Cross Points 3.20.22
The Devil May Care
Have you ever wondered what the deal is with Satan? I mean he is the adversary of the Christian, seeking his or her downfall, tempting the Christian with sin, diverting our eyes to distractions that take us away from the straight and narrow path. Bad dude. Seriously.
One of the questions I’ll have for God when I get a chance in heaven is: Why does Satan even exist? First, let’s consider where he comes from. Not much is revealed in the Old Testament about Satan, only hints, but during the time of Jesus and with the writings of his apostles, we learn more. In the Apostle John’s “revelation” we find this: “Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. The great dragon was thrown down, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the world – he was thrown down to earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.”
As a spiritual resident of earth now, he continues his battle with God by tempting people away from the Lord as he tries to woo away those who follow the Lord. Later we will learn that he has been conquered “by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.” The death of Jesus as sin’s perfect sacrifice provided a path to salvation through his blood. This message, the testimony of Christians, is the good news that Jesus has conquered, and we can be victorious through him. Good news indeed! We also discover from the Apostle John that Satan will one day be “thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur… and will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” At this point he is unable to tempt us and mess with us anymore. Once the current world ends and the new world of heaven begins, his presence will be removed. Great! But back to my question: Why does Satan even exist?
To put it another way: When Satan was thrown out of heaven originally, a fallen angel, along with his fellow demons, why didn’t God just destroy them or put them in hell at that time? I mean if he had, then humans would still be faced with the pull of selfishness and sin, and a choice between God’s way and the worldly way. But at least we wouldn’t have Satan as an adversary to deal with on top of that.
The argument can be made that God made us as free-will agents and wanted us to have a real choice, to love and follow his way, or reject and not follow his way. And maybe a true choice to not follow him requires an adversary that promotes sin, so the choice is truly between an advocate of right and an advocate of wrong. One thing for sure, knowing Satan fights against God’s ways helps to explain much of the craziness in the world when we’re tempted to think, “Why did God allow that?” God allows free choice, allows Satan to tempt us, and he allows consequences of such. It impacts all facets of life. And those consequences touch the guilty and the innocent (so called, none are truly innocent). Don’t blame God, blame Satan (and people) for the bad stuff. I just wish Satan wasn’t a factor. I trust God in this, like I do in all areas of my ignorance. God must believe he provides ample evidence to draw people to himself even with “the enemy” working against us. So, how are you and I doing with that?
What about you? Do you wonder why Satan exists, or do you even think he does exist, factoring his influence into world events? I’d covet your thoughts on this. Email me at: rwwillis2145@gmail.com.
One of the questions I’ll have for God when I get a chance in heaven is: Why does Satan even exist? First, let’s consider where he comes from. Not much is revealed in the Old Testament about Satan, only hints, but during the time of Jesus and with the writings of his apostles, we learn more. In the Apostle John’s “revelation” we find this: “Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. The great dragon was thrown down, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the world – he was thrown down to earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.”
As a spiritual resident of earth now, he continues his battle with God by tempting people away from the Lord as he tries to woo away those who follow the Lord. Later we will learn that he has been conquered “by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.” The death of Jesus as sin’s perfect sacrifice provided a path to salvation through his blood. This message, the testimony of Christians, is the good news that Jesus has conquered, and we can be victorious through him. Good news indeed! We also discover from the Apostle John that Satan will one day be “thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur… and will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” At this point he is unable to tempt us and mess with us anymore. Once the current world ends and the new world of heaven begins, his presence will be removed. Great! But back to my question: Why does Satan even exist?
To put it another way: When Satan was thrown out of heaven originally, a fallen angel, along with his fellow demons, why didn’t God just destroy them or put them in hell at that time? I mean if he had, then humans would still be faced with the pull of selfishness and sin, and a choice between God’s way and the worldly way. But at least we wouldn’t have Satan as an adversary to deal with on top of that.
The argument can be made that God made us as free-will agents and wanted us to have a real choice, to love and follow his way, or reject and not follow his way. And maybe a true choice to not follow him requires an adversary that promotes sin, so the choice is truly between an advocate of right and an advocate of wrong. One thing for sure, knowing Satan fights against God’s ways helps to explain much of the craziness in the world when we’re tempted to think, “Why did God allow that?” God allows free choice, allows Satan to tempt us, and he allows consequences of such. It impacts all facets of life. And those consequences touch the guilty and the innocent (so called, none are truly innocent). Don’t blame God, blame Satan (and people) for the bad stuff. I just wish Satan wasn’t a factor. I trust God in this, like I do in all areas of my ignorance. God must believe he provides ample evidence to draw people to himself even with “the enemy” working against us. So, how are you and I doing with that?
What about you? Do you wonder why Satan exists, or do you even think he does exist, factoring his influence into world events? I’d covet your thoughts on this. Email me at: rwwillis2145@gmail.com.