God’s enemy and our enemy is the devil. As God’s enemy in the universe, the devil has opposed God throughout the ages and damaged His purpose. Therefore, there are many portions in the Bible that speak of the devil. Many of his works are targeted at the believers; consequently, we must be clear concerning him. The following points briefly outline these matters.
It is common for many to wonder about the existence and origin of the devil. The Word of God is not silent concerning this matter.
1. “You who sealed up perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty...You were the anointed cherub who covered the Ark; indeed I set you, so that you were upon the holy mountain of God...You were perfect in your ways from the day that you were created, until unrighteousness was found in you...Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom by reason of your brightness” (Ezek. 28:12, 14-15, 17).
The devil was a cherub created by God, and he sealed up perfection, was full of wisdom, and was perfect in beauty. God anointed him and set him upon His holy mountain, which is God’s dwelling place in heaven, to cover the Ark of God. The devil’s position before God was high, and he was very close to God. The above verses in Ezekiel can be compared to Ephesians 2:2, Jude 9, Luke 4:5-6, and John 12:31. The devil must have been the highest archangel established by God, and God must have especially relied upon him. He was perfect in his ways when he was created, but later his heart was lifted up because of his beauty. Then he committed unrighteousness, corrupting the wisdom that God had given him. He was proud of his beauty, and by means of his brightness, he used his God-given wisdom to sin and commit unrighteousness. This archangel, whom God relied upon in the beginning and who sinned because of pride, is more than a person on earth or an angel in heaven; he is the devil who is proud, sinful, and rebellious against God.
The devil was originally a perfect cherub and an honored archangel, but he became proud because of his superior beauty and because of the honored position that God had given him. Then he used his God-given wisdom to sin and rebel against God. He corrupted himself, making himself into the author of evil and becoming something evil, the devil.
2. “O Daystar, son of the dawn!... / You said in your heart: / I will ascend to heaven; / Above the stars of God / I will exalt my throne. / And I will sit upon the mount of assembly / In the uttermost parts of the north. / I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; / I will make myself like the Most High” (Isa. 14:12-14).
This portion, which speaks of the Daystar, the son of the dawn, involves a type. A star refers to an angel (Rev. 1:20), and Daystar refers to a bright angel. Son of the dawn refers to the morning of the universe, which means the beginning of the universe. The son is not the source, unlike the father, but comes from the father; therefore, this son, who came from God, is an angel created by God. Therefore, these verses speak of a bright angel who was created by God at the beginning of the universe. At a certain point in time this bright angel became proud in his heart, and said “I will” five times. First, he said “I will ascend to heaven” to the place where God dwells. Second, he said “Above the stars of God / I will exalt my throne” in order to be above and superior to all God’s angels. Third, he said, “I will sit upon the mount of assembly / In the uttermost parts of the north.” The northernmost place is where God and His angels meet (1 Kings 22:19-23; Job 1:6; 2:1). It is the dwelling place of God. There the angels of God stand in waiting before Him; only God Himself sits upon the throne. But this proud angel wanted to sit on the throne. This means that he wanted to usurp God’s place on the throne. Fourth, he said, “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,” which are above the heavens. He wanted to be in a place higher than the heavens (Heb. 7:26), which is the third heaven where God dwells (2 Cor. 12:2). Fifth, he said, “I will make myself like the Most High,” which means that he wanted to be equal with God. Here he clearly reveals what was in his arrogant and proud heart. He wanted to uplift himself to be equal with God. This is a great blasphemy. A creature dared to make himself equal to the Lord Creator. He wanted to uplift his throne to compete with the throne of God. This is the greatest blasphemy. It is the vainest of imaginations. This blasphemous, foolish angel is more than simply a man on earth or an angel in heaven. This proud and evil one, who constantly plots to usurp God’s place, is the devil. His heart became proud because of the beauty and glory that God had given him. He wanted to uplift himself to be equal with God, and so he rebelled against God. His rebellion against God caused him (an angel who used to stand in waiting before God) to become God’s enemy, Satan. It caused him to change from a star of brightness into the king of darkness. It changed him from the son of the dawn into the father of eternal night.
God did not create the devil. God created a bright, beautiful, wise, perfect, honorable, and glorious archangel who because of his pride became the devil through his rebellion against God. God did not create an evil one, nor is He the Author of evil. The evil in the universe was created by this perfect, beautiful creature of God. This perfect, beautiful creature of God is the origin of evil in the universe because of his proud, rebellious thoughts. He made himself into the evil one and became the universal source, the origination, of evil. The devil, Satan, is utterly evil.