The driving force behind any good journalist is the dream of getting the interview of the century with the biggest, most controversial, magnanimous high profile personality of all time. A single interview with the right famous person can make that journalist a household name.
Maybe you remember the first-ever television interview with Osama Bin Laden conducted by Peter Arnett in eastern Afghanistan in late March 1997. Or, the interview with bin Laden published in a Karachi Pakistan daily newspaper, exactly 17 days after 9/11/2001. Adolph Hitler was Time magazines “Person of the Year” for 1938. The issue and interview published January 2, 1939 just eight months before German armies invaded Poland starting WWII. Journalist have conducted interviews with many infamous people who have committed horrible crimes against the innocent, causing untold pain and suffering. Questions get asked... answers are given... and the infamous gets their 15 minutes of fame, forever recorded in the annals and archives of our collective psyche.
One interview that has never happened... is with Satan the Devil, the slanderer of God and great deceiver of mankind. It’s illogical to think a real sit down interview with God’s greatest adversary could ever happen. But the idea of being face-to-face with the Devil, asking him probing questions about his motives is mind bending to say the least.
How would you start such an interview? With God’s arch-enemy, who has been in rebellion since the beginning of creation, you would need a question that cuts to the core quickly and decisively. I thinks there’s really only one question that needs to be asked of God’s archive rival... What were you thinking?
Since such an interview could never happen, here’s a look at a hypothetical conversation or a very biased one-sided monologue, with God’s arch enemy. I do most of the questioning [and answering], because I’m not sure Satan could provide any logical or defensible answers... so I’ll do most of his talking for him.
“I’ve been wondering how I should address you Satan... you have so many names. Do you have one you prefer, more than others?” "Let’s see, we should probably pick from this list: Satan, Lucifer, fallen angel, Arch-fiend, Prince of Darkness, Prince of this world, serpent, Tempter, Adversary, Antichrist, Diabolus, Father of Lies, angel of the bottomless pit, Apollyon, Abaddon, foul fiend, Ahriman, Mephistoles, His Satanic Majesty, the Old Gentleman, Old Nick, Old Harry, Old Scratch, Auld Hornie, Clootie. “Whew, that’s a lot of names, with many inferring an almost endearing quality about them!"
“I’m sorry Satan, you may like the name Old Scratch, but I know who you are, what you are and what you’ve wrought on humanity since the deception in the Garden of Eden. Therefore, I can only address you by the names God has given you... slanderer and deceiver – Satan and Devil.” “I also don’t want you to get the wrong idea from this interview... we’re not friends or allies on any level, in any way.” “Just so you know, I hold all the publishing rights to this interview and you will not receive any royalties whatsoever... I hope you understand?"
“Let me start with the obvious question... What were you thinking?” I am totally mystified by what you did in heaven. I think I can speak for everyone who has ever known of you and your rebellion, we're all bewildered by what you did. God, the Creator of all things, the universe, all angelic creatures, including you, and the likes of Michael the Arch Angel, and every living spirit who gained life by His hand. You were there! You could see God on His throne... surround by His majestic aura and brilliance. How could you not be in awe of His magnificence, splendor and power?
“What was missing in you?” God makes perfect things. He can’t make defective anything... it’s not possible for him to do that. So you can’t lean on a defense that a couple of your screws were loose... that won’t hold water Satan. God has even told humans through His Word the Bible, (you know about that book don’t you) that you were one of the “most beautiful” of all his spirit creations. I’ll be honest with you, I’ve never been quite sure how to react to that concept. It suggests that other angels were “less good looking” than you. Maybe so, but the point is this... you had it all and decided what you had wasn’t enough! Where I come from we call that stupidity!
“Say what?” “You decided that you could run heaven and the future earth inhabited by God’s planned creation of humankind better than He could?” I guess I already knew that would be your answer... its old news... but I wanted to hear you say it one more time. Goes to credibility Satan... you got none! What blows my mind is you still think you have a chance to win this thing between you and God, don’t you? No matter how hard I try to comprehend what you did, I can’t make any logical sense of it.
“Yes Satan, I know all about “free will.” It ‘s been the plague of humankind since you’re evil trickery in the Garden of Eden.” It’s easier for me to accept the dangerous aspects of “free will” because of your deceptive influence on humans who can’t see the magnificence of God on his throne, than it is to understand how you could rebel against Him when you could see Him. I have to digest and process everything in a silo of “faith and trust,” you however could see Him. You should have had no doubts about anything. You knew and understood your position as a created being... given life by an Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent God. You are none of those things, and could never gain such awesome power. Satan, think about it... you decided to wage war against the supreme being of the universe... an adversary you could not possibly defeat. What were you thinking?
I think we have a foundation now for discussing some things about your impressions of God that really need clarification.
I hope you won’t be frustrated by my continuous reference to the fact that you “knew God... up close and most likely very personally.” I have never had that experience, no human has. However, those humans who have taken the time to probe the nature and character of God as He has revealed Himself through His written Word the Bible, can come to a very deep understanding of His divine attributes and characteristics. At times, this understanding comes in waves of emotion that actually makes me weep tears. Everyone is different in how they come to know and understand God. Satan, it has been my experience that we humans shed tears of joy when we come to know the nature and character of God. We’re humbled and struck by indescribable awe at the holiness, righteousness, impartiality, mercy and love of God Almighty, the Creator of ALL Things! “Can you tell me why you didn’t experience a similar reaction to God’s obvious character attributes?”
I’m a nobody in the big scheme of things, and even I can come to an understanding of the most superlative attribute God’s character – His Holiness. I rely on the Bible to understand God. Satan... you didn’t need a book, God was right in front of you!
The central truth behind all that Scripture tells humankind about God, is that He is “MAJESTIC IN HOLINESS” (Exodus 15:11). I’m sure you know the Bible pretty well, so what I’m telling you is not new information. You know very well that Scripture refers to the Holiness of God more than any other of His unique attributes.
The Holiness of God is central to his entire character. No other attribute of God is as defining and essential for us to understand than His holiness. God is holy primarily and transcendentally. God is intrinsically holy... All he does is holy; he cannot act but like himself; he can no more do an unrighteous act than the sun can turn dark. He is absolute Purity, unsullied even by the shadow of sin. His holiness is the very antithesis of all moral blemish or defilement. He is the original and perfect pattern of holiness. You knew Habakkuk... well he said that God was of “purer outlook than to even behold evil.”
Okay, Satan... what happened in heaven that gave “you” the idea that “you” could make the rules by which “all created beings” would live by? Seriously, did you even have a plan that was better than what God had already set in motion? Or are you just interested in creating chaos and destruction?
Before you ever existed God had already defined the rules for the universe. His holiness, an attribute which you never had, defines all of His actions. To be holy is to be distinct, separate, in a class by oneself. God is the only one in that class... couldn’t you see that fact? Didn’t you understand the nature of God’s most superlative attribute... His Holiness?
“I’m sorry, I can’t accept your coy disdain and attempt at feigning some level of ignorance about God’s Holiness. You knew about His attributes, His character and you knew that ‘everything’ emanates from his Holiness. Knowing what you knew... you still decided to go your own way.
“I think we need to take a break. When we return I want you to be prepared to explain, if you can, how you a created being, thought you could replace the one and only Almighty God as the supreme being of the universe.
“What were you thinking? Did you think God would accept your rebellion as defeat and retreat to some far distance corner of the universe and cower? Be prepared to tell me what you thought when you first heard about His plan to fix the mess you instigated.
“SO NEXT WEEK... We’ll restart this interview, with you explaining your impressions of Genesis 3:15. Of course, you can expect many, many more probing questions before we’re done!”
