The subject of Satan is very negative and we would rather not talk about it. However, God talks about it in the Bible and we need to know about it in order to fight against him. Therefore, we will spend some time on this subject.
[We have seen already that God’s original creation is fully covered in Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” We have also seen that something happened between verse 1 and verse 2: God’s original creation was damaged, the earth became waste and empty, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. This was the result of God’s judgment on the earth due to Satan’s rebellion. Now let us look at Satan’s origin and rebellion.]
[Satan means adversary. Satan is not only God’s enemy outside of God’s kingdom, but also God’s adversary from within God’s kingdom, rebelling against God. Enemy refers to the foe outside of God’s kingdom, whereas adversary refers to the foe from within God’s kingdom. Satan, who had been under God’s ruling, is not an outsider. Therefore, he has been God’s adversary right up to now.]
Ezekiel 28:12-14 says, “Thus saith the Lord God; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.”
This portion of the Scripture describes Satan’s position in the universe before his rebellion and corruption. His creation was heralded with tambourines and pipes which were used for kings. This indicates that he was a king, and explains why he was called “the ruler of this world” (John 12:31) and “the ruler of the authority of the air” (Eph. 2:2). He also stated that he had all the authority of the kingdoms of the earth (Luke 4:5-6).
He must have been the highest archangel because Michael the archangel (Dan. 10:13) did not dare to bring a reviling judgment against him (Jude 9).
He was “the anointed cherub that covers.” He was to cover the ark of God in the holy mountain of God in the heavens. He was very close to God and was bearing God’s glory. Cherubim typically lead the worship of God, as is the case in Ezekiel. The four cherubim in Ezekiel are the four living creatures, similar to the four living creatures in Revelation who led all the creatures to worship God (Ezek. 10:20; 1:10; Rev. 4:7). This reveals that Satan, “the anointed cherub,” must have been the high priest in the universal worship of God.
[Ezekiel 28:15 says that Satan was perfect in his ways from the day he was created. Of course, God did not create an evil Satan. God created a good and perfect archangel. But at a certain time, this archangel, the anointed cherub, rebelled against God.]
[Satan rebelled against God because of pride in his heart. Ezekiel 28:17 says that his heart was lifted up because of his beauty, that he corrupted his wisdom by reason of his brightness. He “sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty” (Ezek. 28:12). This means that he had the full measure of completeness and was short of nothing. But he gazed on his beauty and was proud. He looked at his brightness, and because of his brightness he used his God-given wisdom to commit sins and do unrighteous deeds, and thus corrupted his wisdom. To look at what God has made us and to forget God Himself always tempts us to be proud. Pride was the cause of Satan’s rebellion. In our experience, all the natural virtues and spiritual gifts can be utilized by the Devil to make us proud. Even the apostle Paul could “be exceedingly lifted up by the transcendence of the revelations” (2 Cor. 12:7). The proud Devil is still walking about on the earth, seeking the proud ones whom he may devour (1 Pet. 5:8). The only way to resist him is to humble ourselves. “Gird yourselves with humility toward one another, because God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (l Pet. 5:5). The Lord Jesus is a good example in this matter. Satan exalted himself, but the Lord Jesus “humbled Himself” (Phil. 2:8). Thus, the Lord Jesus overcame Satan, and Satan had nothing in Him (John 14:30).]
[The purpose of Satan’s rebellion was to exalt himself to be equal with God. In Isaiah 14:13-14 we find that five times Satan said, “I will”: “I will ascend into heaven...I will exalt my throne...I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation...I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High.” Satan wanted to be equal with God. That was the purpose of his rebellion against God.]
Satan initiated the rebellion against God with the evil intention to overthrow God’s authority (Ezek. 28:15-18; Isa. 14:13-14). Not only did he rebel, but one-third of the angels who were under his hand also rebelled (Rev. 12:4, 9; the stars represent angels).
[The living creatures which were on the earth at that time also joined Satan in his rebellion. Thus God judged them with water and they became the demons on the earth. Their lodging place is in the water. Man’s body is also their temporary dwelling place (Matt. 12:43-45).]
[Geologists and archaeologists have discovered that the earth is not merely six thousand years old, but much older. Some have discovered fossil remains of bones which are thousands and thousands of years old. But according to the Bible, there are only about six thousand years from Adam to now. Mr. Pember found the answer. Between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2 there was a period of time which he called the interval. No one can say how long this interval was.] [Pember also inferred from the biblical record that in this pre-Adamic age there existed on the earth some living beings and that they also joined Satan in his rebellion against God. Thus Satan, his fallen angels, and these living beings were all judged by God. After they were judged by God, these beings lost their bodies and became disembodied spirits. This is the reason that demons want to enter a physical body. The water with which God judged them became the deep where the demons must live. Pember even proved that under this deep water there is the so-called abyss. The deep water is the demons’ dwelling place.]
When the Lord Jesus was crossing the sea to cast out demons, the fallen angels in the air stirred up the wind and the demons in the water stirred up the waves to frustrate the Lord (Matt. 8:23-32). Satan, the evil angels, and the demons form the kingdom of Satan. The kingdom of Satan is always fighting against the Lord and His kingdom. We must stand with the Lord in His kingdom to fight against Satan and His kingdom.