I've heard referenced by certain interpreters of revelation the existence of an "unholy" trinity, that is Satan, The Anti-Christ, and the False Prophet, who contrast with God, Christ and the Holy Spirit respectively.
To me this sounds dualistic, and I find that it is typical of a lot of Christians to make this appeal that virtue is from God and sin is from Satan. But I actually think this is incorrect. Satan is not the "Anti-God" as I see it, which implies the forces of evil are as powerful as those of good.
Rather I believe that virtue comes from God and sin come from the absence of God. Satan as I see him is the prince of sinners, that is he is truly the best of them, but I don't believe it is entirely accurate to say that he is the lord of sinners. I also don't believe that he is, strictly speaking, the source of evil, but he does engender evil insofar as it aid in his ultimate rebellion against God.
Further, I think it is incorrect and even idolatrous, to propose that Satan is omnipresent or eternal. Therefore, I don't strictly believe that Satan is the lord of hell, either, but in fact God presides over the eternity of hell as He does the eternity of paradise, and Satan is just another prisoner of it, albeit the chief prisoner.
Aside from dualism, I also question if our image of Satan is strictly accurate, as early Judaism suggest that he was actually something more of a prosecutor who tested people's resolve for God, rather than a archenemy of God. I wonder if Satan is actually the personification of what is against God, rather than a strictly literal being, but I will leave that one to more seasoned theologians.
To me this sounds dualistic, and I find that it is typical of a lot of Christians to make this appeal that virtue is from God and sin is from Satan. But I actually think this is incorrect. Satan is not the "Anti-God" as I see it, which implies the forces of evil are as powerful as those of good.
Rather I believe that virtue comes from God and sin come from the absence of God. Satan as I see him is the prince of sinners, that is he is truly the best of them, but I don't believe it is entirely accurate to say that he is the lord of sinners. I also don't believe that he is, strictly speaking, the source of evil, but he does engender evil insofar as it aid in his ultimate rebellion against God.
Further, I think it is incorrect and even idolatrous, to propose that Satan is omnipresent or eternal. Therefore, I don't strictly believe that Satan is the lord of hell, either, but in fact God presides over the eternity of hell as He does the eternity of paradise, and Satan is just another prisoner of it, albeit the chief prisoner.
Aside from dualism, I also question if our image of Satan is strictly accurate, as early Judaism suggest that he was actually something more of a prosecutor who tested people's resolve for God, rather than a archenemy of God. I wonder if Satan is actually the personification of what is against God, rather than a strictly literal being, but I will leave that one to more seasoned theologians.