Robert Jenkins THEO201_B10_201240 Short Essay #4 Angelology and Satanology The world has a belief that God and Satan are equal in power, one being good and one being evil, this is called Ethical Dualism. Ethical Dualism teaches that there are two forces in the world that are constantly fighting each other, being equal to each other, and that they will eternally be fighting. The problem with this worldly view, that God and Satan are equal, is that God created Satan.
God being the creator, and Satan being the created, this means that Satan can’t possibly be equal to God. Colossians 1:16-17 says “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. ” In Job 2, God gave permission to Satan to test Job. If they were equal in power, why would Satan have to get permission from God?
As I stated, Satan was created. He was created as the most beautiful angel as Ezekiel 28:13 describes “You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering: the ruby, the topaz and the diamond; the beryl, the onyx and the jasper; the lapis lazuli, the turquoise and the emerald; and the gold, the workmanship of your settings and sockets, was in you. On the day that you were created they were prepared. ” Satan being created and being submissive to God, goes completely again goes against the world view of Ethical Dualism.
In Isaiah 14:12-17 as well as Ezekiel 28 explains what happened to Satan, and why he became evil. He became prideful, and covetous. Because of his beauty, he desired to be “Like” God, and wanting to be “Like” God, he wanted what God had as in Isaiah 14:13-14 “But you said in your heart,‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north. 14 ‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High. ’” There are some objections to the use of Isaiah 14:12-17 and Ezekiel 28 in dealing with Satan.
These passages speak to kings of both Babylon and Tyre, but they do also speak to Satan. In Isaiah 14:12, King Nebuchadnezzar never had “Fallen from Heaven,” and King of Tyre, in Ezekiel 28:13 had never been “in Eden, the Garden of God. ” I believe the reason God talks to Satan though these two men and passages, is that these men were definitely influenced by Satan, and could possibly even possessed by Satan. I have shown that Satan is a created being, and that he is an angel. Many questions arise about Satan’s character, evil.
The question is, because Satan is evil, did God create evil. The short answer to this is, no. Just as God created men with free will, He created angels with free will. God wants us to worship Him out of our own choice. We have the choice of following Him or not. In Genesis 1, after God created each thing, He said it was “good,” not evil. When God created Satan, Satan was good until pride entered his heart. What is evil? It is really not a correct term; it is a term we have given to show the absence of “good. ” There are some other ways that Satan is not equal to God.
God has three terms we use to describe Him, omniscience (He has infinite knowledge), omnipresent (He is everywhere at the same time), and He is omnipotent (He is all-powerful). Does Satan have these same attributes? No. Is Satan omniscient? No, if he was, then he wouldn’t have led the people to kill Jesus, creating the only way of salvation to the world. Is Satan omnipresent? No, I believe that he can’t be everywhere at the same time, he has subordinates (Demons) that assist him in his work in order to affect people at the same time. Is Satan omnipotent?
No, as is stated earlier, Satan was created; he has only the powers that God gave him when he was created (Luke 4:6). Satan also had to ask permission to test Job (Job2). People like to use the term, “well the devil made me do it? ” Is this a true statement? No. We are created with free will, this means that we have the choice to do something or not. When Satan puts a temptation in front of me, I have the choice to fall to it or not. Romans 3:23 say we all sin. The excuse “the devil made me do it” just doesn’t hold up. We are guilty for our own actions. Word Count 802
