Some have asked me the following questions, so I'd like to share my reply as a type of Bible study. If this content offends you, please simply ignore. Some enjoy such discussions. But please...let's amicably reason together.
Actually, God did not create the devil. He did not create an evil being. God created a beautiful angel, named Lucifer (see Isaiah 14, Ezekiel 28). Lucifer, in turn, made a devil out of himself! Lucifer’s self-pride caused him to rebel against God and to challenge Him for supremacy...to take over the Kingdom of God. He created a war in heaven, and was thrown out of heaven (sin cannot be allowed in heaven, or it wouldn't be heaven) and came to this earth, where he tempted a perfect man and woman to sin. When they did so, by choice, they opened a floodgate of evil upon the world.
Why does God not kill the devil?
Some have wondered, “Why doesn’t God stop the devil? If it is not God’s will for people to die, why does He allow it to happen? Have things gone beyond God’s control?”
God could have destroyed Satan, when he rebelled in heaven. God could have destroyed Adam and Eve, when they sinned—and started over. However, if He had done this, He would have been ruling from the standpoint of force, rather than love, and God is love personified. Without freedom to choose, there would be no such thing as real love. We would simply be robots. Since sin is already in our nature, we need to see sin for what it is. When we see the evil in this world, it tells us why we need Jesus...to save us from the condemnation that SIN placed on us.
Jeremiah 29:11 - "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Why is it so often the poor, the elderly, and the children who suffer the most?
Is it fair for the innocent to suffer? No, it’s not fair. The point is that SIN is not fair. GOD is fair, but sin is not fair. That is the NATURE of sin. When Adam sinned, he gave himself and the human race into the hands of a destroyer, Satan. Destruction is a consequence of man’s choice, not God's. God does not want it to happen. He did not want Adam and Eve to sin. But he allowed it, because that was the only way human beings could have the gift of freedom of choice; of knowing right from wrong. If you love someone, the best way to see if they really love you, is to give them the choice of freedom. If they come to you freely, because of the love in their heart for you, you'll know they really love you, and didn't come to you because they were forced. God didn't want robots, with no feelings.
Don't Blame the Wrong Person
We can be grateful to God. Adam and Eve forfeited ownership of this world over to Satan, through disobedience to God (which is what sin is, disobedience to God, and therefore separates us from fellowship with God forever by our own choice). Without the love of God towards us, every one of us would have been destined for Hell, and lost forever. Why? Because only a holy, pure, sinless sacrifice would do, to cover our sins. That's why we could never save ourselves and had to depend on God's son, Jesus, to provide a way for us to have eternal life in heaven.
Hebrews 9:22 - "Without the shedding of blood is no remission of sins."
Jesus didn't just SAY he loves us...He PROVED it. He shed His precious blood to pay for your sins...for the sins of the world. That whoever shall believe on Him, shall never perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16. He didn't have to do that... but He did. He volunteered to suffer and die for your sins and mine, so you and all those you love, could have the promise of eternal life in heaven. Without God, all our friends and relatives would perish forever. That's how great His love is for you and me...that He would die for us, so we might live forever in heaven. John 15:13 - "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."
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