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The Gathering Christian Church, Lexington, KY. Revelation. Class #7. Thursday, October 06, 2011 1 Handout #8 Fall of Satan

THE HANDBOOK FOR SPIRITUAL WARFARE Revised and Updated Edition, by DR. ED MURPHY

Chapter 3, Cosmic Rebellion, The Problem of Evil

Spiritual warfare is an evil issue. Warfare in itself is evil. If evil did not exist there would be no warfare of any kind. Evil is the most perplexing problem ever faced by humanity. Thinking men have been facing it for millennia. The Greek philosopher, Epicurus (341–270 B.C.), quoted by the philosopher Lactantius (260–340 A.D.), is supposed to have written that.

God either wishes to take away evils, and is unable; or he is able and unwilling; or he is neither willing nor able, or he is both willing and able. If he is willing and is unable, he is feeble, which is not in accordance with the character of God; if he is able and unwilling, he is envious, which is equally at variance with God; if he is neither willing nor able he is both envious and feeble, and therefore not God; if he is both willing and able, which alone is suitable to God, from what source then are evils? or why does he not remove them?1

This was the problem that kept the great C. S. Lewis bound to the shackles of atheism for most of his life. He writes about it in his provocative book, The Problem of Pain.2 As Lewis recounts his former defense of atheism, he graphically describes the evil and misfortune which faces all human beings. He concludes:

If you ask me to believe that this is the work of a benevolent and omnipotent spirit, I reply that all the evidence points in the

1 1. William Dyrness, Christian Apologetics in a World Community (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 1983), 153.

2 2. C. S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain (London: Fontana, 1962), 1f.

opposite direction. Either there is no spirit behind the universe, or else a spirit indifferent to good and evil, or else an evil spirit.

Lewis’ response to his former line of reasoning is interesting.

I never noticed that the very strength and facility of the pessimist’s case at once poses us a problem. If the universe is so bad, or even half so bad, how on earth did human beings ever come to attribute it to the activity of a wise and good Creator? Men are fools, perhaps; but hardly so foolish as that. . . . At all times, then, an inference from the course of events in this world to the goodness and wisdom of the Creator would have been equally preposterous; and it was never made.3 Religion has a different origin.

Lewis’ footnote mentions the word theodicy. It comes from the Greek theos, God, and dike, justice. Webster defines theodicy as the “defense of God’s goodness and omnipotence in view of the existence of evil.”

Edgar S. Brightman, Professor of Philosophy of the Graduate School of Boston University, defines theodicy as “the attempt to justify the way of God to man,

3 3. “. . . that is, never made at the beginnings of a religion,” Lewis writes in a footnote. “After belief in God has been accepted, theodicies explaining, or explaining away, the miseries of life, will naturally appear often enough,” Lewis, 4.


that is, to solve the problem of evil in the light of faith in the love and justice of God.”4

The problem of evil is obviously more acute for theism than for any other type of philosophy or theology; if it cannot be solved, theism must be abandoned, retained by faith in hope of a future, as yet unattainable, solution, or held as a truth above reason.

C. S. Lewis would probably agree that the solution is presently unattainable. He would declare that the truths behind theism are truths above and beyond present human reason. As Pascal is attributed to have affirmed, “the heart has reasons that the mind knows not of.” Lewis is correct that theodicy is not something new, adequately wrestled with only in the modern scientific age. Indeed, Gnosticism, the greatest division to arise within the early patristic church, was centered on this issue of evil in God’s universe.

In Satan: the Early Christian Tradition, Jeffrey Burton Russell explains that Gnosticism probably had its roots as far back at least to the Qumran community with its theology of cosmic conflict between good and evil.5 Yet Gnosticism was essentially a Christian attempt at theodicy which went astray. It threatened to split the post-apostolic church by the middle of the second century. Most of the apologetic writings of the early fathers were directed against this devastating heresy. Gnosticism thus performed a long-range service to the church by provoking thought on the problem of evil, especially by the great

4 4. E. S. Brightman in An Encyclopedia of Religion, Vergilius Ferm, ed. (New York: The Philosophical Library, 1943), 264.

5 5. Jeffrey Burton Russell, Satan: The Early Christian Tradition (Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 1987b), 51ff.

apologetists—Justin Martyr, Tatian, Athenagoras, Theophilus, Irenaeus, and Tertullian.6

By bringing the question of theodicy front and center, the Gnostics forced the fathers to devise a coherent diabology, which had been lacking in New Testament and apostolic thought. Gnostic emphasis upon the power of the Devil caused the fathers to react by defining his power carefully; Gnostic stress upon the evil of the material world elicited their defense of the essential goodness of the world created by God.

Perhaps the most complex and profound dimension of the spiritual warfare view of present reality has to do with the origin of that conflict. It did not originate on earth with the fall of man. The Bible is clear on that point. Did it originate somewhere or sometime in the heavenly realm, evidently before the creation of man? This seems to be the case.7 The Old Testament clearly hints at cosmic rebellion against the rule of God by frequent reference to evil, supernatural beings which seek to injure men and lead them away from a life of obedience to God.8

6 6. Russell, 53.

7 7. For the reader who wants to pursue the problem of evil and theodicy in greater detail, I would recommend the following: William Dyrness, Christian Apologetics in a World Community; S. Paul Schilling, God and Human Anguish (Nashville: Abingdon, 1977); M. Scott Peck, The People of the Lie: The Hope for Healing Human Evil (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1983); and Edward J. Carnell, An Introduction to Christian Apologetics (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1948).

8 8. As we will later see, the Bible was written to a world thoroughly knowledgeable of the spirit world, of a devil, fallen angels, and other evil cosmic-spiritual beings. Since their existence was universally accepted, it was not necessary to prove or explain their origin, existence, or involvement in human


We cannot begin with Genesis 3 because the serpent who tempts Eve is nowhere called a supernatural being in the Old Testament. The New Testament, however, clearly identifies him as the Devil and Satan (2 Cor. 11:3; Rev. 12:9). One point is certain: at least by the intertestamental period, when Genesis 3 was read and explained to Jewish listeners by Jewish teachers, the serpent was identified with Satan. The New Testament interpretation of the fall of man and that of the Jews is identical at this point.9 While references to Satan are not as common in the Old Testament as they are in the New, Satan is mentioned several times: once in 1 Chronicles, fourteen times in Job 1 and <2, once in Psalm 109:6, and three times in Zechariah 3:1–2.

Satan’s Pattern of Operation

Satan’s first recorded appearance by name is found in 1 Chronicles 21:1. This passage reveals his attempt to draw David, a man of God, into disobedience to God. It suggests a pattern of operation against humanity found all through Scripture, discovered throughout history, and experienced by believers and unbelievers everywhere in our day. In it we find Satan’s main strategy, his primary target, and his essential purpose.

Deception, the Strategy

affairs. The biblical revelation about evil supernaturalism simply builds upon, corrects, and expands upon what was already known. See Merrill F. Unger, Biblical Demonology (Chicago: Scripture Press, 1955) and Jeffrey Burton Russell, The Devil: Perceptions of Evil from Antiquity to Primitive Christianity (Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 1987).

9 9. For further study see Russell, Devil, 174–220. This book provides valuable background to the understanding of evil supernaturalism prevalent in both the Old and New Testaments.

First, we unveil Satan’s main strategy of temptation, deception. The writer recounts that Satan “moved David to number Israel” (v. 1). (See 2 Samuel 24:1 for a typically Old Testament view of the divine side of this Satanic temptation.) David, like Eve before him, had no idea of the origin of the thoughts which suddenly appeared in his mind. As he reflected upon them they seemed to be correct, logical, the thing to do. While his conscience evidently disturbed him (v. 8), he went ahead with his plan. What David proposed to do was wrong. It was so wrong that even Joab, his military commander, who was no saint by anyone’s standards, saw the wrongness of David’s decision and voiced his opposition to it (vv. 2–4).

It was so wrong that when God’s judgment fell upon Israel, David knew he was at fault and immediately repented of his wrongdoing (v. 8). “I have sinned greatly,” he confessed. “Take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly.”

Here we discover what we will find all through the Bible. Human sin always has a dual source. It has a human source, one’s wrong choices. But it also has a supernatural source, Satan’s temptations. He plants the seeds of evil thoughts and imaginations into human minds and hearts, intensifying the evil already there (Acts 5:1–3; 1 Cor. 7:5; 2 Cor. 11:3; 1 Thess. 3:5; cf. 2 Cor. 10:3–5; Phil 4:8).

The Scriptures speak much of deception. It takes Strong’s Concordance two full columns to record the number of times the words and its derivatives are found in the English Bible! The words occur over 150 times, spread equally throughout both Testaments. Vine says that deception essentially means giving “a false


impression.”10 That’s how Satan approaches people, and that is evidently how he first approached his angelic peers to lead them in rebellion against God.

Satan almost always begins with deception—thus Paul’s warning in 2 Corinthians 11:3 and his mention of Satan’s schemes in 2 Corinthians 2:11. However, once Satan has established a strong foothold in a person’s life (Eph. 4:27), deception may no longer be so important. He will often unmask himself to torment and enslave his victims further.

Leaders, the Target

Second, we discover his main target for deception, leaders. In the case of those who do not love our God, he moves in deception against persons in all levels of leadership. Political, military, economic, religious, educational, media, family, and other kinds of leaders become the target of his deception. Why? Because they control the destiny of humanity.

Someone has stated that if a solitary man sins, he alone may be affected. If a family man sins, his entire family is affected. If a community leader sins, the community is affected. If a leader over a given structure of a given society sins, the entire society is affected. If a national leader sins, the entire nation is affected. If a world leader sins, the whole world is affected. Who can forget Adolf Hitler!

If a Christian leader sins, a church, a Christian institution, or a Christian home is damaged or possibly paralyzed. Who can argue with this? We are all to some degree the victims of the sinful acts of Christian

10 10. W. E. Vine, An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words (London: Oliphants, 1953), 278–279.

leaders exploited by the media to the discredit of God’s church.

Dishonor, the Purpose

Third, we discover the main purpose for his deception. It is to dishonor God by bringing shame and even judgment upon His children. Through deceiving God’s leader, David, Satan brought shame upon God’s people. He also indirectly caused God’s righteous judgment to fall upon His own children (v. 7).

Thus in this first recorded appearance of Satan by name in Scripture we discover the major features of his evil schemes against God and His people. He is a deceiver who seeks to seduce the leaders of God’s people into actions of disobedience to God. He exists to dishonor God and injure His people. The diabology of the rest of Scripture is but an expansion of these major features of evil supernaturalism.

Belief About Evil Spirits Universal in Antiquity

As a study of ancient history reveals, belief in some form of evil supernaturalism was universal in the Old Testament world. The late Dr. Merrill F. Unger writes that

the history of various religions from the earliest times shows belief in Satan and demons to be universal. According to the Bible, degeneration from monotheism resulted in the blinding of men by Satan and the most degrading forms of idolatry (Rom. 1:21–32; 2 Cor. 4:4). By the time of Abraham (c. 2000 B.C.), men had sunk into a crass polytheism that swarmed with evil spirits. Spells, incantations, magical texts, exorcisms,11 and various forms of

11 11. I do not use the term “exorcism” to refer to the Christian’s ministry of evicting demons from human lives. I use “deliverance” and similar terms. Exorcism


demonological phenomena abound in archeological discoveries from Sumeria and Babylon. Egyptian, Assyrian, Chaldean, Greek, and Roman antiquity are rich in demonic phenomena. The deities worshiped were invisible demons represented by material idols and images.12

Unger continues, quoting Dr. George W. Gilmore in the Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, who says that “the entire religions provenience out of which Hebrew religion sprang is full of demonism.” Unger then states that “early Christianity rescued its converts from the shackles of Satan and demons” (Eph. 2:2; Col. 1:13). To an amazing degree the history of religion is an account of demon-controlled religion, particularly in its clash with the Hebrew faith and later with Christianity.

Other hints of the belief in evil supernaturalism and cosmic rebellion held by the Jewish people can be found throughout the Old Testament. The serpent as symbolic of an evil spiritual being or beings is mentioned many times (Gen. 3:1–24; Job 3:8; 41:1; Ps. 74:14; 104:26; Isa. 27:1).13 Evil spirits are spoken of some eight times, all involved in the demonization of Saul (1 Sam. 16:14–23; 18:10; 19:9). Lying spirits are mentioned six times (1 Kings 22:21–23). These verses must be studied in light of the full context, beginning with the first verse. Familiar spirits are also mentioned six times (Lev. 20:27; 1 Sam. 28, KJV). The NAS translates the underlying

carries the idea of magic, incantations, and similar

non-biblical practices.

12 12. Merrill F. Unger, Demons in the World Today (Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale, 1971), 10. Unger’s three books (see bibliography) are important to an understanding of the spirit world within biblical cultures.

13 13. See H. L. Ellison, “Leviathan,” in ZPEB, Merrill C. Tenney, ed. (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 1977) 3:912.

Hebrew words “one who has a familiar spirit,” the KJV as “one who is a medium.”

Unclean perverse spirits are referred to at least once (Isa. 19:13–14, KJV). John D. W. Watts in his excellent commentary on Isaiah interprets the expression as “a spirit of distorting.”14 Whether or not this refers to personal evil or simply an atmosphere of confusion is an open question. The false counsels and plans of Egypt, however, did come through divination. Thus, both meanings could be true.

Spirits of religious and physical harlotry are mentioned several times. The most frequent references are in Hosea in conjunction with idol worship, divination, and Baalism. Demons as identical with the gods and idols of the pagan nations are referred to at least four times (Lev. 17:7; Deut. 32:17; 2 Chron. 11:15; Ps. 106:19–39; cf. 1 Cor. 10:20–21). Evil spirits who rule over territories and nations and fight against both God’s angels and His people are mentioned in the historical books, the Psalms, and Daniel. Daniel 10:10–21 is the best known passage.15

Key Questions

At least four important questions arise as we read these passages.

1. Where did these evil, supernatural, created cosmic beings come from? The Old Testament is emphatic that they are not true gods (Gen. 1:1f; Isa. 45:5–6; 21–23). The

14 14. John D. W. Watts, Isaiah 1–33, WBC (Waco, Texas: Word, 1985), 251.

15 15. The sudden emergence of strong opposition among some evangelicals to the contemporary attempt to understand the activity of such evil spirits and to guide the people of God into warfare against them puzzles me. Fortunately for Daniel, such opposition either was not forthcoming or was ignored by him.

The Gathering Christian Church, Lexington, KY. Revelation. Class #7. Thursday, October 06, 2011 6 Handout #8 Fall of Satan Old Testament is equally emphatic that God did not create evil creatures. All He made was declared “good” (Gen. 1–2). Somehow, good creatures became bad in a cosmic rebellion that continues to have devastating effect on all of creation.

2. Why are they always revealed to be God’s enemies, the enemies of mankind in general, and of God’s people in particular?

3. Why do they incessantly seek to resist God’s purposes, corrupt His creation, defile and ensnare His people, and torment, afflict, and destroy mankind? What is their purpose in authoring such evil?

4. How is it that, while being God’s enemies, at the same time they are ultimately subject to God’s will? In other words, how is it that God uses them to defeat themselves and enhance mysterious, profound dimensions of God’s sovereign purposes (Gen. 3:1f; 1 Sam. 16:14; 18:10; 19:9; 1 Kings 22:20–22; Isa. 19:13–14)?

The Old Testament hints that these invisible, evil, supernatural, created cosmic beings are fallen angelic creatures. Somewhere, sometime, evidently before the creation of mankind, they were led by a mighty angelic creature, perhaps called Lucifer, into rebellion against the lordship of God. Job 4:18 and Isaiah 24:21 seem to indicate this. Isaiah 14:12–17 and Ezekiel 28:11–19 are often used to refer to this cosmic rebellion. While there is reason to doubt the validity of this traditional secondary interpretation (all agree the primary interpretation has to do with the king of Babylon and the leader of Tyre), it is consistent with the biblical picture of Satan and his fallen angels.

When we come to the New Testament, however, the picture is much clearer. We are not left with mere hints of cosmic rebellion. Instead the New Testament

declares that such a rebellion did occur. From the Gospels to Revelation we confront spiritual warfare both in heaven and on earth. The New Testament opens with the world of evil supernaturalism in open confrontation with the Son of God. In the first chapter of Mark, Jesus confronts Satan in His forty-day wilderness temptation (vv. 12–13). Having won that initial and, in many ways, decisive battle with the enemy, Jesus launches Himself into His public ministry.

His synagogue ministry is interrupted by demonic resistance. Jesus quickly silences and dispatches the angry, fearful evil spirits (1:21–26). In the same chapter, before the sun had risen the next day, Jesus confronts and casts out demons late into the night (1:29–34). The next day after His intense nighttime deliverance activity, Jesus begins His itinerant ministry. He visits the synagogues in city after city. Mark records that in these synagogues Jesus carried out a twofold activity. He was “preaching and casting out the demons” (1:39). Incredible! What a world of spiritual conflict!

As John’s gospel story unfolds, for the first time in Scripture we are clearly told of the origin of evil. In John 8:44, Jesus says it originated with Satan. He informs us that He has come to bind Satan, break his power, and release those he holds captive (Luke 4:11–19; Matt. 12:22–29). Jesus reveals that Satan directs a mighty kingdom of evil. He has his own evil angels, just as God has His holy angels (Matt. 25:41). Next we discover that these angels are the same as the demon spirits who bind and oppress men (Matt. 12:22–29; Luke 13:10–16; Rev. 12:4–17; 13:1f).

Levels of Authority in Satan’s Kingdom

As the story of evil supernaturalism unfolds in the New Testament, we discover that there are different ranks of authority in Satan’s kingdom (Eph. 6:12 with Matt.


12:24–45; Mark 5:2–9). Furthermore, demons, evil spirits, and fallen angels (all synonymous terms in this book) seem to fall into at least four different classifications, not three as is often affirmed.

First, there are those who are free to carry out Satan’s evil purposes. They inhabit the heavenlies (Eph. 3:10; 6:12) but also are free to operate on earth. These demon spirits afflict and even indwell the bodies of men (Matt. 12:43–45).

Second, there are rebellious angels who seem now to be bound in the abyss or pit.16 They will evidently be released at a future date and will wreck havoc on the earth (Rev. 9:2–12). Satan and all free demons will be bound in this same pit during the thousand-year reign of Christ on earth (Rev. 20:1f).

Third, there seems to be another group of fallen angels which evidently became so wicked or were guilty of evil so horrendous they were not permitted to exist in the heavenlies or on earth. They are bound forever, not in the abyss, but in hell. The Greek word is tartarus, incorrectly translated “hell.” Vine says that

16 16. The use of “pit,” “bottomless pit,” “abyss,” and “deep” to describe the underworld and the abode of some demons is very confusing in the New Testament. Both the KJV and NAS translate the same Greek word abussos in different manners. The NEB is more consistent using “abyss” for abussos. Vine says abussos is an adjective “used as a noun denoting the abyss. It is a compound of a, intensive and bussos, a depth.” He says “it describes an immeasurable depth, the underworld, the lower regions, the abyss of Sheol.” Its reference in Luke 8:31 and Revelation (it is used seven times in Revelation) “is to the lower regions as the abode of demons (I would qualify this with ‘some demons’), out of which they can be let loose, Revelation 9:1,2,11; 11:7; 17:8; 20:1,3.” (Vine 1:142; see also W. L. Liefeld, “Abyss,” in ZPEB 1:30–31.

Tartarus . . . is neither Sheol nor Hades nor Hell, but the place where those angels whose special sin is referred to in that passage (2 Peter 2:4) are confined “to be reserved unto judgment.” The region is described as “pits of darkness.”17

These spirits evidently will never be released. They seem to be held in darkness until the day of their judgment (2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 6).18

Finally, there is a fourth group of evil angels who seem somehow to be bound within the earth, if we are to take the words literally. Four of them are mentioned as being “bound at the river Euphrates.” When they are released they will lead a demonic army of destruction against mankind (Rev. 9:13–21).19

Paul tells the church at Corinth that believers will someday judge angels (1 Cor. 6:3). These must be fallen angels because God’s angels are called “the holy angels” (Mark 8:38). Thus the evidence that evil spirits and demons are rebellious angels mounts (see Job 4:18; Isa. 24:21–22).

Cosmic Conflict: Facts From the Future (Revelation 12)

Revelation 12 speaks of a future day when there will be a final cosmic conflict between

17 17. Vine 2:213. See H. Buis, “Hell,” in ZPEB 3:114–117.

18 18. Not every one would agree with this last statement. In fact, I am not sure myself that this is the correct interpretation of 2 Peter 2:4 and Jude 6. See chapter 52 for my attempt to wrestle with these difficult passages.

19 19. This would be the premillenial eschatological view of these verses. For those holding other views of eschatology, there is still the understanding of a future outpouring of evil supernaturalism before the second coming of Christ.


the angels of God under Michael and the angels of Satan (Rev. 12:3f). Even if one does not hold to a futuristic view of Revelation, this passage still reveals several undeniable facts.

1. Satan rules over a kingdom of evil angels (vv. 3–7).

2. This kingdom of evil supernaturalism opposes God and His kingdom (vv. 3–7).

3. The kingdom of evil is defeated by the archangel Michael, who evidently serves as the commander of God’s holy angels and His angelic army (vv. 7–8).

4. Satan and his angels will be (or already have been) dethroned from their place of prominence in heaven (v. 9a).

5. Satan and his angels will be (or already have been) cast down to earth to bring woe to mankind (vv. 9b,12b).

6. The kingdom of evil supernaturalism is a kingdom of intense hatred against the people of God. They make war against those who “keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus” (vv. 13–17).

7. Because the activity of these wicked angels is identical with that of the evil spirits and demons found in Scripture, they must represent the same evil creatures.

Even with this brief overview, one thing is certain. The New Testament clearly declares that sometime, somewhere, cosmic rebellion occurred. A vast army of angels evidently exercised their free will and chose to resist their God and Creator. That army of fallen angels has one master over them. He is called “the great dragon . . . that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan.” Their purpose is to deceive “the whole world” (Rev. 12:9) and war against the children of God (Rev. 12:13–17).

Sin, therefore, first originated with Satan, the Evil One (John 8:44). He next evidently deceived some of the angels into following him in rebellion against God. Together they form the cosmic kingdom of evil. One group of these fallen angels seems to constitute the demons, those evil, unclean spirits who afflict mankind and oppose the church of the living God. It is primarily against them that the church’s warfare is directed.

Thus, evil was “born” in the heavenlies. Now it is time to examine the entrance of evil into the experience of humanity.1

1 Murphy, E. F. (1997). Handbook for spiritual warfare (17–23). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

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