In this article, we will answer the question “Why did God created Lucifer if He knows that Lucifer will rebel against Him?”

GOD DID NOT CREATE SATAN

First and foremost, let us be clear about this. Contrary to what some people are saying, GOD DID NOT CREATE SATAN. The one whom God created was Lucifer, the son of the morning (Isa. 14:12) and the angel of Light (2 Cor. 11:14) – the very opposite of Satan.

In Ezekiel 28:11-15, we can read how did God created Lucifer. In verse 13, we can read that when Lucifer was created, he “sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.” The expression “sealest up the sum” came from the Hebrew words “khawtham” and “tokneeth” which means “the end or the consummation of a pattern.”

This means that God created Lucifer as the consummation of the pattern in both wisdom and beauty in all of His creations. In short, he is the wisest and the most beautiful of all creations. Nothing exceeds him in these two areas among God’s creations. In fact, according to verse 15, Lucifer was perfect before iniquity was found in him.

The next question is: SO HOW DID LUCIFER BECAME SATAN?

To answer this question, we need to go back to the beginning. To the reason why our Lord God creates.

WHY OUR LORD GOD WANTED TO CREATE?

First of all, the Bible is clear that our God is a self-sufficient God. According to Isaiah 57:15:

“For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.”

The words “Lofty One” on that verse came from the Hebrew word “nâsâh” which means “to carry out, sustain, endure, support, to bear.” This means that God is able to carry out and sustain anything within Himself. HE DOESN’T NEEDS ANYTHING. He is a self-sufficient and a self-existing God. In fact, the word “YHWH” (read as “YAHWEH” or “YEHOWAH”), means “The Self-sufficient One” or “The Eternal within Himself Existing One“.

So let us be clear on this: God did not create because He needs something or because He is not sufficient. The opposite is true. He is sufficient and He needs nothing. In contradiction to what others are saying, God did not create because He is lonely or in need of anything. He was never lonely and dissatisfied with His own eternal existence. Our Lord God is the “I AM” (Exo. 3:13-14), meaning, “THE COMPLETE ONE.” Not the “I need” nor the “I want” nor the “I wish”. God just IS, yesterday, today and forever. He doesn’t need anything from His creations. He is perfect. God is God even if there are no creations.

So why did God create?

The answer is for Him to pour out His attributes. The attributes of God are actually present and can be seen in all of His creations (Rom. 1:20). We can actually read this also in John 1:3:

“All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.”

The phrase “All things were made by Him (Word, God)” does not only mean that He created everything. It also means that everything is made FROM Him. He is the raw material of everything. In short, He is in everything that He made. We can also read this is Colossians 1:16:

“For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him.”

See? All things are made up of Him and for Him. This is the very purpose of God in creating – to be in His creations.

CREATED IN THE IMAGE AND LIKENESS OF GOD

Now, there are two particular creatures created by God that are different from the other creations. They are the Angels and the Humans.

These two particular creatures are not just made to possess some attributes of God but are made to have His image and likeness (Gen. 1:26-27). What does being created in the image of God mean? The purpose of an image is to reflect what is the original. It is like standing in a mirror and you can see exactly your image there. It is like taking your photograph and you can see exactly what you are. It displays exactly the original.

Angels and Humans are created for the purpose of displaying exactly what and who God is (Rom. 8:29). The attributes of God like Truth, Light, Life, Freewill, Love, Grace, the ability to reason out and all others are also in them. They are made of these attributes so that they can display (reflect) God.

Being in the likeness of God means to be like God. Angels and Human beings unlike plants, animals and other creatures, have been bestowed power, authority and dominion over other creatures (Gen. 1:26). They became like a “god” unto the other creatures just like what is written on Psalm 8:4-8:

“What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.”

By doing this, God created a family out of these creatures that are like Him. He became a King and a Father unto them. Our Lord God literally multiplies Himself by creating creatures who are after His image and likeness.

LOVE – THE ULTIMATE REASON WHY GOD CREATES

Another important reason why God creates is because of Love. Among all the attributes of God, Love is the attribute that needs to be given in order to be manifested. This is why in 1 Corinthians 13, if you read the King James Version, Love (Greek: Agape) is translated as Charity. This is because you cannot manifest love if it is not given. And you cannot give it if there’s no one whom you can give it to.

The Bible also tells us that the greatest form of love is about giving:

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

John 15:13 “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

So for God to manifest His love, He creates so that He can pour out that love to His creations.

Another thing about love is, even if you have creations to pour them into, love can’t still be manifested if those creations have no ability to feel it. Take for example if you have a stone. Even if you pour out so much love to that stone, it is as if you have no love at all because that stone has no ability to appreciate that love. It doesn’t feel your love. That’s why in order for love to manifest, first you need to have someone to whom you can give it and that someone must have the ability to feel that love.

FREEWILL

Now, among the creations of God, the one that has the greatest ability to feel and reflect this love is no other than those who were created in His image and likeness – the angels and humans. Just like our Lord God, they have freewill. Love can only be felt and appreciated by those who have freewill. They are also the ones who have the capacity to give (reflect) love. They should reflect this love on the creations of which they have dominion into. They should be like God unto them and just like God, they should also pour out their love to them.

There is only one MAJOR drawback in giving freewill to your creations. Since freewill is the ability to choose freely, then those creatures having freewill have also the ability to choose NOT to love. They can choose to give love, but they can also choose not to give love. Yes they receive your love, yes they feel your love, but they choose to reject it anyway. This is one of the consequences of freewill.

But aside from having freewill, there’s no other way that the creations can appreciate God’s Love. Freewill is needed for love to manifest.

Our Lord God knows this. He knows who will choose to give love and those who will not because He is the beginning and the end (Rev. 22:13). He knows that Lucifer and one-third of the angels will choose to rebel against Him that will also lead to the fall of human beings.

So our Lord God was faced with two options here:

1. Not to give freewill to His creations that will also lead for those creations not to be able to appreciate His love, which eventually defeats His purpose of creation that is to pour out His love.

2. Or, continue in giving them freewill so that love can be manifested even if He knows that it will lead to the fall we have right now.

Our Lord God chooses number two. Love outweighs all the darkness that is going to happen. Love conquers them all.

HOW DID LUCIFER BECOME SATAN?

Again, I must reiterate that God did not create Satan. The one He created is Lucifer, the angel of Light, the summation of wisdom and beauty and was perfect when he was created.

So if Lucifer was created perfect, how did he become Satan? If God is light and there is no darkness in Him (1 John 1:5), how did Lucifer become darkness? If the nature of God is only good, and He can only create based on His nature, how did Lucifer become evil? If all creatures were created good, where did evil come from?

To begin with, the word “Satan” means “the adversary of God” or “the opposite of God.” If God is Light then Satan is darkness. If God is Life, then Satan is death. If God is Truth, then Satan is liar. If God is good, then Satan is evil.

As you can see, all of those nature of Satan (darkness, death, liar, evil) DOES NOT ACTUALLY EXIST. There is no such thing as darkness. Darkness is only the absence of Light. Darkness is only a word we use to describe the absence of Light. Unlike Light, you cannot create darkness. You can create low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light and even super light but you cannot create darkness. This is why right now, we have many devices that can produce Light, but there is no device ever invented that can produce darkness. Because there is no such thing as darkness. 

The same with death. Death does not exist. There is no such thing as death. You cannot produce death unlike Life. Death is only the absence of Life. Just like being a liar is the absence of Truth and evil the absence of good.

So what did Lucifer do in order for him to become Satan – the adversary or the total opposite God?

He actually left his first estate (Jude 1:6). If at first he was created to be an angel of light, he left it to become darkness. If at first he was created good, he eliminated it and became evil. If at first he was created perfect, he eliminated it to become full of iniquity. If he was created full of truth, he eliminated it and becomes a liar. The same with one-third of the angels that join him. That’s why we read in John 8:44:

“Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because THERE IS NO TRUTH IN HIM. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.”

All these started when iniquity was found in Lucifer (Eze. 28:15). The word “iniquity” came from the Hebrew word “eh’-vel” or “evil” which means “injustice, unequal or inequality”. Now, we must remember that God created all the angels in His own image and likeness. This means that all of them are equal before God. All creations created in the likeness and image of God are equal to Him. But Lucifer wanted to be like God Who is above the angels (Isa. 14:13-14). This is where inequality (inequity) started. He wanted to be above the angels. He doesn’t just want to reflect God. He wanted other angels to reflect him also.

Remember that Lucifer was first created perfect and without iniquity. Iniquity or thinking that you are higher than the others is actually one of the consequences of having freewill.

Since Lucifer cannot create something that is not in the nature that God has given him (you can only create something according to your nature), what he did instead is he cast aside those attributes of God in him. In order for Him not to be a reflector of God, the image and likeness of God should not be present in him. If he wanted to be a god among the angels who will reflect him, then he needs to be a different god to them. He needs to eliminate God’s attributes in him so that if the angels will reflect him, they cannot reflect God but him alone. This way, he can be like God unto them. This is the only way he can become the opposite of God. This is how he became Satan.

Then you may ask: So what if God will not eliminate freewill but will only pre-emptively eliminate Lucifer and all those whom He foreknew that will rebel against Him since He knows everything before they happen?

We will now answer this question.

WHY DID GOD CREATED LUCIFER?

Below are the reasons why our Lord God did not pre-emptively eliminate Lucifer even if He knows that Lucifer will rebel against Him.

1. LUCIFER IS PROOF THAT GOD’S LOVE IS SOVEREIGN.

Since love should be given and be felt, and there is someone who received and can feel love but chooses not to accept that love, then it means God’s love exists and is true. Since Lucifer does not accept that love, it is actually a proof that God’s love is being given. It is also proof that what was being given is love because it is not forced to anyone.

By this, we can see that God’s love abound even to those whom He foreknew that will not accept it. This is for us to see that love does not depend on the receiver but to the giver alone. This is how sovereign God’s love is. This is the reason why Lucifer exists. The sovereignty is on the giver alone, not to the receiver. He will give it to whom He will give it. This is why we read in Roman 9:15-16

“For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.”

Again, this is how sovereign God’s love is. That’s why if you are thinking there is something in you that made you worthy for God’s love to be given to you, abandon that thinking. God’s giving of Love does not depend on the receiver, it only depends on Him alone, the Giver. That’s how sovereign God’s love is. If His giving of love depends on the acceptance of the receiver, then He is not sovereign at all.

2. PRE-EMPTIVELY ELIMINATING LUCIFER WILL MAKE GOD’S LOVE TO BE CONDITIONAL

God’s love is unconditional (Agape). As written in Exodus 33:19, He had given it to whom He will give it whether the receiver will accept it or not. God’s love did not demand any condition from the receiver. He gives it because He wanted it to give. It is all about Him. It is all about His love. Not about who the receiver is.

If you want to give love, then you must not expect anything in return. For love is to be given (charity), not to be expected. God’s giving His love is NOT dependent on whether the receiver will accept it or not. True love actually is giving love without expecting anything in return. You give it whether it will be accepted or not.

If you will only give love to those who will accept it, then it became conditional love. But God’s love is unconditional (Agape). He alone can give this kind of love. He never requires any conditions to the receiver. We can actually see this kind of love in our Lord Jesus Christ. As we can read in Colossians 2:13 

“When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions.”

This is what God’s love is. He loves us even though we are dead or incapable of loving Him back. He had given his love while we cannot do anything (dead). This is how unconditional His love is.

3. EVIL IS ONE OF THE CONSEQUENCES OF HAVING FREEWILL

Even if God did not create Lucifer, because Angels and humans were created with freewill, the consequence for creations to rebel against God is still present among them. This means that the possibility for someone to rebel against God is still among the creations even if there is no Lucifer who can influence them.

Having freewill makes a creation an individual. This means that even though he or she is created in the nature and attributes of God, he/she has still the capability to leave that state just like what Lucifer did. This is necessary because if angels and humans do not have this ability to remove the light of the truth in them, then they are not an individual at all. They are only the extension of God that can do nothing except of what God would like to make them do. If this is what it is, then God is not actually giving His love to others. He is only giving His love to Himself. And this of course, cannot be called Love.

The possibility of inequity to appear is greatest among the Angels compared to humans since they were created first. They are also tasked to serve God and have their dominion in spiritual realm unlike human whose dominion in physical realm. So the probability of them wanting to be like God is high.

4. LUCIFER’S REBELLION ONLY MAGNIFIES GOD’S LOVE

If God only created those whom He foreknew will not rebel against Him, then love cannot be and is not magnified. Lucifer’s rebellion only magnifies God’s love for us. Just like Light is magnified in darkness.

Because there is someone who did not accept God’s love, then God’s love to those who have accepted it is magnified. We cannot appreciate God’s love if we have not seen rejection. We cannot appreciate the light if we have not seen darkness.

CONCLUSION

Love is costly.

Remember that all of these happened because of our Lord God wanting to pour His love to us. If you want to create something that will love you back, if you want to create a family founded in love, then you need to be willing to pay the price. Because love is costly. It will take for God himself to die on the cross in order to achieve this. Our Lord God knows this. But still, He choose to create Lucifer. Why? Because that’s how valuable love is. Love is worth all the sacrifice.

For God to manifest His love is the ultimate purpose of creation. And the ultimate expression of this love is no other than our Lord Jesus Christ who died on the cross because of God’s love toward us (John 3:16).

May the Lord continue to reveal His truth to us is my prayer.

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