People have many different ideas about where evil originated from. Many people even believe that evil and good cannot exist without each other. But, what does the Bible say?
When God created everything in Genesis 1, he said that it was all good. There was nothing wicked or evil that God created. So, where then did evil come from? It came about as a corruption of good.
Ezekiel 28:12-15- Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
God created some very special creatures in heaven called the Cherubim. One of these Cherub was a beautiful, anointed creature that covered the throne of God. He was decked with precious stones and had an orchestra inside. Sounds unimaginable to us!
But, this creature who was above God's throne thought that he should be more than an ornamental piece. His beauty and his position took root and an prideful thought bore fruit.
Ezekiel 28:16-17- By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.
Isaiah 14:12-14- How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
This creature acted on these prideful thoughts and that was the origin of evil. For his wickedness, he was driven from God. His residence was no longer the throne room of the Most High, though he could still visit there. His domain became the beautiful world that God created.
He wanted more power, though, and he had an inventive way to get it.
Many people wonder why God doesn't just save Lucifer like he did Adam and Eve. And, that is something I believe I know the answer to. If we look at the temptation of Eve, we will see some things.
First, Eve misquotes God when she's talking with the serpent. It may not seem much to you, but it's very important! So important, even, that when the devil corrects her he uses the exact words the Lord used in Genesis 2.
Genesis 2:17- But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
God said don't eat it or you shall surely die.
Eve added not to touch it and then said "lest ye die", almost like it was a maybe in her mind.
But, Satan took that question mark and used God's Words to give himself some credit.
Genesis 3:4- And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
He sounds confident! And, I guarantee you that he was. I believe he was going to have Adam and Eve follow in his footsteps. I believe that Satan ate of the Tree of Life and gave himself immortality in a fallen, sinful state. And that was his plan for Adam and Eve.
Genesis 3:4-5- And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
Your eyes shall be opened- Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil
Ye shall be as gods- Tree of Life
Like most evil things, Lucifer wanted his influence to infect and spread. And, God knew this too, that's why he interrupted the plan.
Genesis 3:22- And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
Notice how the Lord doesn't end the thought, He simply kicks Adam and Eve out of the garden and puts guardians at the entrance.
I believe that God, in His mercy, kept Adam and Eve from eating of the Tree of Life and becoming what Lucifer had turned into- a powerful, wicked, immortal.
Humans have a mortal body. They can have their purified soul separated from their sinful bodies- so their souls can go to heaven and they can be perfected after death.
The devil can't die. He can't lose his evil soul from his sinful body. And, so the only future he has is damnation in the Lake of Fire.
The origin of evil is a frightening tale, because it's poison infects everything since the creation. And, only those who accept Christ's sacrifice on Calvary and have their sins washed in His precious blood (which is the only thing powerful enough to wash away evil) can have their sins removed from their eternal souls! The precious gift of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ not only grants us eternal life, but it also ensures eternal death to all who are not pardoned through it.
