The devil # 2

Question: Why did God create the devil, also called "satan"?

God created satan because God is love. God created him whom we now call satan as a being of very exalted glory. In Ezekiel 28:12-15, we get a hint of what satan was when he was originally created: "You were 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: the sardius, topaz and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes was prepared for you on the day you were created. You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; you were on the holy mountain of God; you walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you."

Because he was a being of such exalted glory, he was a moral being, that is, a being with the power of choosing good or evil. He seems to have been the one who led the worship of the universe. But ambition entered his heart. He seems to have tried to direct to himself what properly belonged to God, and thus he fell. Falling from such a height, he fell to the deepest depths and became the appalling being that he now is. The devil of Scripture is not a hideous-looking being with horns and hoofs, but a being of very high intelligence who has turned his mighty powers to wrong and has thus become the great enemy of God and man.

Question: Can God destroy satan?

I do not not know of anywhere in the Bible where it is taught that God can destroy satan, but God certainly can destroy or annihilate any beings that He has created, if He sees fit. If He brought them into being, He can put them out of being; otherwise, God would not be omnipotent. But it is clear from Scripture that to destroy satan is not God's will. satan will exist and be "tormented day and night forever and ever" (Revelation 20:10). If the question refers to Hebrews 2:14 - "through death He ... destroy[ed] him who had the power of death, that is, the devil" - the word "destroy" there means to "render powerless" or "bring to nothing," not "annihilate."

Question: Why does God not destroy satan if He is omnipotent?

God does not destroy satan because God has not yet worked out His purpose through him. Though satan himself is evil, God accomplishes His purposes of good through him. The day will come when we will understand what these purposes are and will thank God even for satan. God will make not only the wrath of man but also the wrath of satan to praise Him. (Psalm 76:10). The "messenger of satan" that was sent to "buffet" Paul (2 Corinthians 12:7) worked only good for Paul. He kept Paul from being "exalted above measure." (v. 7).

~R. A. Torrey~