Can Satan kill people?

Wow, that is a very good question and the short answer is yes…BUT only if God allows it. The best example of this can be found in the Old Testament in the Book of Job. God allows all sorts of bad things to happen to Job, including allowing Satan to kill Job’s sons and daughters (Job 1:18-19). But, God does not allow Satan to kill Job (Job 1:12). So, my question was, “Well, why did God allow that?”

I think it is really, really important to remember here that God did not kill anyone. He allowed Satan to kill Job’s family for a divine purpose. Again, we cannot begin to understand how God thinks or what his end result is supposed to be but we do know that God has an unstoppable plan and there are parts of that plan that we, while we are here on earth, may never, ever understand. But, it does serve God’s purpose.

Another very important thing to remember is God’s purpose is always good. God does not do anything out of hate or with evil intentions. We sing a song in church that says that God is good ALL the time, ALL the time, God is good. So, when He allows Satan to kill, God does not have an evil purpose or mean purpose behind it.

I know that is hard to understand. It is for me too. And whenever I’m faced with that question of “why” I always remind myself of Proverbs 3:5-6, which says, “Trust in the Lord, your God, with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding but in all ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.”