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Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
Lucifer's fall	Terry	Monday, December 3, 2007
Question: Why did God after the battle of the angels not just put Lucifer in hell and throw away the key and why did He continue to allow satan to be on the earth after He saw how Adam and Eve fell and cause so much trouble to the perfection of the world He created. We are still dealing with that sin to this day and yet he continues to allow him free reign over us and if we die we go to hell for our wrong. Satan is allowed to live on and bring further sin into the world even after God had His own Son come to free us.
Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM Dear Terry: Satan serves God's Salvation History. God used Satan to be the instrument of the test of the human race in the Garden of Eden, Satan was used to test Israel over and over, Satan was used to test Jesus and to facilitate the torture and death of our Lord and Savior which brought about the redemption of mankind. Satan is still useful in testing mankind during our probationary period on this earth. While we can sin all by ourselves without Satan's influence, the devil still works to promote evil and temptation that tests our faith. A faith that is tested in fire becomes tempered, that is, strong and unbreakable. It is therefore and actually an act of love for God to allow Satan to roam this earth because his presence tests and strengthens our faith. In this way, Satan still serves God's Salvation History. The final hell in which the devil and his minions will be permanently confined, along with all the lost human souls, if an event that is yet in our future. In the meantime both humans and devils play out this drama of battle and testing and out of it comes God's glory. With each evil act is the opportunity of great grace and glory. God can bring glory out of the darkest evil. We see this play acted out in the story of Job. Despite the fact that Job was a righteous man who did not deserve to be attacked by Satan, God gave Satan permission to attack him anyway. Thank God that he did. From Job will learn tremendous lessons about perseverance, the nature of evil, the glory of God, and trust in God. Satan played an unwitting role in a great Sunday School lesson. The question is not why God allows Satan to roam the earth to bother mankind, but why does not mankind turn to God, put on the armor of God, resist the devil, and live holy lives? The devil has influence in this world only to the extent that we allow him. Resist the devil and he will flee God tells us in the Bible. The problem is that our world is not resisting the devil, but embracing him. Thus, the real problem is not that God allows the devil access to mankind, but that mankind allows access of the devil to himself. The solution is in our hands by the grace of God. God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below: Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum. Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

Lucifer's fall

Terry

Monday, December 3, 2007

Question:

Why did God after the battle of the angels not just put Lucifer in hell and throw away the key and why did He continue to allow satan to be on the earth after He saw how Adam and Eve fell and cause so much trouble to the perfection of the world He created.

We are still dealing with that sin to this day and yet he continues to allow him free reign over us and if we die we go to hell for our wrong.

Satan is allowed to live on and bring further sin into the world even after God had His own Son come to free us.

Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM

Dear Terry:

Satan serves God's Salvation History. God used Satan to be the instrument of the test of the human race in the Garden of Eden, Satan was used to test Israel over and over, Satan was used to test Jesus and to facilitate the torture and death of our Lord and Savior which brought about the redemption of mankind. Satan is still useful in testing mankind during our probationary period on this earth.

While we can sin all by ourselves without Satan's influence, the devil still works to promote evil and temptation that tests our faith. A faith that is tested in fire becomes tempered, that is, strong and unbreakable. It is therefore and actually an act of love for God to allow Satan to roam this earth because his presence tests and strengthens our faith. In this way, Satan still serves God's Salvation History.

The final hell in which the devil and his minions will be permanently confined, along with all the lost human souls, if an event that is yet in our future. In the meantime both humans and devils play out this drama of battle and testing and out of it comes God's glory.

With each evil act is the opportunity of great grace and glory. God can bring glory out of the darkest evil.

We see this play acted out in the story of Job. Despite the fact that Job was a righteous man who did not deserve to be attacked by Satan, God gave Satan permission to attack him anyway. Thank God that he did. From Job will learn tremendous lessons about perseverance, the nature of evil, the glory of God, and trust in God. Satan played an unwitting role in a great Sunday School lesson.

The question is not why God allows Satan to roam the earth to bother mankind, but why does not mankind turn to God, put on the armor of God, resist the devil, and live holy lives?

The devil has influence in this world only to the extent that we allow him. Resist the devil and he will flee God tells us in the Bible. The problem is that our world is not resisting the devil, but embracing him. Thus, the real problem is not that God allows the devil access to mankind, but that mankind allows access of the devil to himself.

The solution is in our hands by the grace of God.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below:
Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum.
Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum
Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum
Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum
Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum