Rebellion
I have read so many times scripture referencing the fall of Satan but never gave it much thought because it seemed rather straight forward. Today, however, three questions came to mind.
1.) What is rebellion?
2.) What made Satan rebel against God?
3.) Why did God cast Satan to earth and not the pit?
Rebellion is an open organized armed resistance or defiance of any authority or tradition. Contextually, Revelation 12:9 seems to best support that the dragon is symbolic for the devil. In this passage, it states that the dragon “drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth.” What made Satan rebel against God? It was his pride. But what did Satan have pride in? If we look in the book of Ezekiel 28:12, judgement is taken up against the King of Tyre. A closer look at the passage reveals the source of the king’s judgement. You were the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. Every behavior has a source. In this case, there were significant parallels between the King of Tyre’s behavior and the statements made within Satan’s heart. (Isaiah 14:13-14). Both were endowed with great wisdom and adorned with great beauty which led them to their downfall. Pride can become indistinguishable from identity. Pride typically finds its identity in material possessions and the traits and behaviors we attach our identity to. Identity, on the other hand, is who you are without any outward input or influence. In other words, you need to find your beginning. In the beginning God created…(Genesis 1:1). Satan was equating all his giftings to his ability to become like God which is the same line he tempts Eve with in the garden. 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.” (Genesis 3:5). Any power derived from worldly possessions or titles is what I label as perceived power because it’s temporary. It originates from our senses. So, if perceived power appeals to our senses, real power reaches beyond our senses. Anything real is true, factual and eternal, which is a perfect description of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who was, who is, and is to come.
Why did God cast Satan to earth instead of the pit? God was not intimidated by the rebellion of Satan nor is He intimidated by the rebellion and unbelief of men today. There could be several reasons as to why Satan was thrown to the earth instead of the pit so I’m speculating but because Satan thought he could rival against God Himself, I can believe that God put him to the test. In the Book of Job, God removes His hedge of protection around Job’s possessions and places them in the hands of Satan. Satan’s belief was that Job only served God because of what God gave him and could do for him. Satan could not understand that he could never rival or overthrow the throne of God because the real power of God comes from His presence. If you pay close attention to the enemy’s tactic, the real fight we see in the world today is perceived power vs. the presence of God. That is why the enemy tempted Eve with temporary power by luring her with the fruit and when she ate it, her and Adam were removed from the presence of God. Don’t allow the enemy to get you to surrender your birthright. The Holy Spirit is the only power that is worthy of possession in this world because it leads us to eternal life.
