Search
We have seen already that God’s original creation is fully covered in Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” We have also seen that something happened between verse 1 and verse 2: God’s original creation was damaged, the earth became waste and empty, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. This was the result of God’s judgment on the earth due to Satan’s rebellion. Now let us look at Satan’s origin and rebellion.
Satan means adversary. Satan is not only God’s enemy outside of God’s kingdom, but also God’s adversary from within God’s kingdom, rebelling against God. Enemy refers to the foe outside of God’s kingdom, whereas adversary refers to the foe from within God’s kingdom. Satan, who had been under God’s ruling, is not an outsider. Therefore, he has been God’s adversary right up to now.
Satan was an angel created by God before God created the earth. The book of Job tells us that when God laid the foundation of the earth, the sons of God (the angels) shouted for joy (Job 38:4-7). This proves that God created the angels before He created the earth. From Ezekiel 28 we see that Satan was not only one of the angels, but the highest archangel, the head of all the angels.
Ezekiel 28:12-14 says, “Thus saith the Lord God; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.”
This portion of the Scriptures describes Satan’s position in the universe before his rebellion and corruption. Verse 13 says, “Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God.” According to the context, this was not the Eden in which Adam was placed. This Eden was not on the earth, but in the heavens, on the holy mountain of God.
“Every precious stone was thy covering.” G. H. Pember said that this indicates Satan’s dwelling place. His dwelling was of precious stones. “The workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.” In the ancient times, musical instruments such as tambourines and pipes were for kings. This indicates that Satan was a king, holding the highest position in the universe. This was why even the Lord Jesus called him “the ruler of this world” (John 12:31). The apostle also called him “the ruler of the authority of the air” (Eph. 2:2). Luke 4:5-6 also confirms this. “He [the Devil] led Him [Jesus] up and showed Him all the kingdoms of the inhabited earth in a moment of time. And the Devil said to Him, To You I will give all this authority and their glory, because to me it has been delivered, and to whomever I want I give it.” This must be a fact, since the Lord did not deny it. When did God deliver all of this to Satan? This was definitely something pre-Adamic, before the world of Adam. According to the revelation of the Bible, God appointed Satan the head of that universe, and God delivered all created things in the heaven and on the earth into his hand. So he became the ruler of this world. His position and rank were so high that even Michael the archangel did not dare to bring a reviling judgment against him (Jude 9). Michael was one of the archangels (Dan. 10:13). His daring not to rebuke Satan proves that Satan’s rank must be even higher than his. Thus, we can infer that Satan must be the highest archangel.
Ezekiel 28:14 says, “Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth.” This probably means that he covered the ark of God in the heavens (Exo. 25:20; Rev. 11:19). It also says, “And I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God.” Thus, we can see that his position was ordained by God. God anointed and appointed the archangel to cover His ark. Ezekiel tells us that the cherubim bear God’s glory (Ezek. 9:3; 10:18) and that they are very close to God’s throne (Ezek. 10:1; 1:26). This shows that Satan, before his rebellion, when he was the anointed cherub covering God’s ark, must have been very close to God, bearing God’s glory. Ezekiel also tells us that the cherubim are the four living creatures which are of special use to God (Ezek. 10:20). Also the four living creatures in Ezekiel are similar to the four in Revelation (Ezek. 1:10; Rev. 4:7) which took the lead among the creatures in worshipping God. This reveals that today’s Satan, God’s adversary, originally the anointed cherub, must have been specially appointed by God to be the head among His creatures, bearing His glory and leading them to worship Him. This may indicate that the anointed archangel also had the priesthood. He might have been the high priest in the universal worship of God.
“Thou wast upon the holy mountain of God...Thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.” According to Exodus 24:10 and 17 Moses, Aaron, and many others saw under God’s throne some precious stones with the glory of God like burning fire. Those must be the stones of fire. From this we may infer that the anointed cherub was also specially privileged to move in the realm where God’s glory was.
Isaiah 14:12 tells us that Satan was the “Daystar [for Lucifer, according to Latin], son of the morning.” Just as the daystar is the leading one among the stars, so Satan must be the head of all the angels. The title “son of the morning” shows that he was there early, in the morning of the universe. Thus Satan, from the earliest days of the universe, was the head of the angels, bright as the daystar.
Satan’s origin was wonderful. He was God’s anointed cherub, the one closest to God, holding the highest position in God’s creation. He had not only the kingship, but also the priesthood. But he was deprived of his position and offices when he rebelled against God. Now God has chosen us to be His priests and kings, to take over Satan’s position and offices, to put him to shame, and to glorify God.
Ezekiel 28:15 says that Satan was perfect in his ways from the day he was created. Of course, God did not create an evil Satan. God created a good and perfect archangel. But at a certain time, this archangel, the anointed cherub, rebelled against God.
Satan rebelled against God because of pride in his heart. Ezekiel 28:17 says that his heart was lifted up because of his beauty, that he corrupted his wisdom by reason of his brightness. He “sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty” (Ezek. 28:12). This means that he had the full measure of completeness and was short of nothing. But he gazed on his beauty and was proud. He looked at his brightness, and because of his brightness he used his God-given wisdom to commit sins and do unrighteous deeds, and thus corrupted his wisdom. To look at what God has made us and to forget God Himself always tempts us to be proud. Pride was the cause of Satan’s rebellion. In our experience, all the natural virtues and spiritual gifts can be utilized by the Devil to make us proud. Even the Apostle Paul could “be exceedingly lifted up by the transcendence of the revelations” (2 Cor. 12:7). The proud Devil is still walking about on the earth, seeking the proud ones whom he may devour (1 Pet. 5:8). The only way to resist him is to humble ourselves. “Gird yourselves with humility toward one another, because God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (1 Pet. 5:5). The Lord Jesus is a good example in this matter. Satan exalted himself, but the Lord Jesus “humbled Himself” (Phil. 2:8). Thus, the Lord Jesus overcame Satan, and Satan had nothing in Him (John 14:30).
The purpose of Satan’s rebellion was to exalt himself to be equal with God. In Isaiah 14:13-14 we find that five times Satan said, “I will”: “I will ascend into heaven...I will exalt my throne...I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation...I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High.” Satan wanted to be equal with God. That was the purpose of his rebellion against God.
Satan initiated the rebellion against God with the evil intention to overthrow God’s authority (Ezek. 28:15-18; Isa. 14:13-14). Not only did he rebel, but a great part of the angels who were under his hand also rebelled. In Revelation 12:4 and 9 we see that one-third of the heavenly stars, that is, one-third of the angels, followed him. (In Revelation stars represent angels.) In Matthew 25:41 the Lord Jesus refers to “the Devil and his angels.” Ephesians 2:2 describes Satan as “the ruler of the authority of the air,” and Ephesians 6:12 tells us of “the rulers...the authorities...in the heavenlies.” These rulers and authorities were the angels under Satan’s hand, ruling over the pre-Adamic universe. When Satan rebelled against God, most of his angels followed him in his rebellion, becoming the fallen angels, the evil spirits. Today, in the universe there are two categories of angels, good angels and evil angels. The good angels stand with God; the evil ones are allied with Satan against God.
The living creatures which were on the earth at that time also joined Satan in his rebellion. Thus God judged them with water and they became the demons on the earth. Their lodging place is in the water. Man’s body is also their temporary dwelling place. Matthew 12:43 says, “Now when the unclean spirit goes out from a man, it passes through waterless places, seeking rest, and does not find it.” This shows that the lodging place of the demons is in the water. If they cannot find water, they make the physical body of a human being their temporary dwelling place (Matt. 12:44-45).
Why do demons like to get into water or into a human body? In his book, Earth’s Earliest Ages, G. H. Pember has made a scholarly and thorough study of this matter. Geologists and archaeologists have discovered that the earth is not merely six thousand years old, but much older. Some have discovered fossil remains of bones which are thousands and thousands of years old. But according to the Bible, there are only about six thousand years from Adam to now. Mr. Pember found the answer. Between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2 there was a period of time which he called the interval. No one can say how long this interval was. At any rate, it must have been a very long period of time. After studying this matter thoroughly, Pember inferred that at a certain time after the original creation, Satan and his angels rebelled. Pember also inferred from the biblical record that in this pre-Adamic age there existed on the earth some living beings and that they also joined Satan in his rebellion against God. Thus Satan, his fallen angels, and these living beings were all judged by God. After they were judged by God, these beings lost their bodies and became disembodied spirits. This is the reason that demons want to enter a physical body. The water with which God judged them became the deep where the demons must live. Pember even proved that under this deep water there is the so-called abyss. The deep water is the demons’ dwelling place.
One day, while the Lord Jesus was sailing across the sea, a strong wind blew and a great storm arose. He commanded the wind to stop and the storm to be silent (Matt. 8:23-27). Why did the air become windy and the water stormy? Because there were the fallen angels in the air and demons in the water. They knew that the Lord Jesus was going over to the other shore to cast out demons (Matt. 8:28-32). Thus they raised up the wind and the storm to frustrate His coming.
In the pre-Adamic age, the evil angels and the living beings followed Satan in his rebellion against God to form the kingdom of Satan. Its sphere is the so-called world including the earth and the air. Today, in Satan’s kingdom there are the fallen angels in the air, the demons in the water, and the fallen human beings on the earth.
Satan’s rebellion brought in God’s judgment. God cannot tolerate any rebellion among His creatures. Immediately after Satan’s rebellion, God declared His judgment on him. “Iniquity was found in thee. By the multitude of thy slander [According to the root of the Hebrew word, here ‘merchandise’ can be translated ‘slander’]...thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Thine heart was lifted up...thou hast corrupted thy wisdom...I will cast thee to the ground...Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities...” (Ezek. 28:15-18). “Thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit” (Isa. 14:15).
The heavens and the earth surely were defiled by Satan’s rebellion. God rebuked Satan, “Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries.” Therefore, the heavens and the earth were also judged by God. Job 9:5-7 says that God overturned the mountain in His anger, shook the earth out of its place, commanded the sun not to rise, and sealed the stars. We cannot find a record of such an event in human history. It must have happened before the Adamic world, at the time God judged the heavens and the earth due to the rebellion of Satan and his followers. Because of God’s judgment, the heavens did not shine. The earth was covered by darkness. God judged the earth by flooding it with water. So, “the earth became waste and empty,” buried under deep water, and covered with darkness (Gen. 1:2).
Isaiah 45:18 says, “God created the earth not a waste” (ASV). Job 38:4-7 also says that God “laid the foundations of the earth,” “laid the measures thereof,” and “stretched the line upon it;” then “the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy.” This means that He created everything in good order. So when the morning stars saw it, they were excited and sang, and when all the angels saw it, they shouted for joy. It must have happened in Genesis 1:1, not in Genesis 1:2. How could the morning stars sing and the angels shout for joy when the earth became waste and empty?
Whenever these two words “waste” and “empty” are used together in the Old Testament, they always denote a result of judgment (Jer. 4:23; Isa. 34:8-11). Whatever has been judged by God becomes waste and empty. The earth became empty and waste because it was judged by God.
The darkness which was upon the surface of the deep was also a sign showing that the universe of that age was judged, because darkness comes from God’s judgment (Exo. 10:21-22; Rev. 16:10).
When God judged Satan and the universe under him, God also must have judged both the angels who followed him and the living beings on the earth during that age who joined him in his rebellion. After being judged, the rebellious angels became the spiritual forces of evil in the air (Eph. 6:12), and the living beings became disembodied spirits, the demons, lodging in the water with which they were judged.
Though Satan, the rebellious angels, and the demons were all judged by God, they are still moving and working today, because the judgment upon them has not yet been executed.
Today, Satan can still go to God to accuse God’s people (Job 1:6-12; 2:1-7; Rev. 12:10). He still “walks about” on the earth “seeking someone to devour” (1 Pet. 5:8), and still works to blind the thoughts of people (2 Cor. 4:4), to deceive them by transfiguring himself into an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14). We must not be ignorant of his thoughts (2 Cor. 2:11), neither give place to the Devil (Eph. 4:27). We must withstand him firm in the faith (1 Pet. 5:8-9). We need to put on the whole armor of God that we may be able to stand against him (Eph. 6:11-17).
After Satan’s rebellion, God pronounced His judgment upon him immediately. But it takes a long time to execute God’s judgment. The Lord Jesus was manifested in the flesh that He might destroy the works of the Devil (1 John 3:8). This was the execution of God’s judgment. The Lord gave His disciples authority over all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19). When the disciples cast out demons, Satan fell from heaven (Luke 10:17-20). Through His death on the cross, He destroyed the Devil (Heb. 2:14). He has bruised the head of the old serpent. Now we, as His Body, must continue this execution, to destroy the tail of the serpent. Through the church’s executing work, the Devil will be cast to the earth, and his angels will be cast out with him (Rev. 12:9). He will later be bound and cast into the abyss (Rev. 20:2-3). Eventually, he will be “cast into the lake of fire” (Rev. 20:10). Then, the execution of God’s judgment upon Satan and his followers will be completed.
Satan was originally the highest of the archangels created by God. He rebelled against God because of pride and became God’s adversary, God’s enemy. The heavens, the earth, and the universe were corrupted because of Satan’s rebellion and fell under God’s judgment. God’s judgment on Satan is being carried out gradually until Christ comes again, when he will be bound and cast into the abyss for one thousand years. At the end of the one thousand years, he will be released from the abyss and will rebel for the last time. Immediately after this rebellion, he will be cast into the lake of fire to be punished for eternity. Thus, God’s judgment on Satan will be completed.
