A fleeting thought...

Do you believe in God and the Devil? Where does the Devil come from? Does he not come from the Creator? The devil’s origin is not known, but his purpose – to wreck havoc and tempt man into sin – is well-discussed all over the world. Yet, from whence does Satan come? Is Satan and the devil the same? What of his other names, Lucifer, the fallen angel? Or Beelzebub or Belphegor or whatever other names he had been given? Are those all the same devil? Or are they all separate entities which have been associated with him? We know not the origin of the creature which ill-advised Eve to partake in the forbidden fruit. But do you not think that if God is Creator, that the devil too originated from God? Yet why would God create something that would lead man – his beloved children and creations – away from the path which God has set for him? Why indeed?

Perhaps…if one were to look at it from this perspective, the devil’s purpose was to obstruct man. He was to lead them astray with the glamour of sin. He was meant to test man, to challenge their faith and their character, that those who believed should overcome it as a testimony to God’s power and grace. God provides obstacles and temptation, but He is a Holy God. Was He to lay such obstacles before man by himself? Was it not man himself who incited these obstacles, whether by the intention of other men or by falling into sin himself? Yet, why would man – even good men – be encouraged to perform sinful deeds? Was it not also on the account of the devil that many have fallen, as many as those who, by the weakness of their character and unbelief, allowed the devil to whisper into their hearts? Those who believed and held onto their faith and were obedient overcame the temptations and attained the favour of God. If one were to look at it from this perspective, then would one not say that the devil is also a tool? Would one not say the devil was moving under the influence of God, and thus is under His control?

Do you believe in the principle of duality? Everything that exists must have an exact opposite to counter each other. Light and dark exist to counter each other. Yet, can we do away with one of them? For without the other, is there meaning in the one which is left? Have you ever thought about what it would be like should there only be light and no darkness? Would we know that light is light, seeing that we have never known darkness? Or to be in eternal darkness, if we were to never know what light was to look like, would we long for its beauty? They exist in relation to each other, just as day exists with night. Parallel, chasing each other, but never to meet…

Similarly, good and evil…the idea that is associated with God and the devil, exist to give each other meaning…to be. If we have never seen evil, would we know what was good? Yet, does this tie with everything else? I don’t really know…I am not justifying the existence of the devil, but if one believes God exists, then one should also believe that His counterpart in nature exists. Whether the devil has a purpose or not, whether he too is tied to the all the other creations of God…that I can never seek to understand, because pure truth is sometimes painful, sometimes destructive, always elusive.