17. What should we keep in mind regarding the cause of wickedness and suffering?

¹⁷ Wickedness and suffering are not caused by Jehovah. Since Satan is the ruler of this world and the god of this system of things, he and those on his side are responsible for the present condition of human society and all the misery that mankind has suffered. No one can rightly say that God is the cause of such hardship.—Romans 9:14.

18. What has Jehovah’s permitting wickedness and suffering proved regarding the idea of independence from God?

¹⁸ Jehovah’s permitting wickedness and suffering has proved that independence from God has not brought about a better world. Undeniably, history has been marked by one disaster after another. The reason for this is that humans have chosen to pursue their own independent course and have shown no real regard for God’s word and will. When Jehovah’s ancient people and their leaders unfaithfully pursued “the popular course” and rejected his word, the results were disastrous. Through his prophet Jeremiah, God told them: “The wise ones have become ashamed. They have become terrified and will be caught. Look! They have rejected the very word of Jehovah, and what wisdom do they have?” (Jeremiah 8:5, 6, 9) Having failed to follow Jehovah’s standards, mankind in general has become like a ship without a rudder, tossed about in a turbulent sea.

20. Jehovah’s allowing wickedness and suffering to continue has proved what with respect to God and mankind?

²⁰ Finally, Jehovah’s allowing wickedness and suffering to continue has provided proof that only Jehovah, the Creator, has the ability and the right to rule over mankind for their eternal blessing and happiness. For centuries, mankind has tried many forms of government. But what has been the result? The complex problems and crises facing the nations today are ample evidence that truly, as the Bible points out, “man has dominated man to his injury.” (Ecclesiastes 8:9) Only Jehovah can come to our rescue and fulfill his original purpose. How will he do this, and when?

21. What will be done to Satan, and who will be used to accomplish this?

²¹ Right after Adam and Eve fell victim to Satan’s scheme, God announced His purpose regarding a means of salvation. This is what Jehovah proclaimed regarding Satan: “I shall put enmity between you and the woman and between your seed and her seed. He will bruise you in the head and you will bruise him in the heel.” (Genesis 3:15) That proclamation guaranteed that the Devil would not be allowed to do his evil deeds forever. As the King of the Messianic Kingdom, the promised Seed, Jesus Christ, will ‘bruise Satan in the head.’ Yes, “shortly,” Jesus will crush the rebel Satan!—Romans 16:20.

HOW TO SETTLE THE ISSUES

14. When confronted with a malicious challenge, what might an accused person do?

¹⁴ For the sake of illustration, let us say that you are a loving parent with several children in a happy family. Suppose one of your neighbors spreads lies, accusing you of being a bad parent. What if the neighbor says that your children do not love you, that they stay with you only because they do not know any better, and that they would leave if someone showed them the way. ‘Preposterous!’ you might say. Yes, but how would you prove it? Some parents might react in rage. Besides creating more problems, such a violent response would lend support to the lies. A satisfying way to deal with such a problem would be to allow opportunity for your accuser to prove his claim and for your children to testify that they sincerely love you.

15. How did Jehovah choose to deal with Satan’s challenge?

¹⁵ Jehovah is like the loving parent. Adam and Eve may be compared to the children, and Satan fits the role of the lying neighbor. God wisely did not destroy Satan, Adam, and Eve immediately but permitted these wrongdoers to continue living for a while. This allowed our first parents time to start the human family, and it has given the Devil a chance to prove whether his claim was true so that the issues could be settled. From the start, however, God knew that some humans would be loyal to him and would thus prove Satan a liar. How thankful we are that Jehovah has continued to bless and help those who love him!—2 Chronicles 16:9; Proverbs 15:3.

WHAT HAS BEEN PROVED?

16. How has the world come to be in Satan’s power?

¹⁶ During nearly all human history, Satan has had a free hand to work out his schemes of domination over mankind. Among other things, he has wielded influence over the political powers and has promoted religions that subtly direct worship to him rather than to Jehovah. Thus the Devil has become “the god of this system of things,” and he is called “the ruler of this world.” (2 Corinthians 4:4; John 12:31) Indeed, “the whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one.” (1 John 5:19)