The Origin and Fall of the Devil
Where did the devil come from? To put it another way, how could a God of love create
someone as horrible as the devil? This question is based on flawed reasoning since it
assumes that we are in a position to critique God. Many who refuse to look into what
the Bible says on the subject simply decide that God seriously erred in this area,
so we should not put our trust in Him.
God did not create the devil as we know him.
When God created the world, we are told that God examined it and declared that it was good .
This means that even the angelic world did not have evil angels or demons in it at that time.
But by the time of Genesis chapter three, we find that Satan, in the form of a serpent,
was tempting Eve to sin. Therefore, sometime between the events of Genesis chapter one and
Genesis chapter three, there must have been a rebellion in the angelic world, with many angels
turning against God and becoming evil. This rebellion was led by Satan himself.
Lucifer's fall from Heaven
The Bible gives us this information about the devil before his fall
Named Lucifer, which means “star of the morning"
Held a high-ranking position in the angelic host
Had exquisite beauty and great wisdom
Given a position of great power and influence
Called "the guardian cherub"
"You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden,
the garden of God...You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you.
You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. You were blameless
in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. Through your
widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from
the mount of God, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. Your heart
became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor.
So I threw you to earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings".
Cherubim are depicted in Scripture as powerful and majestic angelic creatures who surround God’s thr
one.
And Lucifer had once been a guardian cherub. Ironically, after Adam and Eve succumbed to the devil’s
temptations, disobeyed God, and were expelled from Eden, God sent cherubim to guard Eden.
Since Lucifer had been the model of perfection, what sort of sin led to his fall? His heart became p
roud
because of his incredible beauty. Lucifer allowed his perfection to be the cause of his corruption.
God’s judgment on Lucifer
Lucifer was not satisfied with worshipping God; instead, he wanted to be worshipped. Once a beautifu
l,
powerful angel of God, he lost his former, exalted position in Heaven.
"How you are fallen from Heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground,
you who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into Heaven, I will ex
alt
my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest s
ides
of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.' Yet you
shall
be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit".
Lucifer ("star of the morning") became Satan ("accuser") when he fell to the earth. Jesus, speaking
of this event, said, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from Heaven" .
Lucifer's followers
When Satan fell, he did not fall alone. Scripture tells us that he took one-third of the angels
(see Revelation 12:4). Considering that the angelic host numbers more than 10,000 x 10,000
(see Revelation 5:11), that is a sizable group. They account for the fallen angels, or demons, that
now do
his bidding. As a result, Satan is a fallen, but powerful, spirit-being with a well-organized networ
k of
demon powers to help him accomplish his purposes. Those purposes, according to Jesus, are to
"steal, kill, and destroy" .
That’s the bad news. The good news is that two-thirds of the angels are on our side! As the prophet
Elisha said to his servant, "Don't be afraid. Those who are with us are more than those who are with
them" .
As Christians, we have an even greater asset than the majority of angels on our side: Jesus Christ,
who conquered Satan at the cross of Calvary, is also on our side!