Basic HTML Version
phetic passages - Revela1ion
1:20.)
To cont inue: " For lhou has t said in
1hine heart,
1
wiJI ascend inlo
heaven.
1
will exalt my throne above
the sta rs ofGod:
1
will sil also upon
the mount of the congregation, in
the sides of the north :
1
will ascend
above the heights of the clouds;
1
will be like the most High."
Lucifer was given a throne on
earth (Isaiah
14:
13). He spoke of
ascend ing
above
the clouds. He
wanted to exalt his throne above the
"sta rs of God," a passing reference
Lo o ther angels. Ultimately, he
wanted to rule the universe. Lucifer
had determined to take the place of
God. He rebelled against the au–
thority of God and completely dis–
regarded the wisdom he had been
given when he was created. In his
vanity, he forgot tbat no one can be
more powerfuJ tban his Crea1or.
Because of Lucifer 's rebellion, his
name was changed to Satan, a He–
brew word meaning "adversary."
The word "devil," also used com–
monly to describe the fallen Lucife r,
comes from the Greek
diabolos
and
means accuser - one who slanders
another - because the devil is con–
t inually accusing G od's chosen
people (Revelation
12:
10).
The Great Rebellion
The devil was not created evil. He
became evil. He possessed free
moral agency. He could choose to
obey God, or to rebel. He chose to
rebel. That rebellion fomented by
Satan was not an isolated event in–
volving only himself and God. Rev–
elation
12:4
describes a "grea t red
dragon," symbo lic of the devil ,
drawing a "third part of the stars of
heaven" a nd casting "them to the
earth ." This third part of the stars of
heaven is, apparently, that 1h ird of
a ll lhe angels who followed Satan in
his rebellion, though lhere are no
actual population figures given for
lhal army of rebelling angels.
The effects of that war belween
spirits are still visible, geologically,
today. But, happily, the earth is
40
presently able 10 support li fe be–
cause God complete ly remade tbe
earth's surface after lhat ancient re–
bellion. The re-creation of tbe earth
is detailed in the first few chapters
of Genesis. The Bible does not say
how long a period of time elapsed
be tween the des truction of the origi–
nal creation and the restoration of
the eartb as we know it.
Where ls Satan Now?
After the original confiict between
God and the devil, Satan was "cast
down" to the earth (Luke 10:
18)
along with bis coterie of angels, now
become demons. Demons are frus–
trated beings, incapable of properly
fulfilling the jobs for whicb they
were originally created.
The activities of Satan on the
earth have been documented in sev–
era! places in the Bible. When the
first two human beings were placed
on the earth, Satan was there. H e
was instrumental in engineering
their rejection of God's way.
In addition, though Satan has
been shorn of his former glory, he is
not totally cut off from a ll commu–
nication with the one against whom
he rebelled. Chapters one and two
of the book of Job describe ooe of
his la ter encounte rs with God.
Othe r scriptures picture Satao as
a roaring lion, wa lking about, seek–
ing whom he may devour
(1
Peter
5:8). He is called " the prince of the
power of the a ir, the spirit that now
worketb in the chi ldren of disobedi–
ence" (Ephesians
2:2).
But perhaps the most importan!
scripture relating to the aclivilies of
Satan on this earth loday is 11 Co–
rinthians
4 :3-4:
" But if our gospel
be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
in whom the god of this world hath
blinded the minds of them which
believe not, lesl the light of the glo–
rious gospel of Christ, who is the
image of God, should shine unto
1hem."
Satan's primary effort in the
world today is the conlinuation of
lhe original rebellion he fomented
against God. He is seeking to ac–
complish that task by permeating
lhe world with his own attilude of
rebellion loward and open hoslility
to God's way of life, which would
bring peace, happiness, prosperity
and a be tte r world. It is that attilude
which, when expressed through un–
controlled human nature, is directly
responsible for the miserable condi–
tion of the world today. Because
Salan has an unseen but direct in–
fluence upon the religions and the
governments of nations today, he is
nol called the "god of this world"
and the "prince of this world" point–
lessly. The devil has been allowed to
guide world affairs down the path
toward the ultimate destruction of
all human life. That is Satan's goal,
because 10 him, destroying human–
ity means thwarting God 's plan to
bring many soos to birth and give
them control over the universe (He–
brews 2: 5- 10).
How Successful?
The ultima te downfall of Satan
and the failure of bis program is
prophesied in the Bible. Al the
present time. however . God is
allowing Sa tan 10 continue to do a
work of deceplion on lhe earth -
and lha t work has been very suc–
cessful , al leas t on lhe surface. In
fact, it has been so successful tha t
the devil can now act
in
almost total
anonymity. Because of Satan's suc–
cessfu l campaign to blot out his true
identity and to substitute ins1ead the
silly looking characler in the crim–
son body suit wilh a pointed tail and
horns. the truth about 1he real ori–
gin and power of the devil has be–
co me. for most people , a n
unbelievable fable.
Anyone can, of course, choose to
reject whal the Bible contains about
the origin of the devil, and so re–
main as ignoran! on the subject as
the rest of the world. After all, if
there rea lly is no devil, then 1he re is
no cause for concern.
Bu t. there is a devil ... and lhere
is ca use for concern!
o
PLAIN TRUTH July-August 1973