On it’s face, Jesus words, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven” seems to be referencing the fall of Satan. However, it’s more complex than one might imagine. For starters, the verses in the Bible that most people believe are about Satan, have nothing to do with him. Secondly, Jesus was not referring to a past event. He was stating that an event was currently happening. Lastly, Satan is hardly mentioned in the Bible which makes it difficult to really know his story.<\/p>\n
Traditionally, Christians have used 3 passages to build the story of Satan’s fall, Ezekiel 28:12-17, Isaiah 14:12-15 and Revelation 12:3-9. Before we can discuss what Jesus was referring, we must go over the biblical and references that most people attribute to Satan’s story.<\/p>\n
Ezekiel 28:12-17<\/strong><\/p>\n
12\u00a0<\/sup>Mortal, raise a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say to him, Thus says the Lord\u00a0God<\/span>:<\/span><\/p>\n
\nYou were the signet of perfection,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.<\/span><\/span>
\n13\u00a0<\/sup>You were in Eden, the garden of God;<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>every precious stone was your covering,<\/span><\/span>
\ncarnelian, chrysolite, and moonstone,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>beryl, onyx, and jasper,<\/span><\/span>
\nsapphire,\u00a0turquoise, and emerald;<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>and worked in gold were your settings<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>and your engravings.<\/span><\/span>
\nOn the day that you were created<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>they were prepared.<\/span><\/span>
\n14\u00a0<\/sup>With an anointed cherub as guardian I placed you;<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>you were on the holy mountain of God;<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>you walked among the stones of fire.<\/span><\/span>
\n15\u00a0<\/sup>You were blameless in your ways<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>from the day that you were created,<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>until iniquity was found in you.<\/span><\/span>
\n16\u00a0<\/sup>In the abundance of your trade<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>you were filled with violence, and you sinned;<\/span><\/span>
\nso I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>and the guardian cherub drove you out<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>from among the stones of fire.<\/span><\/span>
\n17\u00a0<\/sup>Your heart was proud because of your beauty;<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor.<\/span><\/span>
\nI cast you to the ground;<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>I exposed you before kings,<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>to feast their eyes on you.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\nIsaiah 14:12-15<\/strong><\/p>\n
12\u00a0<\/sup>How you are fallen from heaven,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>O Day Star, son of Dawn!<\/span><\/span>
\nHow you are cut down to the ground,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>you who laid the nations low!<\/span><\/span>
\n13\u00a0<\/sup>You said in your heart,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u201cI will ascend to heaven;<\/span><\/span>
\nI will raise my throne<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>above the stars of God;<\/span><\/span>
\nI will sit on the mount of assembly<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>on the heights of Zaphon;<\/span><\/span>
\n14\u00a0<\/sup>I will ascend to the tops of the clouds,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>I will make myself like the Most High.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n15\u00a0<\/sup>But you are brought down to Sheol,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>to the depths of the Pit.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\nRevelation 12:3-9<\/strong><\/p>\n
And war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought back,\u00a0<\/span>8\u00a0<\/sup>but they were defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.\u00a0<\/span>9\u00a0<\/sup>The great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world\u2014he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
In each of these biblical passages there is an element that seems to be speaking about the fall of Satan. However, only one of the them is actually referring to Satan. The third passage, Rev 12:3-9, about Satan. Ezekiel is a prophetic word to the\u00a0king of Tyre, and Isaiah is a prophetic word to the King of Babylon. In fact, both passaged give the name of the recipients.<\/span><\/p>\n
you (Isaiah) will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon (Isaiah 14:4)<\/span><\/p>\n
raise a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say to him.. (Ezekiel 28:12)<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Some who are aware of these facts will argue that the prophetic words were double in their meaning; claiming that in addition to messages to real people, they were also descriptions of Satan’s fall. However, such a thing would be a useless implementation of allegory since these were oracles to foreign kings who would have no idea that the prophecy also served as a history lesson.<\/p>\n
What is more likely is that the prophetic messages are being delivered in such a way that the story of Satan’s fall was being evoked. It would have been common to have a prophetic judgment that drew on imagery from known history or folk-lore. However, that is as far as these Satan references go. In the very least we must concede that these passages are not about Satan (excepting Revelation) but at the very most we can only conclude that any resemblance to the Satan legends is merely there to evoke imagery of known legends. It does not prove that such legends existed.<\/p>\n
\nUnderstanding Ezekiel’s Metaphor<\/h3>\n
\nIn Ezekiels prophetic word, the Lord is writing a lamentation over how the King of Tyre was give all the advantages yet still did evil. This lament easily evokes themes of another fall from a great advantage; that of Adam and Eve. Yet, in the lament God depicts the King of Tyre in garden of Eden, not an characters from the original, such as the snake. This is clear through phrases such as the following:<\/p>\n
every precious stone was your covering,<\/span><\/span>
\ncarnelian, chrysolite, and moonstone,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>beryl, onyx, and jasper,<\/span><\/span>
\nsapphire,\u00a0turquoise, and emerald;<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\nThe serpent in the garden was covered in stones and gems? Of course not. This is the description of a wealthy king who had a throne and likely a breastplate with many jewels. Certainly, the devil neither in angelic nor serpent form was covered in gem stone.<\/p>\n
With an anointed cherub as guardian I placed you;<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>you were on the holy mountain of God;<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>you walked among the stones of fire.<\/span><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\nHere God is referring to a protective cherub like the ones He placed in the garden after Adam and Eve were removed. God is saying that the King of Tyre was given such an advantage that it was like being placed on Mount Sinai where God descended with fire and thunder, and even protected by God’s own cherubs. In other words, the King of Tyre had an incredible advantage.<\/p>\n
However, if we place Satan in this picture then why is God placing Satan on the holy mountain with protection by a cherub? Theoretically, the theophany at the mountain had not even happened yet so God had not claimed a mountain yet. This would mean that God placed Satan on the mountain after Satan had already fallen which makes little sense. If we assume it was before the fall of Satan then we must assume that God always had a thing for that mountain and the fact that it’s were Israel camped and received the 10 commandments isn’t the reason for God’s appearing there. It’s a strange thought.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/span>I exposed you before kings,<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>to feast their eyes on you.<\/span><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\nWhen Satan was theoretically cast from heaven, who were these kings? It would appear that Satan’s fall was before the creation of Adam and Eve since He was already on the earth and causing the very first humans to sin. So, God cast Satan from Heaven, to the earth, which was uninhabited, so that future kings could feast their eyes on him?<\/p>\n
The passage becomes even stranger when the first part of chapter 28 is included in the metaphor.<\/p>\n
Ezekiel 28:1-11<\/strong><\/p>\n
\u201cSon of man, say to\u00a0the prince of Tyre, Thus says the Lord\u00a0God<\/span>:<\/span><\/p>\n
\n\u201cBecause your heart is proud,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>and\u00a0you have said, \u2018I am a god,<\/span><\/span>
\nI sit in the seat of the gods,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>in the heart of the seas,\u2019<\/span><\/span>
\nyet\u00a0you are but a man, and no god<\/strong>,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>though you make your heart like the heart of a god\u2014<\/span><\/span>
\n3\u00a0<\/sup>you are indeed wiser\u00a0than\u00a0Daniel;<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>no secret is hidden from you;<\/span><\/span>
\n4\u00a0<\/sup>by your wisdom and your understanding<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>you have made wealth for yourself,<\/span><\/strong><\/span>
\nand have gathered gold and silver<\/span><\/strong>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>into your treasuries;<\/span><\/span><\/strong>
\n5\u00a0<\/sup>by your great wisdom in your trade<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>you have increased your wealth,<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>and\u00a0your heart has become proud in your wealth\u2014<\/span><\/span>
\n6\u00a0<\/sup>therefore thus says the Lord\u00a0God<\/span>:<\/span>
\nBecause you make your heart<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>like the heart of a god,<\/span><\/span>
\n7\u00a0<\/strong><\/sup>therefore, behold, I will bring\u00a0foreigners upon you,<\/strong><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>the most ruthless of the nations;<\/span><\/span><\/strong>
\nand they shall draw their swords against\u00a0the beauty of your wisdom<\/span><\/strong>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>and defile\u00a0your splendor.<\/span><\/span><\/strong>
\n8\u00a0<\/sup>They shall thrust you down into the pit,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>and you shall die the death of the slain<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>in the heart of the seas.<\/span><\/span>
\n9\u00a0<\/sup>Will you still say, \u2018I am a god,\u2019<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>in the presence of those who kill you,<\/span><\/span>
\nthough\u00a0you are but a man, and no god,<\/strong><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>in the hands of those who slay you?<\/span><\/span>
\n10\u00a0<\/sup>You shall die the death of the uncircumcised<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>by the hand of foreigners;<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>for I have spoken, declares the Lord\u00a0God<\/span>.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\nClearly the first and second portions of this chapter are parallel passages of prophecy and they are both referring to the King of Tyre. However, in the first portion (in bold) it is much clearer that the message is for a mere mortal, not Satan.<\/p>\n
\nUnderstanding Isaiah’s Metaphor<\/h3>\n
\nThe prophecy by Isaiah is typically just a snippet because when Isaiah is read in context of the larger passage it’s painfully clear that this passage was not about Satan, or “Lucifer<\/a>” as the KJV translates. The reason why we call the Devil Lucifer is actually because of this passage and this passage only.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/sup>How you are fallen from heaven,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>O Day Star (Lucifer), son of Dawn!
\nHow you are cut down to the ground,
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>you who laid the nations low!
\n<\/span><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\nIronically,