I have been reading Yada Yahweh and I think it's a wonderful book, but I have a question. If Satan is an angel, and if angels are created to obey, how can he disobey? Does the adversary have free will? I'm confused.

Hi, Andrey, and welcome to the forum. The answer is quite simple. Angels are capable of autonomous action, but they are not gifted with the right to disobey their Maker. They are (in human parlance) like soldiers or slaves. They are "under orders." Can a slave refuse his master's demand? Can a soldier refuse to obey an order from a superior officer? Yes, they can, but they may not. If they do, it's an illegal act, punishable by the master or officer. The choice of whether or not to obey is not theirs to make.

Humans with a God-breathed neshama, however, are "made in the image of God"---that is, we are made with the freedom to choose our own destiny. This is one of those areas, however, that is impossible to understand in the context of the errant but well-entrenched christian doctrine that insists that if you aren't "born again" you're doomed to an eternity of torment and punishment. If there are only two doors to our eternal destiny, then our choice is a meaningless concept (because if you don't choose God's way, so the theory goes, He's going to punish you forever). You'd be just as choiceless as the angels are. But the fact is, there are three possible eternal destinations for us. We are given free will. If we choose to become Yahweh's children, that's good. If we don't (which is our prerogative, something Yada and I both refer to as "Door number 2 in our writings), we're no worse off than any animal---upon our deaths, we simply cease to be: no punishment, no torment, no recrimination---but no blessing, either. It's a terrible waste, but it's our choice. It is only if we choose to align ourselves with rebellious spirits (voluntarily taking the "third door") that we find ourselves in everlasting trouble.

So no, the adversary does not have free will, and we would be idiots to freely join ourselves to satan's cause and so inherit his destiny. Hope that helps.

kp

Good questions, Andre. First, the way I see it, the only "choice" angels have is the same choice a corporal in the army has: whether to obey his commander's orders or not to. If he does, life is as it should be; if not, he's become a rebel, an outlaw. It's a choice, I guess, but it's anything but free will. If we had the same kind of direct communication the angels have with Yahweh---regardless of our relationship with Him---I believe that would constitute the kind of pressure that would functionally preclude our "free will," our unfettered ability to choose to seek God or not. It would be "the Godfather" all over again: "An offer you can't refuse." Decisions made under duress aren't compatible with those made because we love and are loved.

Second, satan can only "give" people eternal life (if you can call that livin') vicariously. That is, Yahweh created spirits---angels, including those who would fall---to be eternal beings: they can't die. It's not in their nature. Satan lives forever only because Yahweh created him with that capacity. He has no life within himself. Satan and his immortal human followers will not "inherit the earth." Rather, Yahweh has prepared a special place of incarceration and torment "for the devil and his angels" into which his hapless "brood of vipers" will be confined with him. The earth, meanwhile, will be "made new" (how, we aren't told) and it will apparently become the eternal home of Israel and the Millennial saints, just as the New Jerusalem will be the dwelling place of the Ekklesia of Yahshua. See Future History chapter 30: "Heaven, Hell, and Eternity" for the evidence.

kp

I couldn't quote you chapter and verse, ('cause the Bible's not about angels, per se) but I get the distinct impression that angels were created to answer to Yahweh alone, and if they rebel, they do it independently---satan can't force them to "leave their first estate" but can only persuade them, seduce them, entice them. He can't force us to do anything either.

kp

Andre asks, "Is the continuation of life (as bad as it may be) for satan's followers Yahweh's or satan's choice?" Neither. It's ours. (I presume you're talking about human followers; angelic followers were already immortal.) Remember Isaiah 14? Lucifer wanted to be "like God." That presumably means that, like Yahweh, he wanted to invite humans to share his eternal abode. So the choice is ours to make: choose Yahweh and His destiny, choose satan, or remain asleep and choose nothing. Please don't make the mistake of ascribing to satan more power or authority than he actually has. Satan won't rule hell. As I wrote somewhere, he'll merely be one of the inmates, toothless and ineffectual.

Why did satan rebel? One word: pride. Satan, though an eternal being, cannot maneuver in time like Yahweh does. He travels through time in only one direction and at only one speed. He cannot see the future by being there. Sure, he's really smart and can figure things out, but when he rebelled, I believe he actually thought he could get away with it. As miscalculations go, that's a doozy. Now, of course, he knows what his fate is, and all he can do is wreak havoc until his time is up. There's no going back.

And hell? I wouldn't think of it as some sort of slave society. I see it as a state of utter aloneness, of darkness, of pressure, of unending remorse, of the eternal waking mental anguish of knowing you could have known Yahweh's love and you chose a living death instead. No rest, no respite, nothing but everlasting regret.

kp