Customer Reviews

The Serpent of Paradise: The Incredible Story of How Satan's Rebellion Serves God's Purposes

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Initial reservations about this book disappeared as I began an exhaustive study of this extremely well written presentation which left me with an undeniable conviction that it should be required reading for every Christian.

A comment on the rear cover of my copy descries the book as a "veritable treasury of Biblical insight". I am in wholehearted agreement with such a statement although having some minor disagreements with some of the personal views that are contained.

The reader is provided with an in depth study of the fall of Lucifer (the devil/Satan) with insights into the latter's character, his limitations as a "created being" together with his purposes and his ultimate destination in the "lake of fire".

Such are approached through a clear portrayal of the Sovereignty of Almighty God.

A clear and fundamental Scriptural study leaving the reader in no doubt that, as the devil may tempt, temporarily rule and even destroy, he is ultimately restricted by God's Will and eternal Purposes and that the devil's outcome is certain and unavoidable.

The book illustrates how the devil exists sometimes as God's "instrument of justice" for the disobedient and God's means of "purification" for the obedient with the reader being instructed about the nature of sin itself, the Holiness & Mercy of God and the helplessness of man apart from God's Grace.

The book also analyses what are cited as the bankruptcy and inherent wickedness of human nature extending from the Fall in Genesis to the Return of the Messiah Jesus Christ.

One section describing how that God's Judgement may be seen by some as "long in coming" but when it arrives, as it surely will, it is "swift and sure". A section of this excellent work is devoted to how God will "wrap up human history" amid the return of His Son Jesus Christ.

The imagery of lightning and thunder being used to describe such. The study depicting how alghough lightning and thunder occur at the same time, the "lightning" is seen first with the roar of the "thunder" being heard later. The "lightning" occurring at the Cross of Calvary and we now await the "thunder" of Christ's return. During this lapse of time the book reveals how the devil continues to "fight" but that even now the "war is over".

I highly recommend this excellent study along with a book by the late Derek Prince entitled "War in Heaven; God's Epic Battle With Evil" and Dwight Pentecost's "Your Adversary, The Devil".

This book was one of the greatest books on describing Satan and his cunning ways, things we may never think about. I caught myself rereading a lot of the material because I wanted to really retain what was being taught about how we as humans fail to see the dark side of things. This book is one I won't forget. The descriptions of Satan and his whiling ways are just enormous. This book helped me tremendously in my Christian walk in noticing Satan's works in daily living. I would highly recommend this book for anyone, but read it slowly, to retain the meaning.

I am growing more and more fond of pastor Lutzer books. They deal with a very specific subject, are fast to read, never boring, and most importantly rely heavily on the Bible. ''The serpent of paradise'' fits perfectly in that description.

Due to my profession as a physician, i am intrigued with the subject of Pain Sin and Suffering, and why are they allowed to continue. This book attempts to describe how Satan isnt an ''opponent'' of God as the modern day society describes him (God Vs Satan: who will win?) but simply, how he is a fallen creature, of way lesser powers, and how he was already defeated from the moment he decided to rebell. Pastor Lutzer explains how Satan cannot act against the will of God, and thus, is only allowed to do what God allows him to, and eventually, God uses him to accomplish his divine plan. Captivating presentation of the subject.

My two complaints about this book, is that first its ''too'' small and doesn't quite quench your thirst for the subject. Second, it doesnt attempt to ponder the question of WHY God decided to allow evil in the first place. But it surely show you HOW God's glory is magnified even in evil. Recommended!

This book puts Satan in his place -- squarely under God! This is a book you need to read if you are dealing with spiritual warfare. Lucifer set in motion a whole set of circumstances when he decided to rebel against God that is and will ultimately bring greater glory to God. Satan is now only able to move within the confines that God allows him to. The devil, although trying to deceive us into thinking that he is on a par with God, fighting Him and has the possibility of winnning the war, is rather trapped in a plan that will bring about his destruction and that of his rebellious demonic horde. Jesus Christ won the victory against sin on the cross. God uses Satan to bring forth His perfect plans for mankind. As Martin Luther said "the devil is God's devil." An important book for all Christians

This book was very insightful for a number of reasons, but primairly because it reminds the reader that the victory has already been won. The war has been won but there are battles that still rage in our lives. But in Christ and by His Spirit we have the victory when we walk in obedience to Him. We oftentime give Satan far too much credit...isn't it ironic that the very thing that he rebelled against as an angel(submission) he is bound to do as a fallen creation? The things that Satan uses to try to destroy God's people are the things that God will use to develop us when we stand in His power. Truly every knee must bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord!!!!

Personally thought that "The Serpent of Paradise" was a good read. Very basic but scriptural on the traps and doings of Satan and his demons. I've recently gotten into reading on spiritual warfare and the works of Satan against the believers(no new age, only scriptural based). A couple of books that i would recommend are Angels:Elect and Evil by C.Fred Dickason(discusses in detail about the workings and duties of angels and about demons-all based on scripture) also Francis Frangipane's "The Three Battlegrounds: An In-Depth View of the Three Arenas of Spiritual Warfare: The Mind, the Church and the Heavenly Places". I just ordered it and read some of it on line on amazon. Appears to have good scriptural reference to the battles we face daily.

Getting back to Lutzer's book, I would recommend it, it was an easy read but it kept me intrigued and was able to complete it fairly quickly.

I borrowed this book from someone and while reading it, it had very good information. So I decided to order one for my own use.

Erwin Lutzer is recognized for the solid Biblical insight presented in his writing and for the consistency of his Christian life and ministry which exemplify the reality of his faith. "The Serpent of Paradise" is a treatment of the person and work of Satan, his rebellion, and his work of evil present in the world today.

Lutzer's writing is profound enough for the theologian to appreciate and clear enough for the layman to understand.

The book presents: An overview of Satan's fall, his doom to failure, and keys to taking a stand against him. Lutzer carefully develops a premise from the scriptures that provide personal application for recognizing Satan's lies and for claiming the promises of God for victory over evil.

The format of the book is reader friendly; conclusions are backed up with Biblical insights. His writing is forthright, convincing, and convicting.

Highly recommended.

R.C. Sproul writes the forward to this book, and writes that it is the best treatment of the devil that he has ever read. Lutzer does a great job of answering practical questions about heaven and hell, the devil, and demonic possession. I found his discussion of demonic possession to be the most level headed approach I have ever read. I am probably going to reread this soon, in order to take in all that it offers.

I am a small group leader, and needed both a historical and theological perspective regarding Satan. Pastor Lutzer provides some limited historical material, but his main focus is the theological aspects concerning Satan and his relationship to our all-powerful God. Despite the limited historic information, it is still quite a good book about Satan, and I highly recommend it. I really appreciate Pastor Lutzer's religious books!