Expert: Marilyn - 8/27/2004

Question
Hi Marilyn,
  Im going to be quick, i read an old answer of yours and you talked about satan. But from what i understand angels have infused knowledge, and satan still rebelled against God. Lucifer knew what would be better off for him and what was right and what was wrong but he still made that decison? And its not the same as humans who are ignorant and cant see the future. Lucifer could clearly see what would be more profitable for himself and all other(it must have been hand in hand) so he really can't choose to rebel can he? Unless he's insane and i dont think angels can be, right? Thank you, Barrett

Answer
Hi Barrett;

I'm going to give you a quick answer since I'm going out of town later today.  If you need more, I'll be happy to help on Monday.

The two primary passages that deal with satan's past are:  Isaiah 14:12-15 and Ezekiel 28:12-19.

In Isaiah he's called "the morning star."  In Ezekiel, verse 14:  "You were anointed as a guardian cherub."  Morning Star is a name later reserved only for the Lord Jesus, Revelation 22:16.  And satan is the only angel I'm aware of who was anointed by the Holy Spirit.

Paul says, "Do not be drunk with wine, but be filled with the Holy Spirit," Ephesians 5:18.  From that we can deduce when one is truly Holy Spirit filled, the experience is similar to being drunk--or rather, more correctly, being drunk is a poor, pathetic counterfeit for being filled with the Holy Spirit.

Isaiah states the reason for satan's rebellion, verse 13:  "You said in your heart, "I will ascend to Heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of the assembly."

So basically, satan got totally full of himself.  He got to thinking that all the cool stuff he was doing and all of the blessings he'd received--such as the free run of Eden, Ezekiel verse 13; being adorned with precious stones, verse 13 etc.--were all something he deserved because he was so beautiful, smart and powerful etc., when all along he was doing so many cool things because he was anointed and he was blessed because he was loved and appreciated, not because he was "all that."

Once he arrived at this state of belief, satan decided to rebell.  He believed he actually could whup God and managed to convince a third of God's other angels as well, Revelation 12:4.  He got there because he was "drunk" with the Holy Spirit--like as may happen while taking a powerful drug he had delusions of granduer!  

He was anointed because he was the most wonderful angel God had ever created.  He was "on the Holy Mountain of God" where he "walked among the fiery stones," which is to say he operated in the highest reaches of Heavenly power second only to God Himself.  Remember he was called "morning star" a name Jesus shares!

Perhaps partly due to his anointing, partly due to his position of authority, he was able to woo other angels into his gamble for the throne of God.  Hitler, as his minion, certainly was able to woo men to commit all sorts of atrocities!  Paul says he can appear as an angel of light and deceive.  Even in his fallen state, his charisma should not be underestimated.  In this instance, and in no other that I've found in the Bible, angels made a decision on their own.  All other times they obey God without question.  The anointing and satan's exalted position must have also included more liberty than that given the average angel.

The implication is that getting full of oneself is a form of insanity and yes, satan is insane.  Jude tells us that some of the angels who rebelled are so insane that they must be chained up in hell!  It is my belief that these angels will be released during the tribulation in the form of the locusts that bite, but can't kill--the material form they're given limits their ability to behave as badly as they'd desire, Revelation 9.

I digress.  Satan was insane from the moment he decided he was "all that."  He's still smart.  He's been sitting around watching humans in action now for thousands of years, so he can still whisper the right words to encourage humans to do what he wants.  He knows all the tricks.  He still makes biting and accurate accusations to defeat believers and keep non-believers in hell on earth.  He's insane, but he's not stupid!  He still has every bit of brain power God first gave him, but of course, he is no longer anointed.

Having been defeated in his bid for God's throne, satan decided to achieve dominion over the humans.  He succeeded, to a certain extent,Luke 4:6. But God gave the earth to Adam and God gave human beings dominion of the earth and free will.  Therefore, even though, because of Adam's rebellion, satan has over-lordship of the earth and all unsaved humanity, he still does not have total and complete control of human beings or of the earth--he can only manipulate from his position "in the air," Ephesians 2:2.  

Human beings are created in the Image of God, angels are not.  We were created to be little "g" gods, not in the sense people think of gods who must be worshipped, but in the sense of rulers of the earth, masters of our own fates, capable of dance, building things, using words, making music, creating literature, using math and physics, etc.  Only God has a more extensive ability in those things than us.  Angels are servants, they do what they're told.  They're intensely smart and extremely powerful, but they're still servants.  They're supposed to serve God and His children.

As beings created in God's Image, little "g" gods as Jesus says, John 10:34- and quotes from Psalm 82:6,  we have the right to choose how we shall live, what we shall do.  Of course, we also have the right to suffer the consequences.  But God, in His infinite love and mercy, chose to provide a way back to His side--back to the full status we were originally created to function in.  

When Jesus is Lord, God becomes our Over-Lord and we are no longer subject to satan in any way shape or form.  Do we live up to our potential?  Not usually.  Do we walk in the power, health and prosperity available to us as little "g" gods with Jesus as Lord and God as our Over-Lord?  No, not usually.  But nevertheless, any person who claims Jesus is Lord is saved and has the same rights as the Lord Jesus, the same powers given to the Lord Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit available to him just as He was available to the Lord Jesus.  That's adoption, that's "co-heirs with Christ."

Having been defeated, first in Heaven, and later at the Resurrection, the best satan can hope for is to drag as many human beings into hell as he possibly can, to that end he will tell as many half-truths and out right lies as it takes.  There's a certain logic to it given that he lost the bid for God's throne, having lost the big prize, try to ruin everything God sets out to do.  But if he had won...then things would have turned out rather differently wouldn't they?  He is eaten constantly by that realization.  And, in his insanity, he cannot see he lost because he is the created not the Creator, he can only see his intense hatred of God.

In the end, evil cannot be fully comprehended.  You can dig and dig and when you reach the bottom there is nothing but darkness.

Please write back if you need more or would like to talk more on this topic.

Glad to be of help,
Marilyn