• Your Worst Enemy—His Rise and Fall
    Awake!—1984 | June 8

    • b The Jewish Encyclopedia claims that Satan in this account “can not be regarded . . . as an opponent of the Deity,” even going so far as to call him a “member of the divine council who watches over human activity.” The New Catholic Encyclopedia similarly says that Satan performed his accusatory role “as a function on behalf of God”! But if Satan was really on a mission from God, why would God ask, “Where do you come from?”​—Job 1:7.

  • Your Worst Enemy—His Rise and Fall
    Awake!—1984 | June 8

    • Dividing the Universe

      Why, then, did God not simply destroy Satan? Because Adam and Eve’s defection raised serious questions: Was God’s rule oppressive? Or was his rule righteous? Who had the right to rule? Was God withholding freedom from his subjects? Given the opportunity, would all of God’s servants abandon him?

      Destroying Satan would have settled none of these questions. So God has wisely permitted Satan to exist​—for a limited period. This has allowed both men and angels to observe God’s and Satan’s contrasting way of ruling. People can thus align themselves with either God or Satan. This issue of God’s rule versus “independence” divides the universe to this day!

      Another side to this issue was revealed centuries later. In a remarkable glimpse into heaven itself, the Bible in Job 1:6-11 tells of an assembly of angels that Satan brazenly attended:

      “Jehovah said to Satan: ‘Where do you come from?’ At that Satan answered Jehovah and said: ‘From roving about in the earth and from walking about in it.’ And Jehovah went on to say to Satan: ‘Have you set your heart upon my servant Job, that there is no one like him in the earth, a man blameless and upright, fearing God and turning aside from bad?’ At that Satan answered Jehovah and said: ‘Is it for nothing that Job has feared God? . . . Thrust out your hand, please, and touch everything he has and see whether he will not curse you to your very face.’”

      It is obvious from the tone of this exchange that Satan was in opposition to God.b He implied that none of God’s servants would remain faithful if placed under pressure. Consequently, new questions were raised: To what extent would man be willing to suffer hardship out of love for God? Are God’s servants selfishly motivated? Again, these questions could be answered only by allowing wickedness to exist a while longer.