When Lucifer Left Heaven

These are the poignant words of the prophet, Samuel, uttered to sinful Saul, who clearly disobeyed the Lord as King of Israel. It clearly teaches that rebellion against the Word of God for a believer is the same thing that drove Satan to rebel against God in Heaven. Note: It is interesting that “witchcraft” in the New Testament comes from the Greek word, pharmakeia, from which we have our English word, “pharmaceuticals” or drugs.

It is pride that is the force behind our sin problem. We want to have our way. We don’t want to do God’s will. Did you hear about the clever salesman who closed hundreds of sales with this line: "Let me show you something several of your neighbors said you couldn't afford!" That’s pride.

I love how President Abraham Lincoln pointed out to Americans that our pride can cause our nation to suffer:

“We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth, and power as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.”

- Lincoln’s Proclamation of a day of National Humiliation, Fasting and Prayer, 1863.

During the Battle of the Wilderness in the Civil War, Union general John Sedgwick was inspecting his troops. At one point he came to an open space over which he gazed out in the direction of the enemy. His officers suggested that this was unwise and perhaps he ought to get back under protection. "Nonsense," snapped the general. "They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist--."

A moment later Sedgwick fell to the ground, fatally wounded.

3. SATAN’S PUNISHMENT

Pride goes before a fall (Proverbs 16:18). It was certainly true in the case of Lucifer. Ezekiel 28:17 simply says, “So, I threw you to the earth.”

In Luke 10:18, Jesus made a startling statement: “I saw Satan fall like lightning”. How could He make that statement?

Jesus is God in flesh (John 1:1-4). He was the One who booted Satan out of Heaven! Lucifer is not in Hell today, He is in the earth. Notice the names for the Devil that are found in the New Testament. They indicate where Satan is today – here on earth fighting us.

• The Devil – John 8:44

• Our Adversary – I Peter 5:8

• The Tempter – Matthew 4:3

• The Prince and Power of the air – Eph. 2:2

• The God of this World – Ephesians 2:1-2

HOW MANY ANGELS LEFT HEAVEN WITH LUCIFER?

Let me say this again and again:

• On the subject of when angels were created, God is silent.

• On the subject of when Satan was cast down from Heaven to earth, God has not chosen to tell us.