Did God Create A DEVIL?

by Herbert W. Armstrong

Is THERE a devil?

Many people talk about the devil and Satan. Others scoff and say it's just superstition and imagination. But is there a devil?

According to some Christians the Bible is supposed to teach that the devil is "the god of this world." Did God create a devil? What does the Bible actually teach?

To find out let's look back to the very beginning. Open your Bible to Genesis 1:1. "In the beginning God ...." God was before all.

The next word in the King James version is "created." "God created." He created the heaven and the earth. But the very next verse says this: "The earth was without form and void." The Hebrew words for "without form and void" are tohu and bohu. Translated into English they mean chaotic, in confusion, waste, and empty.

When God created the heaven and the earth, did He create this earth originally in a state of confusion? Did He
create it all topsy-turvy and chaotic?

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The Bible pictures the whole world under the sway of an invisible devil. Where did he come from? Did God create a devil to tempt us and to try to lead us astray? Here are the answers from God's Word!

Booklet

First published January 1, 1959

About the author

Herbert W. Armstrong founded the Worldwide Church of God in the late 1930s, as well as Ambassador College (later Ambassador University) in 1946, and was an early pioneer of radio and tele-evangelism, originally taking to the airwaves in the 1930s from Eugene, Oregon. Armstrong preached an eclectic set of theological doctrines and teachings that he claimed came directly from the Bible. These theological doctrines and teachings have been referred to as Armstrongism. His teachings included the interpretation of biblical prophecy in light of British Israelism, and required observance of parts of the covenant Law including seventh-day Sabbath, dietary prohibitions, and the covenant law "Holy Days".

Armstrong proclaimed that behind world events during his lifespan loomed various Biblical prophecies, and that he was called by God as an 'Apostle' and end-time 'Elijah' to proclaim the Gospel of God's Kingdom to the World before the return of Jesus Christ. He also founded the Ambassador International Cultural Foundation, which promoted the arts, humanities, and humanitarian projects. Through his role with the foundation, Armstrong and his advisers met with heads of governments in various nations, for which he described himself as an "ambassador without portfolio for world peace."