Now that you understand enough about God, Satan, and this battle, you can begin to grasp the true answer to this question. The answer is a story about love, justice, and sacrifice.
Satan
God created angels with a nature distinct from humans. They are powerful, filled with light, and incapable of feeling regret as we do. Satan, who was once known as the “Son of the Morning” because of his brightness, became prideful.
How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north. (Isaiah 14:12-14)
Satan understood God’s exalted nature, immense power, and majestic presence. His thoughts clearly revealed his awareness of God’s dominion. Despite this knowledge, Satan’s heart became consumed by pride. His actions did not align with God’s greatness or His humble heart, and as a result, Satan was punished.
“And He said to them, I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven” (Luke 10:18).
Since God made angels immortal, Satan must endure punishment without changing his nature. He fell from heaven, enduring eternal punishment.
Adam and Eve
God desired to create humans in His image, reflecting His humble heart. He wanted them to love and rely on Him as a father. However, in His justice, He did not want to force Himself upon them. He gave them a choice: trust Him and live or disobey Him and die.
Satan, knowing the consequences of disobedience, aimed to deceive humans. His goal was to subject them to the same punishment he had faced. Sadly, he succeeded.
God’s Justice
To understand God’s justice, we need to consider why He could not simply forgive Adam and Eve. Unlike Satan, who knew God’s exalted nature and infinite power before his fall, humans were created from dust, with limited knowledge. Before eating from the tree of knowledge, their eyes were closed; they only opened after they ate:
“Then the eyes of both of them were opened” (Genesis 3:7).
Before sin, Adam and Eve were like children in God’s kingdom, unaware of the seriousness of their disobedience. They saw God as a loving caretaker.
If you talk to toddlers about death, they will not fully grasp its meaning as adults would. Additionally, lying under oath to a higher authority carries a more severe punishment than lying to a friend. The same principle applies to sinning against God, whose authority is infinite, resulting in infinite consequences. However, their lack of understanding did not negate the need for justice. Adam and Eve ate from the tree and disobeyed God:
“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12).
We know Adam and Eve did not physically die that day. So, what is the death God warned them about when He said, “Surely, you will die”?
Death
When Adam and Eve sinned, death entered the world as a mighty warrior, separating humanity from God. This death was not only the separation of the soul from the body but also the power to capture the soul and drag it into a place where the shadow of death reigns:
“A land as dark as darkness itself, as the shadow of death, without any order, where even the light is like darkness” (Job 10:22).
The true death of the soul was separation from God. After sinning, humans suffered daily on Earth. When they died, death claimed them, taking them into the shadow of death. Ultimately, humans felt as though God had turned His back on them, whether in life or death, and as a result, they felt forsaken by Him.
God’s Redemption
God’s redemption was not a simple act of forgiving Adam and Eve. Satan could have accused God of being biased in forgiving humans while punishing him, demanding that justice prevail.
When humans sinned, death entered the world as punishment. Because of God’s infinite justice and His love for humanity, He began His redemption plan the moment Adam and Eve sinned, promising them salvation. However, His salvation had to align with His infinite justice. Humanity had to be punished for sinning against God. The Death that entered the world through sin had to be confronted.
Salvation
God’s salvation required three steps within His justice system:
- Humans must understand the magnitude of their sin. This understanding was necessary for them to accept a fair punishment.
- Human nature must endure the full punishment but without perishing.
- Death, the ultimate enemy born of sin, must be deprived of its power:
“ The last enemy to be destroyed is death.” (1 Corinthians 15:26 ESV).
Only then could God restore everything to its original state before sin entered the world.
Step 1: The Recognition of Sin and the Need for a Savior
God addressed the first step by taking humans on a journey spanning thousands of years, helping them understand that sin against God’s exalted nature results in ultimate death punishment. He also prepared them to accept His salvation.
He taught humans to offer sacrifices, demonstrating that sin could be transferred to sacrifices, which would die in their place. This practice ingrained the idea that salvation required a sacrifice to save them from death.
Over time, humans realized that sin was a prison. Their attempts to free themselves only led to deeper imprisonment. They needed a savior to bail them out through his sacrifice, but the savior himself could not remain dead; otherwise, subsequent sins would be unforgivable.
Eventually, humans recognized that the gods they once relied on could not save them. They knew there had to be another way, but they were uncertain about what it was. As a result, they began building temples dedicated to an unknown God, similar to what St. Paul encountered:
“For as I passed by and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription: to the unknown god” (Acts 17:23 KJV).
Step 2: Satisfying God’s Justice through Christ’s Sacrifice
Humans now understood the need for salvation through sacrifice and began seeking a savior. This brought them to the second part of the puzzle—satisfying God’s ultimate justice.
Satan, as an angel, was punished without changing his angelic nature. Therefore, humans also had to be punished as humans. Thus, humanity had to die.
If this happened, Death—described as the last enemy in the Bible—would win, claiming all souls and dragging them into darkness. In that case, it would have been better for humanity to have never been created than to exist only to face death.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
God sent His only Son to take on a body like ours and become human. In this body, God could carry out His justice. He allowed humans—guided by Satan, who deceived them—to crucify Him.
“ which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. (1 Corinthians 2:8).
It’s no wonder that Jesus, filled with love, cried out on the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know.” But Jesus is not here to explain His actions; He leaves that up to your heart to see and believe. Instead, He was focused on carrying the punishment in His human body.
“Surely, he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds, we are healed” (Isaiah 53:4–5 NIV).
“God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV).
On the cross, Jesus received the punishment of God for all our sins. This act grants us eternal salvation, delivered by Jesus, the eternal Son of God. During those agonizing moments, Jesus endured the full weight of God’s justice. The punishment included immense physical pain and suffering, but that was only the visible part.
When Adam sinned, he faced the ultimate consequence—separation from God. Humanity’s sins led to death, and death claimed their souls. Though a promise of salvation was given, it took thousands of years to prepare for its fulfillment. Meanwhile, death continued to seize more souls, as if they were forsaken. God could have instantly redeemed them, but His justice required that the full punishment be carried out.
It was necessary for Jesus, in His humanity, to fully experience what mankind had endured for generations—the devastating feeling of being forsaken by God. That feeling is more hurtful to the soul that was created on God’s image. This is why, in His deepest suffering, Jesus cried out on the cross:
“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
(Matthew 27:46 NIV).
This cry was more than personal anguish—it was the collective cry of all humanity, bearing the weight of the real death punishment being forsaken by God.
Step 3: The Unseen Battle
At last, the seemingly weak image of Jesus on the cross became the most powerful moment in human history. In this unseen battle, Satan briefly rejoiced, believing that death—the monster born from sin—would finally claim Jesus’ soul. This was the man whom Satan had tried, but failed, to tempt into sin throughout His entire life. But just before His death, as death approached the cross where Jesus hung, Jesus cried out in a loud voice.
“And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, ‘Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.’ Having said this, He breathed His last” (Luke 23:46).
In a sudden flash of realization, both Satan and death remembered that Jesus was born of a virgin and did not inherit Adam’s sin. He was conceived without human seed. Jesus also lived a life where He defeated Satan in every temptation, making Himself exempt from the death penalty. At that moment, their eyes widened as they realized they could not claim His soul. They remembered Jesus saying,
“No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father” (John 10:18).
Now, they saw Him laying His soul in His Father’s hands. He was not surrendering it to death, for death had no power over His pure, sinless soul. He accomplished salvation by sacrificing Himself as the perfect sacrifice. Then He became the mighty warrior who captured death—the powerful enemy—and stripped him of all his power, fulfilling His own saying:
“Or how can someone enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house” (Matthew 12:29 ESV).
He bound the strong man—death—and boldly seized the spoils he had collected for years, setting free all the righteous souls he had held captive since Adam. Shining with his light, were darkness once reign.
“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined” (Isaiah 9:2).
Finally, death—the once-powerful being who captured all souls and dragged them to Hades—lost all its power. Jesus reclaimed all the righteous souls death had held for years, and even took the keys of Hades and of death:
“I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death” (Revelation 1:18).
He took all the righteous souls to paradise, as He had promised the thief crucified with Him—that they would meet again that very day:
“Jesus answered him, 'Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in paradise'” Luke 23:43 NIV).
Therefore, death has no power or place among those who believe in Him.
Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened. Many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many. (Matthew 27:51)
The veil of the temple was torn from top to bottom, signifying that redemption comes from heaven above. This shows that humans are no longer forsaken. Before, the Holy of Holies, which held the Ark of the Covenant, represented God’s presence among His people. It was sacred, and only the high priest could enter it once a year after careful preparation. But now, everyone has access to see it.
Death no longer has the power to keep righteous souls imprisoned. They have been released, and some have appeared to many, bearing witness to the resurrection.
Resurrection
Death was a powerful enemy and would remain powerful if the story ended here. Jesus would still be counted among the dead, and everyone would see Him as defeated. But to change this, He must rise again.
One might ask: why couldn’t God simply allow Adam—who resembled humanity—to die, fulfilling the punishment, and then raise him again, without the need for this whole salvation plan?
Adam’s death alone would not satisfy God’s justice. Adam’s sin against God created a debt greater than Adam or humanity could fulfill, even through death.
Additionally, if God punished Adam with death and then raised him again, it would mean God was not being fair to death, which claimed Adam’s soul when he sinned by forcing death to give Adam’s soul back to God. And since we all sin daily, God would have to punish each person with death. However, God did not want to punish the humans He loves in this way. He desired a system of forgiveness that would not cancel His justice or the need for the death penalty.
“Therefore, my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; my flesh also will rest in hope. For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:9-11).
Jesus paid the price for sin and died on the cross. His soul freed all other souls from Hades. Now, His body must rise again to announce victory over death. He must rise from the dead, victorious over death, with the life that He has in Himself as the Son of God.
“For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son also to have life in Himself” (John 5:26).
“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live’” (John 11:25).
Finally, humanity endured the punishment in the body of Jesus Christ without perishing. The Holy Trinity worked in infinite harmony to deliver humanity from the death they inherited, with justice in each step. Now, you can see how our heavenly Father is both just and caring. He was just with humans, and even with Satan and death, the last enemy. He did all this because He cares about you; His blood establishes a new covenant. We are not forsaken, no matter how bad we are, unless we choose to ignore salvation this much.
“How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him?” (Hebrews 2:3).
God, how great is Your love? This endless, caring love protects us all. You loved us when we sinned and loved us when we tried to escape our darkness. Your eyes look at us like a father watching his toddler trying to stand and walk. Your heart wants us to hurry, yet Your hand helps us move slowly because that’s all we can do for now. We can’t run, God; we can barely walk this path. We need Your help. You said that even if a mother forgets her child, You won’t forget. You are the one who said that whoever touches You touches the apple of Your eye. I trust in Your love, Lord, that You will help me in my struggles. I trust in Your words, God, that You will reach those who are held captive by Satan and need Your light. Your word is the light, and it has the power to illuminate every person’s darkness.
God, I am so humble, writing these words—who am I, and who is the human that You would do such wonders? I gaze at these words that I’m typing and can’t do anything except cry, with tears filling my eyes and my heart.
I needed this and can’t ask You to stop, but I also didn’t know, my Lord, didn’t know that my sin could cause damage so great that fixing it would make You endure so much. And even if I knew, I don’t trust myself that I won’t sin against You. Oh God, I didn’t know that my salvation required all this suffering and all this preparation.
“Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word, he shall never see death” (John 8:51).
