Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!dimacs.rutgers.edu!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: tdm7695@tamsun.tamu.edu (Thomas Moriarty) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: Question? Message-ID: Date: 9 Jun 91 18:51:46 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: Texas A&M University Lines: 176 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu >hi. >a question. >if god is the first cause, and if our conception with regard to his >character is correct (i.e. that he is omnipotent, omniscient, and good) >and if we believe that god is love, then since satan (the devil, >whatever you like) was brought into existence by god he must have been >good. totally good since god could not create evil. if so then how could >he be corrupted? indeed how could evil exist if god did not create it? >thanks for your time, > ollie g The answer to your question comes in two parts: 1) Satan's Origin and Rebellion; 2) God's plan and purpose of the ages. In explaining the God's plan and purpose of the ages, one needs to take a bird's eye view of all 66 books of the Bible. Satan's rebellion began long before the time of Adam's temptation and fall. The angels were created long before the time of Adam. Isaiah 14 tells us that Lucifer (Hebrew for Daystar) was once God's highest angel. Ezekial 28:12 says "You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect and beauty" and Ezekial 28:15 says "You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you". Lucifer tried to exalt himself above God and in the process, he became God's enemy and opposer. Because Lucifer's heart was lifted up because of his beauty, Lucifer corrupted his wisdom for the sake of his splendor according to Ezekial 28:17. The Hebrew word for "accuser" is Satan. Satan carried away one-third of the angels. Today, one-third of the angels obey Satan and two-thirds of the angels obey God. Should God be blamed for Satan's rebellion? It is a matter of who do you believe. Either you believe Satan's propaganda or you believe God's word about this matter written in Ezekial 28 and Isaiah 14. God gave Satan and all of the other angels a free will. God was not so narrow-minded as to place any restrictions on the angels before Satan's rebellion. Ezekial 28:17 says that Satan's rebellion originated because Satan was so absolutely perfect in wisdom and beauty. God should not be blamed for the matter of making Lucifer perfect in wisdom and beauty and for putting him in such a marvelous and wonderful place described in Ezekial 28. The Bible shows us that Satan's nature is that of a liar and slanderer. Throughout the Bible, Satan comes in to accuse and slander God before men and the result is that men have propagated lies, accusations, and slander against God. Bible scholars have determined that from the time of Adam until the present day is about 6,000 years and at most 10,000 years. In Ezekial chapter 28, Ezekial speaks concerning the King of Tyre as a type and picture of Satan. Is Ezekial speaking to the King of Tyre or to Satan in Ezekial 28? Actually, he is really speaking to both simultaneously. Based on Isaiah 14, Isaiah 45:16, and Ezekial 28, one can conclude that the creation of the angels and Satan's rebellion must have occurred many millions, and perhaps billions of years prior to the first day mentioned in Genesis chapter 1. For more information on the above point, I recommend reading G.H. Pember's "The Earth's Earliest Ages" written in 1888 and Watchman Nee's "The Mystery of Creation" written in 1920. The Bible does not tell us how long a period of time elapsed between the time of the creation of the angels to the rebellion of Satan. Neither does it tells us how a long a period of time elapsed from the time of Satan's rebellion until the first day mentioned in Genesis 1. Many Christians think that the seven days in Genesis 1 are seven days of creation but actually they are seven days of restoration and further creation. Based on the bounds of Scriptures, one can say that the angels were created millions of years prior to the time of Adam's temptation in the Garden of Eden. Why did God allow Satan to tempt Adam? Why does God continue to allow Satan to tempt and harass man today? The answer is that God wants man to search out after him. Satan has caused a background of darkness, ugliness, strife, hatred, and confusion. The United States today is experiencing a period of great moral degradation. God did not cause this moral degradation but Satan, the fallen angels, and the demons have caused it. A dark situation such as this gives God the opportunity to show himself and to show us what kind of God he is. Without such a dark and perverse situation caused by Satan, there would be no need for man to turn to God. Mike Warnke is an ex-Satanist who eventually saw the light and became a Christian. Mike practiced sorcery, witchcraft, and all kinds of different satanic rituals. He became so exceedingly advanced in the knowledge and practice of Satanism that he was invited to an elite meeting of the greatest and most advanced Satanic practitioners in the USA. While attending this meeting, he had an experience of seeing Satan face to face! He was horrified by the evilness and perverseness of Satan's nature. He became so frightened by the intense evil nature of Satan that he just had to turn away from Satan. His experience caused him to seek out God in a desperate kind of way. In answering the question: "Why does God allow Satan to tempt and harass man?", consider a black chalkboard. A black object in the background of a black chalkboard can be difficult to see. However, a white object in the background of a black chalkboard is often easy to distinguish. God uses Satan's rebellion as a means to show Himself to man in the hope that man would choose God. Revelation 5:9 mentions that God is purchasing men out of every tribe, tongue, people, and nation a holy group of people. The word "holy" means uncommon and separated and sanctified from the world. Today, God is calling out a "holy" group of people from among the world which is the church. I had a number of terrible and miserable events during my life that caused me to want to seek out after God. I believe that God sovereignly allowed Satan to perpetrate such ugly deeds in order that I would want to seek out after God. Many have asked the question: "If God is so all-powerful, kind, loving, compassionate, forgiving, generous, and caring, why did God allow Adam to be tempted in the Garden of Eden by Satan?" In one sense, God knew that Adam would commit sin before he placed Adam in the garden with the two trees. I make this statement based on Revelation 13:8 which mentions Jesus Christ as "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world". Also, Ephesians 3:10 mentions "According to the purpose of the ages which He made in Christ Jesus our Lord". God had a purpose in putting Adam in the Garden of Eden between the two trees which are the Tree of Life and the Tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil. On the other hand, Genesis chapters 3 and 6 mentions that God was angry and disappointed with Adam for having disobeyed Him. God's purpose of the ages mentioned in Ephesians 3:10 is a deep and profound matter. To explain it in a completely thorough way in a single electronic mail message or forum posting is impossible. Undoubtedly, people will have questions, comments, and criticisms because it is impossible to thoroughly explain to the satisfaction of everyone on the Internet. During the present age, God allows Satan to continue to tempt, to harass, and to attack man because it serves God's purpose of the ages. Without such temptation, harassment, attacks, and slander against man by Satan, men would have no need to seek out after God in a desperate and serious kind of way. When Jesus Christ returns again to the Mount of Olives, he will come to rule over all the nations in a physical way. Today, George Bush rules over the United States in a physical way. When Christ returns, it will be Jesus Christ and not George Bush who will be reigning over the United States. He will be the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords reigning over all the nations. This administrative arrangement will last one thousand years. The second coming of Christ will marked by a very great event: the imprisonment of Satan. Satan will be put into a prison for a thousand years. Revelation 20:2 says "And he laid hold of the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him a thousand years". Eventually, the Devil will be "cast into the lake of fire" (Revelation 20:10). Then, the execution of God's judgment upon Satan and his followers will be completed. What is the church? The New Testament Greek uses the word "ekklesia" meaning the "called-out assembly". The church or the called-out assembly is separated from the matters of the world. When Jesus Christ was crucified and died on the cross, God's enemy Satan and the entire Satanic kingdom was judged by God. However, God's judgement upon Satan has not been yet carried out. In the United States, it is common for death-row inmates to wait many years after their death sentence was pronounced before the death sentence can be carried out. No competent judge would ever carry out the execution of those criminals whom he has judged to be worthy of the death penalty. A competent judge needs to carefully select qualified executioners who will carry out the death sentenced against a convicted criminal. In the same way, God is waiting for the church or "ekklesia" to rise up so He can carry out his judgement against Satan. The church is the corporate bride of Christ. The apostle Paul wrote to the church in Corinth in 1 Corinthians 12:27: "Now you are the body of Christ, and members in particular". When the bride has made herself ready to be married to Christ, then the great tribulation will begin, resulting in Christ's second coming, and Satan's imprisonment. Adam's sin causing man's fall in Genesis 2 was a terrible event. But in Revelation, we see that the result is glorious! God is able to call out from the world a select group of people known as the church. Satan is defeated! Man is a weak and fragile vessel compared to the angels. For man to defeat Satan, the fallen angels, and the demons by his own efforts is very much like a tiny mouse defeating a tall giant. Through the power of the resurrection life released by the death of Jesus Christ on the cross, God is able to raise a corporate group of believers known as the church on the earth today. Satan hates both Christ and the Church because it is the Church will throw Satan and the fallen angels into the lake of fire for eternity. Jesus Christ is God incarnate and God dispenses his life into all those believe in the person and work of Christ. Through the blood shed by Jesus Christ on the cross, God has "purchased men out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and made them to our God a kingdom and priests" (Revelation 5:9-10). --- Tom Moriarty