Hello, again.
This is the second of three parts. We're starting to get into the meat of the subject here, and you should find some information on many of the objections that were brought up on the first one, as well as gravedancers thread.
Let me reiterate again that these thoughts are not meant to be definative answers. They are a work in progress and reflect the direction that seems logical and interesting. I hope you too find it interesting enough to comment and add to the discussion.
---------------------
THE PROBLEM OF EVIL
THE PLOT
The Core of the Question
So, how could a creature as intelligent as Satan is purported to be, expect to get away with rebelling against the one that has all the power in the universe? This is something that just doesn't compute and boggles the mind. What was he, suicidal? What could he have been thinking? What was his survival strategy?
Without logical answers to these questions, the entire book of Genesis will remain categorized as myth and fable, and that in turn casts doubt over the accuracy of all scripture. It seems only reasonable that for us to find an answer we need to look closely at the original challenge Satan had thrown in Jehovah's face.
It appears, according to Genesis, that both his first overt act of rebellion and Adam's and Eve's fall from grace occurred at the same time. Indeed, his misleading of Adam and Eve appears to be central to that rebellion. That, in turn, involves us as their offspring and inheritors of their resultant curse of sin and death.
So let's review the words that, according to Genesis, started all this mess:
Satan (through the serpent) asked Eve: "Is it really so that God said you must not eat from every tree of the garden?" When Eve answered correctly, Satan's retort was as follows: "You positively will not die. For God knows that in the very day of your eating from it your eyes are bound to be opened and you are bound to be like God, knowing good and bad."
Notice that nowhere in those words did Satan challenge Jehovah's power. He knew that would have been suicide. Rather, his words brought into question God's fair play and generosity. He made it sound like God was deliberately withholding something that was both good and beneficial, and that he was being selfish in doing so. That would be an unspoken implication that Jehovah God was not as perfect as he was reputed to be.
A Catch "22"
Some enlightening things can be gleaned from this. It appears that he was trying to trap his Creator in a "Catch 22" situation involving God's own perfection. It works like this:
First of all, he could capitalize on the unfaithfulness of the only two perfect humans to have ever lived upon the earth (up to that time) by intimating that these perfect ones had obviously not been satisfied to live under God's headship and laws. He (God) had designed them to be perfect, and they failed. In Adam's case, the failure was deliberate.
This indicated that Jehovah was not as perfect as he claimed to be and that a mistake was made in the way he created these humans. In other words, that Jehovah did not know what he was doing, and therefore was not perfect.
This would put Jehovah in an apparent dilemma. On the one hand, Adam and Eve had obviously erred deliberately. This would act as proof of Satan's contention, and cast him in the role of an individual who is merely being honest about the obvious.
On the other hand, should Jehovah become angry and lower the boom on this perpetrator for having caused the problem in the beginning, the thought would be cemented forever in the mind of all creation that Satan could have been right.
When we contemplate the matter in this light, it soon becomes clear that there is nothing Jehovah could do or say as an answer to his accuser without it appearing self-serving, and maintaining the illusion that he is not perfect.
On the surface, this may appear to be a small point. But keep in mind that we all have an inner sense and desire for a bottom line, a need to know that some day, somewhere, somehow, that fair play, justice, and truth will prevail. If even God himself is not perfect, then that possibility dies.
The Situation as Viewed by Jehovah
Let's put ourselves in his place. We have two young children that we are proud of and love dearly. It's necessary for us to travel elsewhere for a short time, but there is no worry, for we have a nanny in our employ that has been reliable for many years. The children are therefore left in her care. Instructions are left as to how they are to be cared for, including those things that they should not be allowed to get into, as they could be hazardous to life.
But as soon as we turn our back, the nanny kidnaps these children and deliberately feeds them the very poison they were warned against. What is more, circumstances are such that you cannot go to their rescue without guaranteeing their death, plus it would jeopardize the health and welfare of the rest of your family if you did.
Sure enough, after a time the two children die, but not before they have offspring. The nanny is keeping them in a condition of abject misery, exploiting them in every manner possible, and showing no consideration whatsoever for their health and lives. They are treated with contempt, like they were bugs, and squashed or swatted simply for the sport of it.
Meanwhile, they are also being kept as ignorant as possible about you, and what little is told them are barefaced lies and slander. Their misery and the evil things occurring around them are all blamed on you. And sure enough, all of this has blackened your name in their eyes and they are afraid to have anything to do with you.
Now, how would you feel, and what would you do?
Indeed, this is a simplification, but the tone of the situation should be fairly accurate.
The Situation as Viewed by the Angels
We must keep in mind here that Satan was not the only one who left the fold. There were many angels who followed his lead. This would indicate that there was something lacking in their heart conditions too, and this factor must be taken into account when we consider the situation. So, realizing that free agency (the ability to exercise our free will) is something that the angels have also, let's examine it a little more so as to understand how it works.
There are two things we can look to that will aid our understanding of this. The first was the governmental arrangement that was set up shortly after the Nation of Israel established themselves in the Promised Land. They had no king reigning over them for the reason that Jehovah God himself was their king and was recognized as such. (1 Samuel 8: 7)
The freedom of choice that was to be theirs was hinted at in Deuteronomy 12: 8, 9. It reads: "You must not do according to all that we are doing here today, each one whatever is right in his own eyes, because you have not yet come into the resting-place and the inheritance that Jehovah your God is giving you." That such freedom came into being later is clearly shown in Judges 17: 6 and 21: 25.
But reading the words of Samuel on the occasion when the Nation of Israel rejected Jehovah as king by asking him to appoint a king over them can lead to an even better understanding. He spelled out to them in very clear terms what the freedoms were that they were giving up. Check them out for yourself in 1 Samuel 8: 10-18.
Of course, such freedom will work only as long as no one abuses it, for as soon as they do, someone else's freedom is abridged. The Old Law Covenant was given them as a guide in the right direction. The only way such an arrangement could work is in an atmosphere of love. Each individual must willingly limit himself so that the others' freedom will not be encroached upon.
The second thing that will help sound this down into our heart is the marriage arrangement. We have a deep heartfelt yearning for a life's companion that is trustworthy, who will encourage us when we are down and strengthen us when we are weak. To be married to a predator who lies in wait for any weakness on our part in order to do us harm is one of the more hellish circumstances in life. Love, trust, and faith are essential to its success.
All of Jehovah's arrangements, whether it is marriage, our personal relationships with one another, or his manner of government are to reflect this spirit of peace and harmony, as well as freedom. Read the prophecy at Isaiah 65: 17-25 to see just how extensive and all pervasive that is to be.
Now, compare this to Satan's actions in the Garden of Eden. He manipulated events in a way to create the illusion (in the other angels' eyes) that Jehovah had been outwitted, and couldn't defend himself. Many of them jumped at the chance to capitalize on it. (James 1: 14, 15) That spoke directly to their heart condition.
In Adam's and Eve's day, Jehovah's purpose for the earth and it's inhabitants were still in the construction phase. He was holding auditions for those (angelic and human) who wanted to have a role in his drama. However, our original parents and many of the angels were not satisfied with the role for which they were created. Being proud, self-centered, greedy, and envious, they wanted more. Such attributes would sabotage any joy or peace the rest of us might find, even as it has right down through the ages until now.
Please keep in mind that neither the angels who rebelled nor our original parents were under duress when they failed the test of obedience. In Adam and Eve's case, they lived in a paradise, their duties were light and everything around them was new, beautiful, and exciting. Inasmuch as the angels' God is the same as ours, we can safely assume that their circumstances were every bit as pleasant.
The Situation as Viewed by Humankind
Now, what about our original human parents and their offspring? They knew nothing of this heavenly challenge that Satan had thrown to Jehovah, other than the few tidbits that they themselves had witnessed. They knew someone was lying of course, because Jehovah had said they would die and Satan said otherwise. Who was right? They couldn't both be.
They also witnessed the curse that Jehovah placed on Satan. "And I will 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) It wouldn't take any particular intelligence to realize that there is conflict here, and that the conflict was on a mammoth scale.
Then they were all too aware that Jehovah had kicked their parents out of the Garden of Eden, allowed all of the strife and bloodshed to occur on the earth afterward (Genesis 6: 11-13) and then killed off nearly the entire earth's population in the flood. All this while, Satan was playing his role to the hilt, blaming everything upon Jehovah and making it look like he was uncaring, vindictive, violence prone, and dictatorial.
What no one then and only a very few know now, Satan had to keep us in the dark. If he didn't and we caught on to his scheme, then we would know the secret that was keeping him alive. There was no way he could afford that for then he would be vulnerable, even as Genesis 3: 15 (above) suggests.
The Plot Summarized
In a nutshell, then, this seems to be a way that Satan could believe he could rebel and get away with it:
Raise a question that Jehovah could not answer himself without it looking suspicious to all the rest of creation.
Keep all circumstances in which such an answer could be formed, firmly in his own grip.
Create an environment that was uniquely his by making sure that Jehovah would reject it too.
---------------------
Next: The Answer
LoneWolf