Liberty University Online Seminary

The Fall of Satan: The Causes and Effects of One of Creation’s Most Epic Events

A Research Paper Submitted to Dr. Daniel Farcas

In Partial Fulfillment of the Course THEO 525, Systematic Theology I

By: Melvin D. Howton

ID# LO3479597

July 6, 2011

Ethelsville, Alabama

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Table of Contents

Thesis Statement---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3

Introduction---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4

Body ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6

Conclusion--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15

Bibliography------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17

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Thesis

Satan’s fall from heaven is one of creation’s most profound events. This epic moment, which

began with a singular act of sinful self-will, has had more negative influence upon God’s created

order than any other known phenomenon in creation’s history. In fact, all human suffering, as

well as, the corruption of the earth itself can be traced back to this event. This paper will attempt

to define what “The Fall of Satan” means. Additionally, this paper will briefly analyze and

summarize both the causes and effects of Satan’s fall. Thus, an attempt will be made to provide

evidence of the significance of Satan’s fall upon God’s created order.

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Introduction

What is meant by the phrase, “The Fall of Satan”? Perhaps a clearer understanding of who

Satan is may be necessary to comprehend fully his fall from glory. The Holy Bible has many

references and names for Satan. Abaddon (Revelation 9:11), Accuser (Revelation 12:10),

Adversary (1 Peter 5:8), Angel of the Bottomless Pit (Revelation 9:11), Apollyon (Revelation

9:11), Beelzebub (Matthew 12:24), Belial (2 Corinthians 6:15), God of this Age (2 Corinthians

4:4), Lucifer (Isaiah 14:12), Murderer (John 8:8), Prince of Demons (Matthew 12:24), Prince of

the Power of the Air (Ephesians 2:2), Prince of Tyre (Ezekiel 28:2-19), Ruler of Darkness

(Ephesians 6:12), Ruler of this World (John 14:30), Serpent (Genesis 3:1), Serpent of Old

(Revelation 20:2), and Wicked One (Matthew 13:19), are all believed by many theologians to be

references to Satan.1

The Biblical references to Satan, a word that literally means, “adversary”, which is not

actually a proper name although many theologians use it as such,2 are numerous. However,

revelation about this created being’s (whom we refer to as Satan) identity and fall from glory is

not direct and, often, is only inferred. In fact, most of what can be learned about Satan’s identity

and fall from glory is veiled behind Scriptural references to earthly kings. There are two primary

Scripture passages that infer whom Satan is, what His original purpose was in God’s created

order, and what His fall from glory was. The first of those two passages is Isaiah 14:12-15.

“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 exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the

1 The New Open Study Bible, Topical Index, Satan, page 116, (Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, TN, 1990).

2 Unger, M. F., “Satan”, Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, Second Edition, Elwell, Walter A., Editor, page 1054, (Baker Academic, Grand Rapids, MI, 2001).

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congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the clouds, I will be like the

most high. Yet, you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the pit.’”

The second Biblical passage that gives us insight into the identity and fall of Satan is found in

Ezekiel 28:11-15.

“Moreover the word of the Lord came to me saying, ‘Son of man, take up a lamentation for

the king of Tyre, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God; ‘You were the seal of perfection, Full

of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was

your covering: The sardis, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and

emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes was prepared for you on the day

you were created. You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; You were on the

holy mountain of God; You walked back and forth in the fiery stones. You were perfect in your

ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you.’’”

Based on these two passages of Scripture then, it seems that Satan was a high-ranking angelic

creature, who before the creation of the first man, rebelled against God and became God’s chief

adversary. Many theologians reject these passages as references to Satan because these passages

are believed to be direct references to earthly kings. The former refers to the actual King of

Babylon, while the latter refers to the actual King of Tyre. However, according to M.F. Unger,

these rejections are unfounded because these prophecies have more significance than their literal

references. Unger maintains that this is true for two reasons.

“First, it fails to take into account the fact that these prophecies far transcend any earthly

ruler, and second, it ignores the close connection Satan has in Scripture with the government of

the satanic world system (See Daniel 10:13 and Ephesians 6:12), of which both ancient Babylon

and Tyre were an inseparable part. In their full scope these passages paint Satan’s past career as

‘Lucifer” and as “the Anointed Cherub” in his prefall splendor. They portray as well his apostasy

in drawing with him a great multitude of lesser celestial creatures (Revelation 12:4), making him

“the Evil One” or “the tempter.”3

Based on these two passages of Scripture, other theologians have formed an opinion about the

fall of Satan as well. William M. Smith writes,

3 Unger, M. F., “Satan”, Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, Second Edition, Elwell, Walter A., Editor, page 1054, (Baker Academic, Grand Rapids, MI, 2001).

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“The tempter was once an angel of God that fell from that high estate, and drew with him a

multitude of other angels of lesser rank. Just how a holy angel could become the devil, how he

could become a sinner with no sin in the universe to start with, and the like questions that rise in

the mind, is not clearly revealed; but that such was the case with Satan we consider a matter of

revelation.”4

There is further Biblical insight into Satan’s fall, as well. In reporting his vision of the

Seventh Trumpet Judgment in Revelation 12:2-4 and 7-12, John described the fall of Satan as a

great sign in Heaven. He wrote,

“And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great fiery red dragon having seven heads

and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. His tail drew away a third of the stars of heaven

and threw them to the earth…And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought

against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a

place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old,

called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his

angels were cast out with him…Therefore rejoice , O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe

to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great

wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”

Based on these Scripture passages and the work of Bible scholars, it follows then, that one

may understand the “Fall of Satan” as referring to that moment in God’s created order of things

when a very high-ranking, beautiful, perfect angel fell from God’s glory. Additionally, through

his influence, he caused one-third of the other heavenly angelic beings to be cast out of heaven

with him. Some of these fallen angels would become demons who would serve Satan’s purposes

as he diametrically opposes the purposes of God on the earth.

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Accepting this understanding of what is meant by “the fall of Satan” is easy enough for one

who believes in the divine inspiration of the Holy Bible seeing that this understanding is based

entirely upon Scripture. However, even for the most faithful believer, this understanding of “the

4 Smith, William C., Bible Doctrines, Second Revised Edition, page 80, (Union Bible Seminary, Westfield, IN, 1942).

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fall of Satan” leaves some legitimate questions. Consider again, for example, Ezekiel 28:11-15.

Here the Lord God refers to the King of Tyre (Satan, in this understanding) as “the seal of

perfection” and proclaims that “the anointed cherub” (again, Satan) was “perfect” in all his ways

from the day he was created. How could this be? If the pre-fall Satan was perfect, how could he

have rebelled against God? Seeing that there was no sin in the universe, from where did this sin

come? What caused Satan’s fall?

If one continues reading the Scriptures in Ezekiel’s prophecy about the fall of the King of

Tyre, insight into the fall of Satan begins to come into focus. One theory about the cause of

Satan’s fall is that it was self-caused. Through the prophet Ezekiel, God said in Ezekiel 28:15-19,

“You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you.

By the abundance of your trading You became filled with violence from within, And you sinned;

Therefore I cast you as a profane thing out of the mountain of God; And I destroyed you, O

covering cherub, From the midst of the fiery stones. Your heart was lifted up because of your

beauty; You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; I cast you to the ground, I laid

you before kings, that they might gaze at you. You defiled your sanctuaries by the multitude of

your iniquities, By the iniquity of your trading; therefore I brought fire from your midst; It

devoured you, And I turned you to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all who saw you. All who

knew you among the peoples are astonished at you; You have become a horror, and shall be no

more forever.”

This passage of Scripture makes it apparent that sin, the sin of pride and self-will, came from

within the anointed cherub. As he became enamored with his own beauty and perfection, Satan

puffed himself up and desired to take God’s place. This was the cause of his fall. Noted Bible

scholar and president of The Master’s Seminary in Sun Valley, CA, Dr John MacArthur

summarized his assessment concerning the aforementioned verses and the cause of Satan’s fall in

a published lecture presented to students at the college. He said,

“Now anybody who reads that section knows it can’t refer to the King of Tyre. Go back to

verse 12, ‘you have the seal of perfection.’ You are the epitome of perfection; here is a perfect

creature, full of wisdom, supernatural knowledge, and perfection in beauty. Then, the key, verse

13, ‘You were in Eden, the Garden of God.’ You were in Eden the garden of God. Undoubtedly,

this is of course an angel because he is identified as the covering cherub…It may well have been

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that this heavenly worship leader had the privilege of coming down to see the wonder of God’s

creation in the world…But his real abode was heaven. From the day God created this angel,

along with the other angels, they were sinless. They were perfect in terms of their moral

character. They were perfect in terms of their beauty; they had the very seal of perfection. They

were full of wisdom…Everything was fine, until ‘unrighteousness was found in you.’ Where did

that come from? Not from outside of him…There wasn’t any unrighteousness in God or in the

created order of supernatural beings…It came from in him! Unrighteousness was found where?

In him!5

In this lecture, MacArthur maintains that the cause of Satan’s fall was his own pride, his own sin

that came from entirely within himself. It was not of God. When Satan desired to rise to the level

of God, the Creator had no choice but to expel him from heaven, along with the angels whom

Satan had persuaded to follow him.

While it is easy to understand how some theologians have developed this understanding of the

cause of Satan’s fall, for some Bible students, it leaves something to be desired. Some

theologians maintain that this theory of the cause of Satan’s fall makes God appear to be caught

off guard. They assert that this theory of the cause of Satan’s fall makes God have to take a

reactionary position to defend His creation against Satan. Many theologians find this theory to be

unacceptable and have formulated another theory that places Satan, his rebellion against God,

and his subsequent on-going struggle against God, in a pawn-like relationship with God. These

theologians maintain that Satan was, and still is God’s servant. These theologians believe that

Satan’s fall is all part of God’s master plan to bring glory to Himself. One such theologian is

Sidney H. T. Page. Page writes,

“While many texts emphasize the hostility between God and Satan, there is also abundant

evidence that the Biblical authors believed that Satan was subject to God’s control and was used

by God to accomplish His purposes. They represent Satan, not only as God’s adversary, but also

as God’s servant.”6 5 Mac Arthur, John, The Fall of Satan, Master’s Seminary Lecture (Grace to You Website, www.gty.org/resources/sermons/90-237, Master’s Seminary, Sun Valley, CA, February 27, 2000).

6 Page, Sydney H T., “Satan: God’s Servant,” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 50/3 (September 2003) page 449.

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Page provides evidence of his theory using numerous Biblical passages that show this

subservient role of Satan to be the actual relationship between Satan and God. Page‘s main

evidentiary thrust comes from the prologue of Job. The following is a paraphrased summary of

Page’s thoughts on Satan’s subservient role to Yahweh as suggested by the prologue of Job:

“From the outset, the setting of the dialogue between the Satan and Yahweh demonstrates the

subordination of the Satan to Yahweh…In Job 1:6 and 2:1…the sons of God came to ‘present

themselves to the Lord’…the Satan is represented as one of them and is not presented as

Yahweh’s equal…His function is clearly a subordinate one. He does not even initiate the

conversation concerning Job…Satan explicitly acknowledges that he does not have the ability to

act independently of the will of Yahweh…He conceded that he is not able to act independently

against Job; ultimately, it is Yahweh who will determine what will happen to Job…The power

that the Satan exercises is delegated to him by Yahweh and that he is bound to respect the

limitations that Yahweh imposes on him…Yahweh uses the Satan as an instrument for

accomplishing His purposes, though those purposes are never made known to Job. The

ambiviance in Job 1:11-12 and 2:5-6 concerning whose hand it is that strikes Job shows that the

Satan acts as an agent of Yahweh…Yahweh is ultimately in control of what happens to Job, and

the authority of the Satan is clearly derivative and secondary. Satan does not and cannot act

independently of Yahweh. Presumably, the author’s belief in a single supreme ruler of the

universe led him to the conviction that, in the final analysis, everything must be traced back to

Yahweh.”7

Page goes on to demonstrate that this same subservient relationship between Satan and God is

a continuing theme in the Bible. He shows this to be true in such passages as Zechariah 3:1-2, 1

Chronicles 21:1, the “Temptation of Jesus” in the Synoptic Gospels, the “Lord’s Prayer” in

Matthew 6:13, the “Sifting of the Disciples” in Luke 22, the “Passion of Christ”, “Church

Discipline” in 1 Corinthians 5:5 and 1 Timothy 1:20, where Paul speaks of people who had been

“handed over to Satan”, and finally, Paul’s “Thorn in the Flesh” from 2 Corinthians 12:7. Page

concludes his study with this comment,

“One must, therefore, be careful to avoid exaggerating the power of Satan and setting up a

dichotomy between God and Satan that would suggest a particular action must be attributed to

7 Ibid, pages 449-452.

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either one or the other. These alternatives are not mutually exclusive. Satan is God’s adversary,

but whatever he does falls under the overarching sovereignty of God.”8

The Biblical evidence and the research of scholars like Unger, MacArthur, and Page seem to

suggest that the fall of Satan was indeed brought on by Satan’s own sin. Yet, at the same time, it

cannot be denied that God was, and is, in control of Satan’s activities. The evidence provided by

scholars who have studied Satan’s fall shows that God is using Satan’s evil deeds to accomplish

His own purposes and to, ultimately, bring glory to Himself.

Understanding the causes of Satan’s fall is a worthy endeavor, but perhaps a more significant

study for the serious Bible student would be an attempt to understand the far-reaching effects

that the fall of Satan has had on the rest of God’s created order. It would be difficult to identify

any aspect of God’s creation that has not been affected by the fall of Satan. For the purpose of

this study, let us examine the birth of sin and the fall of man, the effect of Satan’s fall on the

earth itself, God’s response to the fall through the work of Christ, and eschatology.

First, let us consider the birth of sin into the human race that caused man’s fall from glory.

The Book of Genesis indicates that when God created Adam and Eve, He made them perfect, put

them in a perfect place, and demonstrated perfect love to them through giving them the gift of

perfect freewill. Genesis 1:26 tells us,

“Then God said, ‘Let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness, let them have

dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth

and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

Being made in God’s image suggests that Adam and Eve were perfect and eternal. However,

Satan, who by this time had fallen from God’s glory and was now serving as God’s adversary,

tempted Adam and Eve with the same sin that had caused his fall. In Genesis 3:1-6 we find the

record of sin entering the human race,

8 Ibid, page 465.

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“Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had

made. And he said to the woman, ‘Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the

Garden’?’ And the woman said to the serpent, ‘we may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden,

but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it,

nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ And the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die.

For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God,

knowing good and evil.’ So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was

pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also

gave to her husband with her, and he ate.”

This is the beginning of sin and the moment of the fall of the human race. Hill and Walton

write,

“One of the key themes of Genesis is the introduction of sin into the world and the impact it

had on human history. When Adam and Eve were created, immortality was within their grasp,

for the tree of life was in the garden and available for their use. When they gave into temptation,

they were cast from the garden and were denied access to that tree. The desire to be like God that

led to their disobedience included a desire for independence, just like children long to gain

independence from their parents and make their own decisions. Their punishment was suitable

and logical. Independence often brings separation, and so it was with Adam and Eve’s

relationship to God.”9

The fall of Adam and Eve was devastating not only for them, but also for the entire human

race. The great Apostle Paul makes this abundantly clear in his writing to the Romans. In

Romans 5:12, 3:23, and 6:23a he said,

“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, thus

death spread to all mean because all sinned…for all have sinned and come short of the glory of

God…For the wages of sin is death”

The great Apostle Paul makes it abundantly clear that sin has separated man from God and left

man in a state of complete depravity. Concerning this, Marshal, Travis, and Ian Paul have noted,

“Paul’s first stage in developing this theme is to justify the need for people to be saved by

showing that all stand under the judgment and wrath of God because of their sinfulness. He

begins with a depiction that clearly applies primarily to the world of non-Jews; the root problem

is a failure to recognize the existence and character of God despite the fact of His revelation in

nature. He paints a dark picture of human ignorance and folly leading to idolatry and also to sins

of a kind regarded as particularly abhorrent by Jews. Paul interprets the miserable and wicked

9 Hill, Andrew E., and Walton, John H., A Survey of the Old Testament, Second Edition, pages 76-77, (Zondervan Press, Grand Rapids, MI, 2000).

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state of humanity as being the result of their failure to acknowledge God and then as being

intensified by the judgment of God upon them. Just as Pharaoh hardened his heart against the

Israelites in the Old Testament story and was then further hardened by God, so God gives up

sinners to an even more debased mind, as a judgment upon them that is also meant to make them

realize their sin and need (See Romans 1:18-32).10

We see then that Adam passed on a legacy of depravity and death to all men. Thomas R.

Rodgers writes, “Even a casual observance of the Old Testament will reveal that Adam’s

responsibility was to pass on God’s truth to the succeeding generations. In this, he failed, and as

a result, the whole world became so wicked that God had to destroy it.”11

In addition to their separation from God and ultimate death, the fall of Satan (and his tempting

them to sin) also affected upon Adam and Eve a life characterized by pain and hard labor. In the

original sin narrative from Genesis 3:16-19 Moses wrote,

“To the woman He said, ‘I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain

you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over

you.’ Then to Adam He said, ‘because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten

from the tree of which I commanded you, saying ‘you shall not eat of it.’; Cursed is the ground

for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall

bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat

bread, till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, and to dust

you shall return.”

The birth of sin and the fall of man is clearly one of the more devastating effects of the fall of

Satan. It is, however, not the only devastating effect. In the above referenced verses from

Genesis 3:16-19. It is abundantly clear that the earth itself was cursed as a result of the fall of

man that precipitated out of the original sin from Satan’s fall. God said that, “the ground” was

cursed for Adam’s sake. In Genesis 3:14, we see that the animals are cursed. In verse 15, we see

that there will be strife between animals and humans, and in verses 17-18 again we see that the

10 Marshall, I. Howard; Travis, Stephen; and Paul, Ian; Exploring the New Testament, A Guide to the Revelation and Letters, Volume Two, pages 110-111, (Intervarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL, 2002).

11 Rodgers, Thomas R., The Panorama of the Old Testament, page 18, (Trinity Press, Newburgh, IN, 2005).

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plants are cursed as well. In fact, the whole earth is corrupt due to the fall of man. In Romans

8:19-22, the Apostle Paul wrote,

“For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of

God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected

it in hope; because the creation itself will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the

glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors

with birth pangs together until now.”

There is one interesting observation in God’s judgment against Adam and Eve because of

their sin that takes place even as He is spelling out that judgment. This is found in Genesis 3:15

where God says to the serpent, who is representative of Satan,

“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall

bruise your head and you shall bruise his heel.”

This is obviously a reference to the work of Christ, which would be God’s response to the fall of

Satan and the eventual fall of man. Interestingly, in all of this, God did not curse Adam and Eve.

He righteously judged them, but He did not curse them as he did the serpent, the ground, the

other animals, and the plants. Lasor, Hubbard, and Bush write,

“An important point should be noted about the judgments on the man and the woman. The

woman and the man are penalized, but not cursed…One day victory will be theirs. This victory

will come through an individual who represents humanity. While this detail is not expressly

stated, it is there potentially in the collective designation of the descendants by the pronoun “He”

(Genesis 3:15). Christians rightly interpret this unformulated hope as having been realized in

Christ’s victory over sin and death.”12

This is God’s response to the fall of Satan, to the birth of sin, and the fall of man. It is the

redeeming message of the Bible that is spelled out in great detail in the Old Testament through

God’s covenant relationship with His people Israel. More specifically, we see God’s response in

the New Testament as the life and ministry of Christ unfolds before our eyes. This is the message

12 Lasor, William Sanford; Hubbard, David Allan; and Bush, Frederic William, Old Testament Survey, The Message, Form, and Background of the Old Testament, pages 28-29, Erdman’s Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, MI, 1996).

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of the New Testament. Christ’s redeeming work is clearly seen in the Gospels, The Acts of the

Apostles, the Epistles, and in the Revelation to Saint John.

Finally, the fall of Satan has had a profound effect in how the history of God’s creation will

culminate. It is because of Satan’s fall that eschatology is what it is. Through the end time

events, as seen especially in the Revelation to Saint John and other New Testament passages like

Matthew 24, we see God ultimately defeat Satan and give him his just reward. In their

assessment of the Revelation to Saint John, Carson and Moo write,

“John’s visions also place in clear relief the reality of God’s judgment. A day will come when

His wrath will be poured out, when sins will have to be accounted for, when the fate of every

individual will depend on whether or not his or her name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Equally clear, of course, is the reward that God has in store for those who ‘keep the word of

endurance’ and resolutely stand against the devil and his earthly minions, even at the cost of life

itself. John’s visions are a source of comfort for suffering and persecuted believers in all ages.”13

The text of the Revelation clearly supports the idea that eschatology is God’s response to the

fall of Satan. This is seen in the fact that eschatology culminates with the ultimate demise of

Satan and the demons that fell with him. In Revelation 20:7-15 we see this clearly played out in

Satan’s final defeat.

“Now when the thousand years have been expired, Satan will be released from his prison and

will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to

gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. They went up the breadth

of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down

from God out of heaven and devoured them. And the devil who deceived them, was cast into the

lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and false prophet are. And they will be tormented day

and night forever and ever. Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose

face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the

dead, small and great, standing before God and books were opened, which is the Book of Life.

And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the

books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who

were in them. And they were judged each one according to his works. Then death and Hades

were cast into the Lake of Fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the

Book of Life was cast into the Lake of Fire.”

13 Carson, D.A., and Moo, Douglas J., An Introduction to the New Testament, Second Edition, page 722, (Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI, 2005).

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Even from a casual study of Revelation such as this, it is obvious that God’s response to Satan’s

fall will someday bring an end to Satan’s adversarial role against God’s purposes. Moreover, as

we have seen before, all of this will be to God’s glory.

Conclusion

In light of these observations, what should be the Christian’s response? Now that we know

that the Fall of Satan, though prompted by Satan’s own sinful pride, is being used by God to

accomplish His own purposes, what should we do? Several things immediately come into focus.

First, since Satan is the head of the world system, we should have boldness in our future victory

over the world and seek to influence to world for the cause of Christ, rather than being stymied

by a foe whom has already been defeated. Alden D. Kelly wrote,

“By and large, however, a conflict between church and state is not today particularly

noticeable, nor is tension felt except by the unusual person. The church rarely appears as the

enemy of the state and, in general, the state holds the church in cozy embrace.”14

This is much to the church’s shame, especially in light of the truth from Jesus that were are to be,

“salt and light” in the world.

Secondly, we should be more enthusiastic in our evangelistic endeavors. We are on the

wining side of things. Christ has given us (Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 1:8) the responsibility to win

people over to His redeeming love. Ultimately, it is He who wins them, but we have been given

the task of pointing them toward the remedy for their fall. We have the message of hope that the

world needs. Lea and Black write,

“Eschatology is a broad term that includes all the events that will secure God’s plans for both

the individual and the world. Revelation never provides a detailed list of final events in history,

but it reminds us of events that will profoundly affect our present existence. The promised return

of Christ provides a sense of hope and reverence for contemporary believers.”15 14 Kelly, Alden D., Christianity and Political Responsibility, page 19, (The Westminster Press, Philadelphia, PA, 1961).

15 Lea, Thomas D., and Black, David Alan, The New Testament, Its Background and Message, Second Edition, page 588, (Broadman and Holman Publishers, Nashville, TN, 2003).

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Finally, in light of our knowledge that Satan still lurks in the shadows (1 Peter 5:8), let us be

vigilant to protect ourselves from his treachery through regular repentance (1 John 1:9). Satan’s

fall has had terribly devastating effects on man and all of God’s creation. However, through faith

in Christ Jesus, the victory is ours. Most importantly, through it all, God will receive the glory!

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Bibliography

Carson, D.A., and Moo, Douglas J., An Introduction to the New Testament, Second Edition,

(Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI, 2005).

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