Why do we have the bible? Why do we have Good and evil? Many have therefore questioned the love of God by asking: “Why didn’t the tragedy of sin stop with Lucifer in heaven? Why didn’t God destroy him before his sin-disease could spread? Wasn’t God omniscient enough to see this come? etc, etc”.
Isaiah 14:12-23 KJV says:
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. 15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
Indeed God did read the mind and heart of Lucifer, but still let him corrupt myriads of his holy angels in heaven because God is not just loving, but also righteous. It is because of that love and righteousness that He permitted Lucifer to do his evil deeds from heaven down to earth, until now.
By feeding evil thoughts which led him to corrupt angels and humans, it’s important to remember that Lucifer had challenged the fairness of God’s government, laws and creation. He had told lies about God. The idea of telling a lie had never entered the minds of the angels. Naturally they didn’t grasp all that lay behind Lucifer’s deceptions.
Don’t you think that if God had destroyed Satan immediately when he read his evil mind and heart, the angels in heaven would have begun to serve Him (God) from fear rather than from love? This would have defeated the very purpose He had in creating beings with the power of choice in the first place.
How did anyone really know God’s way was best? No one had dared to try an alternative. God gave Satan a chance to demonstrate his alternative system. That’s why he was given an opportunity to make his pitch to Adam and Eve. This planet has become a testing ground where the character of Satan and the nature of his kingdom are contrasted with the character of God and the nature of His kingdom. Having seen the evil deeds of Lucifer being displayed over the ages both with fallen angels and with humans, Who is do you think is right now? Who can we ultimately trust now to be right? These are the issues which “the great controversy between Christ and Satan” is resolving.
Those who believe in Jesus have seen the evil in Lucifer that they now know the truth that Lucifer is wrong from the beginning and will continue to be wrong. That is why, having seen his evil nature, character and deeds, we have seen how Jesus’ message, manner of life and character display both the Love and the Righteousness of God. So as Christians, we have chosen God because he is right (Rev 20:1-15).
The angels did not have this understanding in heaven – both those who were misled and those who remained holy with God. God, in His infinite wisdom needed to allow some more time so that both angels and humans to see for themselves the evil of Lucifer so that, when God judges him and his followers, everyone will understand that Lucifer has always been wrong and therefore deserves his condemnation.
At least from then, no one will serve God out of fear, but out of Love.
God needed to give a chance for everyone of us to really grasp how disastrous Satan’s alternative plan actually is. But eventually everyone will see that “the wages of sin is death” and that “the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
Every being in the entire universe will then agree with the declaration:
“‘Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the ages. Who will not fear you, O Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.’” —Revelation 15:3, 4.
Conclusion: God’s perfect plan
After everyone understands the deadly nature of sin and the destructive nature of Satan’s philosophy, God can destroy Satan and sin. He will also have to destroy those who stubbornly resist His grace and cling to Satan’s alternative.
God is just as anxious to resolve the problem of sin and suffering as we are to have Him do so. But He is waiting until He can do it on a permanent basis, and until He can both preserve our free will and prevent evil from ever appearing again.
