Why Didn't God Destroy Satan?
One of the complicated questions about faith is why didn't the all-powerful God crush Satan from the beginning. The Bible tells about the devil's ultimate defeat when he and his angels were thrown into the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:10). The question is, why didn't God do that right after Lucifer (Satan's former name) rebelled against him?
The Scriptures doesn't provide a direct answer to that, but we will try to do so based on what we know about God's nature. Being a former heavenly host, Lucifer was created perfect until pride and envy set in and the desire to replace God consumed him (Ezekiel 28:12–17).
That makes Lucifer the first to sin among God's creation. After rebelling against God, Lucifer and his army of angels were thrown to earth (Revelation 12:9). This debunks the common notion that Satan and his demons are residing in hell. But why earth? Why didn't God throw them straight to hell?
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Remember that one of God's characteristics is His great mercy (2 Samuel 24:14). Psalm 145:9 says the Lord has compassion on all He has made. That includes Satan and his followers. Psalm 86:5 also says the Lord is forgiving to all who call to Him.
God gave Lucifer — His perfect heavenly host — a chance to redeem himself by throwing him to earth. The fact that he remains on the dark side means he didn't call upon his creator for mercy. God knew Lucifer wouldn't come crawling to his feet, so He made that stubbornness a part of His plan.
Take note that man is capable of sinning even without the devil's influence. In his omniscience, God has foreseen mankind's wickedness; many of them will turn Him away and even challenge Him the way Lucifer did in the beginning. God will deal with them along with Satan in one fell swoop (Revelation 16:6), and all of them will be thrown into the Lake of Fire (18:1–24).
