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Where did the Devil come from?
Many people deny the existence of the devil. But be assured he is a REAL entity. He has a will, mind, emotions, etc. (To learn more about this, read the Q&A entitled "Is the Devil Real ?"). And the devil has many names including Satan, Lucifer (lightbearer, the shining one), the Prince of the power of the air, the god of this age, the ruler of darkness, the Prince of this world, Leviathan, dragon, Apollyon, Beelzebub, Belial, the accuser of the brethren, an angel of light, etc.
Anyway, Yes, the devil IS real -- and, the Bible explains his origin, his original purpose, his "fall", and his ultimate fate (destiny). Indeed, the devil (Satan) is mentioned many times in both the Old and the New Testaments of the Bible. In the Old Testament, he is mentioned in Genesis, 1 Chronicles, Job, Psalms, Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Zechariah. And, in the New Testament, he is mentioned in 19 of the 27 books. In fact, Jesus and EVERY New Testament writer refer to him.
Obviously the devil is a REAL entity, personality, individual. So, you ask, what is his origin? Where did the devil come from?
There are two places in the Bible which describe the origin and the fall of the devil in considerable detail (in Ezekiel 28:12-19 and in Isaiah 14:12-14). And, other passages in the Bible add additional information about him.
In Ezekiel, Isaiah, and elsewhere in the Bible, we learn that Satan (the devil) was originally created by God to be an angel -- and not just "any" angel! He was originally created to have a very high rank and position among the angels. Indeed, he was probably the most important and highest ranking of ALL the angels! He was the "anointed Cherub that covereth" (Ezekiel 28:14). He was a guardian Cherub, and, as such, was to protect and present God's Holiness.
So, what happened? Why did Lucifer (Satan, the Devil) desert his purpose, role, and position of "Anointed Cherub..., the Guardian Cherub"? How and why did he "fall" from such an exalted position?
The passages in Ezekiel and Isaiah tell us the reason.
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Ezekiel 28:13-17a KJV
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28:13 Thou (Lucifer, Satan, Devil) 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. 14. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I (God) 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. 15. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity (sin) was found in thee. 16. By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and 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. 17. Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground...
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and in Isaiah 14:12-14 KJV
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14:12. How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13. For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
Yes, The passages in Ezekiel and Isaiah tell us the reason that satan (the devil) fell from his high ranking position of Anointed Cherub (Angel). And, the bottom line reason that Lucifer (Satan, the Devil) became a "fallen" angel was because of PRIDE!
This anointed Cherub, one of, and probably THE highest ranking of all the angels decided that he wanted to be the one who was worshiped and adored by all. This most beautiful and powerful and high ranking angel had a WILL and said:
I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God:
I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will be like the most High.
Yes, Satan wanted to be # 1. He desired to be above and greater than God, his Creator! It was the PRIDE of Satan that caused his downfall.
Obviously NO one or no thing can EVER be greater than the Creator God! This includes angels and this includes you and me. GOD ALONE is the One to be worshiped, loved, obeyed, and served. Satan refused to acknowledge this and refused to accept his position. He wanted MORE. He wanted it ALL.
But, satan did NOT attain to godhood. And neither will you! And neither will I.
Satan, because of this SIN of PRIDE, this sin of wanting to take God's place, was cast out of his position of authority and leadership. He became a "fallen" angel.
What did he become and where did he go after this "fall", this sin? Well, that is a whole 'nother matter. And we do not have time to go into the details now. But, the bottom line is that he was removed from his position of authority in heaven and, though not YET sent to an eternity of punishment in hell (he will be at the "end of the age"), he went back to planet earth and tempted Eve and Adam (with the same sin of PRIDE), causing them to "fall" from their position of authority and rule over the earth and over all the animals and the other creations of God. Satan thereby gained authority over them and over the earth and over God's creations UNTIL that time that Jesus regained that authority by paying the death penalty for the sin of Adam and Eve and of all mankind (including your sins and mine) and reclaiming the "title deed" of Earth from the devil.
Yes, right now the devil seems to have "gotten away" with his sin. But, he has not! Jesus conquered him at the Cross and at the end of the age, the devil will be cast into the fiery pit of Hell for ETERNITY. (And YES, there IS a REAL hell!)
We are now living in a period of time where the devil is still "free" (not yet in hell) and can roam the earth and still causes us problems BUT the day is coming when he will pay ETERNALLY and SEVERELY for his sin. He can NEVER be forgiven of his sin, nor can ANY of his angels (1/3 of the angels also decided to "follow" the devil and also sinned and "fell" with him).
BUT, you and I, and anyone (any HUMAN) who accepts Jesus' death on the cross as the substitute sacrifice in payment for our personal and individual sins, CAN be forgiven and WILL be forgiven of our sins IF we trust in Jesus for our salvation.
BUT, if you and I do NOT trust in Jesus alone for our salvation, we will end up like the devil and his angels IN HELL for ETERNITY. A word to the wise should be sufficient!
And, if you are not "saved" (born again) from the death penalty of sin and if you would like to be, this is what you MUST do:
1. Admit that you are a sinner.
2. Be willing to turn FROM your sinful ways and to obey God in everything from this point on.
3. CONFESS your sins to God and ASK (CRY OUT) for forgiveness. You can do this by praying a prayer like this:
Oh, Father, God, I KNOW that I am a sinner. I have broken Your laws and commandments -- I have disobeyed You and sinned by .... (name the sins you have committed... name them ALL.... ) and I desire to forsake these sins and STOP doing them. I know that Jesus died in my place to pay MY death penalty for my sins and to provide for me, as a free gift, salvation from my sins. I trust Jesus now and ask Him to be my Lord, God, and Savior. I trust Jesus to save me and to enter my life and to live in me (through the presence of the Holy Spirit). I give Jesus and The Holy Spirit of Jesus and You (Father God) permission, from this point on, to "call all the shots" in my life -- to tell me what to do and how to live and where to go and etc. Thank You! In Jesus' Name I pray this. Amen.
If you prayed that prayer or have prayed that or one like that before now, you have been "born again" and even have AUTHORITY OVER the devil and his fallen angels (which is also another whole topic in itself). But, know that, as a born again Child of God, you do NOT have to obey the devil. You have been freed (redeemed) from the devil's kingdom of darkness and are now a citizen of God's kingdom of LIGHT.
Yes, the devil (Satan, Lucifer...) was once a Holy Angel of God, created by God to be a mighty and powerful Cherub (one of the categories of angels). As such, the devil had experienced and enjoyed the indescribable beauty and majesty of God and His Kingdom.
BUT, the devil SINNED and lost his position of authority in heaven. He then came to earth, mad and angry, hating God and hating the creations of God (including you and me) and has been spending his time trying to cause as much pain and grief and havoc as possible.
But, his time will one day RUN OUT! And God will cast him FOREVER into an eternity of torment and pain.
So, do NOT be deceived by the devil! Do NOT follow him or his "fallen" angels! His and their time of "freedom" and "rule" is short (compared with eternity) and is rapidly drawing even now to a close.
Satan WAS the "anointed Cherub" of God. But, he sinned! As a consequence of that sin, he was removed from his position of authority and power. And he now is the "prince of this world", the "prince of the air", etc. BUT, this will ONLY be for a short time. Soon even those "titles" will be removed from him and he will be thrown into HELL for ETERNITY.
And now you know "the rest of the story..."
You know
where the Devil Came from (heaven -- where he had been an Holy Angel),
why he is no longer serving in authority in heaven (because he sinned against God),
what he is doing now (causing havoc and pain on earth) and
his ultimately destiny (he is going to spend eternity in Hell)
Be SURE, be VERY SURE, that YOU do NOT spend your eternity with him in Hell !!!
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