The Tempter and the Temptation
The fall did not begin with Adam and Eve. It began with a rebellion that preceded human history, a rebellion in the heart of one of God's highest creatures.
Scripture gives us glimpses of this rebellion, enough to understand its nature and its origin.
"How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.'"—Isaiah 14:12-14
This passage, while speaking literally of the king of Babylon, is widely understood by biblical scholars to describe the pride and fall of Satan, the adversary who rebelled against God and was cast out of heaven.
"You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering\... You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you."—Ezekiel 28:12-15
Satan, originally created as a perfect and beautiful angel, allowed pride to take root in his heart. He desired to be like God, to usurp God's throne, to receive the worship that belongs to God alone.
This rebellion resulted in his expulsion from heaven, and he became the adversary, the accuser, the deceiver, the enemy of God and of God's purposes in the earth.
When Satan fell, he did not fall alone. He took a host of angels with him in his rebellion. These are the demons, the unclean spirits, the powers of darkness that now operate under his authority.
And from the moment of his fall, Satan's one consuming passion has been to undermine God's work, to corrupt God's creation, and to destroy God's image-bearers.
It was this adversary who came to Eve in the garden, cunning and deceptive, disguised as a serpent. And his approach reveals much about the nature of temptation.
The fall did not begin with Adam and Eve. It began with a rebellion that preceded human history, a rebellion in the heart of one of God's highest creatures.
Scripture gives us glimpses of this rebellion, enough to understand its nature and its origin.
"How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.'"—Isaiah 14:12-14
This passage, while speaking literally of the king of Babylon, is widely understood by biblical scholars to describe the pride and fall of Satan, the adversary who rebelled against God and was cast out of heaven.
"You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering\... You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you."—Ezekiel 28:12-15
Satan, originally created as a perfect and beautiful angel, allowed pride to take root in his heart. He desired to be like God, to usurp God's throne, to receive the worship that belongs to God alone.
This rebellion resulted in his expulsion from heaven, and he became the adversary, the accuser, the deceiver, the enemy of God and of God's purposes in the earth.
When Satan fell, he did not fall alone. He took a host of angels with him in his rebellion. These are the demons, the unclean spirits, the powers of darkness that now operate under his authority.
And from the moment of his fall, Satan's one consuming passion has been to undermine God's work, to corrupt God's creation, and to destroy God's image-bearers.
It was this adversary who came to Eve in the garden, cunning and deceptive, disguised as a serpent. And his approach reveals much about the nature of temptation.
The Tempter and the Temptation
The fall did not begin with Adam and Eve. It began with a rebellion that preceded human history, a rebellion in the heart of one of God's highest creatures.
Scripture gives us glimpses of this rebellion, enough to understand its nature and its origin.
"How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.'"—Isaiah 14:12-14
This passage, while speaking literally of the king of Babylon, is widely understood by biblical scholars to describe the pride and fall of Satan, the adversary who rebelled against God and was cast out of heaven.
"You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering\... You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you."—Ezekiel 28:12-15
Satan, originally created as a perfect and beautiful angel, allowed pride to take root in his heart. He desired to be like God, to usurp God's throne, to receive the worship that belongs to God alone.
This rebellion resulted in his expulsion from heaven, and he became the adversary, the accuser, the deceiver, the enemy of God and of God's purposes in the earth.
When Satan fell, he did not fall alone. He took a host of angels with him in his rebellion. These are the demons, the unclean spirits, the powers of darkness that now operate under his authority.
And from the moment of his fall, Satan's one consuming passion has been to undermine God's work, to corrupt God's creation, and to destroy God's image-bearers.
It was this adversary who came to Eve in the garden, cunning and deceptive, disguised as a serpent. And his approach reveals much about the nature of temptation.
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