The Origin and Fall of Satan (part 2)

The Origin and Fall of Satan (part 2)

Satan is a real created being, but he is spiritual and not physical. In the six days of creation there is no account offered for the creation of the spiritual realm. According to Ezekiel 28:13-17 he was created with brightness and beauty, he was perfect in all of his ways, he was the anointed Cherub and walked in the Holy Mountain of God. In verse 15 we see he was perfect in all his ways until sin was discovered in him. Satan, as most of us already know, was also in the Garden of Eden, but he had become sinful and by the time of creation was already out of heaven.

 Now, on a timeline-perspective, it does not seem possible or even reasonable that Satan could have been created during the creation of this world. Are we to believe he was created one day and sinned the next? And yet, that is the modern idea being tossed about today. He would have to have been created as, or created and then exalted to, the position of Anointed Cherub. He would have to have had time to “walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire” (v.14). He would have been created as the best creation up to that point and then in something equal to a couple of weeks, turned into the worst of all and cast out of heaven.

Yet, if that were the case, why something so magnificent was never clearly expounded in the Word of God is baffling? Would we not have read about the creation of man on one day and the creation of angels on the other? Angels coming into existence by the millions (since they cannot reproduce, Mark 12:25) would certainly have been noteworthy. And that must have been the case by this thinking. Since there is no evidence that angels can reproduce they must have been created in their current numbers and that would have been an event worthy of a grand announcement.

As Christians we cannot allow the excitement of discovering that one hidden morsel to distort our reading and understanding of God’s Word. Satan was not created at the same time as man. He did not fall suddenly after creation.

One key passage used to support this concept is the classic Isaiah 14:12-15 with Lucifer’s “I will” statements. It is argued that he could not have wanted to exalt himself above the stars or clouds if they did not exist and so they must have existed at the time of his statement. Here is that passage: Isa 14:12-15 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! (v.13) For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: (v.14) I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. (v.15) Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

First, it is important that one recognizes this is the recorded statement a king and not of Satan. It is applied to Satan intentionally by God because of the many similitudes. We should not be looking for specific quotes of Satan but rather for likeness in action and attitude. Be that as it may, look at verse twelve. Satan fell from heaven, he was indeed glorious (“son of the morning”) and he has certainly weakened the nations. There is nothing in this verse to substantiate the idea he may have been created during the six days or even that he fell during that period.

In verse 13 we can understand some on the confusion. The attitude of Satan was such that he sought superiority above God Himself. Our verse seems to lend itself to the idea that Satan must have seen the clouds and stars if he used them to express his desires. Remember, this is the statement of a king, not of Satan. The king’s statement is being used to express the sentiment Satan had when he was cast out of heaven. This is the precise statement of the king and the burning desire in the heart of Satan, but not Satan’s words. It is without question the aspiration of Satan at some point before creation as He sat in God’s presence. But the words themselves belonged to an earthly king long after creation and were used to express the heart of the Great Deceiver for our understanding. In verse 14 the king desired to be lifted up and exalted high above the clouds and become like God. Truly these were the sentiments of Satan himself, but the words belonged to a likeminded king.

It is dangerous in theology to begin looking for that one new thing, that fascinating concept that others have overlooked until the moment our pen hit the paper. There truly is nothing new under the sun, and the sooner theologians stop looking the better we will be.

Concerning God, there is no end to the books we can write and all we need for material is the revealed word of God and the teaching of His Holy Spirit, not a clever new idea.