agpetz said:
Assuming your premise is correct, that God allowed Satan to do it...could God have not allowed him to do it/stopped him? If so, again, assuming Satan did it, they're both responsible.
Yes, I guess you could say in a way they are both responsible. The difference is the motive behind what each did. Satan did it it because his motive is always to steal, kill and destroy. His motive is always evil. God allowed it because His desire was to purge evil and save the life of a few that would replenish the earth without the horrific ongoing violence. Heb 11:7; 1 Pet 3:-8-22.
God does not use direct violence to remedy violence. Gen 6:1-13. God is not violent. He does co-opt Satan's violent activities to save persons and the world into eternity.
Example: God co-opted the activities of Satan in Book of job. In order to save Job from His self and enlighten him to really know God in a non religious way and would also restore his blessings in a double portion compared to Job's previous state. Prior to these events caused by Satan, Job was a self-righteous person. Job 32:1. Satan brought down "the fire of God from heaven" (Job 1:16) and God took the blame for it though the actual principle perpetrator was Satan, not God. God never accuses. He takes the blame as at the cross.
God co-opted the satanic activities of Joseph's brothers to save the world from famine and starvation, a picture of the cross and resurrection. Gen 50:20.
All this is understood thru the message of the cross. There, God co-opted the deeds of Satan and his minions in order to save all of humanity. At the same time, thru Christ and his cross, God indirectly destroyed Satan's power (Heb 2:14), the power of his followers and of evil itself. The results of the cross are still playing out and, I believe, will be fully realized shortly.
So, to summarize, Satan's motive is always to kill and destroy. God's motive thru His Son is always to purge, give life and universally restore bringing about a new creation free of sin, death and the power of Satan. Acts 3:21. This tactic by God allows everyone, even Satan, to have freedom to choose and not to make robots out of anyone. The cross is the judgment of God drawing in those who believe it and casting out those who reject it. John 12:31-33.
God loves Satan himself and hopes eventually even he will use his free will to choose to turn and come home to God, as did the prodigal in Luke 15. God is love and His purpose is that everyone be restored to purity, every knee bowing, and every mouth confessing, those on the earth, UNDER the earth and above the earth, that Jesus Christ is Lord. Praise His holy Name.
God always governs thru the principle of persuasive love. He never governs by fear or threat of violent destruction. To do otherwise would make Pavlov's dogs out of all humans. .
This is why Jesus descended to hell, those under the earth, and preached the gospel to those that were "dead" from the flood of Noah. 1 Pet 3:18-21; 1 Pet 4:6.
And OP, God's love never gives up on anyone.