LIFE-STUDY OF GENESIS MESSAGE TWO: SATAN'S REBELLION AND CORRUPTION

2. Satan's Rebellion and Corruption

We come to the matter of Satan's rebellion and corruption. That we should now study this subject may come as a surprise. We have been considering God's creation and suddenly we turn to Satan's rebellion. What does this mean? We must approach this matter with a sober mind in order that we may be crystal clear.

Many good Christians think that Genesis 1:1 is the subject of the first two chapters of Genesis. They were taught that these two chapters are a record of God's creation, and that chapter 1, verse 1 is the subject. But if verse 1 is the subject, how can verse 2 start with "and"? "And" means that something is going on already, and then something else happens to follow it. "And" is a conjunction which combines two things: the first thing goes and the second thing comes. Even the grammar shows that verse 1 is not the subject, but part of the description. It describes the first event in a series. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, and..." This means that after God created, something happened.

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, and the earth became waste and empty." The Concordant Version of Genesis translates the verse this way: "Yet the earth became a chaos and vacant." The Concordant Version does not say "and"; it says "yet." "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Yet the earth became a chaos and vacant." A chaos is a mess. The earth became a chaos—waste and vacant. If you build some apartments and no one dwells in them, they are vacant. We may render this phrase as either "a chaos and vacant" or "waste and empty." Something happened between verse 1 and verse 2 which caused the earth to become waste and empty.

 

a. The Origin of Satan

Satan was an angel created by God before He created the earth. The book of Job (38:4-7) tells us that when God laid the measure of the foundation of the earth, the sons of God (the angels) shouted for joy. 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 describes Satan's position in the universe before his rebellion and corruption. This whole chapter seems to speak about the king of Tyre. But verse 13 says, "Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God." If we read the context, we can see that this was not the Eden in which Adam was put. This Eden was not on the earth, but in the heavens, on the holy mountain of God.

"Every precious stone was thy covering." He was covered with precious stones. G. H. Pember says that this indicates his dwelling place. His dwelling was of precious stones.

"The service of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared with thee in the day thou wast created" (Heb.). In the ancient times, musical instruments such as tambourines and pipes were for kings (Dan. 3:5; 6:18). This indicates that Satan was a king, holding the highest position in that universe. This was why even the Lord Jesus called him "the ruler of this world" (John 12:31). The Apostle also calls him "the ruler of the authority of the air" (Eph. 2:2). Luke 4:5-6 also confirms this. "And he led Him 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." Was this a lie? If it was a lie the Lord Jesus surely would have rebuked Satan. Since the Lord did not rebuke him, it must be a fact. Satan, the Devil, told the Lord that all the kingdoms of the world and all their glory had been delivered to him. Satan also said, "to whomever I want I give it." When did God deliver all of this to Satan? This was definitely something pre-Adamic, before the world of Adam. By reading the full revelation of the Bible, we can realize that God did appoint Satan the head of that universe, and that God had 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 is 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.

Verse 14: "Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth." Satan was "the anointed cherub that covereth." This probably means that he covered (cf. Exo. 25:20) the ark of God in the heavens (Rev. 11:19). "And I have set thee so." God did this. God anointed and appointed the archangel to cover His ark. Ezekiel tells us that the cherubim bear God's glory (9:3; 10:18) and that they are very close to God's throne (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 (10:20). Also the four living creatures in Ezekiel are similar to the four in Revelation (Ezek. 1:10, cf. 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." This certainly must be in the heavens. "Thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire." In Exodus 24:10, 17, Moses, Aaron, and many others saw under God's throne some precious stones with the glory of God like burning fire. That 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.

Beside Ezekiel 28, Isaiah 14:12 also helps us to see Satan's origin. It tells us that Satan was the "Daystar [for Lucifer according to Hebrew], 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, the very position that we, God's redeemed people, have forever (Rev. 5:9-10; 20:4-6). 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.

 

b. The Rebellion of Satan

Ezekiel 28:15 says that Satan was perfect in his ways from the day he was created. Of course, God didn't create an evil Satan. God created a good and perfect archangel. But at a certain time, this archangel, the anointed cherub, rebelled against God.

 

1) The Cause

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 was "full of wisdom and perfect in beauty"; he "sealed up the sum," (Ezek. 28:12) meaning 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 became corrupted. To look at what God has made us and forget God Himself always tempts us to be proud. Pride was the cause of Satan's rebellion. So, the Apostle would never allow "a novice" to be an elder in the church, "lest being blinded with pride he fall into the judgment of the Devil" (1 Tim. 3:6). All the natural virtues and attributes, and all the 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 prowling 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, to gird ourselves with humility because "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (1 Pet. 5:9, 5-6). 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 overcame Satan, and Satan had nothing in Him (John 14:30).

 

2) The Purpose

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," at the time of his rebellion. "I will ascend..I will exalt my throne..I will sit also upon the mount..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.

Ambition for position was the motivation of every rebellion recorded in the Bible. The rebellion at Babel (Gen. 11:4), the rebellion of Dathan, Abiram, and the two hundred and fifty princes of the Israelites (Num. 16:1-3), and the rebellion of Absalom (2 Sam. 15:10-12), were all because of the evil ambition for position. But the Lord Jesus "emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave...Wherefore also God highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name" (Phil. 2:7, 9).

 

3) The Process

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 he rebelled, but a great part of the angels who were under his hand also rebelled. In Revelation 12:4, 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 said, "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 that the principalities and powers are in the air. These principalities and powers were the angels under Satan's hand, ruling over the pre-Adamic universe. So, they are the powers of the air. 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 bad angels. The good angels stand with God; the bad ones are allied with Satan against God.

The living creatures which were on the earth at that time, and later became the demons on the earth, also joined Satan in his rebellion.

If we read the four Gospels we will see that on the earth there is another kind of spirit—the demons. Who and what are demons? Most Christians think that demons are identical with the fallen angels, but, according to Ephesians, the fallen angels live in the air, not on the earth. The four Gospels reveal that, strictly speaking, demons never enter the air, but either move upon the earth or else go into the water which is their lodging place. Remember the incident of the men possessed with many demons (Matt. 8:28-32). When the Lord Jesus cast out the demons, they begged Him for permission to enter into a herd of swine. After the demons entered the swine, the swine rushed into the water, where the demons like to stay.

Matthew 12:22-27 and 43-45 are quite meaningful in this regard. In this portion of the Word, we can see that Satan has his devilish kingdom and that he is "the ruler of the demons." Verse 43 says, "When the unclean spirit [the demon] goes out from a man, it passes through waterless places, seeking rest, and does not find it." The demon that was cast out of the blind and dumb man was seeking rest which he could not find in the waterless places. This shows that the resting place, the lodging place of the demons, is in the water. Verse 44 tells us what happens if they can't find water. "Then it says, I will return into my house..." This "house" is the physical body of human beings. The lodging place of the demons is the water, and their temporary dwelling place is the human body.

Acts 23:8-9 proves that the demons are not fallen angels. In these two verses we see that angels and spirits are classified as two different kinds of beings. Even the ancient Jewish Pharisees put demons and angels into separate categories. If we read the four Gospels carefully, we will discover that the demons are also called evil spirits. Not only the angels are spirits; demons also are spirits.

Who are the demons? Why do demons like to get into water or into a human body? In his famous book, Earth's Earliest Ages, G. H. Pember has made a scholarly and thorough study of this matter. Geology and archaeology have discovered that the earth is not only six thousand years old, but much older. Because of the concept that the earth is just six thousand years old according to the age of Adam, some atheists and modernistic Christians said that there was an error in Genesis 1. Archaeologists have discovered fossil remains of bones which are thousands and thousands of years old. But 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. Moreover, Pember inferred from the biblical record that in this pre-Adamic age there existed on the earth some living beings with spirits and that these beings 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 Greek translation of Genesis 1:2 uses the word "abyss" to translate the word "deep." The deep water is the demons' dwelling place.

One day, while Jesus was sailing across the sea, a strong wind blew and a great storm arose. The Lord Jesus didn't pray; 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 Jesus was going over to the other shore to cast out demons (Matt. 8:28-32). Today the air is still full of fallen angels and the earth full of demons.

As the children of God, we should know something of these points concerning the universe and, especially, the earth. The bad angels followed Satan in rebellion against God. The demons, another kind of being, are disembodied spirits who live in the water and work on the earth. Satan is the prince of this world which includes the earth and the air. 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.

 

4) The Result

 

a) Satan Was Judged by God

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 [G. H. Pember says that 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).

 

b) The Heavens and the Earth Were Judged

The heavens and the earth surely were defiled by Satan's rebellion. God rebuked Satan, "Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries" (Ezek. 28:18). So, the heavens and the earth were also judged by God. Job 9:5-7 says that God overturned the mountains in His anger, shook the earth out of its place, commanded the sun not to rise, and sealed the stars. When did God do this? 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. The fact that the earth, after being judged by God, was buried under the deep water proves that God must have 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 tells us, "God created the earth not a waste" (Heb.). Job 38:4-7 shows that God created the earth in good order. It says that when God "laid the foundations of the earth," "laid the measures thereof," and "stretched the line upon it," "the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God [the angels] shouted for joy." When God laid the foundations of the earth, He laid the measure upon it and stretched the line upon it. This means that He created it 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. When did this happen? 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. We see this in Jeremiah 4:23 ("without form, and void" should be "waste and empty," Heb.), in Isaiah 24:1, and in Isaiah 34:11 ("confusion" should be "a waste," Heb.). Whatever has been judged by God becomes waste and empty. The earth became waste and empty because it was judged by God.

The darkness which was upon the surface of the deep was also a sign declaring that the universe of that age was judged, because darkness comes from God's judgment (cf. Exo. 10:21-22; Rev. 16:10).

Thus, the earth mentioned in Genesis 1:2 was not in the same condition as when created by God originally. It was created by God in a good order, but it "became" waste and empty. The word "became" is the same word as used in Genesis 19:26 which says that Lot's wife "became a pillar of salt." She was not a pillar of salt, but she became one. In the same principle, the earth originally was not waste and empty, but it became so.

 

c) The Rebellious Angels and the Demons Were Judged

When God judged Satan and the universe that was under him, God also must have judged the angels which followed him and the living beings on the earth during that age which joined him in his rebellion. After being judged, the rebellious angels became the "wicked spirits" in the air (Eph. 6:12, KJV margin), 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. One day it will be fully executed (Rev. 12:12; Matt. 8:29; Luke 8:31). Today, Satan can still go to God to accuse God's people (Job 1:6-12; 2:1-7; Rev. 12:10). He is still walking about on the earth, "seeking someone to devour" (1 Pet. 5:8), still working to blind people (2 Cor. 4:4), to deceive them (2 Cor. 11:14), to fill their heart (Acts 5:3), and to get an advantage of us (2 Cor. 2:11). He is still "the strong man," holding "his vessels" (Matt. 12:29). The rebellious angels are still "the world-rulers of this darkness" (Eph. 6:12; cf. Dan. 10:20), (some fallen angels are now imprisoned unto judgment—2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 6) and the demons are still the unclean and wicked spirits working on the earth (Matt. 12:43-45). The judgment upon them all needs to be executed.

God has judged Satan and all his followers. But this does not mean that God executed His judgment at the time He pronounced it. To condemn is one thing; to carry out the condemnation is another thing. God judged Satan and his followers before Adam was created, but the execution of this judgment is still going on. The execution of God's judgment will not be carried out by God Himself. God will not do this. No judge carries out the execution himself. He needs some executioners.

Who will execute God's judgment upon Satan and his followers? The executors will be the Christians, the church, the overcoming believers. Why hasn't the judgment on Satan and his followers been executed? Because God is waiting for the church to rise up. The Judge has made His judgment, but He is waiting for some executioners to carry it out. In Revelation 12 we see that the overcomers will execute God's judgment upon Satan. Moreover, day by day in our homes, whenever we are victorious, our victory is an execution of this judgment. God has declared His judgment upon the rebellious one. However, this judgment will not be carried out until the church rises up to do it. Now is the time for us to execute God's judgment over Satan.

Today the church must pray to "bind the strong man" and "plunder his house" (Matt. 12:29), fight against the wicked spirits in the air (Eph. 6:12), and cast out the demons (Matt. 17:21) wherever we see them working to damage people. God has judged the demons and confined them to the water, but He needs the church to bring in the age when the sea will be terminated (Rev. 21:1) and the demons which are now confined therein will have the judgment executed upon them (Rev. 20:13: the dead in the sea cannot be human beings, but must be the demons).

The Lord Jesus, when in the flesh as a man, began to execute God's judgment. He "was manifested, that He might undo the works of the Devil" (1 John 3:8). The Lord gave His disciples "authority" (Luke 10:19) over all the power of the enemy. 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, destroying 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 bottomless pit (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.