The 5 Falls of satan

THE FIVE FALLS OF SATAN.
The ULTIMATE ISSUE and the spiritual warfare waged over every soul is over whether we love and believe ‘the TRUTH’ or ‘the LIE’ (Romans 1:18-32, 2:5-8, 2Thess 2:1-12). This is the issue separating the Kingdom of God and of satan, and so our position on it will determine not only which Kingdom we belong to but also our eternal destiny, so it is of the greatest importance. God lets every man to choose his destiny (heaven or hell) by receiving God (the Truth) or satan (the Lie).

The TRUTH is Theism, namely that the universe was created by God, who is outside space-time, but Who also is involved with His creation. The result of believing the TRUTH is to worship the Sovereign God, knowing that we are dependant on Him and responsible to Him and to seek to live a life motivated by the glory of God (to please Him). This in turn leads to an awareness of man’s sin and separation from God, and a seeking after God. God promises that all such people will find Him (Jer 29:13), and this happens through hearing the GOSPEL of Christ.

On the other hand, the LIE is a denial of the TRUTH, presenting man with the only possible alternative. The LIE is that there is no such Absolute God, but that the universe is all there is, and that therefore we are all EVOLVING together. This is attractive to those who don’t love the Truth because it allows them to be their own god (self-ruling and independant from God). The initial result of believing the LIE is a transfer of worship (moving the focus of your life) away from the Creator onto the creation (worshipping imaginary higher beings or gods, things and self as god). It then also results in the rejection of moral absolutes (‘whatever feels right, whatever I wan’t to do is good’ is the mantra of those who have chosen to reject the true God and be their own god). This results in a corrupted lifestyle (sins), which merely reveals the previous decision (sin) to accept and live by the LIE rather than the TRUTH. Thus your choice either leads you to salvation and a life lived to the glory of God resulting in a final destiny of eternal glory (sharing Christ’s destiny), or to a life with self as god resulting in eternal damnation (sharing satan’s destiny).

2Thessalonians2:1-12 tells us about: “those who PERISH, because they did not receive the love of THE TRUTH, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe THE LIE, that they all may be CONDEMNED who did not believe THE TRUTH but had pleasure in unrighteousness." Our choice determines our worship, the formation of our character (lifestyle), and finally our destiny!

This is summarised in Romans 1:18:
“The WRATH (judgement) of God is revealed from heaven (in the Bible) against
(1) all UNGODLINESS and (2) UNRIGHTEOUSNESS of men, who SUPPRESS THE TRUTH in unrighteousness.”
The first symptom of following the lie is ungodliness (not worshipping God) and the second unrightousness (lifestyle).

1. The TRUTH is clearly REVEALED BY GOD (Romans 1:19,20), but denied by satan and his agents (the LIE).

2. The TRUTH (Light) is ACCEPTED or REJECTED (suppressed) and replaced by the LIE (Darkness) (v21,22).

3. The CREATOR IS WORSHIPPED (glorified) or THE CREATION IS WORSHIPPED (ungodliness) (v23).

4. MAN lives under MORAL ABSOLUTES or MAN lives UNTO HIMSELF (a life of unrighteousness) (v24).

5. The ultimate destinies resulting from this choice are ETERNAL GLORY or ETERNAL WRATH (v18).

Thus they: “exchanged the TRUTH of God for the LIE, and WORSHIPPED and SERVED the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen." (v25). THE RESULT is all kinds of sin and corruption (v26-32).

Before you decide which way you will go, consider the destiny of satan and all those who follow him:

1. Satan’s first Fall was from God's heaven to the earth and its atmosphere.
Ezekiel 28:12-15: “Thus says the Lord GOD: "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: The sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes was prepared for you on the day you were created. You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; you were on the holy mountain of God; you walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you.” He was created perfect as the chief of the highest rank of angelic beings closest to the throne (the cherubim): “the anointed cherub who covers.” He was even a canopy over the throne and the leader in heavenly worship to God.

Isaiah 14:12-15 describes the origin of the sin that led to his fall.
"How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning (as the morning-star he would announce the presence and arrival of Christ (‘the sun’)! How you are cut down to the ground (earth), you who weakened the nations!

Satan’s 5 ‘I WILL’S’ - For you have said in your heart:
(1) I will ascend into heaven,
(2) I will exalt my throne above the stars (the angels) of God (he wanted his own throne like God)
(3) I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north (in heaven)
(4) I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,
(5) I will be like the Most High.'

Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit (a prophecy of the 4th Fall)."

His original sin was pride (1Timothy 3:6). He wanted to be the centre of the universe, to be his own god, living unto self, rather than depending upon God and living unto God’s glory. Therefore he suppressed the TRUTH that he was created by and for God, and instead chose to believed the LIE, that he was an evolving being and that God was also just an evolving part of the universe. Therefore, by throwing off God’s authority he thought he could even become God’s equal and be worshipped. This inner sin of pride led to all his outer sins. God then threw him and all the angels that followed him in his lie, out of heaven.
Jesus said: “I saw satan fall like lightning from heaven” (Luke 10:18).

This Judgement is described in Ezekiel 28:16-19 (the 5 ‘I WILLS’ of God):
"By the abundance of your trading (he went around spreading his lie, slandering God and formenting rebellion among the angels persuading them to follow him. He became ‘satan’ = opposer; ‘the devil’ = slanderer; and the ‘deceiver’ = the father of the lie) you became filled with violence (hatred against God) within and you sinned (outwardly).

Therefore (1) I cast you as a profane (unclean) thing out of the mountain of God (heaven); and
(2) I destroyed you, O covering cherub, from the midst of the fiery stones (removed from his position) (For) your heart was lifted up because of your beauty (the original sin of pride, of believing the lie) and you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendour;
(3) I cast you to the ground (earth),
So far, this was all fulfilled in his first fall. But now God also announces future judgements as if they were already accomplished (the ‘prophetic perfect’):
(4) I laid you before (at the feet of) kings (MAN), that they might gaze at you (here God announces that not only will he be imprisoned on earth, but that he will be further humbled by being placed under the authority of man, who will be created to rule on earth (Gen 1:26, Psalm 8). God chose man to be His instrument of
His judgement upon satan. This was fulfilled in his 2nd Fall and will be fulfilled in the Falls to come, especially through the Man, Jesus.

You defiled your sanctuaries by the multitude of your iniquities, by the iniquity of your trading; (5) Therefore I brought fire from your midst; it devoured you, and I turned you to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all who saw you. All who knew you among the peoples are astonished at you. You have become a horror, and shall be no more forever (this is his 5th and final Fall into the Lake of Fire, where he will remain forever, his rebellion will now be totally broken by God’s consuming fire within him)."

2. Satan’s 2nd Fall (defeated by Christ in His Death and Resurrection).
When he fell to earth, he deceived man with his lie (Gen3 :5), so instead of coming under man's authority, he seized it from him (Luke 4:5,6) becoming the ‘prince of the power of the air’ (Eph 2:2), the god and prince of this world (2Cor 4:4, John 12:31, Rev 12:3). But God immediately announced the Coming of another Man, the Seed of the woman, who would crush satan’s head (Gen3:15). Through Christ’s death and resurrection, He defeated satan and regained all authority (right to rule) lost by Adam, restoring man’s dominion (Col 2:15, 1Cor2:6, Matt 28:18, Rev 1:18, John 12:31, Eph 1:19-23, 2:6, Heb 2:5-11). So satan was defeated and put under Christ’s feet (and our feet), and will soon be crushed under our feet (Rom 16:20).

3. Satan’s Third Fall at Mid-Tribulation (from the Atmosphere to the Earth’s-Surface).
Satan presently operates in the atmospheric heavens (Ephesians 2:2, 6:12).

Revelation 12:3-8: “Behold, a great, fiery red dragon (the devil)...with 7 diadems (as ruler of this dark world)...His tail drew a third of the stars (angels) of
heaven and threw them to the earth (this is his First Fall- those who followed him share his destiny). And the dragon stood before the woman (Israel) who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child (Christ) as soon as it was born. She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne (this is the Ascension of Christ after His victory over satan- his 2nd Fall). In His First Coming Christ took back all of satan’s authority, and in His Second Coming He will take His authority and use it to crush satan and rule over the earth - the 4th Fall. But shortly before this happens satan will receive his 3rd Fall:

“Then (at Mid-Tribulation) the woman (believing Israel) fled into the wilderness...for 1260 days (after which Christ will return to crush satan’s head - the 4th Fall). And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth (ground) and his angels were cast out with him.” Again notice that those who follow him will share his destiny.

4. His Fourth Fall at the Return of Christ (from the earth’s into the Pit under the Earth).
After Christ returns (Rev 19), we see: “an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the Bottomless Pit (Abyss) and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, the devil and satan, and bound him for a 1,000 years; and cast him into the Abyss (a Prison under the Earth) and shut him up, and set a seal on him” (Rev 20:1-3). His angels will share his fate (Isa 24:21,22). During this time we will reign with Christ (v4-6, Heb2:5,8).

5. Satan’s Fifth and Final Fall- into The Lake of Fire. “The devil, who deceived them (with the lie), was cast into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone...tormented day and night forever and ever (each person will be held at the pain-level necessary to restrain all sin and to make them bow the knee to Jesus Christ - Phil 2:10, Mark 9:48-50). Then I saw a Great White Throne and Him (Christ) who sat on it...And I saw the dead (all unbelievers)... standing before God, and books (of their lives) were opened. And another Book was opened -the Book of Life ... they were judged, each according to his works...(the Lake of Fire is the 2nd Death). Anyone not found in the Book of Life was cast into the Lake of Fire”(Rev 20:10-15). Men as well as angels who follow satan share his destiny (Matt 25:41).