If Heaven Can Exist Without Evil, Why Didn’t God Make Earth Without Evil?

An unbeliever posed this question. What is scary is William Lane Craig’s response to this question, which, in my opinion, is very unbiblical. Craig said, “It is possible that the reason there is no evil in heaven is because the freedom to sin has been removed.” First, there is still sin in heaven because it isn’t until right before the Great Tribulation that Michael the archangel and his angels will kick Satan and his demons out of heaven to the earth. (Rev 12:7-12) And there is absolutely no Scriptures that says God has ‘removed the freedom to sin from heaven.’ There are not even any Scriptures to infer or suggest this.

Unpack the crucial concepts of free will and moral agency in the context of God’s divine plan. Understand why evil exists and how it serves as a testing ground for humanity’s spiritual development. Learn about God’s sovereignty and the eschatological perspective on evil’s ultimate defeat. This article delivers a comprehensive, biblically grounded exploration of these intricate issues.

One of the foundational aspects of humanity, as created by God, is free will. We find this principle evident right from the beginning in the Garden of Eden, where Adam and Eve were given the choice to obey or disobey Jehovah. Free will is essential for genuine love, worship, and relationship. Without the capacity to choose, human beings would be mere automatons, incapable of forming a meaningful relationship with their Creator. Therefore, the risk that comes with free will is the possibility of choosing evil over good. This answers the question of why evil exists on Earth to some extent: it is a by-product of free will, a crucial element in the divine-human relationship.

Heaven and the Reality of Evil

Contrary to the claim that there is no evil in heaven because the freedom to sin has been removed, the Bible indeed indicates that heaven has been, at least temporarily, a place where evil exists. The prime example is the presence of Satan and his demons, who were in heaven until they were cast out during the events described in Revelation 12:7-12. This shows that the heavenly realm is not devoid of the potential for evil. The crucial difference between heaven and Earth, however, may lie in the culmination of God’s redemptive plan, which will eventually remove all traces of evil and rebellion.

However, the freedom to choose, including the choice to sin, continues to exist even after the consummation of God’s redemptive plan. The Bible clearly describes that after the thousand-year reign of Christ, Satan will be released from his prison to deceive the nations once more, and some will indeed choose rebellion over obedience (Revelation 20:7-9). This underscores the enduring nature of free will and the continual moral and spiritual responsibilities that come with it.

The events after the Millennium further demonstrate that God’s respect for free will is so intrinsic to His design of moral beings that it continues even in a perfected environment. In a sense, this offers an additional, ultimate validation of free will: that even when sin and its consequences have been all but eradicated, the freedom to choose remains.

What these eschatological insights reveal is that God’s plan is not simply to negate the capacity for rebellion but to create a context where rebellion is thoroughly unappealing and unwarranted yet still possible. The goal seems to be a creation that freely chooses goodness in full awareness of the alternatives, not one that is good merely because it has no other option.

Therefore, while God will remove all traces of active evil and rebellion, the freedom to choose, integral to the nature of moral beings, remains. And it is within this framework of enduring free will that God seeks to manifest His ultimate purposes: a creation that reflects His glory through freely chosen righteousness.

The Objective of Earthly Life: A Testing Ground

Earthly life serves as a moral and spiritual testing ground. The epistles often describe the Christian life as a race or a fight, indicating that life on Earth is a process through which we are refined (1 Corinthians 9:24; 2 Timothy 4:7). The existence of evil provides humanity with choices that test moral and spiritual integrity. These choices also serve to develop virtues like patience, courage, and self-sacrifice—virtues that may not have the opportunity to be developed in an environment without challenges or opposition.

God’s Sovereignty in Permitting Evil

God’s allowance of evil is neither an oversight nor a flaw in His divine plan; it’s a deliberate component of the human experience. However, God’s sovereignty ensures that evil will not have the last word. The doctrine of theodicy, as elaborated by scholars like John F. Walvoord and Robert L. Thomas, holds that God permits evil for a time but will eventually eradicate it. The final judgment described in the Book of Revelation is the culmination of this plan. God’s sovereignty, in this sense, encompasses both the allowance of free will and the ultimate defeat of evil.

The Eschatological Perspective: Evil’s Final Defeat

The Scriptures are abundantly clear that evil will meet its final defeat. The Great Tribulation, the events leading up to the Battle of Armageddon, and the final judgments are all stages in the removal of evil from creation (Revelation 16; 19:11-21). After these events, a new heaven and a new earth will be established, devoid of sin and evil (Revelation 21:1-4). This eschatological reality confirms that God’s plan was never to co-exist eternally with evil; rather, His plan involves the ultimate destruction of evil.

In summary, the existence of evil on Earth is intrinsically tied to the gift of free will given to humanity. This free will serves multiple divine purposes, including the ability to engage in a meaningful relationship with Jehovah and the moral and spiritual refinement that comes through making choices. Moreover, the Bible clearly shows that God’s ultimate plan involves the complete eradication of evil, culminating in the establishment of a new heaven and a new earth where righteousness dwells.

About the Author

EDWARD D. ANDREWS (AS in Criminal Justice, BS in Religion, MA in Biblical Studies, and MDiv in Theology) is CEO and President of Christian Publishing House. He has authored over 220+ books. In addition, Andrews is the Chief Translator of the Updated American Standard Version (UASV).