2. Angel Rebellion
Chapter 2
Angel Rebellion Lucifer’s Position Of Honor And Authority Among Angels
If you have ever seen a drawing of a large group of angels, the angels probably all looked alike. Probably that’s because we really don’t know much about them, but that’s also how we often view them—as being all the same. But when God created the angels, he didn’t make them all with the same strengths and knowledge like a mob without names or personalities, or like nameless machines or robots. They each have their own personalities and strengths and God gave them different jobs to do. The Bible also shows us that there are different categories of angels. Some are called Seraphim. They seem to be totally taken up with the holiness and worship of the Lord. We don’t know much else about them (Isaiah 6:1-7).
Another category of angels is called Cherubim. From what we see in the Bible, it seems that Cherubim are usually found close to the throne of God, which means a high position of importance and authority—and high-ranking leadership over other angels. There are several passages in the Bible that refer to cherubim which we will mention. But first, we want to look at a couple of unusual and mysterious passages found in Isaiah 14:12-15 and Ezekiel 28:11-17.
These two passages talk about human kings (the kings of Babylon and Tyre) who lived long ago. Some scholars believe that one or both of them are also word pictures that talk specifically about the fall of Lucifer (Satan), because many of the things said about them could not refer to a human being. (2 Peter 2:4 and Jude 1:6 and some other verses in the New Testament are also references to Lucifer and other fallen angels.) The first verse is Isaiah 14:12, which refers to a king of Babylon. He is called a ‘day star’ which is sometimes translated ‘Lucifer.’ Some scholars believe that this king is also a word picture of a powerful cherubim connected with this king’s power and that this passage is pointing to the fall of Satan or antichrist. Much of it is mysterious, but other passages describe him as a guardian cherub and being created perfect, glorious, and shining like a bright light. Whatever the case, we know that God created him as a brilliant example of God’s love and creativity. Apparently, Lucifer was a leader over many angels. Some scholars think he was above them all.
God Himself Gave Lucifer His Power And Position
It’s true that Lucifer was very powerful and had great authority, but he was still under God’s authority (and still is.) Lucifer didn’t give himself that high position of authority. It was all given to him as a gracious gift from God. Humans often become powerful in various ways—either through fame or inheriting wealth or being successful in business or through education or working in the government. But Lucifer didn’t do any of that to deserve his special position. God himself just created him that way and assigned Lucifer to his high position of authority. It was God’s choosing and creativity which made him the way he was. At First Lucifer Was Perfect, But He Had A Will To Choose At first Lucifer and all the angels were perfect—without any sin—just the way that God had created them. They were created perfect, but God also gave them a choice to serve him or not. They were not like slaves or robots that were forced to obey him. They had a will with which to choose. They could choose to willingly submit to God or rebel against God.
Lucifer Chose To Be Proud And Rebel
Lucifer should have been happy and content with God’s love and grace and the high position that God had given him. He should have been thankful and just love God in return and serve him. God had only been very generous and kind to Lucifer, and angels were not slaves—they were free to choose to submit to God or not. But eventually Lucifer himself turned his back on God. Instead of giving God the credit for everything he had received from his creator, Lucifer chose instead to exalt himself. Lucifer became proud.
Ezekiel 28:17 says: “Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor...” (cf. 1 Timothy 3:6)
Isaiah 14:13-15 : “…you said in your heart, ’I will ascend to heaven; I willraise my throneabove the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly… ’I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;I will make myself like the Most High.’” (NASB) Lucifer Deceived Himself Into Thinking He Could Be Like God
Lucifer saw his own power and glory and wisdom, and he began to deceive himself—thinking that he could make himself belike the Most High God, maybe even better than God. He forgot that all his greatness and power came from God. Instead of being thankful to God, Lucifer became conceited. He no longer wanted to be under God’s authority. Apparently, he wanted to become like God or take his place.
Other Angels Followed Lucifer In Rebellion
Lucifer was the first angel or spirit to rebel against God through pride and disobedience. But apparently, he must have enticed some of the other angels to join him in rebellion against God and become enemies of God. Many angels followed Lucifer in his rebellion. Perhaps it was many of those who were originally under his leadership who chose to follow his rebellion. We don’t know, but either way Lucifer became the leader of a large group of thousands of rebellious angels. These evil spirits or evil angels are now called fallen angels or demons. Demons in the Bible and even those today are the very same angels which turned their backs on God long ago and have become his enemies.
God Already Knew About Lucifer’s Evil Thoughts And Has The Right To Judge Him
Since God himself made all the angels, he knew all their thoughts, including Lucifer’s. God already knew what they were thinking, and the evil mutiny they had in mind, even before they rebelled. Nothing is hidden from God. There is no way we can surprise God in any way. He knows our every thought, even before we can think them! And since God was Lucifer’s Creator and gave him his power and knowledge, then Lucifer belongs to God and is responsible directly to him. God alone has the right to determine for Lucifer and the other angels what is good and what is evil, so he has the right to judge them also.
God Is Above Lucifer And The Evil Spirits Too Was God going to let Lucifer succeed in his rebellion? Would the thousands of rebellious angels frighten God into surrender? Would he allow Lucifer to take over his position as King of kings? Never! It would be like a proud, headstrong child deciding that he wanted to take over as the mayor of a city. Would the mayor allow the child to do it? It’s laughable to even think that the mayor would allow such a thing. In the same way, there is no possible way God would allow Lucifer to take his place. Lucifer could never successfully overthrow God since God alone is the source of all power and wisdom. Only God can be King over all.
Lucifer Is Separated From God So now Lucifer had rebelled and become God’s bitter enemy. What would God say? How would he respond? Would he say, “Oh, it’s just a first-time offense. We’ll let it go this time.” Does God just brush off sin like that as if it’s nothing? No way! He doesn’t just let it slide by. God is holy and perfect and must judge sin and deal with it. So he separated himself from Lucifer. Separation from God meant that the life and character of God no longer existed in Lucifer. Lucifer no longer acted like the God who created him. Instead, Lucifer was now the opposite of God’s character.
God Kicks Lucifer Out Of Heaven, But Still Has Use For Him When Lucifer rebelled, his sin separated him from God’s fellowship. God chose not to fellowship any longer with Lucifer and the rebel angels. He doesn’t want to live with them or have them live alongside the good angels. So God threw the rebels out of heaven.
Isaiah 14:12 says: "How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground...”(NKJV)
So, if you were God, what would you have done with Lucifer after that? Most of us would say that we would have sent him directly to his final punishment in hell. But strangely, God did not—not yet anyway. Instead, he sent him to the earth. Even though he is still God’s enemy, in a strange sort of way he still remains one of God’s servants. Since he is still under God’s ultimate authority, God can still use him, his enemy, for his own purposes! We will continue to see many examples of that.
Romans 11:33-34 says: “Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand His decisions and His ways! For who can know the LORD’s thoughts? Who knows enough to give him advice?” (NLT) Millions Of Angels Didn’t Turn Their Backs On God
It’s true that thousands and thousands of angels chose to follow Lucifer in rebellion, and some people believe as many as one third of all the angels rebelled (Revelation 12:4). But thankfully not all of them did. In fact, the majority of the angels chose to continue following God, so there are millions of them still in heaven who continue to do God’s work (Revelation 5:11, Daniel 7:10). Later we’ll discuss the good angels also and the type of work they do.
God Prepared Hell For Lucifer And His Followers
God has prepared a place of punishment for Lucifer and the other angels that became his enemies. This fiery place is called hell, but it’s important to understand that Lucifer isn’t there yet. God just prepared hell for them in advance (Matthew 25:41), and he will send them there later after he finally judges them. Hell is translated from the word Gehenna in the Bible and it is the final place of torment for all the rebellious angels—they will be there forever (Revelation 20:10). It is also called the second death and the lake of fire. There are other Hebrew and Greek words in the Bible that some people think refer to this place called hell and are sometimes even translated that way. But they refer to death, the grave or a temporary place of imprisonment for rebellious spirits like demons. Some of the other names that can be confusing are: Sheol, Hades, Tartarus and Abyss. We won’t discuss all the meanings of these now, but we can rest assured that God can and will punish the proud angels like Lucifer and his followers. That’s why he created hell.
Hell is a real place and God can’t allow the demons to continue in their disobedience forever. God’s holiness and righteousness demands that he punishes sin and those who disobey him. Later he will also judge all the people that have followed Satan and turned their backs on God. They will also be judged and sent to hell—a place for people who don’t want to trust God.
Matthew 25:41 says: “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire preparedfor the devil and his angels.”
Lucifer Gets A New Name: Satan
Lucifer and his rebel angels hate God bitterly, and ever since God kicked them out of heaven, they have been fighting against him constantly. Their whole goal and purpose is to oppose God in every way and try to ruin anything he does. Lucifer has become God’s main adversary, so God gave him a new name, Satan, which means ‘adversary’ or ‘enemy’ because he has become God’s most bitter enemy. Sometimes he is called the devil, and the evil spirits or angels that followed Satan are called demons. The Evil Angels Now Roam Throughout The Earth
God is holy, and he chooses to separate himself from fellowshipping with Satan and the demons. So he kicked them out of heaven and now Satan and his demons live on the earth. These evil spirits (demons) don’t just live in faraway lands or deep jungle areas, but everywhere on the earth. And yet, even though it’s true that they live in every country on earth, we must remember that they aren’t omnipresent (everywhere at once). Only God is omnipresent. Satan and his demons can only be in one place at a time. If they want to go somewhere else, they must leave the place they are and go to the other. So now they roam around the earth and sky and are very actively seeking to confuse and deceive us all (Job 2:2; 1 Peter 5:8). In some places, people often think of these earthly spirits as good spirits which are there to help us in some way. But actually these earthly spirits just want to deceive and trick us and ultimately destroy us if they can. On the other hand, God’s good angels who live in heaven usually work unnoticed and are rarely seen on the earth.
There Is Just One Kind Of Evil Spirit, Not Different Kinds In Different Places
Various cultures around the world have their own customs and beliefs about good and evil spirits, and different names for each. But actually, there are not many different types of spirits in various countries. God only made angels. Some of those angels are still in heaven with God, but the angels which rebelled against God are now living on this earth. We call them fallen angels or demons, and no matter what country they are in, all demons are the same angels that followed Lucifer in rebellion long ago. They may try to deceive people by appearing in various forms in different places and may even try to portray themselves as harmless or good spirits. But they are still all part of Satan’s evil army of demons who now live on the earth as our enemies. These same spirits have tried to deceive our ancestors for hundreds of years. And they want to deceive us also.
How does it make you feel when you consider that their primary goal and purpose is to deceive and destroy you and your children? Do you ever think about it? Does it concern you? It should. They are not just God’s enemies. The Bible says they are our enemies too. We are at war with these powerful spiritual enemies and we cannot just ignore them. They have already had many victims and the Bible tells us to be aware of them. Ignorance is dangerous. We need to learn their methods and how they operate. And we must be very careful so they don’t deceive us and make us their victims also. This is not a game that they play! Whether we like it or not, we need to take it seriously! So let’s take a closer look at how this spiritual war began and how our early forefathers were deceived by Satan.