Why didn’t God destroy Lucifer as soon as he sinned?
(Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:12-19; 1 John 4:7-16; Revelation 12:7-9) Blog Sep 25-Oct 1, 2022
Prepared by Richard A. Marin: Present Truth PO Box 700, Fallbrook CA 92088-0700 USA
INTRODUCTION: This quarter we will consider life and death. Where did they come from? Where are they going? Who has immortality? Can our dead speak? These are all questions that deserve answers, and we will find those answers in God’s Word.
Sin in Heaven
1. When Eve approached the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, who met her there? In Eden a talking serpent met Eve at the tree of the knowledge of good & evil (Gen. 3:1).
2. Who was speaking through the serpent in the Garden of Eden? Satan was speaking through the serpent in the garden of Eden (2 Cor. 11:3; Rev. 12:9).
3. Where did Satan come from? Satan was cast down from heaven to this earth before life was created on this earth (Luke 10:18; Rev. 12:9).
4. What was Satan’s name and position in heaven? In heaven Satan’s name was Lucifer, son of the morning, & he was the highest angel, a covering cherub, the sum of wisdom & perfect in beauty (Isa. 14:12; Eze. 28:12-15).
5. What did Lucifer lack in heaven? Lucifer lacked nothing in heaven. All the angel’s looked up to him, he was clothed in the most stunning apparel, had the highest position a created being could hold, & was perfect in every way (Eze. 28:12-15).
6. If Lucifer was the highest, wisest, most beautiful angel, what brought the great change into becoming Satan, the deceiver, and enemy of God? Although Lucifer occupied the highest place a creature could attain, he allowed a desire to be God to grow in his heart until it overpowered his perfect wisdom & drove him to rebel against God, even though a creature can never become God (Isa. 14:12-14; Eze. 28:15-18).
7. What was the reason for Lucifer’s rebellion? There was & is no reason for Lucifer to rebel. He introduced pride into the universe, infected a third of heaven’s angels & all humanity with the same sinful spirit (Job. 41:1, 34; Eze. 28:17; Mark 7:21-23; Rev. 12:3-4, 9).
Free to Love
8. What is pride? Pride is inordinate self-esteem, selfishness, the opposite of love (Isa. 13:11; 1 Cor. 13:4).
9. What characteristic of God has been true for all eternity? God is love & that holy principle has always been his motive of action (Mal. 3:6; 1 John 4:7, 11).
10. What is love? Love is unselfish affection, concern, & devotion for another (Rom. 13:10; 1 Cor. 13:4-5).
11. Why did God allow Satan to enter the perfect Garden of Eden? In the Garden of Eden God desired voluntary love from his creatures. God did not want Adam & Eve to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good & evil but neither did he want them to love & obey him because they had no other choice. He gave them freedom of choice to love him or not (Gen. 2:16-17; 3:1-7).
12. How does 1 John 4 show that freedom of choice is a prerequisite of love? John invites believers to love one another, thus showing that they have a choice to do otherwise (1 John 4:7, 11).
13. If we had no choice to obey or not obey God, what would we be? Creatures without choice are robots that only do what they are programmed to do (Deut. 30:19-20; Josh. 24:15).
The Devil Came Down
14. What does Solomon say follows pride? Solomon says that war & destruction follow pride (Prov. 13:10; 16:18).
15. What followed Lucifer’s expression of pride in heaven? War & being cast out of heaven followed Lucifer’s expression of pride in heaven (Rev. 12:7-9).
16. Who led the unfallen angels in the war against Lucifer and his angels? Michael, the Son of God, led the angels of heaven in the war against Lucifer for he is the great Prince that will deliver God’s people in the last days (Dan. 10:13, 21; 12:1; Rev. 12:7).
17. Why didn’t God destroy Lucifer as soon as he sinned? God will destroy Lucifer in the end, but if he had destroyed him when he first sinned, all other created beings might have reason to wonder if Lucifer’s desire to change God’s Law was a good one. So, God let him demonstrate the principles of his kingdom (falsehood & force), so that all could understand what Lucifer’s principles lead to: chaos & death (John 8:44).
18. When Satan brought sin and death to all humanity through Adam’s sin, how was he defeated? Jesus, the great Deliverer, once again entered the battlefield & by himself, through death defeated the devil who will be finally destroyed (Rom. 5:12, 17; Heb. 1:3; 2:14).