by jimwalton » Thu May 29, 2014 12:22 pm
> God created angels.
Right. All things were made by him (Jn. 1.3). God is the only non-created being.
> didn't know that one of them would rebel
Where'd ya get this? God has foreknowledge, which means he can see the future as easily as the present or the past. For that matter, since it is believed that God stands outside of time, there is no such thing as present, past, and future. So God did know that one of them would rebel.
> Then he CREATED the devil.
Genesis says that everything God created was good (Gn. 1.31). But that which is created good is not immune to becoming not good. I could create a beautiful piece of blown glass. Let's even imagine it's perfect. But that doesn't mean it can't be broken. Nor does that imply that I haven't created it well, or that I have created a disaster. All I've done is make something beautiful and good, but breakable.
When God created beings like himself, they had the ability to choose, as God does. But because they are created beings, they are, by definition, not God (who is self-existent). If they are not God, then, they are capable of choosing something wrong. Because the being we call Satan used his ability to decide to make an immoral decision is not a reflection on God's knowledge or his creation of all things good. He made something good, but by nature breakable. Don't fault God for the poor choice someone made of their own volition.
You're creating a false dichotomy between "if God created" and "God knew". Both could be true. But what the Bible says is that all things were created good. So God did not CREATE evil.
> Prepared? By whom?
Prepared by God. As the Judge, he also made ready a place of just punishment for Satan and his messengers.
Your real question seems to be "Who is Satan, and where did he come from?" The Bible has little to say about how evil angels came to have their current moral character and even less about their origin. 2 Pet. 2.4 and Jude 6 indicate that they are created beings, and they made a choice to rebel against God. As far as Satan himself, he is called a prince of the demons (Mt. 12.22-32). We can possibly interpolate that he also is a created being who made a choice to rebel against God. Since he rebelled, he will face the consequences for that rebellion.
It's not as if God made Satan do what he does because he has some diabolical scheme to warp the world. God created Satan, obviously, as a good being. Satan obviously chose not to stay that way. God allows him to do the things that he does because God can use him to serve his ultimate purposes, and ultimately Satan will be judged for the choices he has made and the destiny he has created for himself.
> God created angels.
Right. All things were made by him (Jn. 1.3). God is the only non-created being.
> didn't know that one of them would rebel
Where'd ya get this? God has foreknowledge, which means he can see the future as easily as the present or the past. For that matter, since it is believed that God stands outside of time, there is no such thing as present, past, and future. So God did know that one of them would rebel.
> Then he CREATED the devil.
Genesis says that everything God created was good (Gn. 1.31). But that which is created good is not immune to becoming not good. I could create a beautiful piece of blown glass. Let's even imagine it's perfect. But that doesn't mean it can't be broken. Nor does that imply that I haven't created it well, or that I have created a disaster. All I've done is make something beautiful and good, but breakable.
When God created beings like himself, they had the ability to choose, as God does. But because they are created beings, they are, by definition, not God (who is self-existent). If they are not God, then, they are capable of choosing something wrong. Because the being we call Satan used his ability to decide to make an immoral decision is not a reflection on God's knowledge or his creation of all things good. He made something good, but by nature breakable. Don't fault God for the poor choice someone made of their own volition.
You're creating a false dichotomy between "if God created" and "God knew". Both could be true. But what the Bible says is that all things were created good. So God did not CREATE evil.
> Prepared? By whom?
Prepared by God. As the Judge, he also made ready a place of just punishment for Satan and his messengers.
Your real question seems to be "Who is Satan, and where did he come from?" The Bible has little to say about how evil angels came to have their current moral character and even less about their origin. 2 Pet. 2.4 and Jude 6 indicate that they are created beings, and they made a choice to rebel against God. As far as Satan himself, he is called a prince of the demons (Mt. 12.22-32). We can possibly interpolate that he also is a created being who made a choice to rebel against God. Since he rebelled, he will face the consequences for that rebellion.
It's not as if God made Satan do what he does because he has some diabolical scheme to warp the world. God created Satan, obviously, as a good being. Satan obviously chose not to stay that way. God allows him to do the things that he does because God can use him to serve his ultimate purposes, and ultimately Satan will be judged for the choices he has made and the destiny he has created for himself.