KNOW YOUR ENEMY: WHO IS MY ENEMY? pt 2

Knowing all this … where in the organizational chart of Creation would Satan be? Who else could carry out this role? No one else … no other angelic being … not Michael, not Gabriel … could carry out Satan’s responsibilities. Only Satan had the ability to do what he did. On the organizational chart, Satan is right below God. Who put Satan in this position? Vs. 14 – God. Knowing that … knowing that God had made you unique … made you super beautiful … placed you in His presence … how would you view your position on the organizational chart? One of great honor or something else? If Barak Obama or Rick santorum asked you to be his VP, how would you view it? To be so close to the most powerful individual in the world. What a honor! Let me tell you, nearly every man who has been VP from John Adams to Dick Cheney have hated the position. John Adams called VP “the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived or his imagination conceived.” John Nance Garner – “job of VP is not worth a pitcher of warm spit.” Harry Truman – “job of VP is to go to weddings and funerals.” Why? VP is a No.2 job, not No. 1. No. 2 doesn’t get all the glory and honor that comes with being No. 1. But they have ready access to the most powerful individual in the world? Not enough to satisfy the people who have been VP. For a time, Satan was content with the honor of being No. 2. But, there came a time for Satan when being No. 2 was not enough. He wanted to be No. 1.

3. a) Did God create Satan evil? No! Read Ezekiel 28:12, 15.

b) If not, how did Satan become evil? God created Satan and other angelic beings with free will. My opinion. Bible theologians/scholars disagree on that. Some believe only humans were given free will. What does free will mean? Freedom to choose. Why did God create angelic beings and humans with free will? It would have saved Him a lot of headaches/heartaches if He had done otherwise. God wanted angels and humans to choose to obey Him and not be forced to obey Him. God wanted angels and humans to choose to love Him and not be forced to love Him. Love is not love if it has to be coerced or given involuntarily. But there is a catch to free will. Just as one can choose to obey/love God, one could also what? Choose not to. Listen closely to what I have to say next and think about it/ponder on it. God gave Satan free will to choose to obey/love Him knowing that a time would come when Satan would use his free will to choose not to love Him. Same true for us. God gave Adam and Eve free will to choose to obey/love Him knowing that a time would come when they would use his free will to choose not to love Him. Mind-blowing stuff!!!!!!

For a time Satan chose to serve God faithfully … fulfilled his responsibility of enhancing God’s glory/holiness.

4. a) In Ezekiel 28, Satan was found blameless until what happened? Unrighteousness was found in him. b) After reading the passages in Ezekiel and Isaiah, what led to Satan no longer being blameless? What was the source of his unrighteousness? Pride. Hubris - excessive pride or self-confidence; arrogance. Prideful about what? – Ezekiel 28:17 – Prideful of his beauty and splendor. Ezekiel 28:16 – Abundance of your trade – Remember God is speaking to King of Tyre and Satan. King of Tyre made his wealth off trade with other nations. Desired more wealth. His pursuit of wealth led him to be internally violent – what does that mean? Inner rage; boiling anger to the point of wanting to attack someone. What was Satan’s trade? The anointed cherub who covers God. He enhanced God’s glory/holiness. Only one in Creation who could perform this trade. Brought Satan a wealth of attention. Not enough. Desired more. This desire fueled an inner rage to the point where he wanted to lash out against the One who was denying him more attention. At this point, Satan had to make a choice. He had to exercise his free will and choose – Deny his pride, accept his role in Creation, and remain obedient to God or act on his pride, reject his role in Creation, and disobey God. Which did Satan choose? We all know the answer.

6. What do you think the confrontation between Satan and God was like? How do you think it went down? Read Isaiah 14:12-16.

Paraphase – At some point, Satan begins to think to himself “I am the model of perfection. I’m the best of the best. I am the wisest and most beautiful in all Creation. But, I want more. I deserve more.” Pride becomes desire. What did Satan desire? In Isaiah chapter 14, Satan says 5 times “I will”. I will ascend to heaven. I will rule over all the angels. I will sit on the mount of assembly. Emphasize - Satan’s having these thoughts while carrying out his responsibilities to God. He continues to feed his pride until desire becomes arrogance. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds. I will be like God. In thinking that, Satan really saying “I will be God.” These violent thoughts fed by his pride were building and building inside Satan to the point where he chose to disobey God. Like an eagle, Satan soared above the heavens, above the mount of assembly, above the clouds to the abode of the Most High God. Satan, the created being, confronted God, his creator and said – ““I am the model of perfection. I’m the best of the best. I am the wisest and most beautiful in all Creation. But, it’s not enough. I want more. I deserve more. I will have more. I will be like you.” God’s response? Obadiah 3, 4.

Then what? What was the outcome for Satan? Ezekiel 28:16-19; Isaiah 14:15-16. Satan expelled from the presence of god. In the process, God humiliated him … made a spectacle out of him. For someone who is prideful, how does that feel? Unbearable pain.

Why did God not just destroy Satan? Only God knows the answer to that question. For me to speculate would be the heights of absurdity. I do not know the mind of God in this matter. The only answer I’ll give is that God had a reason not to destroy Satan.

Can Satan know salvation? If Satan were to ask God for forgiveness for his sins would God extend Him grace? I can say with 100% certainty ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!!!!! How can you be so certain Greg? God’s word spells out in clear detail the final fate of Satan and it is eternal damnation. God did not extend grace to Satan and the angelic beings that followed on the path of disobedience. They are condemned to an eternity of separation from God, ultimately end up in the eternal fire prepared for them (Matthew 25:41.) God has denied, today denies, and in the future will deny Satan, eternal salvation. Satan – an angelic being that was greatest in Creation. We mere humans, on the other hand, can know eternal salvation. God did extend grace to humanity by sacrificing His Son so that those of us who believe will not be condemned but know eternal life (John 3:16.) When God created humans, beings lower than angels on the organizational chart, in the Garden of Eden, he gave them free will, just like Satan. In doing so, God foreknew that just like Satan, humans would choose to disobey Him. However, unlike Satan, God had in place a plan to redeem humans, again beings lower than angels on the organizational chart, after they disobey him. As if Satan needed another reason to hate God. But, how should this knowledge that God offers you the redemption that is denied Satan make you feel? It should make you feel very special.

What was God’s purpose for speaking these words to Satan … of reminding Satan his origins and fall from grace? To remind Satan that he is not a god. That he is a created being. Being a created being means Satan has limitations. But, ever since he rebelled Satan has had this fixation on being like God. He probably perceives himself to be a god. Satan to this day remains extremely prideful. In these verses, God is putting Satan in his place. Also, God is reminding Satan that he was a loser, is a loser, and will always be a loser.

What lesson(s) can we learn from Satan’s fall? Danger of out of control pride. As you study Scripture, you’ll soon discover there is one sin that really makes God angry – pride. Examples - Adam & Eve, Tower of Babel, Samson, Nebuchadnezzar, David, Kings of Tyre and Babylon, Pharisees, etc. Why? Pride leads to idolatry. Making yourself to be a god. But also, maybe because it was the first sin ever committed and it was committed by Satan.

Satan lost the battle, but the war with God was by no means over. He was not happy about losing everything that made him great. In time, the Enemy learned of God’s final act of creation – man and woman. He began sneaking around the Garden of Eden, the site of his past glory. The Enemy witnessed the special bond between God and humans. Began to scheme …. At this point, Lucifer, the light bearer (as he is referred to by tradition) becomes Satan, the adversary.