satan loves to deceive with, I strongly warn.


“Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.” (NKJV)

No, I'm safe since I love Jesus and I know him and he knows me. That was his promise. Who said the doctrines of demons weren't already there? People did horrible things in the name of Jesus. Murder, hoard riches. Seeing that temple of gold in Rome, that's the opposite of what Jesus taught.
This is the devil in work. Corruption, politics, terrorism all in the name of God.
Jesus commanded us to challenge these structures. Only Jesus will make you one with the father. No church, No doctrine. Who knows the truth about what all these unclear sylabbles mean, when Jesus spoke clearly in the end and adopted those who love him.
Theology is not satanic, it's how you see what's good and what's evil. Truth is not in stories how heaven might look like, we could only imagine as humans, it's in Jesus only.

 

[Truly]

Theology of a kind that Satan loves to deceive with, I strongly warn.


“Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.” (NKJV)

There's a semi colon behind that verse

1Tim.4​

[1] Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
[2] Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
[3] Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.
[4] For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:
[5] For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
[6] If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.

Not that this is not a strange thing to go back and forth on it is.