Why Didn't God Just Kill Satan?

Why Didn't God Just Kill Satan?

One of the greatest mysteries of the Christian life is why God didn’t destroy Satan immediately after Satan sinned. We know that God will one day defeat Satan by throwing him into the Lake of Fire where he will be tortured day and night forever, but sometimes we wonder why God hasn't destroyed Satan already, and prevented all the evil that has occurred in our world.

To be assured, God is all-powerful and could have destroyed Satan immediately, or at any point in time. Since He has not destroyed Satan yet, there must be some reason for his continued existence that ultimately serves as part of God's perfect plan for humanity. 

We have to remember that simply because God can do something does not mean God has to do it. And God has always known everything, from the very beginning of creation, and he also knows the best way to deal with everything.

God is the absolute sovereign over all creation, and this includes Satan. So then, Satan's fate has always rested in God's hands, as does our own.

For the Christian, “we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Whatever God has planned for us is the best plan possible. Likewise, whatever God has planned for Satan, that plan will be the best one possible.

Next, we know that to question God’s plan and its timing is to question God Himself, His judgment, His character and His very nature. It is never wise to question God's right to do exactly as He pleases. The psalmist tells us, “As for God, His way is perfect” (Psalm 18:30). Whatever plan comes from the mind of the Almighty God is the best plan possible.

How could anyone really know for sure that God’s way was best? At the beginning, no one had dared to try an alternative. But God gave Satan a chance to demonstrate his system to all the creation, angel and mankind. That’s why Satan was given an opportunity to make his pitch to Adam and Eve. 

So, in essence this planet has become a testing ground, for all to witness the character of Satan and the nature of his kingdom as contrasted with the character of God and the nature of His kingdom.

Also, the possibility of sin must exist to allow humanity to have free will. That very same free will was accorded all the angels. The only difference of the free will of angels and the free will of man, is the fact that the angels existed outside the "time domain" that humanity is born into. 

Free will is required for the existence of genuine choices, including the choice to love God. Even if Satan had not existed, we would still have had free will and the opportunity to commit sin. As it turns out, sin entered through Adam and Eve, aided by the actions of Satan. But this doesn't mean sin could never have entered some other way.

Also, Satan's existence and evil system serves as part of God's redemptive plan through Jesus Christ. When Jesus came to earth, He was tempted by Satan. God sent his Son, Jesus to demonstrate to mankind his system of genuine love, by Christ's sacrificial death on the cross. ,So you see, even though Satan's intentions are evil, God is able to use them in order to further His will.

God's system of government rests upon love. If God ever chose to act arbitrarily and exercise superior force, there would be a danger that He would have to rule by fear, rather than love. 

So, by utilizing and allowing Satan a certain amount of leeway, He is permitting the exercise of free will on the part of one of His created beings. He is carrying forth a drama on earth that is cosmic in nature, whereby men and women, created in the image of God, freely choose to serve Him.

If God just reached out with His power and struck Satan, other created beings could say He did it because He could not win by love, and so He had to resort to force and fear. God's plan for the triumph of love over hate is breathtaking. 

God placed on earth a being--man, who was made in God's image. Then He permitted Satan to tempt man, and man gave in to bring about his own downfall. Then before all of the angels in heaven, there unfolded the drama of redemption whereby God Himself sent His Son to die for fallen man

But, in a very real sense, Satan is already defeated. God has acted already to destroy Satan. His sentence is sealed. His execution date is set. But in the interim period, all mankind, confined in earth's process of time, is being allowed his "free will" decision to make.

And it has taken time for everyone to really grasp how disastrous Satan’s alternative actually is.

But in the case of God's timing for Satan’s demise, it has to be the best possible plan; for it involves the test of Love .

After everyone understands the deadly nature of sin and the destructive nature of Satan’s philosophy, God can, and will destroy Satan and sin. Sadly, God will also have to destroy those who stubbornly resist His grace and cling to Satan’s alternative.

Lastly, Heaven would not be Heaven, unless those who enter therein, for all of Eternity, knew just how much God Loved them; and thereby transforming our nature to live in a place like Heaven!

Darrell G. Young