Divine Intervention and the Illusion of Evil
If we imagine that the true God directly intervened in the affairs of humanity, opposing Satan, such active intervention could create a deceptive picture. Essentially, the activity of evil always appears illusory and imaginary compared to the Divine Being, since even if the satanic presence demonstrates an appearance of power, in reality it does not possess an independent force outside the boundaries set by God. In other words, if God Himself were to intervene against Satan, His actions would ultimately allow evil to manifest only within limited confines, thereby creating the illusion of power for one who is, in truth, devoid of genuine strength.As stated, “Compared to the Divine Being, the activity of evil is illusory and imaginary: the devil has no power where God does not permit him to act, or, in other words, he operates only within the limits allowed by God. Yet, being a slanderer and liar, the devil uses falsehood as his primary weapon: he deceives his victim by presenting an image of mighty power and authority concentrated in his hands, while in reality he lacks that power.” (source: link txt)This idea is further supported in another source, which emphasizes that evil does not have its own essence or being but only takes on a form to create the semblance of destructive power. Thus, the active intervention of the true God, aimed at opposing Satan, would create a deceptive illusion of an equal struggle between good and evil, where the true, unlimited power of God remains unseen, and the power of evil can only be observed where God has allowed it to act (source: link txt).Supporting citation(s):“Not being either an essence or a being, evil nevertheless becomes an active destructive principle; it takes on a personified form, becoming real in the guise of the devil and demons. Compared to the Divine Being, the activity of evil is illusory and imaginary: the devil has no power where God does not permit him to act, or, in other words, he operates only within the limits allowed by God. Yet, being a defamer and liar, the devil uses falsehood as his primary weapon: he deceives his victim by presenting an image of mighty power and authority concentrated in his hands, while in reality he lacks that power. V. Lossky notes that in the “Our Father” prayer we do not ask “deliver us from evil,” meaning all evil in general, but “deliver us from the evil one” – referring to the specific personality embodying evil. This “evil one,” though not inherently evil by nature, carries the mortal non-being, that lifelessness (cf. the Slavic word “nezh”), which leads both to death and to the demise of whoever becomes his victim. God is completely uninvolved with evil, yet evil remains under His control, as it is God who sets the limits within which evil can operate.” (source: link txt)“Not being either an essence or a being, evil nevertheless becomes an active destructive principle; it takes on a personified form, becoming real in the guise of the devil and demons. Compared to the Divine Being, the activity of evil is illusory and imaginary: the devil has no power where God does not permit him to act, or, in other words, he operates only within the limits allowed by God. Yet, being a defamer and liar, the devil uses falsehood as his primary weapon: he deceives his victim by presenting an image of mighty power and authority concentrated in his hands, while in reality he lacks that power. V. Lossky notes that in the “Our Father” prayer we do not ask “deliver us from evil,” meaning all evil in general, but “deliver us from the evil one” – referring to the specific personality embodying evil. This “evil one,” though not inherently evil by nature, carries the mortal non-being, that lifelessness (cf. the Slavic word “nezh”), which leads both to death and to the demise of whoever becomes his victim. God is completely uninvolved with evil, yet evil remains under His control, as it is God who sets the limits within which evil can operate.” (source: link txt)