Hey guys, you don’t know how much your answers mean to me.  I really appreciate it, and I have another question on my mind that burdens me a lot.  Does God test us, or does He allow us to be tested?  Is it something similar to temptation when He allows us to be tempted, but doesn’t tempt us?

Sincerely,
Trial Trouble

Dear Trial Trouble,

The Bible says that God never tempts us to do evil (Jas 1:13).  God never purposefully puts us in a situation with a desire for us to sin.  The devil wants to devour you with sin, but God never does (1 Pet 5:8).  However, God does put us in situations in order to find out what we are made of.  God tested Abraham when He asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac (Gen 22:1).  God put Abraham in a position where he could succeed or fail – but the key is that God wanted him to succeed (Gen 22:14-18).  Abraham was tried by God (Heb 11:17), so God could bless him.  God may put us in circumstances that are difficult, but His desire is always to benefit us.

On the other hand, the devil tempts us for the purpose of destroying us – just like he did with Jesus in the wilderness (Matt 4:1).  That is why God promises us that He will never allow the devil to tempt us beyond what we are able to handle (1 Cor 10:13).  The devil tries to set us up for failure, and the Lord tries to set us up for success.

How was Satan created?  Did God create him?  If so, why?

Sincerely,
Origin Of Species

Dear Origin Of Species,

The Bible never specifically tells us when or how Satan was created, so anything we tell you is merely a best guess.  Here is how the logic goes:

1. God created everything, both visible and invisible, earthly and heavenly (Col 1:16).
2. If God created everything, He must have created Satan.
3. Everything God made was originally good, and God wouldn't create something bad (Gen 1:31).
4. Satan must have originally been created good.
5. We know that, at some point, there were some angels that sinned and rebelled against God (2 Pet 2:4).
6. Maybe Satan was one of those angels (this is where the information gets sketchy).

In short, we don't know much... but that is many Bible scholars’ best guess.

Who is the devil?  Why was he cast out of heaven?  What day did he leave heaven?

Sincerely,
Demonic Double-check

Dear Demonic Double-check,

The Bible doesn’t give us much information on the devil’s origins, and since the Bible is vague, we must also be vague.  The Bible says that certain angels sinned against God and were cast down and reserved for judgment (1 Pet 2:4).  The Bible never specifically mentions the devil as part of that crew of angels, but this may refer to him as well.  The Bible says that the devil is the father of lies and murder (Jhn 8:44).  The devil was cast out of heaven by God because the devil rebelled against God and sinned.  Beyond that, we have very little information.  We know that Jesus bound Satan when Jesus came to earth (Mk 3:22-27), and Jesus’ sacrifice cast him out of heaven (Rev 12:7-11).  We also know that the devil will eventually be cast into the fires of hell with his angels (Matt 25:41).

Are Isaiah 14:12 and Ezekiel 28:12-13 really referring to Satan?

Sincerely,
Reference Research

Dear Reference Research,

Neither verse is talking about Satan.  The King James Version uses the word ‘Lucifer’ in Isa:14:12, and that has created some confusion because people often associate that name with Satan.  Most other translations use the words ‘Morning Star’.  The verse isn’t talking about Satan; it is talking about the Babylonian king (Isa 14:4).  In Ezek 28:12-13, God is talking about the fall of Tyre and His judgment against the city of Tyre’s king.  The key to understanding any verse is to keep it in its context.  Both of those verses are couched within chapters that discuss the destruction of physical kings and their kingdoms.

What does the Bible say about present-day demon possession?

Sincerely,
Afraid Of The Dark

Dear Afraid Of The Dark,

Evil spirits are real, but they were cast out and their powers greatly reduced by Christ and the apostles.  Demon possession ended not long after the days of Christ.  Jesus made it clear that one of His jobs was to bind the devil and take His strength away by casting out his demons (Matt 12:28-29).  When Jesus’ disciples had come back from their evangelism trips and related to Him that they had cast out many demons, Jesus told them that they were defeating Satan by getting rid of Satan’s demonic minions (Lk 10:17-18).  When Jesus and His disciples cast out demons, they did it permanently (Lk 8:30-33) and bound Satan by their acts.  We no longer have to deal with such overt attacks by the devil because he has been bound by Christ’s sacrifice (Rev. 20:2).  Demon possession no longer exists; the devil must use subtler methods to deceive us now.