Chapter 1: The Origin of Evil, from "Satan, Devil, and Hell."

DAYS AWAY FROM PUBLICATION! Hopefully, this will be available in the first week of January 2023. I will keep you guys updated and posted ... I will here place chapter 1 (but, the Explanatory Notes in a 2nd post), but you can visit my official ministry website for more on this book: https://seekingthegospel.com/satan-an......

Chapter 1
The Origin of Evil

“For, were it not good that evil things should also exist, the Omnipotent God would most certainly not allow evil to be, since beyond doubt it is just as easy for Him not to allow what He does not will, as it is for Him to do what He will.”
– St. Augustine; Enchiridion.

Far be it from an intelligent mind to ever think that we cannot find the words satan, devil, or hell written within our English bibles; never can we allude that those English words aren't typed within. The true meanings, however, of both the Greek and Hebrew words (from which our English translators had made use of) may actually have, over the years, become a bit obscure to the modern English reading public. And we, the students of the Bible, should ever be on a quest (but only with the help of the Holy Spirit), to ascertain their meanings.

At first and second glances, the passages in the English Bible may seem to paint a picture of gloom and doom toward a sinner, and in a very horrid way. For, imagine actual beasts living underneath the literal earth who are being told by the devil to torture poor souls day and night, and night and day, for eternity! And, the entire time satan stands there laughing over the misery . . . indeed, a scary thought.

This picture, though, as was painted so lavishly by St. Augustine*1 (and many other writers), in some scholars' opinions, may not accurately portray the true message of the Written Word. And some do ask: Can those visuals really represent what the original writers of the scriptures were trying to convey to God's children?

But, before we can even tackle scriptures that allude to such thoughts of a literal blazing hell, and of an actual evil Being called the devil, it's very relevant to ask ourselves some important questions first, such as: Where did evil come from to begin with? Did the devil create evil? Is evil almost as powerful as God's power? Who created hell? What purpose do devils, or evil spirits serve? Is satan and the devil the same Being? Etc.

These, at first, may seem strange questions to ask − or, even irrelevant questions to some folks; however, I truly believe that such questions are very relevant to the understanding of God's purpose for His children, and can lead to answers that can, not only expand our knowledge of God's ultimate plan for us, but can, indeed, release us from extreme fear.

First, where did evil come from primarily? Did the devil just decide to create evil one day? Or, did evil just pop up someplace unexpected? . . . If the devil is an actual Being, then what would he have been like at the beginning of creation? Was he a perfect creature, with nothing bad found within him? Did he actually have a good heart before he allegedly fell from grace − and, eventually, fall from Heaven itself? Of course, this will even raise more questions, such as: Where did evil initially come from that he eventually received? Also, how long did it take (years? centuries?) before the evil was found in him?

To answer such questions, we do NOT seek any source outside the Bible, for the scriptures are very clear that the devil was a murderer and a liar from the very beginning − which leaves a perfect creature from the start totally out of the picture . . . Let’s observe:

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 [was there ever truth in him?*2]. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

The only way to interpret scripture is with scripture itself; and, I believe that once we can establish where evil came from in the first place (from the biblical text alone!*3 – Please see this very important Explanatory Note!), then we may be able to grasp the devil situation a little bit better . . . And, I ask for patience as I dig into our subject.

Isaiah 45:7
I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil [H7451]: I the LORD do all these things.

This is the direct approach: basically speaking, Isaiah is saying that God himself created evil – truly? Now, a lot of people might say that what God actually created was merely, and nothing more than calamity.

Calamity (from Webster's Dictionary, published 1828, public domain): Any great misfortune, or cause of misery; generally applied to events or disasters which produce extensive evils, as loss of crops, earthquakes, conflagrations, defeat of armies, and the like. But it is applied also to the misfortunes which bring great distress upon individuals.

However, even though calamity is one of the meanings of the Hebrew word for evil, it is but the mildest of its actual definitions:

Evil, Ra – or, râ‛âh (rah; raw-aw'), H7451, from Strong's Hebrew Dictionary (Strong's Hebrew & Greek Dictionaries were Published in 1890, and are public domain): From H7489; bad or (as noun) evil (naturally or morally). This includes the second (feminine) form; as adjective or noun: - adversity, affliction, bad, calamity, + displease (-ure), distress, evil ([-favouredness], man, thing), + exceedingly, X great, grief (-vous), harm, heavy, hurt (-ful), ill (favoured), + mark, mischief, (-vous), misery, naught (-ty), noisome, + not please, sad (-ly), sore, sorrow, trouble, vex, wicked (-ly, -ness, one), worse (-st) wretchedness, wrong. [Including feminine raah; as adjective or noun.]

Did God really create all that?*4 Even though the word calamity did make its way in there, the official definition for evil (Ra) far exceeded just that! Showing us that, perhaps, the English word 'evil' just may be the best candidate for our translation. But, honestly, and if so, can that really make any sense?

According to Biblehub.com, when it lists parallel verses for Isaiah 45:7 from other translations, of the 22 different Bible versions compared, only 10 of them use the English word evil for the Hebrew word Ra; insinuating (that is, those who chose another English word for their translation) that what God created, as opposed to wicked evil, was (as some suggested) disaster or calamity. This is completely understandable, since we all know of the goodness of God, and that it is impossible for Him to bask in anything bad; or, for Him to even look upon sin. Therefore, these other versions, which say disaster or calamity, are, instead, suggesting some other type of bad things (as, for instance, natural disasters), rather than actual wicked evil . . . But, are they really justified in using a word other than evil in their translation? As we’ve already seen, the official definition for Ra went a bit further than just some random calamities, especially when the entry included things like: natural or moral evil; wicked; and wretchedness. But, calamity, however, was mentioned only once during the course . . . AMG’s Annotated Strong’s Dictionaries, from 2009 (which tool I highly recommend for my readers; and, of which takes word study to a whole new level), adds-in that Ra displays ten or more various shades of the meaning of evil according to its contextual usage; adding, also, that it’s bad, in a moral and ethical sense, and ultimately describes, along with good, the entire spectrum of both good and evil. Taking on, as well, the aspect of something disagreeable, unwholesome, or harmful; or, even people of wickedness. But, if this really is the case (i.e., that Isaiah’s actual, original meaning was for us to understand that he meant the entire spectrum of this Hebrew word Ra), then could this cause a problem for Christians? Absolutely not! Do we not know that there isn't anything made that wasn't made by the hand of God?

Colossians 1:16-17
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: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

Of which scripture we’ll explore deeper in a moment . . . This passage declared boldly that our Lord had created everything, and that He set all things into motion. But, even if it can be proved that He created evil in the first place (that is, in all of its varied forms), it certainly does not mean that He is evil Himself, or that He takes pleasure in it – as I’ll also continue to explain. But, even so, just exactly why would God create evil in such varied forms? Especially when it is so far from his personality and nature? Perhaps, and as some contend, the original Hebrew understanding didn't really mean that God 'created' evil, but simply meant that He was just a witness to it . . . What is the Hebrew word for 'create' in this passage of Isaiah?

Create, Bara' (baw-raw'), H1254, Hebrew Verb, from Strong's Hebrew Dictionary: to CREATE, shape, form. to shape, fashion, CREATE (always with God as subject), of heaven and earth, of individual man, of new conditions and circumstances, of transformations. To be CREATED, of heaven and earth, of birth, of something new.

No, not just a witness, but an actual Creator . . . But, and to be quite fair (and I will be amongst them who claim this), that it's really man himself who had become the inventors of evil things...

Romans 1:30b
...inventors of evil things... [Please read Romans chapter 1 for the full gist in so knowing that he is referring to men who are these inventors of evil things.*5 – And, also, see this Explanatory Note]

Yet, and even then, we must still ask where did that evil come from to begin with? We make a full circle with this type of reasoning (that is, that men are inventors of evil things) in that we must still wonder how this type of inventing even got into the Mind of Man to start with? Did the devil just place it within the Mind of Man, or what?*6

Not only does Isaiah 45:7 speak about God creating evil, but so does this scripture in Proverbs:

Proverbs 16:4
The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil [Ra].

Made, Pâ‛al (paw-al'), H6466, from Strong's Hebrew Dictionary: A primitive root; to do or make (systematically and habitually), especially to practise: - commit, [evil-] do (-er), make (-r), ordain, work (-er), wrought.

Wicked, Rasha` (raw-shaw'), H7563, Hebrew Adjective, from Strong's Hebrew Dictionary: wicked, criminal, guilty one, one guilty of crime (subst). wicked (hostile to God). wicked, guilty of sin (against God or man).

Of course, the Hebrew word used for evil, at the end of this scripture, is "Ra" − the same Hebrew word as in Isaiah. But, is this, again, simply stating that God created calamity only? Actually, this passage really puts a new and different slant onto the thought of God creating evil. Here, it didn't simply say that He made evil, but rather that He made the WICKED for the day of evil. Now, one can argue, first of all, that it didn't actually say that the Lord CREATED the wicked, but rather that He MADE*7 the wicked; and He could have done that in one of several ways: such as simply 'ordaining' something to do a certain purpose (especially since 'ordain' is one of the meanings for the Hebrew word pâ‛al − which is translated as 'made'), or that the true meaning merely gives the sense that God made the wicked people go somewhere, or made the wicked to do something, for either punishment or correction. That is, again, made them as in "to force one to do something, or to go somewhere." However, from our Hebrew dictionary meaning (seen just above for the word 'made'), we not only gather that one could be ordained to do something (as in the thought that God could have taken a Being that was already wicked and caused them to do such and such), but we can also gather from the meaning (especially when it used the word 'wrought' for one of its definitions), that God could 'form' something (like in iron work; or, more specifically, like pottery upon a potter's wheel*8) or even 'create' something from complete scratch . . . Watching how the Bible phrases things, however, I would be more inclined to believe that God actually created the wicked for the day of evil; and, then, molded that wicked thing to serve his purposes − which I will certainly get into more detail of in the following pages. But, watch how this works in another place:

Ephesians 6:12
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Does this particularly show us that one of our enemies is principalities? Which, according to Strong's Greek Dictionary just means "the first."

Principalities, Archē (ar-khay'), G746, from Strong's Greek Dictionary: From G756; (properly abstract) a commencement, or (concrete) chief (in various applications of order, time, place or rank): - beginning, corner, (at the, the) first (estate), magistrate, power, principality, principle, rule.

Or, and also according to this definition, the very first magistrate; which perhaps means the first magistrate of evil power – whom many consider to be the devil. But, before we get heavily into the devil issue, what's most important at this exact moment is the fact that what we are wrestling with is what the King James Version is calling the very first order of evil. Then, the next thing Ephesians 6:12 mentions, after principalities, is powers:

Power/Authority, Exousia (ex-oo-see'-ah), G1849, from Strong's Greek Dictionary: Power of choice, liberty of doing as one pleases. leave or permission. physical and mental power. the ability or strength with which one is endued, which he either possesses or exercises. the power of authority (influence) and of right (privilege) the power of rule or government (the power of him whose will and commands must be submitted to by others and obeyed).

But, without trying to make this present thought too complicated, let's explore other areas of the Bible where the Translators made these two words (principalities and powers) in succession of each other; and, then, I'll show you where I'm going with all of this...

Romans 8:38-39 (a summary)
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities [G746], nor powers [G1849] . . . shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Colossians 2:15
And having spoiled principalities [G746] and powers [G1849], he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

In the compounding of these two words (even if they aren't directly side by side in the quotes), these two verses, along with our quote in Ephesians, are declaring boldly that they are speaking of evil things. But, even so, what am I even trying to get at with the mentioning of these principalities and powers? Well, primarily, this:

Colossians 1:16
For by him [i.e. Jesus, as we see from verses 13-15] were ALL things created [including evil?], that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities [G746], or powers [G1849]: ALL things were created by him, AND FOR HIM.

So, what does this mean? Well, it's a different route, but it ends up saying the same thing. That is, that God created good and evil. But, not only, but He created them for Himself – as the end of verse 16 of Colossians chapter 1 declared; and, as our scripture in Proverbs 16:4 said, too: “The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil” . . . But, then, in this present thought, we get thrown off by these two verses:

Ephesians 3:10
To the intent that now unto the principalities [G746] and powers [G1849] in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God.

And this...

Titus 3:1
Put them in mind to BE SUBJECT to principalities [G746] and powers [G1849], to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work.

First of all, in Ephesians 3:10, we might be thrown off by the fact that these principalities and powers were in heavenly places; and, that they might be known to the Church from God's wisdom. What does that even mean? Well, if this verse stands alone without Titus 3:1 being involved, perhaps we could say that God shows us, like He did Job, that wherever the children of God are gathered that satan always comes in the midst of them (Job 1:6 and Job 2:1), and that they should always stay on their toes to detect evil wherever it may stick its ugly head – even in heavenly places. Or, it could mean, when we do consider Titus 3:1, that perhaps we should know that there are also good principalities and powers . . . Well, neither of our Strong's Greek Dictionary meanings for these two words (seen just above) leads us to believe that either principalities or powers are strictly evil – but, that any agent (whether they are good or evil) can bend principalities and powers into whatever direction they wish for their authority to take them. Only the verses Ephesians 6:12, Romans 8:38-39, and Colossians 2:15 leaned toward the thought of evilness.

So, are we to believe that what Jesus had created was only good principalities and powers but not the bad? That would be a bit presumptuous, would it not? Therefore (and, I'll say this once more), when Colossians 1:16 declares that Jesus had created ALL things, by Him and for Him, that it was all things good and evil. But, even so, and again according to Ephesians 6:12, Romans 8:38-39, and Colossians 2:15 (when it explained the evil principalities and powers), would Jesus (being the creator of them, too) have used those things against us? . . . What kind of a question is that? . . . Well, it certainly did say that we wrestle against principalities, against powers – along with the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12); and, then implied that Jesus Himself initially created them (Colossians 1:16). So, with such thoughts, am I seriously considering that if Jesus had created all things for Himself (again, Colossians 1:16, along with Proverbs 16:4), that He would have used them against us for His plans and purposes? A usage, that is, which the devil only has been accused of for centuries. And, not only, but am I also daring to suggest that God IS evil Himself since He's the creator of it? . . . God forbid! No way! . . . However, when all such scriptures are thoroughly scrutinized – instead of, that is, just quickly passing over them – they all should give us pause for consideration of more than what many have been taught concerning good and evil . . . As I'll continue to show herein, God can be the creator of evil without being affected by it. Such a powerful God can certainly be too strong to give-in to such a mess – proving to us, once again, that He can create it without giving-in to it . . . But, even so, are we really supposed to believe that God created evil with ALL of its aspects? That is, not only calamity, but also wickedness and sin? And (I’ll ask once more), by doing so, is God's own goodness being questioned? . . . Or, can we simply say that God has the extended knowledge to create evil, and He has the ability to start the process, set it into motion (an initial creation − like winding-up a toy, and then letting it go on its own steam from there on), and then to work with it in all of its varied forms afterward? Cannot God have the power and ability to create wickedness without being wicked Himself? Or, without it affecting Him at all? Is that not a possibility? . . . But, that kind of thinking actually raises many more questions, such as: Why would God even want to do that?

Now, please, do not get me wrong, I am NOT leaning toward the thought that God has evil within Him. However, I will say that I do believe that God did, in fact, create evil in ALL of its varied forms as a part of His ultimate plan of salvation; and, I will presently point out how and why. But, if we can see that God Himself really did create evil (again, in ALL of its varied forms − that is, in more than just calamity, but of wickedness, too), and not only so, but uses evil for His salvation plan for us, then we will begin to view the devil's role a bit differently, as well.

But, first, let's continue the pacing of this topic without fully revealing everything just yet – for, other things must be considered also before the entire puzzle can be put together; such as, other pieces of the larger puzzle must be brought to the table, too; so, let's continue with our second word, in Colossians 1:16, after principalities – power. Notice what Paul says here about powers:

Romans 13:1-2
Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.

This brings up several interesting points. First noticeable point is that there is NO power but of God. So, what that means is that evil is NOT a separate power unto and of itself − that is, if it's even a power at all − which, it certainly is! The second thought is that ALL POWERS are ORDAINED by God. In other words, anything that has power not only was given permission by God, but was actually commissioned (ordained) by Him − as is observed in the case of satan in the book of Job, which we will see in just a moment. But, first, let's consider Pontius Pilate:

John 19:10-11
Then saith Pilate unto him [Jesus], Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee? Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.

Notice here that Pilate was given power to do these things to Jesus from above: i.e. from God the Father. Therefore, without God granting permission, or especially that he was ordained for that purpose, Pilate had no power to do the things that he was doing, or could do . . . Next, we must consider Pharaoh, king of Egypt, during the days of the Exodus. What most folks don't know, or consider, is the fact that Pharaoh had absolutely no choice in the matter of letting or not letting the children of Israel leave Egypt; but God did, in fact, force Pharaoh's hand to make the children of Israel stay there longer.

Exodus 9:12a
And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh...

Poor Man's Commentary by Robert Hawker (published in 1805; public domain – on Exodus 9:12a): Observe the change of expression. Upon several instances before, it is said that Pharaoh hardened his own heart: but here it is said, that the Lord hardened it.

Also seen in Exodus 10:20; 10:27; 11:10; and 14:8.

Proverbs 21:1
The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.

Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible: Even the hearts of men are in God's hand, and not only their goings, as he had said, Proverbs 20:24. God can change men's minds, can, by a powerful insensible operation under their spirits, turn them from that which they seemed most intent upon, and incline them to that which they seemed most averse to.

Poor Man's Commentary by Robert Hawker: There can be no question but that all hearts, and all the ways of men are, like the current of waters, subject to divine direction.

Geneva Bible Translation Notes (published in 1599; public domain): Though kings seem to have all things at commandment, they are not able to bring their own purposes to pass unless God has appointed: much less are the inferiors able.

This is another thought that we'll continue to explore herein. But, now, on with the thought about satan in the book of Job: let's notice how satan had no power to do anything to Job except he first got permission by God.

Job 1:12
And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.

Let's consider several key factors here. First, after satan was supposedly kicked out of Heaven (way back in Genesis, perhaps), he appears in Heaven again, conversing with God, sometime after his fall; and, he's also acting more as if he were one of God's servants rather than His enemy. The second thought, or rather question, is can satan actually change God's thoughts to convince God to allow bad things to happen to people? In fact, in the first book of this Evil Side of Creation part of my Teaching Series (in book 1: "Blaming God!"), I asked even more questions concerning satan's role in the book of Job; which were:

"How did satan convince God to allow him to hurt one of His subjects? Can God even be persuaded by the wiles of satan? Why did such a bad-boy like satan have to get God's permission to even hurt somebody to begin with? Being evil as he is, as is taught to us, wouldn't he simply have done so without such permission? And, not only so, but by even speaking to God about it in the first place, didn't he run the risk of God stopping him?"
– Blaming God!, page 43.

It would seem that even Job was convinced of who's hand was causing all his grief:

Job 12:9-10
Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this? In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.

Job 13:15
Though he [God] slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.

And, earlier in the book, Job spoke similarly:

Job 2:10b
...What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?...

Here, Job does not mention satan at all as to being the cause of his woes; but, suggests, once again, that it was the workings of God. And, he was right, for we already saw how God gave satan the go-ahead on that project in Job 1:12. But, even so, wouldn't Job's observations that it was God's hands, which had caused this grief, upset the Lord? Let's watch the last part of that same thought:

Job 2:10c
...In all this did NOT Job sin with his lips.

I'm not too sure if a lot of people have even considered these things. However, as we will soon see, the answers to these questions are rather simple. But, by us even considering these questions, they may begin to give us a different view about the role of satan – seeing as he is first ordained by God to have power, and then satan had to get permission from God in order to do the things that he did to Job. Which, again, makes him God's servant rather than His enemy. That's right, this type of agent serves God, does His will, and does not work against Him, but for Him − just as we saw in Colossians 1:16; and, as we will see in a few moments when I'll quote another curious verse from 1st Kings. But, presently, this situation would also remind us of another scripture:

Amos 3:6b
...shall there be evil [Ra] in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?

John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible (1748-1763 & 1809, public domain): which is not to be understood of the evil of sin, of which God is not the author, it being contrary to his nature and will.

Albert Barnes Notes on the Bible: Evil is of two sorts, evil of sin, and evil of punishment. There is no other...

As I hope to establish herein, and adding to the thoughts of Albert Barnes (which he further says that he actually got from St. Augustine), I believe that there's really three sorts of evil: the two that he had mentioned in his notes (of sin and of punishment); and a third that many folks don't consider – the evil of correction. A thought which I had spent no less than an entire book explaining – again, in part 1 of the Evil Side of Creation, in: "Blaming God!" I first explained it therein to set us up for this present book. Truly, it would be helpful for one to understand me better to read that volume first; but, no matter – one can always read it after this book for better clarity . . . Correction, as I explained therein, is the force which helps us to become better Christians; i.e. through chastisements, along with trials and tribulations. And, evil (such as afflictions), as I again explained therein, is certainly an agent that is used for that purpose – which ends in salvation for the saint (for, to become an overcomer, there first must be evil to overcome) . . . Certainly, I completely agree with John Gill when he said that the evil (Ra) which God forces on some cities is not sin. Even though sin is certainly an evil thing that God initially created (and, yet, not sin that man’s evil thoughts produce on a daily basis, but the initial creation of there being sin to begin with), it is completely against, and is the opposite to His true nature. Not only, but James is quick to point out that God tempts no person with evil:

James 1:13-15
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

As the writer of Proverbs points out, God actually hates the evil way:

Proverbs 8:13
The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.

Now, before we go any further in this chapter, I truly need to get one thing established on evil (Ra); that, even though I believe God created evil initially – to be able to branch out into men’s minds toward its goals in all of its terrible aspects (for things just don't create themselves – else, there would be creative forces outside the power of God – and, making Romans 13:1-2 a lie!) – that just because He created it, it doesn't mean that He's the distributer of it. As I have already pointed out, in a few instances, God can set things into motion at the beginning, and then allow it to run on its own steam thereafter. Thus, was nature wound-up and set loose to its own circuits at the beginning of time:

Ecclesiastes 1:5-8
The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose. The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits. All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again. All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

In consideration that evil was created at the very beginning of God's Work (for, when else could it have been created?), I'd like to point out this verse:

Genesis 1:31
And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
This verse, explaining the end of the initial creation, declares that everything that God created was very good. When did, therefore, evil come to be? Did it come after the creation of all things? For, suddenly, the serpent, in chapter 3, pops up out of nowhere! Now, one can argue that there was a second creation in chapter 2, with such verses as these:

Genesis 2:9a
And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food... [19a] And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air...

We might even go as far as to say that there were two creations of man between chapters 1 and 2:

Genesis 1:27-28a
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply...

Compared with:

Genesis 2:7
And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

However, at the beginning of chapter 2, it says that God ended the creation. And, that was before this supposed second creation of man:

Genesis 2:2
And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.

So, did He end the Work or not? For, it seems that just after He rested, He got up immediately and began creating again! . . . Over the years I have seen much confusion over the book of Genesis – that is, over the first four chapters. This is why I go over these first four chapters with a fine-toothed comb in my Series, called: The Spiritual Side of Creation, beginning in a book called: "In the Beginning: It was spiritual from the very start." In fact, I've already declared that what we are seeing aren't two separate "natural" creations in these two chapters of Genesis, but of a "natural" creation in chapter 1, and then a "spiritual" creation in chapter 2. So, what He rested from, at the beginning of chapter 2, was the natural creation that we saw in chapter 1. Therefore, if the devil were a Being to be reckoned with (that is, an actual Being that's as real as God is Himself – for, even though he’s considered a “spiritual” Being, He’s still a literal Being of some sort in many people’s ideas), then it would make more sense that his creation would have been in chapter 1 when God was creating all things "physical," during the time when He was creating the heavens (the cosmos), and the earth – including a supposed fiery furnace at the center of the earth called hell. For, when else would a literal, physical hell have been created if not with all natural and physical elements? For, no scripture can actually be found of its initial creation. And, if this is the case (that is, that the devil and hell were created at the beginning of God's Work during chapter 1 of Genesis), then they would have been put into the category of "very good" things that were created, as says verse 31. But, that wouldn't make much sense with traditional doctrine.

However, as we will continue to observe during the course of this book (and, too, as I had – once again – pointed out in Part 1 of this present Series), the reason that it was “very good” that evil was a part of the initial creation in the first part of Genesis was because without evil being present in this world, we would have nothing to overcome; and, if not overcomers, then how can we ever hope to taste of life eternal? Hence, God’s reasons for creating evil to begin with; and, why it’s a part of His salvation plan.

Romans 12:21
Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

1 John 2:13
…I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one… [2:14b] I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.

For the reward of the overcomers, see 1st John 5:4; Revelation 2:7; 2:11; 2:17; 3:5; 3:12; 3:21; and 21:7.

Let's now consider another scenario in scripture:

1 Kings 22:21-22
And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, I will persuade him. And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so.

Here we have, during the times of the Kings, a lying spirit asking permission of God to do some damage to some prophets. God gave his permission. Yet, notice what happens next:

1 Kings 22:23
Now therefore, behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the LORD hath spoken evil concerning thee.

Notice that it said that the Lord Himself put the lying spirit in the mouths of the prophets − Could that have been God's plan the whole time, and not necessarily the idea of the lying spirit?

1 Samuel 16:14
But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil [Ra] spirit FROM the LORD troubled him.

God Himself put an evil (Ra) spirit into King Saul. So, then, the question has to come to mind: If all the bad spirits fell from Heaven, what were these still doing in Heaven, doing God’s own bidding? Not only that, but if not ALL bad spirits fell from Heaven, does that then make Heaven unsteady, in showing us that there are some bad spirits, or bad angels, still there? The answer may very well lie in the fact of who lucifer and satan really are...

EXPLANATORY NOTES WILL BE IN 2ND POST...