The Spiritual Realm - Part 10
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Ten weeks ago, we began a series on the Spiritual Realms. This series was prompted by five questions that were submitted to the Question Box.
They were:
What is the theology of angels?
When were they created?
What is/was their purpose before the creation of man?
When did Lucifer fall?
Do they have free will?
We have spent the last nine weeks answering the first question. I have run out of time before Easter to finish the theology of angels. I have also included an overview of it in today's notes for your reference.
The second question is, “When were the angels created?”
It is very clear that they were created, but it is unclear as to when they were created. The two passages that allude to the timing are Job 38:3-7; Genesis 1:14-19, but they are not definitive.
The third question was, “For what purpose were the angels created?”
From the course of our series, we can observe that they were created for God’s glory, expressed in three ways.
First, in the worship and praise of God (Revelation 5).
Second, in serving God’s purposes (1 Kings 22).
Third, in serving humanity (Hebrews 1:14).
The fifth question was, “Do they have free will?”
Reflecting on our study of terms, it is very clear that they have free will; some use it in service to Yahweh and others to rebel against Yahweh (Genesis 3; 6; 11; Deuteronomy 32; Psalm 82).
The fourth question was, “When did Lucifer fall?”
I will end this series by answering this question.
Before we jump into the details, we need to know what Progressive Revelation is.
Progressive Revelation is the process that God has chosen to reveal Himself, culminating in Jesus (Hebrews 1:1-2). It did not happen all at once, but through history.
This is why our Bible is a collection of 66 books, written by 40 different authors who were moved by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21), over a period of 2,000 years, with a unified message about God’s plan for the world.
The answer to when Satan fell is therefore revealed to humanity progressively and not all at once.
Seven passages address the fall of Satan. Here they are in order of revelation: Genesis 3 (1440 BC); Isaiah 14:12-15 (740-700 BC); Ezekiel 28:11-19 (597-574); Luke 10:18 (60 AD); John 8:44 (85 AD); Revelation 12:1-9 (90 AD).
It is in the Second Temple period, in the Wisdom of Solomon (100 BC-40 AD), that the Jews connect the serpent of Eden with the name Satan. The New Testament writers affirm this account.
As I have mentioned before, the term “satan” is not used as a personal name in the OT, but as a job description, and it is not used in the OT books that reference his fall.
The best way to answer when did Satan/Lucifer fall is to start at the end of the progressive revelation chain and work our way backwards through the material, starting with Revelation 12:1-9
And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth.
Revelation can be intimidating because it communicates in symbols and allegory, yet let's not forget that it represents reality.
This sign that John saw in heaven laid out the events that started with Jesus’ birth and continue into the coming Great Tribulation.
Who does the woman represent?
She represents Israel and Mary, because both give birth to the Messiah.
And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it.
So during Jesus first coming, there was a war in heaven where a third of the heavenly hosts were cast to earth.
Many put this war as happening at some point before Genesis 3. That idea does not come from Scripture, but from John Milton in Paradise Lost, who wrote, “Satan in the Serpent; who revolting from God, and drawing to his side many Legions of Angels, was by the command of God driven out of Heaven with all his Crew into the great Deep.”
She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days.
The sign keeps tracking with the first coming since it referenced Jesus’ birth and ascension. The last half of this verse, though, has not happened yet; it is part of the Great Tribulation (Daniel 7).
Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”
Revelation 12:7-12 is a detailed look at the war referenced in verses 3-4.
I want to draw our attention to four observations.
First, the context makes it clear that this battle happened during Christ’s first coming.
Second, Satan and his angels are thrown out of heaven down to the earth. Neither he nor his hosts have access to accuse us before God’s throne. They are on the earth. This is why Peter says in 1 Peter 5:8, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
Third, John identifies Satan with the serpent of Genesis 3. This is the only place Scripture states this explicitly.
Fourth, Jesus' death and resurrection have brought victory over Satan and all his foes. Paul says it this way in Ephesians 1:19–23 “and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.”
The next passage in the chain of progressive revelation is John 8:44
You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
Jesus clearly references Satan being a murderer from the beginning, the father of lies, alluding to the Serpent of Genesis three.
Now we come to the next link in the chain in Luke 10:18-20
And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
In light of the context of Revelation 12, Jesus’ statement, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven,” does not refer to his original fall in Genesis 3, but to the battle in heaven that was taking place while Christ was on earth.
Now let’s turn to Ezekiel 28:11-19, which is the next link in the chain of progressive revelation.
In this lament, the early church fathers taught that Ezekiel is comparing the fall of the king of Tyre with the fall of Satan.
Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, raise a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say to him, Thus says the Lord God:
“You were the signet of perfection,
full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
You were in Eden, the garden of God;
every precious stone was your covering,
sardius, topaz, and diamond,
beryl, onyx, and jasper,
sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle;
and crafted in gold were your settings
and your engravings.
On the day that you were created
they were prepared.
You were an anointed guardian cherub.
I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God;
in the midst of the stones of fire you walked.
You were blameless in your ways
from the day you were created,
till unrighteousness was found in you.
In the abundance of your trade
you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned;
so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God,
and I destroyed you, O guardian cherub,
from the midst of the stones of fire.
Your heart was proud because of your beauty;
you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor.
I cast you to the ground;
I exposed you before kings,
to feast their eyes on you.
In this comparison, Satan was created good and beautiful as the guardian of Eden, but he became full of himself and committed the sin of pride. Because of this, he was judged by Yahweh and cast out of Eden.
Isaiah 14:12-15 is the next link in the chain. The Early Church Fathers also taught that this was a comparison between the king of Babylon and Satan.
“How you are fallen from heaven,
O Day Star, son of Dawn!
How you are cut down to the ground,
you who laid the nations low!
You said in your heart,
‘I will ascend to heaven;
above the stars of God
I will set my throne on high;
I will sit on the mount of assembly
in the far reaches of the north;
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.’
But you are brought down to Sheol,
to the far reaches of the pit.
We see in this passage the phrase “fallen from heaven” regarding Satan, and then we observe that he is brought down to Sheol.
The name “Lucifer” comes from the Latin word transliterated into English, meaning “light bearer.” In the ESV, it is “Day Star.”
We see the sin of pride surface again in this passage. Satan wants to usurp God’s authority to be like the Most High.
This is a temptation for us every time we think we know what's best.
The last link in the chain is Genesis 3:1-15, which is the first of three divine rebellions in Scripture. I want to draw your attention to three verses.
Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.
He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”
For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.”
We again see the sin of pride showing itself in questioning God and trying to usurp his power.
Church, let’s trust that God knows what is best for us even when it does not feel best.
Church, Satan is defeated. Jesus has bruised his head through the cross and resurrection; his days are numbered. Therefore, walk in humility, focused on Jesus.
