Questions 30 & 31

In the beginning, God made everything. He made the things that we can see and things that we cannot see. He made spirits called angels. When he made the earth, the angels were there shouting with joy. God made the angels to serve him and honor* him.

 

But some of the angels turned against God.[1] They became known as evil* spirits.* Their leader is Satan.*[2] He is also called the Evil One* or the Devil.[3] He and his evil spirits are still walking on the earth today. They work against God and God’s plans.

 

In the book of Genesis, we only know that a snake spoke to our first parents. When we read further in the scripture*, we discover more. We find out that the person who spoke to Adam and Eve was the Devil. He came to Eve in the body of the snake.

 

Remember that God made Adam and Eve in his image. He blessed* them. He gave them a purpose. They represented God. They were God’s partners to rule over and care for all that God had made. Everything that he gave them was good. And what he gave them was enough.

 

God gave Adam and Eve only one command. ‘You must not eat from the tree that gives knowledge about good and evil. If you eat fruit from that tree, you will certainly die!’[4] He gave them the command to protect them. So long as they obeyed God, they would enjoy God and all that God made for them.

 

But the Devil wanted Eve to stop trusting God. He wanted her to believe that what God had given her was not enough. And he wanted Eve to do what God had told her not to do. So, he lied to her. ‘You will not surely die.’ [5] And he tempted her to doubt God. He wanted her to desire the fruit that God had told her not to eat. So, he told her that God was keeping her from something good. He said that God did not want them to eat the fruit because it would make them wise. If she would eat the fruit, she could ‘be like God who knows good and evil.’ [6] If she and Adam would eat the fruit, they could know things that only God knows.

 

And Eve believed the snake. So, she went to look at the tree. She saw that it was pleasing to look at. The fruit looked like it would be good to eat. For the first time, she began to desire the thing that God had kept from her.

 

Then Eve took the fruit. She gave some of the fruit to Adam. They both ate of the fruit. They both did what God had told them not to do.

 

This is the first time we read about the Evil One in the scriptures. But it is not the last time. We see him many times after this. He is always at work to do evil. He works to ruin all that God has made. He is the enemy of God. And he is the enemy of God’s people. He works to destroy all that is good and right and beautiful.[7]

 

But God is still in control. He has more power than all of the spirits that he created.* One day, God will judge Satan and his evil spirits. Then he will throw them all into a fire that never goes out.[8]

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[1] 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6; Revelation 12:7
[2] Mark 3:22; Matthew 25:41; 1 Timothy 5:15; Revelation 12:9
[3] Matthew 13:19; 2 Thessalonians 3:3; 1 John 5:18
[4] Genesis 2:17
[5] Genesis 3:4
[6] Genesis 3:6
[7] Acts 13:10; 1 John 3:7
[8] Matthew 25:41; Revelation 21:10