Why did Satan tempt Adam and Eve?

So, that is a really awesome question!!! We know the story of how Satan appeared as a serpent and tempted Eve and she took a bite of the apple from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And the end result was that sin then entered the world. But, the big question is why it happened in the first place, right? Well, we also know why Satan did it…he wanted to rule Heaven and he felt that he could disrupt God’s unstoppable plan by bringing sin into the world. Satan has been battling God since the beginning and this was just another attack against God. But, what we really wonder is why did God allow it?

It’s important to remember that Satan is not God or the exact opposite of God. He is a created being, just like you and me. God created Satan. If God wanted to, He could defeat Satan with a simple thought, make him disappear forever and make all of us obedient to His will and be without sin. The problem then is that we’d all be like a bunch of robots, walking around chanting, “God is holy, holy, holy,” without giving it much thought.

God doesn’t want that. He wants us to love Him but He also gave us free choice to do so. He wants us to desire to have a relationship with Him and for us to recognize that we need Him. So, God allowed Satan to introduce sin into the world so that we would realize how badly we need a kind and loving God. When you seek out God and give yourself to Him despite Satan’s attempts to pull you away from God, it brings God great joy! Remember the parable of the Lost Sheep? God celebrates everytime a “lost” person finds Him. So, that’s why Satan tempted Adam and Eve…to try and stop God’s unstoppable plan by bringing sin into this world.

Is a person who turns their back on God a lost person?

That is a very awesome question! We do live in a l"ost world." People are lost because they don’t have a relationship with God. So, a person who turns his or her back on God is a lost person because they don’t have that relationship that God so desperately wants to have with them.

But, here’s the good news! In fact, it’s great news!!! God is always ready and waiting for anyone who wants to have a relationship with Him. In fact, in 2 Peter 3:9, Peter (who was one of Jesus’ original disciples) says, “The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

We also told the parable of the Lost Sheep in class (Luke 15:1-7) where the shepherd, who has 100 sheep, loses one and goes out to find that sheep. When he finds that sheep, he celebrates even though he still had 99 sheep! Jesus tells us that God is like that shepherd in that there will be more rejoicing in Heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

So, even a lost person, who turns his or her back on God, can come back to God and He’ll immediately accept them, love them, and rejoice in their return! We have a very big God whose love is unstoppable and He wants you to have a relationship with Him.

Remember, there is nothing you can do, nothing, that is so bad God can’t forgive it.

When I pray, does only God hear or does everyone in heaven hear?

Everyone who is in heaven is definitely in a joyful place with God, but God is the only one who can know our hearts. It is God alone who hears our prayers. God may share something great with everyone in heaven, like when heaven celebrates someone who has just given their heart to Jesus, but your prayers go just to God.

You can read about heaven’s happiness in Luke 15. Verse 7 comes at the end of the parable of the lost sheep, and verse 10 comes at the end of the parable of the lost coin. It says, “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." So heaven can know about great things that happen, but when you pray to Jesus, that prayer is just for Jesus.