The Beginning Of Evil (MP 5)

Homage to Lucifer all angels paid;
He received it as only but his due;
But when he learned that men were to be made,
Into a jealous rage Lucifer flew!
He persuaded one-third to join his cause,
To topple God, so he could take God’s place!
His intent was futile, his plan filled with flaws;
Pride dulled his brain and led to his disgrace!
The war between good and evil began
In heaven and continues on the earth,
Where the trophy sought is the soul of man,
Each one a great prize of eternal worth!
Lucifer, now Satan, is evil’s source;
Spiting God, he steals souls with guile, not force!

Scripture Quoted: Revelation 12:7-9; Hebrews 1:15 (NIV)
“And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon [Lucifer], and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.” [Brackets added]

“Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?”

Commentary
God is the ultimate source of evil, because He created Lucifer, putting self-pride into his nature, and making him chief of all the angels. He did it so that man would have freedom of will to choose between good and evil. Had there been no evil in the world, only good, man would have no choice and remain untested. Of course God is a loving God; He loves all men and does not desire for any man to do evil and be condemned for it; yet His firm justice allows no one to enter heaven and dwell with Him eternally who ignores the good. Satan, once Lucifer, is allowed freely to delude men and women into living in sin, turning a deaf ear to God. The “great dragon” is still waging war against God by capturing as many souls as he can to deny God the joy of welcoming them into His family. Satan cannot topple God; he doesn’t seem to realize that, still thinking more of himself than he really is.

God’s love for man, his ultimate creation, for whom He created the universe and earth, angels, heaven, plant and animal life, and His intention of adopting the righteous men into His own divine family, convinced Lucifer that his status with God would suffer; he found it impossible to accept. 1 Peter 5:8 says, “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” He is angry, for he knows his time is brief. He gains nothing by enslaving the souls of men and women, for in the end he will suffer the same punishment as they—separation from God. He is responsible for the downfall of millions of angels and billions of human beings. God grieves over the loss of each soul

Most would consider it odd of God not to slay Lucifer for treason; had He done that, though, Lucifer/Satan would be no more, and he could not have brought evil to earth with which to test men. In a real sense, Satan on earth is essential to God’s Master Plan for the world, for he provides men and women with the option of rejecting God for enslavement to evil.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him will not die, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)