It's also obvious to most of us that God didn't just arbitrarily decide that He wanted temptation, sin, and suffering in His universe, but this is what some careless and misguided universalists (particularly those highly influenced by A. E. Knoch) seem to teach.
Consider God's words to Job:
Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? (Job. 38:4-7.)
"Sons of God" is an obvious metaphor for angelic beings, and "morning stars" is an equally obvious metaphor for Archangels.
This verse shows that they already existed when the earth was created.
God is speaking to Job about the original creation of the Earth (Gen. 1:1), and there is no hint that any of these Angelic beings had sinned, or were as yet hostile to God (or what they knew of His plans and purpose.)
Those who like to believe that God pulled the devil out of His hat (and had a ready-made adversary, already hating all that's good) have only two verses to quote--so let's look at John 8:44 and 1 John 3:8.
Ye are of a father -- the devil, and the desires of your father ye will to do; he was a man-slayer from the beginning, and in the truth he hath not stood, because there is no truth in him; when (this) one may speak the falsehood, of his own he speaketh, because he is a liar -- also his father. (John 8:44, Young's Literal Translation.)
The term "man-slayer" presupposes the existence of man--He could not be a man-slayer (in fact or intent) until the creation of man--so the context shows that it's man's beginning that's spoken of.
What our Lord affirmed here is that Satan has hated man for as long as man has existed--from man's beginning.
Man's beginning was in Eden, and it was there that the serpent became a man-slayer by bringing death on our entire race (through the instrumentality of a lie!)
When our Lord spoke of him as the father of lies, this is surely what He had in mind--and when He spoke of him as the father of those who were then ploting His death, it recalls the following promise made to our mother Eve:
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. (Gen. 3:15.)
So much for the context of John 8:44, now let's take a look at 1 John 3:8.
The one practicing sin is of the devil, because the devil sins from the beginning. For this the Son of God was revealed, that He might undo the works of the devil.
The beginning spoken of here is sin's beginning, not the devil's.
Whoever practices sin is of the devil because he was the first to sin, and has been sinning from sin's beginning.--as Henry Alford put it, "from the time that any began to sin" (or, as Bengel put it, "from the time that he became what he is.")
If 1 John 3:8 implies more than this, John 15:27 would imply a hevenly pre-existence for the disciples.
And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning.
Some say that nothing takes God by surprise, and I wholly agree--He surely foresaw the fall of this being (just as He foresaw man's fall.)
Some say that the Advarsary serves God's purpose--I again agree, but an advarsary is only needed because there are some things that creatures (like him and man) can only learn by experience.
Of two things we can be certain:
1.) He is a created being.
For by him (Christ) were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him (Col. 1:16.)
2.) He's not consciously serving God's purpose (because he would not be in need of correction if he were, and scripture indicates that he has a good deal of correction coming.)
...and the Devil, who is leading them astray, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where [are] the beast and the false prophet, and they shall be tormented day and night -- to the ages of the ages. (Rev. 20:10, Young's Literal Translation.)
We're also clearly told (in 1 John 3:8) that he is a sinner.
As to his origin, Paul made an interesting comment to Timothy concerning the danger of selecting a novice as a ministerial candidate:
He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. (1 Tim. 3:6, N.I.V.)
Albert Barnes said this regarding the meaning of the Greek text here:
...fall into the condemnation of the devil. That is, the same kind of condemnation which the devil fell into; to wit, condemnation on account of pride. It is here intimated, that the cause of the apostasy of Satan was Pride--a cause which is as likely to have been the true one as any other. Who can tell but it may have been produced by some new honour which was conferred on him in heaven, and that his virtue was not found sufficient for the untried circumstances in which he was placed? Much of the apostasy from eminent virtue in this world, arises from this cause; and possibly the case of Satan may have been the most signal instance of this kind which has occurred in the universe. The idea of Paul is, that a young convert should not suddenly be raised to an exalted station in the church.
(Barnes' Notes on the New Testament, 1 Tim.3:6.)
To me, this verse clearly implies that the Adversary fell because of pride, and I do believe he is a fallen angel.
As to his ultimate fate, I agree with St.Gregory of Nyssa--who wrote:
We certainly believe, both because of the prevailing opinion, and still more of Scripture teaching, that there exists another world of beings besides, divested of such bodies as ours are, who are opposed to that which is good and are capable of hurting the lives of men, having by an act of will lapsed from the nobler view, and by this revolt from goodness personified in themselves the contrary principle; and this world is what, some say, the Apostle adds to the number of the “things under the earth,” signifying in that passage that when evil shall have been some day annihilated in the long revolutions of the ages, nothing shall be left outside the world of goodness, but that even from those evil spirits shall rise in harmony the confession of Christ’s Lordship.
(On the Soul and the Resurrection)
And:
He (Christ) accomplished all the results before mentioned, freeing both man from evil, and healing even the introducer of evil himself. For the chastisement, however painful, of moral disease is a healing of its weakness.
(The Great Catechism, ch. XXVI)
God Bless.
Return Home.