Almost everyone knows that Lucifer, a.k.a Satan, Morning Star, or the Devil, was once a powerful, wise, talented, holy, graceful, and moral angel of God who held an honorable position in heaven. However, this magnificent and influential angel became a fallen angel after going against God’s laws and wishes. So, why was Lucifer cast out of heaven?
The Bible, theologians, and Christian scholars suggest that Lucifer was cast out of heaven because of the sin of pride, jealousy, greed, envy, and rebellion, pride being the primary cause. Theologians and Christian scholars speculate that Lucifer desired not only to be like God but to be God and rule heaven and earth, so he was expelled from heaven. He wasn’t satisfied with his position and wanted to be worshipped.
What sin did Lucifer commit against God that led to his downfall? When was Lucifer expelled from heaven? How does the Bible describe the casting of Lucifer from heaven? Was Lucifer alone when he was cast out of heaven? If you’re wondering about these questions, this post discusses the answers and will provide you with much more information. So, to learn why Lucifer was chased from heaven, stick around to the end.
What sin did Lucifer commit against God?
Many theologians and Christian scholars generally imply that pride was the sin that led Lucifer to be cast out of heaven by God. Other scholars suggest that besides pride, violence, rebellion, jealousy, envy, hatred, and greed were also some of the sins in Lucifer’s heart that led to his downfall.
The Bible suggests the same, with the main references being Isiah 14:12-15 which says, “How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God, I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit” and Ezekiel 28:12-17, which says, “You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God…You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. Through your widespread trade, you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings”.
These verses imply that Lucifer’s power and perfection led him to be prideful, leading to the corruption of his heart.
The American Author and co-founder of the Seventh Day Adventist Church, Ellen G. White, in her “Early Writing” page.145, suggests that envy, hatred, and jealousy were some of the other sins committed by Lucifer against God.
Jonathan Edwards, an American philosopher, revivalist preacher, and Congregationalist theologian states in one of his sermons, “Wisdom Displayed in Salvation,” in section VII, “Some Wonderful Circumstances in the Overthrow of Satan,” that rebellion was another transgression that contributed to the devil being cast out of heaven.
From these scriptures in the Bible and the writings of Christian scholars and theologians, we learn that Lucifer’s wisdom, power, beauty, and talents led him to be prideful, which resulted in him rebelling against God, thus being cast out of heaven as punishment.
When was Lucifer expelled from heaven?
Although the specific period when Lucifer was expelled from heaven isn’t mentioned in the Bible or any other writings, the Bible provides a few verses that we could use to hint at when Lucifer’s downfall occurred. In Genesis 1:31, the Bible says, “And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning – the sixth day,” implying that no evil existed on earth or in heaven.
However, in Genesis chapter 3, Satan appears as a serpent tempting Adam and Eve, causing them to disobey God and eat the forbidden fruit. For Satan to be in the Garden of Eden as a conniving and evil serpent means that his downfall from the angelic world had already taken place sometime between Genesis chapters 1 and 3. We would then estimate Lucifer’s expulsion from heaven shortly after God created the world.
How does the Bible describe the casting of Lucifer from heaven?
The Bible has several depictions of Lucifer’s downfall from heaven. One of the depictions is in the book of Revelation 12:7-10, which describes it as a war in heaven, saying, “Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.”
The Bible also describes the casting of Lucifer from heaven as a fall to bondage in the bottomless pit for a millennium in the book of Revelation 20:1-3, which says, “And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. 2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. 3 He threw him into the Abyss and locked and sealed it over him to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.”
Jesus, in the book of Luke 10:18, also describes the fall of Lucifer from heaven as a fall like lightning, saying, “And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.”
Revelation 20:10 also describes the casting of Lucifer out of heaven as a fall into a lake of fire by saying, “ And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”
These descriptions were mainly provided by God’s servants and prophets in the Bible who saw visions.
Which Bible verses talk about the fall of Lucifer from heaven?
Several Bible verses discuss the fall of Lucifer from heaven. Some of the verses include;
Revelation 12:7-9 talks about the war between God’s angels led by Michael and Lucifer, described as a dragon and his fallen angels. Luke 10:18 tells us about Jesus describing Lucifer’s fall from heaven.
Ezekiel 28:12-17 as well as Isaiah 14:12-15 describes Satan’s downfall in-depth and tells us why God cast him out of heaven. Most scholars believe that these verses are not only describing Lucifer’s fall but are also about the ruination of human rulers who are rebellious towards God.
Revelation 20:10 also talks about the fall of Lucifer from heaven, saying that he was thrown in a lake of fire, and Revelation 12:4 tells us how many angels were cast out of heaven alongside the devil.
Besides the Bible, numerous theologians and Christian scholars have also discussed Lucifer’s downfall in their writings. Some of them have been mentioned in this post.
Was Lucifer cast out of heaven alone?
Lucifer was cast out of heaven alongside one-third of the angels who supported him in rebelling against God’s governance. Revelation 12:4 indicates this saying, “Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth so that it might devour her child the moment he was born.” Considering the number of angels in heaven, as shown in Revelation 5:11, Lucifer took with him thousands, showing that although he is a fallen angel, he is still a powerful spirit.
References
Why Was Lucifer Cast Out Of Heaven? (The Fall of Satan)
When was Satan Cast Out of Heaven?
What Does The Bible Say About Satan Cast Out Of Heaven?
The Origin and Fall of The Devil
Why Did Lucifer Revolt Against God?
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