First source of suffering – Satan

7.1. Why does not God destroy the devil?

A lot of suffering comes from the devil and the devil is able to control the minds of people who are not consecrated to God. God also allows the devil to tempt us, but God does not allow us to be tempted more than we can endure (1 Corinthians 10:13). 

- Why does not God destroy the devil?

There are several reasons why God does not destroy the devil. God allows the continuous existence of the devil for the sake of the good angels and human beings.

For the sake of the good angels

Imagine there is a king living in a certain country, and one of his servants tries to commit treason against him. The servant even tries to dethrone him and take over his kingdom. Then the king finds out about it and immediately gets him killed.

How would his other servants react to this?

The Bible says that the devil sinned from the beginning (1 John 3:8, John 8:44) and even wanted to take over God’s position. We read about this in Isaiah chapter 14.

    Isaiah 14:12-14 says, 12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.”

• If God destroyed the devil immediately after he disobeyed Him, then the other sinless angels would have started to worship God out of fear. They would have obeyed God because of the fear of being destroyed instead of because they loved God. In order for God to demonstrate the truth about His character of love, He must allow Satan’s rebellion to reveal its own results. God wants His angels and people to serve Him because His way is righteous, just, and leads to life, and happiness. God does not want us to serve Him out of fear of destruction if we rebel.

• God is love (1 John 4:8). There is no fear in love, according to the Bible, but perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18). Our motive for obeying God should be love and not fear. This is the reason why Jesus said, "If you love me, then keep my commandments" (John 14:15).

• The devil not being destroyed gave him the chance to demonstrate his alternative government (the kingdom of darkness, Colossians 1:13). How will we know that God is truly righteous and good unless there is an alternative being who we can compare to Him? The devil (also called Satan or Lucifer) wanted to be like God and rule (Isaiah 14:13-14) (Ezekiel 28:12–17). Therefore he has been given the opportunity to show his rulership. The devil is God’s constant competitor. 

o Although God created the world (2 Corinthians 4:4), He is not in charge of this world. The devil is called the god of this world because he rules it (2 Corinthians 4:4).

o We can see what has been the result of his rulership (violence, hate, injustice, death, disease, destruction, heartache, divorce, starvation, torture, war, homicide, suicide, genocide and all kinds of evil). 

o All created beings will see for themselves that God deserves our worship and is, truly, love (1 Timothy 6:10), justifying the devil’s destruction towards the end of the world (Revelation 20:10).

For assessing Christians 

It does not look like God assessed the character of the angels after creating them. It is reasonable to conclude this because one of them, the devil, became evil. Therefore, before humans come to heaven, God needs to ensure that they will not become evil like the devil once they get there.

Therefore, God needs to assess our characters to determine whether we are the right candidates to enter heaven. It is very easy to do the right thing if there is no temptation. If there was no temptation, there would be no sin.

God does not tempt anyone with evil (James 1:13), but the devil does tempt with evil (Luke 4:2), which makes him the perfect being to test Christians. If a Christian can overcome all the temptations of the devil, then they are the perfect candidate for heaven. 

There are those who decided to reject God. These people fall into two categories: Satanists and atheists. We see how Satanists behave and how destructive they are. There are many testimonies of those ex-Satanists online and the wicked things they did when they were serving the devil. Atheists falsely believe that life without God gives them freedom, but they do not understand that there is no middle ground. If you are not on God’s side, then you are automatically on the devil’s side, and he controls them. They think that they are free, but they are slaves to lust, addiction and anger (they lack of self-control).

God did not test the angels and a third of them became evil. He cannot risk not testing humans in case they become evil as well. Every human that is born should be tested and therefore this means that the devil needs to continue to exist.

We will not appreciate the reward of heaven if the devil did not exist on earth. If you live in a three-bedroom house and then relocate to another three-bedroom house. You will not appreciate the second house because it is similar to the previous house. If earth had no problems, how would we appreciate heaven, which also has no problems?

The Bible says certain things about God. For example, that He is good. How would we know for certain whether this was true unless there was somebody who was the opposite of Him?

We understand what darkness is, because there is light. We understand what good is because there is evil. The existence of the devil helps us to see the consequence of sin.

- To strengthen our relationship with God. 

Our parents want to have a relationship with us, and God, our Heavenly Father, is the same. Unfortunately, some people only think of God when they have challenges. Some people would not pray at all if they did not have any problems. There are some people who, when God has helped them, go back to forgetting about Him and stop having a relationship with Him. The existence of the devil gives us problems causing us to continue to be close to God.

7.2. The devil can cause natural disasters, mental illness and diseases

The Bible indicates that the devil has the power to cause evil. 

He has the ability to do the following:

- Cause mental illness

We read about the demoniac who had a legion of demons and when Jesus cast out the demons, he started thinking clearly and was in his right mind after the deliverance.

    Luke 8:35 says, “Then they went out to see what was done; and came to Jesus, and found the man, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.”

We read about a man whose son was a lunatic because of demons.

    Matthew 17:15 says, “Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatic, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water.”

- Cause physical problems (disfigurement, disability) and sickness

The devil caused the son of one of the men to be deaf and have the inability to speak.

    Mark 9:25 says, “When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.”

The devil has the ability to disfigure a person. We read about how the devil caused a woman to be bent over for eighteen years.

    Luke 13:11-13, 16 says, “11 And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. 12 And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. 13 And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. 16 And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?”

The devil made Job ill and caused boils to cover his body.

    Job 2:7 says, “So went Satan forth from the presence of the Lord, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.”

- Has the ability to perform miracles 

    2 Thessalonians 2:9 says, “Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders”

    Revelation 13:13 says, “And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men”

- Can possess a person and make them do evil things

Judas betrayed Jesus after the devil possessed him.

    Luke 22:3 says, “Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve.”

- Affect a person’s mind to remove understanding or comprehension and cause memory loss.

The devil is referred to as the god of this world. This is the reason why the Bible says that we should not love the world because the world is ruled by the devil (1 John 2:15). The world in the context of 1 John 2:15 does not mean that we should not love people. The world in 1 John 2:15 represents the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life (1 John 2:16). The devil has the ability to affect people’s minds to reject the gospel and any truth from the Bible.

    2 Corinthians 4:4 says, “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”

Jesus explained in the parable of the sower that the seed was God’s word and that the devil has the ability to remove the memory of what a person has heard.

    Mark 4:15 says, “And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.”

- Has some power over the weather

The devil caused a mighty wind to blow on the house where the children of Job were residing.

    Job 1:19 says, “And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.”

- He has the ability to cause poverty

Job lost all his property. 

    Job 1:14-15; 17 says, "14 And there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them: 15 And the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away; yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. 17 While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The Chaldeans made out three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have carried them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee."

7.3. What gives the devil the power to do evil?

Sin is what gives the devil power to do evil. Sin separates us from God and then when we are far from God’s protection, the devil attacks us.

    Isaiah 59:2 says, “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.”

- What are the main sources of the problems experienced in third world countries?

As already discussed, the source of suffering is the devil and people. Let us discuss what the devil is doing in third world countries.

When you analyze third world countries, there are two factors that stand out:

• Many of them do not have Christianity as the dominant religion.

• Most of the citizens, including those who are Christian, practice witchcraft, voodoo and other abominations that are against the Bible.

- List of poor countries that practice voodoo:

• Haiti

• West African nations of Benin, Togo and Ghana

• Brazil

• Haiti

• Cuba

• Caribbean countries

• Nigeria

- List of African countries with the highest number of people who practice witchcraft:

• Malawi 

• Nigeria 

• Ghana  

• Uganda

• Senegal 

• Mozambique  

• Congo 

• Benin 

• Kenya  

• Cameron 

• South Africa

- Poorest countries, where Christianity does not dominate, and their GDP per capita:

• Burundi - $905.01

• South Sudan - $993.23

• Central African Republic - $1,140

• Somalia - $1,370

• The Democratic Republic of the Congo - $1,420

• Mozambique - $1,540

• Niger - $1,550

• Malawi - $1,640

• Liberia - $1,760

• Chad - $1,790

• Madagascar - $1900

• Sierra Leone - $2,070

• Eritrea - $2,170

• Yemen - $2,240

• Kiribati - $2,260

- Which countries have the most natural disasters?

• The United States

• Indonesia

• Colombia

• China

• Brazil

• Philippines

• Venezuela

• Afghanistan

• Thailand

• Vietnam

You cannot be on the side of the devil by practicing witchcraft and voodoo and think you are going to have a wonderful life. The devil steals, kills and destroys (John 10:10). God calls these evil practices abominations and will not associate Himself with people who do such things even if they are also practicing Christianity. These countries face poverty, which includes drought and famines. Some of them face natural disasters such as flooding. The United States has many Christians, but there are a lot of wicked practices that happen. It has an entertainment industry that promotes witchcraft and Satanism. It also has Satanists and secret societies.

Somebody might ask, but what other countries that are not Christian, especially first-world countries that have a lot of atheists? Why do they not have so many natural disasters and poverty?

The answer is that, although they are not Christian, the citizens are not as sinful as the people in other countries. It is having too much sin that gives the devil the right to destroy. 

- Which countries are regarded as the most sinful in the world?

• The USA - More than $100 billion is lost by people in this country every year because they are addicted to gambling. Scams and identity theft "cost" the US $18 billion in 2017. The country also has high levels of sexual immorality and promotes immorality through the entertainment industry.

• Belarus - The citizens consume 17.50 liters of the purest alcohol (per capita).

• South Africa - It has the highest rape statistics and the crime rate is very high because of high levels of unemployment.

• Niger – The country is guilty of sexual immorality and has the highest rate of teen pregnancies. There are 203 births per 100,000 teenagers.

• Iraq - Is the country with the biggest shares of adult websites.

• Sweden – Like the USA and South Africa, they too have a high rate of sex crimes.

• Sierra Leone - The statistics show how they have 650 annual deaths per 100,000 young people.

7.4. Why did God allow Satan to attack Job?

It has been mentioned that the devil attacks those who have sin. But what about Job? Does not the Bible say he was a righteous man? Why did Satan have the right to attack him? 

- What are the two main reasons why God allowed Job to be attacked?

1. Job was already under Satan's power, so he had the right to attack him.

    Job 1:12 says,  “And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord.”

2. Other angels witnessed the accusations made against God regarding Job. God had to allow the attack to convince the angels that Satan was wrong.

    Job 1:6 says, “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them.”

1. How had Job already been under Satan's power?

Sin is the main thing that causes the devil to have power over us.

The well-known definition of sin is 1 John 3:4, which says that sin is the transgression of the law.

Another definition of sin is found in Romans 14:23, which says that "for whatsoever is not of faith is sin".

Fear is the opposite of faith. The Bible contains the phrase "do not be afraid" about 365 times.

    Job 3:25 says, “For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.”

Job did not live a life of faith and trust in God. He was a fearful man.

The New Testament indicates that the lack of faith can cause you to be powerless against the devil.

• The disciples could not cast out a demon because of unbelief.

    Matthew 17:18-20 says, “18 And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour. 19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? 20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief...”

Therefore, if you have unbelief and fear, the devil has power over you.

• The Bible further says that the fearful will end up in the lake of fire.

    Revelation 21:8 says, “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

Everything happens for a reason.

    Proverbs 26:2 says,  “...so the curse causeless shall not come.”

Since fear does not come from God, it means that it is the devil that tempts you to fear; including having doubts and unbelief.

2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

2. The angels witnessed the accusation.

In general, we assume that God is looking at us and often forget that there are also angels watching.

    Hebrews 12:1 says, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,”

There is no record of the angels having the ability to read minds. They only judge us by our words and actions. How will the angels know whether God or Satan is right unless Job was tested? 

We are going to heaven, where we will not only be with God but also with the angels. Without testing us, how will the angels know if we deserve heaven? Will they not protest against us if they believe we are not worthy to enter?

Revelation 12 says that there was war in heaven. The good angels fought against the evil angels, which led to the devil and the evil angels being kicked out.

Overall

The story of Job reveals Satan's true character. He is spiteful and merciless to anyone who is under his power. Many of us sin every day and the devil has the right to attack us, but God, in His mercy, has shielded us. We also see in the story that God allows what we are able to handle (1 Corinthians 10:13), since he put a limit on Satan’s attack on Job.

The story shows that Job loved God because he chose to, not because God forced him to. It is also a lesson that our suffering is temporary in comparison to the eternal joy we will undeservingly have with God (2 Corinthians 4:17). Tests reveal the purity of your love.

- What does the story of Job also teaches us?

• Through Job's life, God shows us what's going on behind the scenes and in the unseen spirit world. He reveals that Satan's job is to kill, steal, and destroy, but that God always has the final say and may let things happen for a reason.

• Even if the devil steals from you, have faith that God will be there for you and repay you if you trust Him.

• People won't come together to help you through hard times because they usually don't understand the pain, hurt and loss you're going through and may even blame you for it. You should only trust God because He sees everything, knows everything and can be trusted.

• Don't give up when you're going through a lot of pain that doesn't seem to be going away. Instead, put your faith in God, make Him the center of your life and trust that He will use the bad things that happen to you for your good in the right time.

• In the times of your trials and tribulations, it is then that your faith is tested; it is then that you will come to see your weak points and trust God to change your heart and mind and make you strong and able to live a victorious life in Him.

• In times of suffering when your back is against the wall and there seems to be no way out, if you keep trusting God, then you will experience God in a way you have not when things went well with you; in the fiery furnace and lions den, you will see Him if you put your trust in Him.

• When you face your problems and believe that God will see you through them safely, He will reward and bless you.

• The book of Job talks about pain that can make you scared, but it also talks about Job's success and the good things that happened to him because he stayed loyal to the Lord.

7.5. Can the devil delay our prayers from being answered?

As soon as a person becomes a Christian, they engage in a spiritual warfare with unseen evil forces of darkness. The devil does not want any human to go to that beautiful paradise called heaven, which he was kicked out of, and he is jealous of anyone who does. Therefore, he has decided to fight human beings in every way possible.

    Revelation 12:12 says, “Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.”

    2 Corinthians 10:3-5 says, “3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;”

    Ephesians 6:11-12 says, "11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."

- The devil can delay our prayers from getting answered.

We read about this in the book of Daniel. The prophet Daniel fasted and prayed for 21 days to receive understanding about a vision he had. The angel Gabriel eventually came to explain the vision to him and told him that his prayer was heard the first day he prayed and was told by God to come immediately. But it took the angel 21 days to eventually reach Daniel, because an evil spirit (prince of the kingdom of Persia) had tried to stop him, and he had to fight him. Then Michael, another angel, helped Gabriel to defeat the evil angel of Persia.

God has a kingdom, and he is the king. The angels are sometimes referred to as princes. Evil angels are also called princes. For example, the devil is called the prince of this world (John 12:31). Evil angels are also called demons, evil spirits, and principalities.

    Daniel 10:12 says. “12 Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. 13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia. 14 Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days.”

The devil does not want our prayers to be answered and he tries to hinder them. This is why the Bible tells us to continuously pray. Some Christians give up too quickly, and their prayer does not get answered. If Daniel had not persisted and had given up within a few days, it is possible that the angel Gabriel would not have come, and his prayer would not have gotten answered. At the same time, God only answers prayers that are in accordance with His will.

    1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, “Pray without ceasing.”

- The devil also tries to hinder the work of spreading the gospel.

The apostle Paul wanted to go to evangelize to a specific group of people, but the devil hindered them.

    1 Thessalonians 2:18 says, “Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again; but Satan hindered us.”

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