If God created everything, then why did He create Satan?
If God created everything, then why did He create Satan?
First let me say that God is all knowing, He is the Alpha and Omega that is the First and the Last. God declares in Isaiah 46:10…I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. Yes, God knows everything. God knew us before the foundation of the world. In Ephesians1:4 it says… just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world. So why did God make Satan? This maybe the million dollar question and if answered it would clear up for many God’s objective and clarify our existence. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth and declared that what was made was very good (Genesis 1:25). This even included Satan as being good! How then did he become bad? And why did God allow him to continue?
To answer all these questions we must understand God’s purpose. God created his universe to have a free will, but why? It’s really simple once we think about it, especially when we understand the significance of love. Love can only be given not demanded. If we serve by force and unwillingly we have become nothing more than slaves. Love is the product of a willing heart and commitment to another. Love is what is felt by another’s affection towards us. Is it true that we can sense another’s love for us by their body language, actions and words? The opposite is also true, that is we can sense ones dislike for us by the same. Love, therefore, can only exist in an environment where free will is encouraged; otherwise, love can not exist at all. It can be compared to a relationship between two people where only one is in love. It will not last! Why want it last? Because love is what holds the relationship together! Since love can only exist in the sense that it can only be given by ones free will, then it stands to reason God’s purpose for creating man with a free will. It was done so that mankind may receive love and give it. God knew that with free will men would reject Him but He desired a creation that would be able to fellowship with Him because it would choose to. What an awesome feeling when someone you love chooses to love you”.
In light of this, evil entered the world. Satan was the first to reject God’s love and to challenge God’s authority even to the point he persuaded a third of the angels to side with him (Revelations 12:3&4). The stars in Revelation chapter twelve represent angels Revelations 1:20. God gives us a hint of Satan’s rebellion in the prophetic book of Ezekiel. The prophet Ezekiel prophecies to the King of Tyre using an analogy or comparison that describes Satan and his existence in the Garden of Eden. Listen to the word of the Lord through the prophet’s mouth…you had the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering…You were the anointed cherub who covers and I placed you there. You were on the holy mountain of God; you walked in the midst of the stones of fire. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, until unrighteousness was found in you. By the abundance of your trade you were internally filled with violence, and you sinned; therefore I have cast you as profane from the mountain of God, and I have destroyed you, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor, I cast you to the ground; I put you before kings, that they may see you. By the multitude of your iniquities, in the unrighteousness of your trade, you profaned your sanctuaries (Ezekiel 28:12-18). We know that the King of Tyre was not in the Garden of Eden and we know that he was not a cherub or angel. The language and description points to Satan who was the angel cast out of heaven (Rev. 12:9). He was at one time blameless until he chose unrighteousness. The angels who are now called Satan’s angels chose to follow him instead of staying with God. Jude says this about them…and angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day (Jude 5). It is apparent that even angels have been given free will as to whether they would chose to serve God or follow Satan.
These fallen angels help Satan in his effort to hinder God. In the book of Daniel it says that an angel was sent by God to deliver Daniel a message; however, the angel told Daniel he was delayed because of the prince of Persia. The angel said, “…I have come in response to your words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was withstanding me for twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia” (Daniel 10:12-13). Michael the archangel, Jude 9, who is a prince for God, came and held off the prince of Persia, a prince for Satan, so that he could deliver his message to the prophet. Apparently these demonic angels are assigned over whole regions and countries to thwart the work of God. Satan knows he is defeated but he wants to destroy God’s work (Rev. 12:12). Yet God’s work can not be destroyed and no matter what the devil or his angels do…God will cause all things to work together for good to those who love Him, to those who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). Paul was so sure of this that he wrote by the Spirit… “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height , nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38 & 39).
There is one last thing to consider about Satan and God’s purpose for allowing him to remain… that he may test the free will of men. It is found in Revelations chapter twenty. “And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he should not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time” (Rev. 20:2-3). Why would he be released again for a short time? Puzzling isn’t it? Well not really if we understand that during this time Christ will reign on the earth for a thousand years in perfect peace and tranquility with men. (Isaiah 11, 2:4, 65:17-22 & Rev. 20:4 & 6). My belief is that men will still be born during this time of perfect harmony with God mortals with immortals. They will have only known righteousness yet would have not chosen to stay with God. Therefore Satan will be released for a season to reveal each man’s heart and love for God. Those who rebel will perish with the rest. We either love righteousness or despise it. Which one will we CHOOSE?
