1 – God made what kind of world? Genesis 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, & 31.
When God created the world, everything was “good”… “good”… and “very good”. God is perfect and good, and He only ever makes good things.
2 – Where did evil come from? Matthew 13:24-30 & 37-43
In the parable of the wheat and tares, Jesus teaches “an enemy,” (vs.28) called “the devil” (vs.39) (false accuser & slanderer) is responsible for all evil. Interestingly, the devil covers his works in darkness so the blame is squared against God. Satan wants us to think God isn’t good, even though this is a lie. Nowhere in Scripture does God claim responsibility for the origin of evil.
3 – Where did this enemy come from? Luke 10:18
It sounds strange, but Jesus teaches that this enemy came from heaven. This is a place you would never associate with Satan (“Satan” literally means “adversary”).
4 – Did God create the devil? Ezekiel 28:12-17
Satan had a position as the “anointed cherub who covers” (vs.14) and was in the presence of God “in the midst of the fiery stones.” (vs.14). Yet, even with all these great privileges, he chose the course of sin. The Bible tells us that God made a perfect being who made a devil out of himself (vs.15). When God creates, He creates free moral agents; not robots. This means there is a possibility for us to say no to Him. This is because love is only possible if we have a choice. Sadly, Satan decided to reject God’s love and use his influence for evil.
5 – How did Satan fall? Isaiah 14:12-14
Notice that Satan, called Lucifer (light-bearer), desired to be elevated to the place of God. He chose selfishness and pride. As a result, this created being turned against His Creator. Satan is still willing to promote himself at any cost to anyone else.
6 – Where did Satan end up going? Revelation 12:7-9, 12
The Bible says “war broke out in heaven” (vs.7) between Jesus and Satan. As a result, Satan and his angels were cast down to Earth (vs.9) and continued this same attack upon humanity (vs.12).
7 – How was Satan defeated? Philippians 2:5-11
Notice the character of Jesus. Here we see the difference between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan. Satan’s kingdom of selfishness and pride takes, while God’s kingdom of love gives everything. Jesus was (and is) willing to save us at any cost to Himself, even death on a cross.
There is a battle between two kingdoms. One of those is good, while the other is evil. Would you like to choose Jesus and His kingdom?