HOW COULD A HOLY GOD CREATE WICKED SATAN? WHY DOES A LOVING GOD ALLOW THE EVIL DEVIL TO EXIST?

by Shawn Brasseaux

People often struggle with reconciling the concept of the existence of a loving God, with the presence of sin and suffering. God is perfect, so how could He create a sinful being such as the devil? Also, why does God allow wicked Satan to exist? The Bible provides the answers. Will we search it to find them, answers the Bible provided long ago?

When God originally created the heaven and the earth, He made creatures, angels and humans, to serve Him in those realms. One of God’s chief angelic creatures, “Lucifer” (the “light-bearer”), was “perfect in all [his] ways from the day [he] was created, till iniquity was found in [him]” (Ezekiel 28:15). Initially, God created Satan sinless, but he became prideful, and he desired to conquer God, to “be like the most High” (Isaiah 14:12-15; cf. 1 Timothy 3:6). Satan desired to receive the worship that only belonged to God. God said to Satan, “Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee” (Ezekiel 28:17).

God then cast Lucifer (now Satan, “adversary”) out of the third heaven, and into the second heaven (outer space) and onto earth. Jesus commented, “I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven” (Luke 10:18). Instead of immediately destroying Satan after his rebellion in heaven, God allowed him to exist so he could author an alternative plan to following God (thus allowing mankind a chance to exercise free will: follow God or Satan). Ever since Lucifer’s fall, his “policy of evil”—his “lie program”—has been operating. Satan’s goal is to rob God of His glory by ignoring the Creator and deifying the creature and the creation (Romans 1:25).

In the Garden of Eden, Genesis chapter 3, Satan tempted Adam to rebel against God, which Adam did (Romans 5:12). Adam plunged mankind into sin and mankind became anti-God; consequently, lost mankind is cooperating with Satan’s policy of evil, even today. As Jesus told the Pharisees, “Ye are of your father the devil” (John 8:44).

The Lord Jesus Christ, speaking of a day even future from us, said in Matthew 25:41, “Then shall he [Christ] say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.” These are the Gentile nations who refused to bless Israel during the future seven-year Tribulation (verses 42-46). These Gentiles who rejected God’s will—“goats” (verse 33)—will be cast into “everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.” These Gentiles will be guilty of following Satan in rebellion against God (persecuting God’s people Israel), and there is a penalty for anyone and everyone who rejects God’s Word to them.

The destiny of Satan, his fallen angelic cohorts, and every human who refuses to trust God’s Word to them, is the everlasting lake of fire.

The Apostle John wrote in Revelation 20:10-15: “[10] And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. [11] And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. [12] And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. [13] And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. [14] And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. [15] And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” And Revelation 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

Neither Satan nor sinful man will escape God’s wrath and judgment against their sin. For now, God is giving mankind an opportunity to follow Him, or follow Satan. However, there is a day of reckoning and it is coming. Until that day of wrath comes, God offers to us the free gift of salvation in Jesus Christ. The Gospel of the Grace of God, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, says that Jesus died for our sins, He was buried to put away our sins, and He was raised to give us a right standing before God (justification). May we trust Jesus Christ alone as our personal Saviour now while we still have an opportunity, that we not face the everlasting judgment of a holy, righteous God against our sin and sins.

Also see:
» Who is Satan? Who is the Devil? (UPCOMING)
» Exactly what is Satan’s policy of evil?
» What are “demons?” Are they the same as devils?