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Did you know the devil was never punished for tempting mankind?

It's commonly supposed that he was but then, there's a lot that people commonly suppose about Satan that is just plain wrong.

It's commonly supposed he is a powerful angelic being who torments mankind and opposes God. In fact, although once a cherub (an angel of the highest order) Satan today is a conquered enemy who Jesus overthrew at the Cross and stripped of all power but his ability to deceive, which he still uses to potent effect to maintain an appearance of power.

It's also supposed he fell from his former glory eons before God created Adam, but this is theologically inconsistent, as I explain in 'Lucifer and the Devil' and 'The Temptation in the Garden of Eden'.

Romans 5:12 which says, 'by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men' exposes as a lie the contention that Lucifer was already accursed when he entered Eden. Had he been so, his presence would have contradicted Paul's assertion that sin and death entered through Adam. And had not God surveyed all his handiwork and pronounced it 'Very good'? Hardly the description of a world besmirched by Satan.

Read Genesis Chapter 3 and pay close attention.

Joining at verse 9, after eating the forbidden fruit, guilt-stricken couple hide from God:

And Yahweh God called unto Adam, and said unto him, 'Where are you?'

And [Adam] said, 'I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.'

And [Yahweh] said, 'Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree, of which I commanded you that you should not eat?'

And the man said, 'The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.'

And Yahweh God said unto the woman, 'What is this that you have done?' And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.'

And Yahweh God said unto the serpent, 'Because you have done this, you are cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field'

It's so familiar we can breeze thoughtlessly through the text and miss the detail because, as I said, Satan was not actually punished for tempting mankind.

Let me teach you some law to show you why.

When I was a policeman criminal law was my bread and butter, and one of the legal principles I learned was called 'Art and Part'; the role of an accessory, or 'anyone who aids, abets, counsels, procures or incites another to commit a crime'.

For example, forming part of a disorderly crowd that causes criminal damage

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