Chapter 5
Angels in the Plan of God
Scripture teaches that Angels are a very important part of the plan of God. But only God knows exactly the full purpose for angels in His plan of creation, and for whatever reason He has decided man’s “need to know’ has been limited on this subject. This is another instance of the wisdom of God vs. the wisdom of man. Only God sees the entire “picture”; we perceive but a small glimpse. A knowledge and understanding of the presence and activity of angels can only be discerned by searching the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation.
God’s wisdom prevails here, but there seems to be a two-fold purpose for the existence of angels in God’s creation, both of which serve as examples to man. The first has to do with glorifying God and submitting to His will. The second has to do with the choices we make with our attribute of “Free Will.” As one searches Scripture it becomes clear that God uses angels to express His will in much the same manner as He did by means of the Incarnation. The existence of angels(good as well as bad) and Jesus(as Savior) are both used to teach man the will of God, and prepare man for eternal life.
Theologians have often viewed angels as a very difficult subject. Why? Because, while there is abundant mention of angels in the Bible, the nature of this revelation is without the same kind of explicit description we often find with other subjects developed in Scripture: every reference to angels is incidental to some other topic. They are not treated in themselves. God’s revelation never aims at informing us regarding the nature of angels. When they are mentioned, it is always in order to inform us further about God, what he does, and how he does it. Since details about angels activities are not significant for that purpose, they tend to be omitted.
Scripture is very clear that everything in the plan of God centers on God’s creation of man. To this end angels were created as an important adjunct to this plan, and in my research on the plan of God I have not found one extra-biblical reference that successfully ties all of this together. Everything written concerning angels is “after the fact.” I have no idea as to why theologians have downplayed this important aspect of God’s plan.
Angelology
Angelology is the study of angels. The Bible is our only written source on the doctrine of angels. While many details about angels are omitted, it is important to keep in mind three important elements about the biblical revelation God has given us about angels.
(1) The mention of angels is inclusive in Scripture. Angles are referred to 196 times, 103 times in the Old Testament and 93 times in the New Testament.
(2) Further, these many references are scattered throughout the Bible being found in at least 34 books from the very earliest books (whether Job or Genesis) to the last book of the Bible (Revelation).
(3) Finally, there are numerous direct references to angels by the Lord Jesus(our Creator God) Paul wrote, “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities (a reference to angels)—all things have been created by Him and for Him.”
So while the mention of angels may seem incidental to some other subject contextually, it is an important element of divine revelation and cannot be neglected. The Bible is our sole authority rather than the speculations of men or their experiences or what may sound logical to people.
Generally, the tendency of scholars has been to neglect the doctrine of angelology. One has only to peruse the amount of space devoted to angelology in standard theologies to demonstrate this. This disregard for the doctrine may simply be neglect or it may indicate a tacit rejection of this area of biblical teaching. When Billy Graham wrote his book on the subject, he pointed out that: “When I decided to preach a sermon on angels, I found practically nothing in my library.”
The noted Bible teacher Les Feldick made this statement while teaching the Book of Jude: “Now I don’t deal a lot with angels because there again, there is too much you can’t put your handle on it and so I’m always a little cautious when we start teaching things concerning angels.”
A distorted concept of angels has evolved over recent centuries to the point that the general population is in total ignorance concerning their nature and existence. As I have researched this subject I have concluded that this is one area where the art world can be held highly accountable for a misguided vision. In the Byzantine and Western Medieval art of the Middle Ages, much art focused on the expression of Biblical and nonmaterial truths, and used styles that showed the higher unseen glory of a heavenly world, and in the case at hand, the erroneous depiction of angels.
It isn’t a question of “do you believe in angels?“ Scripture is full of it from Genesis to Revelation. We know that angels were part and parcel of the Old Testament. We know Jacob certainly saw the angels. We know three angels came to Abraham’s tent. We know the shepherds at the birth of Christ saw many angels. Peter had an angel release him from prison, and these are valid accounts. Both Jesus and Paul reference angels several times, and that should settle the matter. Because we hold the Bible to be the very Word of God we cannot believe otherwise. "Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions"; (Colossians 2:18) "and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels." (2 Thessalonians 1:7). But Paul teaches nothing concerning the specific activity of angels and demons. He does admonish us to be cognizant of outside forces that may lead one astray.
The angel Satan is a key figure throughout Scripture, tied directly to the concept of original sin and evil in the world. Jesus Himself testified of Satan’s existence. During His ministry, He personally faced temptation from the devil (Matthew 4:1-11), cast out demons possessing people (Luke 8:27-33), and defeated the evil one and his legion of demon angels at the cross. Christ also helped us understand the ongoing, spiritual war between God and Satan, good and evil (Isaiah 14:12-15; Luke 10:17-20).
And, as Paul states in I Corinthians 6:3 , believing Christians will one day judge angels. As they now serve us, they are aware of the future responsibility that we will have, and that they are like regents, serving those who will one day be kings over them. Therefore, as did Paul, we can say with confidence, “…neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:38-39).
Note what Paul says in Hebrews 1:14: “Are they [angels] not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?”
I find it ludicrous that so many theologians and so-called Bible scholars ignore the importance of angels, and particularly Satan’s role in the origin of sin and its significance in the Plan of God! Satan’s thumbprint is found throughout human history as he attempts to thwart the plan of God. How can theologians expound on the subjects of original sin, evil in the world, the fall of man, the concept of redemption, being “born again,“ and “ lifting the curse,” without recognizing the significance of angels, and particularly Satan? The problem of sin and evil is at the center of biblical thought. It’s the first message taught in Genesis, immediately followed by the concept of God’s love with His plan of redemption. Scripture clearly teaches the origin of sin and Satan’s effort to thwart God’s loving plan of redemption.
Nothing whatever happens but that alone which God ordained to happen before the foundation of the world! Everything was infallibly fixed by Him beforehand! With that indisputable principle of scripture fixed steadily in mind, we are enabled to see that God decreed in eternity past, the existence, history and destiny of all rational beings, namely, men and angels.
Angels were the first act of creation
In eternity past, angels were the first and chief end of God’s works in heaven; then on the sixth day after the Genesis Creation, man replaced angels as the principal feature of His creation on earth. Time as we know it enters the equation, because all events of creation are reported in a timely sequential order.
Much of what we know about angels can be derived from what Scripture teaches in regard to the existence and activity of the angel Lucifer(Satan or the Devil). Since we accept the Scriptures as the Word of God, rather than merely a record of man’s thoughts about God, then the reality of Satan cannot be denied. Satan and all the angels were created entities. Satan existed and acted from the earliest to the last books of God’s revelation. Seven book of the Old Testament teach his reality(Genesis, I Chronicles, Job, Psalms, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Zechariah). Every writer of the New Testament affirmed his reality and activity. In twenty-five of the twenty-nine passages in the Gospels that speak of Satan, our Lord is speaking. In some of those passages there can be no question of Christ’s accommodating His teaching to the crowd’s supposed ignorances or faulty concepts of Satan.
We know the angels were created beings because Scriptures declare that all things were created by God through Christ, and there is nothing that was not made by Him( John 1:3; Col. 1:16-17). Assuming that Ezekial 28:11-19 refers to Satan, that passage clearly states that Satan was created(v. 15). This means that angels do not possess attributes that belong to God alone, like omnipresence, omnipotence, and omniscience. Though they are mighty spiritual beings, they have creaturely limitations. And as creatures they are accountable to God.
We might conclude that God created the angels just prior to the creation of mankind because one of their duties is to be ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation “ Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? (Hebrews 1:14). We also know they existed prior to the Garden of Eden, because Satan, who was formerly the angel Lucifer, was already present in the Garden in his fallen state. However, because another known function of angels is to worship God around His throne (Revelation 5:11-14), they may have been in existence for millions of years—as we reckon time—before God created the world, worshipping Him and serving Him.
The Angel Lucifer(Satan)
Lucifer belonged to the order of angelic creatures designated cherubim(Ezek. 28:14). They are associated with guarding the holiness of God(Gen. 3:24), with the throne of God(Ezek. 1:5), and apparently in the actual presence of God. Lucifer was on the holy mountain of God, and he walked in the midst of the stones of fire, likely references to the presence of God Himself. Apparently Lucifer was the chief guardian of God’s holiness and majesty. Lucifer appears to be the highest created angel in terms of order(v.12). He had unparalleled wisdom and beauty(Ezek. 28:12. He was perfect in the sense of being completely sound and of having total moral integrity. In every way Lucifer was the epitome of God’s creation. Having all these positive attributes, what exactly was the character or nature of Lucifer’s iniquity? It was pride!
The Sin of Pride
We learn about it and Satan’s fall from Isaiah 14:12–15‘(KJV): 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. 15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
Here we have a direct quote from the angel Lucifer himself stating exactly what he planned to do. This is the Word of God, and these are the words of Satan-how does one sidestep that fact? It is obvious from the text that Satan’s sin was pride. He was so beautiful, so wise, and so powerful as an angel that he began to covet God’s position and authority. He chafed at having to serve God and grew angry and rebellious. He did not want to serve, he wanted to be served; he, as a creature, wanted to be worshiped.
It is beyond our ability to grasp the significance of pride and its powerful effect on angels and Man. Pride as vice is close to hubris or vanity. It has come to denote an inflated sense of one's status, abilities, or accomplishments, especially when accompanied by haughtiness or arrogance, as it is out of touch with the truth, hubris promotes injustice, conflict, and enmity--all attributes of Satan.
Here it is evident that pride literally went before the Fall, both the fall of Satan and the fall of man. Pride causes shame, loss of wisdom, destruction, and ruin. If one were to summarize what actually happened as Adam and Eve were removed from the Garden of Eden, would not these passages describe their mental and physical condition exactly? Shamed by the knowledge of committing sin against God, physical disease, pain and death looming on the horizon, loss of fellowship with God, and having to fight to eke out a living from the cursed ground; all these are the outworking of the sin of pride.
So, what was Adam and Eve’s sin? Wasn’t it just disobedience by eating the forbidden fruit? Well, yes, that was the physical act that solidified what had already occurred in their minds and hearts. But let’s take a closer look at the passages in Genesis to see what the real sin was and where it started.
1 Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made . And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said , Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said , Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die . 4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die : 5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened , and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. 6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise , she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat , and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat . 7 And the eyes of them both were opened , and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together , and made themselves aprons. 12 And the man said , The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat . 13 And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done ? And the woman said , The serpent beguiled me , and I did eat . [Gen. 3:1–7; Gen 3:12–13]{KJV]
Note, these are all direct quotations from the speech of God, Adam, and Eve. This is the Word of God and we must believe it.
These six things does the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked imaginations, feet that are swift in running to mischief, a false witness that speaks lies, and he that sows discord among brethren.(Proverbs 6:16-19)
The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogance, and the evil way, and the forward mouth, do I hate.(Proverbs 8:13)
On God’s top seven list of most heinous sins, pride comes in at number one! In verse 13 we see that the fear of the Lord is equated with hating pride and arrogance. If we allow pride to control us, we do not really fear God as we ought. The essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride. Unchastity, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere flea-bites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind.
As suggested by 1 Timothy 3:6-7 and Ezekiel 28:17, though created perfect by God (Ezek. 28:13-15), it appears that it was conceit or pride that welled up in his heart because of his beauty and high position that led to arrogant aspirations and to his sin and fall.
I Would ask, where does conceit and pride originate? Pride comes from the same place that all our other emotions, or ability to have feelings comes from. God. We are made in His image and with all of His capabilities to love, or hate, bless, or curse, and so on. The huge difference is in control and love. He has it perfectly, we don't even come close. Example, look at Genesis the first few chapters, the story of creation. Several times the scriptures mention at each stage of creation that "God saw that it was good, and it was good". The flip side is with Lucifer, the most beautiful angel in all of Heaven. So much so that he became prideful and arrogant, believing himself to be worthy to be God. The root of pride is Self-Esteem. From it grow the roots of Conceit, Boastfulness, Ambition, Jealousy, Envy and Intolerance. Beneath every manifestation of Pride, lies Self-Esteem. It is the conviction of superiority over others — the feeling that we are what they are not, or that we can do what they cannot do.
The Five “I Wills” of Lucifer’s Rebellion
Isaiah points us to five “I wills” coming from the proud and boastful heart of Lucifer that describe the nature of his aspiration (Isa. 14:13-14). In each of these “I wills” Lucifer pitted his will against the will of God. He substituted his will for God’s will and, significantly, these five statements expressed by Lucifer manifest the very essence of sin (or glory for some): it is the will of the creature set against the will and appointment of the Creator.
“I will ascend to heaven. I will raise my throne above the stars of God. I will sit on the mount of the assembly in the recesses of the north.”
This describes Lucifer’s ambition to control all the affairs of the universe as the assembly of Babylonian gods supposedly did. Often in Scripture, mountain and hills refer to authority or the right to rule.
Isaiah 2:2 reads, “Now it will come about that in the last days, the mountain of the house of the Lord will be established as the chief of the mountains.
End of chapter 5
Angels in the Plan of God
Scripture teaches that Angels are a very important part of the plan of God. But only God knows exactly the full purpose for angels in His plan of creation, and for whatever reason He has decided man’s “need to know’ has been limited on this subject. This is another instance of the wisdom of God vs. the wisdom of man. Only God sees the entire “picture”; we perceive but a small glimpse. A knowledge and understanding of the presence and activity of angels can only be discerned by searching the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation.
God’s wisdom prevails here, but there seems to be a two-fold purpose for the existence of angels in God’s creation, both of which serve as examples to man. The first has to do with glorifying God and submitting to His will. The second has to do with the choices we make with our attribute of “Free Will.” As one searches Scripture it becomes clear that God uses angels to express His will in much the same manner as He did by means of the Incarnation. The existence of angels(good as well as bad) and Jesus(as Savior) are both used to teach man the will of God, and prepare man for eternal life.
Theologians have often viewed angels as a very difficult subject. Why? Because, while there is abundant mention of angels in the Bible, the nature of this revelation is without the same kind of explicit description we often find with other subjects developed in Scripture: every reference to angels is incidental to some other topic. They are not treated in themselves. God’s revelation never aims at informing us regarding the nature of angels. When they are mentioned, it is always in order to inform us further about God, what he does, and how he does it. Since details about angels activities are not significant for that purpose, they tend to be omitted.
Scripture is very clear that everything in the plan of God centers on God’s creation of man. To this end angels were created as an important adjunct to this plan, and in my research on the plan of God I have not found one extra-biblical reference that successfully ties all of this together. Everything written concerning angels is “after the fact.” I have no idea as to why theologians have downplayed this important aspect of God’s plan.
Angelology
Angelology is the study of angels. The Bible is our only written source on the doctrine of angels. While many details about angels are omitted, it is important to keep in mind three important elements about the biblical revelation God has given us about angels.
(1) The mention of angels is inclusive in Scripture. Angles are referred to 196 times, 103 times in the Old Testament and 93 times in the New Testament.
(2) Further, these many references are scattered throughout the Bible being found in at least 34 books from the very earliest books (whether Job or Genesis) to the last book of the Bible (Revelation).
(3) Finally, there are numerous direct references to angels by the Lord Jesus(our Creator God) Paul wrote, “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities (a reference to angels)—all things have been created by Him and for Him.”
So while the mention of angels may seem incidental to some other subject contextually, it is an important element of divine revelation and cannot be neglected. The Bible is our sole authority rather than the speculations of men or their experiences or what may sound logical to people.
Generally, the tendency of scholars has been to neglect the doctrine of angelology. One has only to peruse the amount of space devoted to angelology in standard theologies to demonstrate this. This disregard for the doctrine may simply be neglect or it may indicate a tacit rejection of this area of biblical teaching. When Billy Graham wrote his book on the subject, he pointed out that: “When I decided to preach a sermon on angels, I found practically nothing in my library.”
The noted Bible teacher Les Feldick made this statement while teaching the Book of Jude: “Now I don’t deal a lot with angels because there again, there is too much you can’t put your handle on it and so I’m always a little cautious when we start teaching things concerning angels.”
A distorted concept of angels has evolved over recent centuries to the point that the general population is in total ignorance concerning their nature and existence. As I have researched this subject I have concluded that this is one area where the art world can be held highly accountable for a misguided vision. In the Byzantine and Western Medieval art of the Middle Ages, much art focused on the expression of Biblical and nonmaterial truths, and used styles that showed the higher unseen glory of a heavenly world, and in the case at hand, the erroneous depiction of angels.
It isn’t a question of “do you believe in angels?“ Scripture is full of it from Genesis to Revelation. We know that angels were part and parcel of the Old Testament. We know Jacob certainly saw the angels. We know three angels came to Abraham’s tent. We know the shepherds at the birth of Christ saw many angels. Peter had an angel release him from prison, and these are valid accounts. Both Jesus and Paul reference angels several times, and that should settle the matter. Because we hold the Bible to be the very Word of God we cannot believe otherwise. "Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions"; (Colossians 2:18) "and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels." (2 Thessalonians 1:7). But Paul teaches nothing concerning the specific activity of angels and demons. He does admonish us to be cognizant of outside forces that may lead one astray.
The angel Satan is a key figure throughout Scripture, tied directly to the concept of original sin and evil in the world. Jesus Himself testified of Satan’s existence. During His ministry, He personally faced temptation from the devil (Matthew 4:1-11), cast out demons possessing people (Luke 8:27-33), and defeated the evil one and his legion of demon angels at the cross. Christ also helped us understand the ongoing, spiritual war between God and Satan, good and evil (Isaiah 14:12-15; Luke 10:17-20).
And, as Paul states in I Corinthians 6:3 , believing Christians will one day judge angels. As they now serve us, they are aware of the future responsibility that we will have, and that they are like regents, serving those who will one day be kings over them. Therefore, as did Paul, we can say with confidence, “…neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:38-39).
Note what Paul says in Hebrews 1:14: “Are they [angels] not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?”
I find it ludicrous that so many theologians and so-called Bible scholars ignore the importance of angels, and particularly Satan’s role in the origin of sin and its significance in the Plan of God! Satan’s thumbprint is found throughout human history as he attempts to thwart the plan of God. How can theologians expound on the subjects of original sin, evil in the world, the fall of man, the concept of redemption, being “born again,“ and “ lifting the curse,” without recognizing the significance of angels, and particularly Satan? The problem of sin and evil is at the center of biblical thought. It’s the first message taught in Genesis, immediately followed by the concept of God’s love with His plan of redemption. Scripture clearly teaches the origin of sin and Satan’s effort to thwart God’s loving plan of redemption.
Nothing whatever happens but that alone which God ordained to happen before the foundation of the world! Everything was infallibly fixed by Him beforehand! With that indisputable principle of scripture fixed steadily in mind, we are enabled to see that God decreed in eternity past, the existence, history and destiny of all rational beings, namely, men and angels.
Angels were the first act of creation
In eternity past, angels were the first and chief end of God’s works in heaven; then on the sixth day after the Genesis Creation, man replaced angels as the principal feature of His creation on earth. Time as we know it enters the equation, because all events of creation are reported in a timely sequential order.
Much of what we know about angels can be derived from what Scripture teaches in regard to the existence and activity of the angel Lucifer(Satan or the Devil). Since we accept the Scriptures as the Word of God, rather than merely a record of man’s thoughts about God, then the reality of Satan cannot be denied. Satan and all the angels were created entities. Satan existed and acted from the earliest to the last books of God’s revelation. Seven book of the Old Testament teach his reality(Genesis, I Chronicles, Job, Psalms, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Zechariah). Every writer of the New Testament affirmed his reality and activity. In twenty-five of the twenty-nine passages in the Gospels that speak of Satan, our Lord is speaking. In some of those passages there can be no question of Christ’s accommodating His teaching to the crowd’s supposed ignorances or faulty concepts of Satan.
We know the angels were created beings because Scriptures declare that all things were created by God through Christ, and there is nothing that was not made by Him( John 1:3; Col. 1:16-17). Assuming that Ezekial 28:11-19 refers to Satan, that passage clearly states that Satan was created(v. 15). This means that angels do not possess attributes that belong to God alone, like omnipresence, omnipotence, and omniscience. Though they are mighty spiritual beings, they have creaturely limitations. And as creatures they are accountable to God.
We might conclude that God created the angels just prior to the creation of mankind because one of their duties is to be ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation “ Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? (Hebrews 1:14). We also know they existed prior to the Garden of Eden, because Satan, who was formerly the angel Lucifer, was already present in the Garden in his fallen state. However, because another known function of angels is to worship God around His throne (Revelation 5:11-14), they may have been in existence for millions of years—as we reckon time—before God created the world, worshipping Him and serving Him.
The Angel Lucifer(Satan)
Lucifer belonged to the order of angelic creatures designated cherubim(Ezek. 28:14). They are associated with guarding the holiness of God(Gen. 3:24), with the throne of God(Ezek. 1:5), and apparently in the actual presence of God. Lucifer was on the holy mountain of God, and he walked in the midst of the stones of fire, likely references to the presence of God Himself. Apparently Lucifer was the chief guardian of God’s holiness and majesty. Lucifer appears to be the highest created angel in terms of order(v.12). He had unparalleled wisdom and beauty(Ezek. 28:12. He was perfect in the sense of being completely sound and of having total moral integrity. In every way Lucifer was the epitome of God’s creation. Having all these positive attributes, what exactly was the character or nature of Lucifer’s iniquity? It was pride!
The Sin of Pride
We learn about it and Satan’s fall from Isaiah 14:12–15‘(KJV): 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. 15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
Here we have a direct quote from the angel Lucifer himself stating exactly what he planned to do. This is the Word of God, and these are the words of Satan-how does one sidestep that fact? It is obvious from the text that Satan’s sin was pride. He was so beautiful, so wise, and so powerful as an angel that he began to covet God’s position and authority. He chafed at having to serve God and grew angry and rebellious. He did not want to serve, he wanted to be served; he, as a creature, wanted to be worshiped.
It is beyond our ability to grasp the significance of pride and its powerful effect on angels and Man. Pride as vice is close to hubris or vanity. It has come to denote an inflated sense of one's status, abilities, or accomplishments, especially when accompanied by haughtiness or arrogance, as it is out of touch with the truth, hubris promotes injustice, conflict, and enmity--all attributes of Satan.
Here it is evident that pride literally went before the Fall, both the fall of Satan and the fall of man. Pride causes shame, loss of wisdom, destruction, and ruin. If one were to summarize what actually happened as Adam and Eve were removed from the Garden of Eden, would not these passages describe their mental and physical condition exactly? Shamed by the knowledge of committing sin against God, physical disease, pain and death looming on the horizon, loss of fellowship with God, and having to fight to eke out a living from the cursed ground; all these are the outworking of the sin of pride.
So, what was Adam and Eve’s sin? Wasn’t it just disobedience by eating the forbidden fruit? Well, yes, that was the physical act that solidified what had already occurred in their minds and hearts. But let’s take a closer look at the passages in Genesis to see what the real sin was and where it started.
1 Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made . And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said , Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said , Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die . 4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die : 5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened , and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. 6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise , she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat , and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat . 7 And the eyes of them both were opened , and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together , and made themselves aprons. 12 And the man said , The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat . 13 And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done ? And the woman said , The serpent beguiled me , and I did eat . [Gen. 3:1–7; Gen 3:12–13]{KJV]
Note, these are all direct quotations from the speech of God, Adam, and Eve. This is the Word of God and we must believe it.
These six things does the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked imaginations, feet that are swift in running to mischief, a false witness that speaks lies, and he that sows discord among brethren.(Proverbs 6:16-19)
The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogance, and the evil way, and the forward mouth, do I hate.(Proverbs 8:13)
On God’s top seven list of most heinous sins, pride comes in at number one! In verse 13 we see that the fear of the Lord is equated with hating pride and arrogance. If we allow pride to control us, we do not really fear God as we ought. The essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride. Unchastity, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere flea-bites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind.
As suggested by 1 Timothy 3:6-7 and Ezekiel 28:17, though created perfect by God (Ezek. 28:13-15), it appears that it was conceit or pride that welled up in his heart because of his beauty and high position that led to arrogant aspirations and to his sin and fall.
I Would ask, where does conceit and pride originate? Pride comes from the same place that all our other emotions, or ability to have feelings comes from. God. We are made in His image and with all of His capabilities to love, or hate, bless, or curse, and so on. The huge difference is in control and love. He has it perfectly, we don't even come close. Example, look at Genesis the first few chapters, the story of creation. Several times the scriptures mention at each stage of creation that "God saw that it was good, and it was good". The flip side is with Lucifer, the most beautiful angel in all of Heaven. So much so that he became prideful and arrogant, believing himself to be worthy to be God. The root of pride is Self-Esteem. From it grow the roots of Conceit, Boastfulness, Ambition, Jealousy, Envy and Intolerance. Beneath every manifestation of Pride, lies Self-Esteem. It is the conviction of superiority over others — the feeling that we are what they are not, or that we can do what they cannot do.
The Five “I Wills” of Lucifer’s Rebellion
Isaiah points us to five “I wills” coming from the proud and boastful heart of Lucifer that describe the nature of his aspiration (Isa. 14:13-14). In each of these “I wills” Lucifer pitted his will against the will of God. He substituted his will for God’s will and, significantly, these five statements expressed by Lucifer manifest the very essence of sin (or glory for some): it is the will of the creature set against the will and appointment of the Creator.
“I will ascend to heaven. I will raise my throne above the stars of God. I will sit on the mount of the assembly in the recesses of the north.”
This describes Lucifer’s ambition to control all the affairs of the universe as the assembly of Babylonian gods supposedly did. Often in Scripture, mountain and hills refer to authority or the right to rule.
Isaiah 2:2 reads, “Now it will come about that in the last days, the mountain of the house of the Lord will be established as the chief of the mountains.
End of chapter 5