You’re a mad dog roaming the streets,

consuming all you see,

You run about with horrid strength,

You flaunt your ferocity.

So Lucifer, and all the other unrepentant angels roamed the Earth restless and without a home just as God had decreed. Those that had broken away from Lucifer did as they willed and God created the Abyss to imprison the most wicked ones. Meanwhile, Lucifer and his followers went about masquerading as gods to the people on Earth. Lucifer first started it as an effort to take followers away from God, but even as he did so, Lucifer also started exploring ideas – ideas of what the nature of the universe and God really was since he had stopped believing in the all knowing, all powerful, and all seeing nature of God. So Lucifer deceived the world, and, in doing so, continued to deceive himself.

And the time came that Lucifer was called before God to give an account of his deeds as he roamed the earth as God had decreed. So Lucifer came to the throne room, bold and arrogant, his mind and heart now hardened to the glory of God’s dwelling. It was not that he couldn’t perceive it as it was anymore, it was that he refused to see it for what it was.

“Where have you come from?” God asked Lucifer.

“Roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it,” Lucifer replied as vaguely as he could. He had gotten used to dodging these questions that God asked him. Next God would no doubt give Lucifer some example of ‘love’ and ‘grace’ that He bestowed on the humans. No doubt it was God’s attempt to show Lucifer what he wanted to do for the demons. But Lucifer saw this only as an attempt to make him give up on overthrowing Heaven versus the act of love and mercy that it actually was.

“Have you noticed my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”

“Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not made a wall around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have made all his labors successful, and he has received more and more in the land. But if You stretch out Your hand and take all that he has, then he will surely curse You to Your face.”

“Behold then! All that Job owns is at your mercy now. However, you may not lay a hand on Job himself.”

At this Lucifer was confused. Why would God hand over His follower’s well-being over to him? This was clearly a challenge to Lucifer and his endeavor to overthrow God – a challenge of whether or not he could make this man, Job, reject God and join Lucifer’s side. At least, that is how Lucifer saw it. Without having to be told twice Lucifer set about destroying all that Job owned. He killed his flocks, his children, and his servants. He stole away his wealth and his standing, and at the end of it all, the only thing Job had left was his wife and the cloths on his back. But Job’s response took Lucifer completely off guard. Job tore his garments upon hearing of all that he had lost and said, “Without clothing I was born from my mother, and without clothing I will return. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Praise the name of the Lord.”

Lucifer could not understand. Lucifer had taken all that this man had possessed, yet he did not curse God to His face as Lucifer believed Job would. Lucifer became angry and embarrassed. He was anticipating going before God’s throne and bragging about how Job had failed to endure the loss of his possessions, but Job had endured it blamelessly. So Lucifer went about his own way, roaming the Earth once again, seeking those who he could ruin or seduce to his worship. But once again, God called Lucifer before him.

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“Where have you come from?” God asked.

And just as before Lucifer replied, “Roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.” Again as vague as he could be.

“Have you thought about My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth. He is without blame, a man who is right and good. He fears God and turns away from sin. He still holds to his good ways, even when I allowed you to go against him, and to destroy him for no reason.”

Here it was. God was rubbing Lucifer’s defeat in his wounds, or at least, that’s how Lucifer saw it. Lucifer mustered his wits and his spite and replied, “Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man owns he will give for his life and well-being. If You stretch out Your hand now and take away his health, then he will surely curse You to Your face.”

“Behold then! Even Job, himself, is at your mercy now, but you are not allowed to kill him.”

Once again Lucifer was surprised, but this time he was also enraged. The arrogance! God clearly thought that this man thought so highly of Him that even torment would not sway the man from God’s worship. Lucifer vowed in his heart to prove God wrong with great spite and malice. And so, Lucifer set out once again to torment Job, but this time directly. Lucifer afflicted Job with terrible sores all over his body, from head to toe. The sores were so terrible that Job tried to take a piece of broken pottery and cut off the sores, but to no avail. All of this while Job sat in ashes which burned when they touched his wounds and the sores.

Finally, Job’s wife broke and said, “Do you still hold on to your faith? Curse God and die!”

Lucifer surged with evil glee at this, but his malicious mirth was short lived, for Job replied, “You speak as a foolish women would speak. Should we accept only good from God and not accept hardship?”

Just as quickly as Lucifer had been filled with glee, now he was filled with deep insatiable rage. What would it take? What more could he do to this man? Lucifer could not bear the thought of once again going before God and having Him say, “Have you thought about my servant Job? He is blameless and fears God.” So Lucifer sought out Job’s friends and put thoughts into their mind to visit Job with the suggestion that Job must have done something wrong. After all, why else would such misfortune befall their friend?

Lucifer relished every second of this ploy of his. When Job’s friends saw him at first, they were not able to say anything because they saw that his suffering was too great for words. But then, after a while, Job began to curse the day of his birth and lament that he was ever born. Lucifer took great satisfaction in this. It was not exactly victory, not yet, but he was close. He had finally broken the man. All he needed with a little extra push. Job’s friends began to argue with him now, trying to convince Job that he must have done something wrong since God had allowed such misfortune to befall him. But while Job expressed his frustration and anger, he never once questioned the goodness of God. This irked Lucifer. Even when God, Himself, eventually interrupted the conversation between Job and his friends and lectured Job, Lucifer was still not satisfied. He had broken the man, yes, but he had not proven his point – that men only worship God because of the benefits He gives to His followers. This man, Job, had refused to curse God and reject Him even after all he had suffered. Lucifer begrudgingly admitted that these humans must indeed have some measure of will and, in possessing it, have some similarity to the will given to angels. Or perhaps... there was nothing he could do to steal those devoted to God – that God’s sovereignty was absolute.

He brushed the idea off. Such ideas were nonsense to Lucifer. After all, an all sovereign God was not an idea that was constructive to Lucifer’s goals of overthrowing Heaven and taking it for his own. So Lucifer again roamed the Earth, seeking others who he may ruin and seduce so that his will would be done in Heaven and on Earth.