Puzzling Question about Satan

  • Christian Chat is a moderated online Christian community allowing Christians around the world to fellowship with each other in real time chat via webcam, voice, and text, with the Christian Chat app. You can also start or participate in a Bible-based discussion here in the Christian Chat Forums, where members can also share with each other their own videos, pictures, or favorite Christian music.

    If you are a Christian and need encouragement and fellowship, we're here for you! If you are not a Christian but interested in knowing more about Jesus our Lord, you're also welcome! Want to know what the Bible says, and how you can apply it to your life? Join us!

    To make new Christian friends now around the world, click here to join Christian Chat.
A

arthurfleminger

Well-known member
Aug 18, 2021
1,405
796
113
I can understand how Adam and Eve could be fooled and disobey and reject God. But I've never understood what could have caused Satan and his angels to rebel against and reject God. After all, they were actually in heaven, in God's precense and could experience God's love and goodness.

The Bible tells us very little about the war in heaven. What did Satan and his minions hope to acheive. I understand that Satan's sin was one of pride, I just don't understand how he thought he was going to rebel and win against God. Any ideas on what motivated Satan?
 
arthurfleminger said:
I can understand how Adam and Eve could be fooled and disobey and reject God. But I've never understood what could have caused Satan and his angels to rebel against and reject God. After all, they were actually in heaven, in God's precense and could experience God's love and goodness.

The Bible tells us very little about the war in heaven. What did Satan and his minions hope to acheive. I understand that Satan's sin was one of pride, I just don't understand how he thought he was going to rebel and win against God. Any ideas on what motivated Satan?
Click to expand...

I doubt angels experience the love of God like we do.
However, Satan rebelled because God chose humans as His heirs. As a creature, humans were inferior to angels. Satan was designed to serve the whole house of God which included, according to God’s plan, men. For an angel whose worth is in the value of what he does for God, this was unacceptable... to serve a being lower than himself. This was the essence of his pride.
 
arthurfleminger said:
I can understand how Adam and Eve could be fooled and disobey and reject God. But I've never understood what could have caused Satan and his angels to rebel against and reject God. After all, they were actually in heaven, in God's precense and could experience God's love and goodness.

The Bible tells us very little about the war in heaven. What did Satan and his minions hope to acheive. I understand that Satan's sin was one of pride, I just don't understand how he thought he was going to rebel and win against God. Any ideas on what motivated Satan?
Click to expand...
He was not satisfied to be the greatest of God’s creation. He wanted to be God.


Isaiah 14:12-14
New King James Version


The Fall of Lucifer
12 “How you are fallen from heaven,
O Lucifer, son of the morning!
How you are cut down to the ground,
You who weakened the nations!
13 For you have said in your heart:
I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
I will also sit on the mount of the congregation
On the farthest sides of the north;
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,
I will be like the Most High.’
 
  • Like
Reactions: phil36, John146, Live4Him3 and 5 others
arthurfleminger said:
I can understand how Adam and Eve could be fooled and disobey and reject God. But I've never understood what could have caused Satan and his angels to rebel against and reject God. After all, they were actually in heaven, in God's precense and could experience God's love and goodness.

The Bible tells us very little about the war in heaven. What did Satan and his minions hope to acheive. I understand that Satan's sin was one of pride, I just don't understand how he thought he was going to rebel and win against God. Any ideas on what motivated Satan?
Click to expand...


Satan wanted to be greater than God. It does seem strange that a being way older than myself would think something created could be better than the creator.

However in a strange way he sorta receives
what he wanted. Think about all the catastrophes he created and he even had Jesus killed. Granted...God can make it for the good.

Evil generally doesn't think about the future. In his case his eternity. So he's getting what he wants in the now. If he didn't get what he wanted he wouldn't do it.

You would think he would love being around the creator though and the angels as well. Being in that love all the time. However beings that love the dark, hate the light lest their ways become known.
 
blueluna5 said:
Satan wanted to be greater than God. It does seem strange that a being way older than myself would think something created could be better than the creator.

However in a strange way he sorta receives
what he wanted. Think about all the catastrophes he created and he even had Jesus killed. Granted...God can make it for the good.

Evil generally doesn't think about the future. In his case his eternity. So he's getting what he wants in the now. If he didn't get what he wanted he wouldn't do it.

You would think he would love being around the creator though and the angels as well. Being in that love all the time. However beings that love the dark, hate the light lest their ways become known.
Click to expand...
You know, pride's an insidious thing. It acts like your friend, when it's your worst enemy. And, it blinds you to reality.

Look at the fools in Revelation. Millions of people being slammed by God with Hell-like curses, and they respond out of prideful anger instead. They'd rather suffer than serve God.

That may be what got Satan to become what he did.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Chester and Live4Him3
Before Satan fell, his name was Lucifer.

He saw himself… his focus became on himself instead of God his Creator.

He saw how beautiful he was and wanted to be worshipped…. It is Pride that wants to be worshipped like God.

When we see how beautiful we are, the correct response should be us giving GLORY to God for He created us, amen.

Lucifer was at his place of decision… give GLORY to God or demand glory be given to him…..

ALL GLORY belongs to GOD ALONE.

Lucifer choose wrong…at that point he became Satan and fell to Earth…he is still falling….next, he will fall to the bottomless pit…. after that, the Lake of Fire.

Satan wants to take us with him to the Lake of Fire, let’s NOT go with him…..

WE STILL HAVE A CHOICE!!
 
  • Like
Reactions: phil36, Jesusfollower, The_Watchers_2017 and 1 other person
It was what he didn't have that caused his fall, gratitude.
 
As others here have already touched upon, Satan's desire is to be worshipped as God.

So much so that he tempted Jesus to fall down and worship him:

Matthew chapter 4

[8] Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
[9] And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
[10] Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

This desire to be worshipped as God will ultimately find its very brief fulfillment in the person of the Antichrist who will receive his power, and seat, and great authority from Satan or the dragon:

"And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority." (Revelation 13:2)

This "beast" or the Antichrist will ultimately be worshipped by everyone whose name is not found in the Lamb's book of life:

"And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." (Revelation 13:8)

Yes, prior to Christ's second coming, the Antichrist will sit within a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem and be "worshipped...as God":

II Thessalonians chapter 2

[3] Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
[4] Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
[5] Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?

Anyhow, this is what Satan has always desired, but his end will be torment in the lake of fire.
 
Gojira said:
You know, pride's an insidious thing. It acts like your friend, when it's your worst enemy. And, it blinds you to reality.
Click to expand...
So true.

It's no happy coincidence that sin is likened to "leaven", which is a rising agent, in scripture.

In other words, PRIDE is a "rising up" or "lifting up" of one's own ways above God's ways, and I personally believe that it is the root cause of every type of sin imaginable.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Gojira
The origin of evil; an age old question that theologians and philosophers and scholars have wrestled with through out the ages.
 
Thirsty_for_livingwaters said:
Does that mean he was blatantly disobedient?
Click to expand...

ccwelcome5s.png

Welcome!
:)
 
arthurfleminger said:
I've never understood what could have caused Satan and his angels to rebel against and reject God.
Click to expand...

my view
First God Had a Plan before He created this earth and all in it -----His Plan from the beginning was to Send His Only Son to shed His Blood and die on a Cross and be resurrected to rescue mankind from eternal damnation ----this is important to know because without Lucifer having a name change to Satan ---there would have been no reason for God to send His only Son to Save mankind ------

God created everything perfect even human kind -----He then gives His human creation the freedom to make choices ----if Lucifer had of Stayed Lucifer ----all would have remained perfect ----all of God's Human creation would have remained in full obedience and fellowship with Him ---- there would have been No fall of humans or this world -----

God Is an all knowing God ----so God already knew before He even started His plan that when He created His angels that He would give them free will to choose to serve Him or not -----He knew which angels would be His elect and which ones would rebel against Him -----

Lucifer was a Cherubim angel according to scripture ----Ezekiel 28: gives you that ====

this is from ---read all for yourselves
https://www.versebyverseministry.org/bible-answers/what-does-the-bible-say-about-angels

Cherubim are creatures that guard God’s glory and serve Him in various ways including at His throne and temple.
Seraphim are higher than angels and Cherubim are higher than seraphim.
Before his fall, Lucifer (Satan) was the highest cherub and therefore the most power angelic being of all.

I say
So God allowed Lucifer to choose to become prideful and Have his name Changed to Satan ----God's allowed other angels to follow Satan -----just like God allowed Pharaoh's heart to remain hardened towards freeing God's people ------God leaves us to our own devices -----God does not force anyone to accept him ---he wants us to choose to follow Him through our Love for Him ------

God needed an adversary for us to be able to have free choice --------

Satan was still welcomed by God at certain times ----like with Job ----Satan can do nothing on His own he has to have God's permission to tempt people ------

I say ----------This scripture seems to indicate that Satan was in heaven talking with God at the time he was given permission to harass Job -----

Job 1
Satan Attacks Job's Health
2 Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord.

I say -----God's plan had to include a Satan --Without A Satan ----- we all would be living in a perfect world with------- NO--- wars ---sickness --disease ---temptation ----evil -----unbelief -----etc --etc --etc

Free choice would have been nil as we would only have God's way to follow -------we would have been in perfect fellowship with God forever -- until He decided to Rapture us all up ----like He did with Elijah and Enoch ----

So Satan was necessary for God's plan to work as He wanted from the start ------and to the finish -----

We can choose Who we follow and where we go in our end -------

images
 
No doubt that Satan hates God and because of this Satan hates all souls and seeks their everlasting destruction. He tempts and deceives us in many ways. C.S. Lewis wrote an intrigueing short story in which he outlines the methods in which the devil tries to destroy us. The story is called 'The Screwtape Letters', it is fictional buy eye opening.

Synopsis of The Screwtape Letters: In a brief preface, C.S. Lewis says he discovered the bundle of Screwtape’s letters somewhere, but will not say how he managed to come across them. Screwtape is a devil, he warns the reader, and Screwtape’s version of events, therefore, should not be taken as the truth. Then the letters begin. In them, Screwtape advises his nephew, Wormwood, on how best to tempt a British man, called only “the Patient,” into sin and, eventually, into Hell. Wormwood is an inexperienced devil, and he hasgone to a training college to help prepare him to tempt humans into sin.

The full version of The Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis is both an informative and amusing read, well worth the read: lewis-screwtape-letters.pdf (preachershelp.net)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back