When Did Lucifer Fall?

When Did Lucifer Fall?

Most of what is known about Lucifer, the anointed cherub of God comes from the Scriptures. He went from glory as Lucifer, to destruction as Satan; from covering the throne of God, to being cast into the lake of fire eventually. Following are names by which he is called in Scriptures.

1. Lucifer, Isaiah 14.12.
2. The king of Tyrus, Ezekiel 28:12.
3. The anointed cherub, Ezekiel 28:14.
4. He may be the Leviathan of Isaiah 27:1, Job 41:1-thru 34, where it is called, “a king over the children of pride.” Ps.74:14.
5. The devil, meaning the slanderer, Matthew 4:1, Luke 4:2, John 8:44, Ephesians 6:11 etc.
6. Abaddon, or Apollyon, Revelation 9:11.
7. Adversary, 1 Peter 5:8.
8. Beelzebub, Matthew 12:24.95. Accuser of the brethren, Revelation 12:10.
9. Deceiver of the whole world, Revelation 12:9.
10. Adversary, 1 Peter 5:8.
11. The great dragon, Revelation 12:9.
12. Belial, 2 Corinthians 6:15.
13. The evil one, Matthew 13:19-38, 1 John 2:13, 5:19.
14. The god of this world, 2 Corinthians 4:4.
15. The father of lies, John 8:44.
16. The old serpent, Revelation 12:9.
17. The prince of the powers of the air, Ephesians 2:2.
18. The prince of this world, John 12:31.
19. The tempter, Matthew 4:5, 1 Thessalonians 3:5.

So my question is, when did Lucifer fall from his place in heaven? and why? First we need to get the Bible’s perspective on Lucifer before his fall. Who was he? What happened, and what’s in store for him? The name Lucifer is interpreted in several ways. Some interpret it as, the “Bright star, or the morning star, or the splendid star.”

There are two powerful forces at work with mankind, God and Satan. I believe the answer to this question is an important piece of the Biblical puzzle. From here we can better understand God’s motives, His response to sin, His giving of grace, the faith and trust mankind is to have in Him, the work of the Holy Spirit, Jesus manifestation, His walk, death, resurrection, His second coming, and the final termination of death and hell in the lake of fire. These are the effects, let’s find out what the cause was.

In Ezekiel, Lucifer is referred to as “the king of Tyrus.”

Some commentators teach that the following verses are speaking of Adam, or the king of the city of Tyre. I don’t think so. I believe they are speaking of Lucifer before his fall from heaven. If so, this is what we are told about him.

Ezekiel 28:12 thru 19, “Thou sealest (were the seal of perfection) up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering. — the workmanship of thy tabrets (drum, timbrel) and of thy pipes ” (a hollowness, or socket for setting a gem, as in the upper part of the collet of a ring, which fastens the stone) was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.”

“Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I (God) have set thee so: thou was upon the holy mountain of God = (God’s throne room in heaven) thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.”

“Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.”

“By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.”

“Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness:” Lucifer’s heart (signifies pride) was lifted up, meaning he became proud, arrogant, exalting himself, making himself lofty, this because of his splendor, and brightness. God then said to him, “I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.”

“Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, and it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee”

“All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.”

This was Lucifer, God’s anointed Cherub. He covered the throne of the Almighty. He was made perfect in his ways, dwelling in the presence of the Father, Son, and seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven (Holy) Spirits of God.” Revelation 1:4, 4:5. He was, sealed with wisdom and beauty, covered with God’s blessings and glory. Anointed by God, created perfect in his ways, but not perfect in all things. He had a free will, and was to remain within the rule of law established by his Creator. He chose to step over the line. Then iniquity was found in him. He became filled with violence, and sinned before his Creator. He left God’s throne room, and moved his residency from heaven to earth.

Iniquity was found in him. What is iniquity? In Hebrew it means, wicked, unjust, to act fraudulently. It also means to allure, seduce, deceive, defraud, decline, turn aside from justice, to entreat, draw out.

Lucifer became filled with violence: The Hebrew word for violence is, Cha-mas, pronounced Hamas, as in the terrorist in Israel. It means, rejected, corrupted, perverted, violated, as in the law. He seized, took away by force, or fraud. As one stripped, spoiled, plundered, unjust, a false witness, wrong, oppression. He is the father of violence, and hatred.

Lucifer was a Cherub. What is a Cherubim?

Cherubim: From Hebrew Cherub; A Cherub is a living creature, a winged creatures with features both animal and human. Ezekiel 1:10, Having four faces: one of a man, a lion on the right side, of an ox on the left side; also of an eagle. These four creatures are represented as emblems of both wisdom and strength. In the N.T. Golden figures representing the Cherubim, are placed over the Ark of the Covenant. Comp. Exodus 25:18, with Hebrews 9:5. The Cherubim in theology are creatures of a celestial nature. They are first mentioned as guarding the entrance to the Garden of Eden, Genesis 3:24. Then as bearing the throne of God upon their wings, and moving swiftly through the clouds, 2 Samuel 22:11, Psalms  18:12, Ezekiel1. Golden figures of Cherubim were placed on, or over the ark, so as to cover it, Exodus 25:18. Because the Ark was the seat of God’s visible presence, He (God) is therefore said to dwell between the Cherubim, 1 Samuel 4:4, 2 Samuel 6:2, Psalms 80:2, 99:1. When the temple in Jerusalem was built, other similar images were placed over the ark and around the Holy of Holies, 1 Kings 6:23, 8:6.

Here was Lucifer, one who carried the LORD upon his wings, who’s brightness was his Glory, his beauty and splendor, he who dwelled in the midst of the throne of God. There was a time when the words Holy, Holy, Holy LORD God Almighty could be heard coming from his lips in honor of his Creator.

His merchandising may have been in the trafficking of slander toward both the Father and Son; an agitator, as in one who disturbs a peaceable family by his wicked ways. He is said to have corrupted his wisdom by the reason of his brightness. His corrupted wisdom and understanding turned his piety, prudence and worshipped against his Creator.

God said that He would cast him, as to throw, or cast out to the ground (the earth.) God will lay him before kings. Isaiah 14:9-10-11, “the kings of the nations. All they shall speak and say unto thee, art thou also become weak as we? art thou become like unto us? thy pomp is brought down to the grave.” In time the Lord will destroy him, casting him into the lake of fire.

Isaiah 14:15-16, He will be “Brought down to hell, to the sides (lowest depths) of the pit. — Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms.” Revelation 20:10, “and the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”

Ezekiel 28:15, “Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffic;” Lucifer had defiled his sanctuaries, that is, God’s holy tabernacle by his wickedness and pride. Therefore will I (God) bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, and it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.” This is an overview of Lucifer, the anointed cherub of God. He came from glory and is now headed for eternal damnation.

More information about Lucifer is found in Isaiah 14:12-13-14. “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer  son to the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend unto heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.” That was a whole lot of, “I will’s.” This is the voice of one who is filled with pride.

Now the clues for, when did Lucifer fall? Remember, this is a discussion. I have gathered Scriptural verses, and interpreted certain Hebrew and Greek words that I base my conclusions upon. Let me put this out front. I am fully convinced that the first day of the creation (day one) gives us a view not only of the creation of the physical heaven and earth, but also a look into the spiritual kingdom of God, and the division of good and evil. Please allow me to explain, its quite an interesting story, and may answer many of your questions, (or not.)

The first clue:

It comes from the word “darkness” found in Genesis 1:2, “And darkness was upon the face of the deep.” Remember these are not my interpretations of the Hebrew and Greek, you may do your own research.

The thing that first struck me was that this darkness, is spoken of as being restricted to the bottom of the oceans = (the deep) that covered the earth, and not above the waters where the light and the Holy Spirit were. Also there was no sun, moon, or stars yet created, and I cannot bring myself to believe that the LORD would even remark on a literal darkness. That would be like me going into a room with absolutely no light and electricity not even invented yet, and saying, “its dark in here.” Obviously ridiculous, and a mute point anyway.

The darkness of Genesis 1:2. There are ten (10) Hebrew words used in the O.T. and 6 Greek words in the N.T, which translate into the English word “darkness.” The Hebrew word we are interested in is, choshek, # 2822, and the Greek word is, skotos # 4655. The numbers are from the Strong’s concordance. The meaning,

Darkness: Greek 4655, is skotos. past particle (expressing complete action.) obscurity, spiritual blindness, gross ignorance; also, mean, low, base, vile, the regions of the dead, the blackness, or darkness of hell, as the Rabbins interpret it. (doe’s this surprise you! most think it means without physical light.) In Genesis 1:2, “Darkness was upon the face of the deep,” Genesis 1:4-5, this “darkness he called Night.” (note here the darkness of Genesis 1:2, is called Night. It is upper case. As God also calls the light, Day, it is also in upper case. Both appear to be uses as a name, or titles of an office, as in, “children of the Day, or children of the Night.” Compare, with Genesis 1:16. The literal light of the sun is called, “day,” and the literal darkness is called, “night.” both are in lower case. Note also God calls the light good, but not the darkness in Genesis 1:4. This darkness is the only thing God does not call good, which I find very strange. God then divides the light from the darkness. This word darkness is also found in the following verses.

Genesis 15:12, “a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him.” Psalms 18:28, “God will enlighten my darkness,” Proverbs 20:20, “Who curses his father or his mother his lamp shall be put out in obscure darkness.” Isaiah 50:10, “who is among you — that walks in darkness.” Jeremiah 13:16, “Give glory to the LORD your God, before he cause darkness.” Generally, Matthew 27:45, “Darkness over all the land.” Mark 15:33, Luke 23:44, “Darkness over all the earth,” Acts 2:20, “Sun shall be turned to darkness,” 1 Corinthians 4:5, “Light the hidden things of darkness.” The hidden things of darkness, as done in darkness, secret things. Of the darkness of the blind, Acts 13:11, “immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness.”

A summery of the above: You may have observed that the word does not refers to an absence of physical light. What remaining choice is there? Its a lack of spiritual light. Why? Spiritual darkness seems to satisfy the word darkness here. Again, obscurity, spiritual blindness, gross ignorance; also, mean, low, base, vile, the regions of the dead, the blackness, or darkness of hell. Also in Gen.1, we have God dividing light from darkness. 2 Corinthians 6:14, “What communion hath light with darkness?” God calling light good, but not darkness; Both Day, and Night are in upper case implying a name or title of office. And that this darkness dwelled at the bottom of the oceans, or the gates of hell, while the Holy Spirit moved above the waters?

My conclusion is that Lucifer left his place before the throne, and came down to the newly created earth. An earth without life, covered wholly with a vast ocean of water, Genesis 1:10. Now lets couple this idea of spiritual darkness with, “God said, “let their be light.” Question, what light? If God were speaking of a literal light and literal darkness, without any heavenly bodies present, it would not make sense. The creation of the sun, moon and stars was yet three days future. Now don’t tell me they were hidden behind a heavy canopy of clouds, or they were in a liquid or gases state and not yet formed. That is not Scriptural. The sun, moon, and stars had not yet been created.

I believe the light spoken of in Genesis 1:3, was the brilliant light of the (Shekinah glory) of the Lord Jesus Christ. This Shekinah is not a physical characteristic of God. This is spoken of as a physical manifestation of the presence of God. The word occurs in the Targum, which speaks of the glory of the Shekinah. It is made reference to in, Exodus 3:21, “the LORD went before them (the Jews) by day in a pillar of a cloud, — to give them light.” John 1:4-5, “in Him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness.” Romans 9:4, “who are Israelites; to whom pertains the adoption, and the glory (as in Shekinah glory.)” It is both physical and spiritual, Luke 17:22, “the angel of the Lord came — and the glory of the Lord shone round about them.” with John 17:22, and Philippians 3:20. Revelation 22:5, speaks of new city Jerusalem, “There shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light.” As it shall be in the end, it was also in the beginning.

Also concerning the light of Genesis 1, and John 1:1, “In the beginning = (beginning of the creation) was the Word = (Jesus) and the Word was with God (the Father,) and the Word was God.” Verse  3, we are told all things are made by Him = (Jesus) and, “in Him = (Jesus) was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in darkness; and the darkness (evil, vile things) comprehended it not” And 2 Corinthians 4:6, “God (the Father,) commanded the light (Jesus) to shine out of darkness, — to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

Darkness “Was upon the face of the deep.” The Hebrew for “face” means, surface. So what is the deep?

The Hebrew for, deep is, # 8415. “ta-ham.” It means to be agitated, disturbed, and tumultuous. As a noun, masculine, singular, An abyss, a deep, unfathomable place, the depth of the sea. Gen.1:2. “darkness was upon the face of the deep.” Deuteronomy 33:13. Psalms 36:6, “Thy judgments are a great deep (ocean.)” Proverbs 8:27, “I (Jesus) was there: when He set a compass (draw a circle) upon the face of the depth (deep.)” Isaiah 51:10.

The Greek word for, “deep” is abbussos. In Greek writers, deep, profound.
a. It can refer either to the underworld, or the deepest part of the oceans, Genesis 1:2. Psalms 71:20, “thou = (God) — shalt quicken = (make alive) me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths = (deep part) of the earth.” Ps.107:26, “they go down again to the depths.” In the N.T., as a noun signifies, the place of the dead. Sept. for,
“abyss,” Gen.7:11, “all the fountains of the great deep (or abyss) broken up.”

b. General, Rom.10:7, “who will descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)”

c. Specifically, Tartarus, also, that part of the deep, in which the souls of the wicked are to be confined. Luke 8:31, “they = (devils) besought Him = (Jesus) that He would not command them to go out into the deep.” Rev.9:1, “the bottomless pit.” Rev.9:2-11, “they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit.” Rev.17:8, 20:1-3, “cast him = (Satan) into the bottomless pit.”          2 Pet.2:4, “if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell.”

My second clue, is found in Gen.2:17, which speaks of the “tree of good and evil.” The word evil in the Hebrew is a substantive, meaning something that exists.

Evil: Hebrew: 7451, A noun, a name, a part of speech which expresses something that exists. Wickedness, malignity, grief, masculine singular. Evil, badness, especially in an ethical sense, Deut.22:22, “evil counsel, Ezek.11:2,
“evil men.” Prov.28:5, also Gen.6:5, wickedness, malice. Gen.2:9, “tree of knowledge of good and evil.”

Most serious students of the Bible agree that God did not create evil. So what was this evil that God spoke to Adam about? Keep in mind, Eve was not yet present. Question, was evil already present in the person of Lucifer? Now don’t bring up Isa.45:7, or Matt.6:13. God did not create evil, but will deal with, the evil (m.s) (one,) in Matt.6. And He will deal with peace, as He will evil, Isa.45. That is another study, to long to explain to you in this article.

John 8:44, “your father = (the devil) — he was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him.” This word beginning is the same Hebrew word as, “In the beginning God created.” There are seven Greek N.T. words for beginning, and seven O.T. Hebrew words. Lucifer was a liar, slanderer and murderer from the beginning. The words we are interested are, Greek, # 746 and Heb. # 7225.

Murderer: # 443. Greek is, anthropoktonos. Adj. In N.T. as subst. A homicide, a murderer; Spoken of Satan, as the author of sin and death, John 8:44, “he = (the devil) was a murderer from the beginning = (the father of,)” Rom.5:12, sin and death entered. Hence a murderer in heart, in purpose, 1 John 3:15, “whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer.” Satan is a son of God, Job 1:6, the angels’ in heaven are also sons’ of God. Satan hated his brothers, as do evil men hate.

Luke 10:18, Jesus said, “I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.” My thoughts are, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit set out to deal with this fallen angel that sought to overthrow the throne of the Almighty. Earth became the battlefield.

When God spoke to Adam about the tree of, “good and evil,” He had warned Adam not to eat of the fruit of the tree. His choice was to hear and obey, or to take the fruit and suffer the consequences. Adam knew nothing of this fallen angel. So what was Adam’s response? He disobeyed, therefore forfeiting all his blessings, and his life.

So, my conclusion concerning the tree of good and evil, that the evil spoken of by God, implies that Lucifer, the Evil one was either in, or near the garden. God knew and Adam did not. Adam was being tried for his faith, love, trust and obedience. In all these, he failed.

Did God know Adam was going to fail, of course, because He knew of Lucifer’s powers and deceptive characteristics. That is why we are told that Jesus was prepared, Rev.13:8,
“of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Also in the Father’s eternal counsels, 1 Pet.1:19-20, “the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world.” Lucifer had made a decision, and God began to prepare for his judgment.

Luke 10:18, Jesus said, “I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.” We know that Jesus was with the Father and the Holy Spirit in the time of the creation. John 1:1.

Gen.2:7, “The LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living soul.” Jesus breathed life into Adam. This was His personal touch upon man who was made in the image and likeness of the Creator. Because man was in God’s image and likeness, Lucifer sought to destroy him.

We read in Gen.1, “God = (Elohim) created,” See my article on the word Elohim. And the Spirit moved on the surface of the waters, and the presence of light. So we have the Father’s will, the Son speaks upon the will of the Father, and the Holy Spirit moved upon the spoken word, and all things came into existence.

Jesus said, “I beheld Satan — fall.” Fall: # 4098. Fallen: Falleth: Falling: 4098. Greek is, pipto. To fall intrans. pp, to fall, from a higher to a lower place, as from heaven to earth. In N.T. always with an adjunct of place, as from what place, to what place, from heaven to earth. Rev.8:10, “Fell a great star from heaven.” Also,

Spoken of persons and things; Rev.1:17, “When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead.” Rev.5:14, “four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped Him.” seq. to fall from, Matt. 15:27, “crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” Luke 16:21, Acts 20:9, “young man — fallen into a deep sleep.” Matt.24:29, “the stars shall fall from.” Seq. “out of,” to fall from, Acts 27:34, “Hair fall from the head of any of you.” Rev.9:1. Sept. “is fallen,” Job 1:16. Luke 8:7, “Some fell among thorns.”

My third clue is,

Genesis 2:15. “The LORD God took the man = (Adam,) and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.” The word “keep,” Hebrew, # 8104, means, to watch, to guard. Get the picture. God forms Adam, makes a special place from him away from the original place of creation. He calls it the Garden of Eden. As far as Adam is concerned, there is only God and himself present. Yet God tells him to watch and guard. If I were Adam, I most likely would have asked, watch for what? There’s you, me, the birds, animals, and fish you gave me? The LORD knew that Lucifer was present, and warned Adam to, “watch and guard,” He had given him a clear warning that danger was present. What makes Adam’s actions more reprehensible is, God walked in the garden with both Adam and Eve. I am certain that God was testing Adam’s faith, and trust. Why, because He could have stopped Lucifer at any time.

My fourth clue:

What was Lucifer doing here on earth, walking in the garden of God? He was made to serve God in heaven. Jude 6, “the angels which kept not their first estate = (proper domain) but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. Jesus also testifies, “I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.” and possibly what is meant in Rev.12:3-4, “a great red dragon, — and his tail drew = (followed behind) the third part of the stars of heaven = (fallen angels who followed,) and did cast them to the earth.” He was later cast out of heaven by Michael after their war in heaven. Lucifer first left heaven of his own accord. He took with him angels who chose to follow. Spirit creatures now occupying a material world called earth. These were now restricted by space, time, and matter, no longer allowed to enter into the third heaven of the Almighty. I believe they have been give about 6000 years, and then the end. If true, we are very near to the end. Then man shall again enter into God’s seventh day of rest, this for all eternity.

Well these are my thoughts on, “When did Lucifer fall?” What do you think?

For Part II of this article see Origin of Sin. 

Phillip LaSpino  www.seekfirstwisdom.com

Following are comments to the above article from others.

Someone wrote, Interesting article. I have a video on the Creation account on my web page and it covers the fall. You might want watch it and see what you think. God bless!

Phillip LaSpino Reply to the above from sojourner4christ

Dear sojourner4christ. Thank you for your imput, but I am not exactly sure if you agree or disagree with the article. And what your point was for quoting all the verses you did?

Dear freeatlast. Thank you for responding. I have been busy working, writing and eating over the holidays. but I will take a look at your web. Stay in the Lord; and keep studying to find yourself approved of God. A verse that has stayed with me from the beginning of my walk with the Lord is, “my people are lost from a lack of knowledge.” How true this is for many who have deceive themselves, and then others.

Thanks you both for your participation

sojourner4Christ noncitizen

Again, at this time, I am limiting my reply to the “first clue” portion of your post.

Quote:
… I am not exactly sure if you agree or disagree with the article.

Regardless of whether we agree with one another concerning the article, all born-again believers do agree that the Word of God is our final authority in all matters of faith and practice.

Quote:
And what your point was for quoting all the verses you did?

The point was that we must consider the whole of scripture in the matter, rather than value what each of us may personally agree or disagree with.

If your perceive my reply to be lacking a definitive conclusion, then let us both ask, “What saith Scripture?”, and then proceed on that basis.

My point here is that the scriptural terms of “outer darkness” and “bottomless pit” refer not to any geographical location on or within the earth, but to the infinite space beyond the finite boundary of the earth aka outer space.

Quote:
The thing that first struck me was that this darkness, is spoken of as being restricted to the bottom of the oceans = (the deep) that covered the earth, and not above the waters where the light and the Holy Spirit were.

Are you certain that the cited scriptural mention of darkness (re: Gen 1:2) is describing that which is “restricted to the bottom of the oceans”?

Quote:
It comes from the word “darkness” found in Gen.1:2, “and darkness was upon the face of the deep.”

Note that it says the “darkness” was found upon the face of the deep — not upon the whole of the deep itself, but upon its face.

When I look upon a body of water, “darkness” is not what I first perceive; rather, I perceive shades of blue or brown or green — certainly not “darkness.” Conversely, what is the distinguishing feature about outer space. i.e. what’s the predominant feature seen when you look at the “face” of outer space? Darkness.

Quote:
In Gen.1:2, “darkness was upon the face of the deep,” Gen.1:4-5, this “darkness he called Night.” (note here the darkness of Gen.1:2, is called Night. [red emphasis is mine.”

One of the definitions of deep/depth is a gulf or an abyss. And it is the context which determines the precise meaning. See my previous post for a definition of abyss. The deep being referred to in the above quote is outer space — the same place we refer to in determining our sense of day or night.

Phillip LaSpino Reply to above.

If the Lord thought it was worthy of His time to put the information in Scriptures, then who am I to think it is not worth the time for me (and you) to study it. To know your enemies and their tactics is always an asset. Eph.6:11, “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles = (shchemes) of the devil.”
Thanks for your response.
Phil.

prays4u
Location: The Endless Mountains of Sayre, Pennsylvania
Posted: Sat Apr 14, 2007 5:20 pm Post subject:
Hi Phil, I see you put a lot of time, thought and study of God’s Word into your post. I always appreciate that.

I have another twist I’d like to send your way….

In a nutshell, here is basically what I believe concerning the fall of Satan and its time-frame. At the very beginning of the Bible the reader is confronted with the first mystery of the Holy Scriptures; a mystery which, when fully understood, reveals why the ancient geologic fossil record is fairly accurate, and why the account of the six 24-hour days of creation in the Holy Scriptures is a regeneration of the heaven and the Earth and NOT in direct contradiction to the accepted geologic time scale.

What you will learn here precept-upon-precept (Isaiah 28:10-11) will help you understand many other difficult passages throughout the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. The Genesis account must be interpreted from God’s perspective, not man’s (Isaiah 55:8-9 ). Hold onto your faith; it is about to be tested (1 John 4:1 )!

In Genesis 1:2, and in direct contrast to the glorious “heaven and earth” of Genesis 1:1 (which, according to Isaiah 45:18, was initially created by the Word of God to be inhabited), the Spirit now speaks of the same Earth as a planet now in ruin and total desolation:

Genesis 1:2, “And the earth was without form[ ], and void[ ]; and darkness[] was upon the face of the deep[]. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”

2 Peter 3:5-7, “For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old [], and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed [] with water, perished []: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

Genesis 1:2 the Earth is a lifeless and uninhabited planet drifting in the cold and darkness of the chaotic remains of the old universe. The planet is submerged in water, and waters also rage around it and across a ruined universal abyssal. Carefully (and prayerfully) consider the import of the Hebrew and Greek word definitions given above. As you study the root word definitions and the English translation of the KJV Bible, a picture emerges of a former world that once existed but now is totally destroyed and dead. Taking the words of the Bible at face value and reading the verses objectively, several facts become clear:

First, the context and time placement of verse Genesis 1:2 is one verse BEFORE God says, “Let there be light..” (Genesis 1:3), where He begins the creative process of the famous six days found in Genesis 1:3 through 1:31.

Second, if “light” (Genesis 1:3) was the very first thing God ever created, then what is all this other stuff already in existence? Specifically, in Genesis 1:2 there is water, composed of hydrogen and oxygen, and there is the Earth, composed of myriads of elements and compounds AND in a solid form recognizable as a planet which has already been assigned a proper name. Water and earth are both matter. According to the observations of physics (in particular the equation e=mc2), in order for matter to exist there must be space; space and matter must exist in time; matter, space, and time are directly governed by the speed of light, which is a constant. According to the face value of the exact words of Genesis 1:2 in the KJV Bible, the planet Earth, much water, and a universe in time already existed BEFORE God says “Let there be light” in Genesis 1:3.

Third, and very important, there is something else already present at this time: DARKNESS! And not just physical darkness (an absence of light) but also spiritual darkness (the absence of holiness and harmony ).

When all these facts are taken into account, the following inescapable truths stand out:

The planet Earth and a universe were already in existence before the creative process of Genesis 1:3 through 1:31 even begins. Earth had already existed for an unspecified period of historical time.
The physics of time, space, and matter are already established, which by extension means that the processes which regulate radioactive decay (the half life principle) are also functioning and valid.
At some undetermined time in history past, Death and the powers of darkness first came into being, before Adam.
Before we proceed further, we need to firmly establish a governing principle for regulating our interpretation of the Holy Scriptures and the Earth’s geology:

If the Bible is true and faithful about Jesus and redemption by His shed blood on the cross of Calvary; if the Bible is true and faithful about man’s fall and need for redemption; if the Bible is true and faithful about heaven, hell and coming judgment; if the Bible is faithful and true about the history of Israel and the patriarchs, then the Bible is also true about Moses and the Lord parting the Red sea. It is true about the Lord making the sundial go backwards 10 degrees as a sign to Hezekiah (read 2 Kings 20:9-11); it is true about the Lord making the sun stand still in the sky for Joshua (read Joshua 10:12-14); and it is true that the Lord made the present heavens and earth, our “world”, in just six 24-hour days, and about only 6,000 years ago, just as the Scriptures say. We must take the Lord’s words as truth.

Now, also consider this: If the ages of the geologic fossil record are true and faithful, as is commonly accepted; if the principle of radioactive decay and half-life dating is true and reliable; if those same dating techniques are reliable when they show that the oldest known rocks on the earth are around 3.8 billion years old, and that the first fossil remains of macro organic life on this planet were approximately 500 – 700 million years ago, then we are confronted with the only logical conclusion:

THE SIX DAYS OF GENESIS ARE THE ACCOUNT OF A RE-CREATION, OR REGENERATION OF A PREVIOUSLY EXISTING HEAVENS AND EARTH, NOT THE ORIGINAL FIRST- TIME CREATION OF ALL THINGS BY THE LORD, AND THAT GENESIS CHAPTER ONE’S SEVEN CREATIVE DAYS ARE CERTAINLY NOT A GEOLOGICAL HISTORY OF THE EARTH!

There is no other logical answer that makes any sense in light of the true and faithful words of the Bible and the time-tested physical observations (not theories) of the geologic sciences.

If, however, we accept this as the true solution to the Creation vs. Evolution paradox, then the scientists are wrong about every living thing on the face of the planet today being a DIRECT DESCENDENT of living things which evolved across those hundreds of millions of years of natural history, because the condition of the former world, as revealed in Genesis 1:2 is that of a completely dead planet, void of any remaining life forms whatsoever. On the other hand, it also means that every living thing on the face of the planet today IS DIRECTLY DESCENDED from those life forms which God made when he re-created the heavens and earth about 6,000 years ago, and that those replacement life forms were patterned after the same “kinds” of life forms that inhabited the face of the old Earth shortly before it perished. In addition, every man, woman, and child alive on the face of the earth today is genetically descended from the first man, Adam, who was made in God’s image and NOT “after his kind” like the beasts and vegetation. By extension, this implies that any genetic DNA sampled from known “human” remains actually older than 6,000 years (like “Neanderthal” and “Cro-Magnon”) will be found to have no genetic connection to any people living on the Earth today. Several examples of this evidence are presented in our section titled “Life Forms Prior to the Six Days of Creation,” in which we also show when all life from the previous world perished.

In essence, what the Scriptures are collectively saying is this:

Long ago, in very distant times past, the Lord God first created the heaven and earth (Genesis 1:1). But at the place in time referred to in Genesis 1:2 there has been a vast gap in historical time, on the order of possibly hundreds of millions of years. In Genesis 1:1 we have a glorious heaven and earth, but in 1:2 we see a decimated heaven and earth. The geologic column fits in-between 1:1 and 1:2, and the geologic time marker at Genesis 1:2 is the very end of the Pleistocene. The end of the Pleistocene (about 12,000 to 14,000 years ago) shows evidence of a global extinction event and a severe drop in global temperatures. From the evidence we will show that all life perished from the face of the Earth for a brief period before God regenerated a new creation from the remains of the old heavens and earth.

So what exactly happened in during this great gap of time between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2? Why was Death already in existence before the six days and before Adam sinned? More specifically, how were sin and death on the Earth before Adam was even created if Romans 5:12 is taken as literal truth? For clues to that answer we must look to the writings of the prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel. There, in the prophetic Scriptures, the Holy Ghost spoke through these men concerning the origin of Satan, which is the key doctrine to unlocking this great mystery.

What the Spirit of Truth Reveals in the Words of Truth.

In the passages below the prophets are speaking against the “king of Babylon” (Isaiah 14:4) and the “prince of Tyrus” (Ezekiel 28:2) who were renown mortal men of history. Prophetically, the Spirit is also addressing a man yet to come, the antichrist (see 2 Thessalonians 2:1-10). It is clearly evident from the content, however, that the Holy Ghost is also speaking here against a spirit; an ancient, unholy, and malevolent spirit that motivated the evil deeds of these historical and mortal men:

“How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! [how] art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, [and] consider thee, [saying, Is] this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;”

(Isaiah 14:12-16 KJV) “Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone [was] thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. Thou [art] the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee [so]: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou [wast] perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.”

(Ezekiel 28:13-17 KJV)

The words highlighted speak of things that could not possibly be attributed to the actual acts of any human king or prince. No man in history has ever “walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire” or “fallen from heaven.”

The name “Lucifer” means “light bearer” or “brightness” in the Hebrew sense of the word. This creature was the first King of the Kingdom of Heaven in the day when the Lord God created the heaven and earth (Genesis 1:1). It is important to understand that the “Kingdom of Heaven” is not something that just begins with the Gospels of the New Testament. The saga for the control and Kingship of the “Kingdom of Heaven” is the Bible’s core theme, from Genesis through Revelation. The geography of this Kingdom is from the Earth below up to all things within the bounds of the firmament of heaven, the physical universe. This topic is discussed more in depth in the section “Kingdom of Heaven vs Kingdom of God, the Doctrinal Difference.”

For now we must learn about a created creature whom the Lord God first placed in charge and stewardship over the Kingdom of Heaven at the very beginning of time, long ago. This angelic being, actually a Cherubim named Lucifer, was second only to the throne of God and was the choir leader of the universe in the day when the Lord God first made all things:

“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 KJV)

At the ancient time of the original creation, there was spiritual harmony and continuity in the newly created physical world of the Kingdom, from the surface of the Earth upwards to the throne of the triune eternal God. Physical matter and spirit were one under the stewardship of Lucifer, this anointed cherub. He was second only to the Lord God in power and authority over the realm of the whole Kingdom. Lucifer was a created being; created by God to serve Him as ruler of the Kingdom and leader of worship to the Lord.

You should also note that Lucifer was “covered” in a detail of 10 precious stones. These are not the exact same 12 stones that the High Priest of Israel wore on his Breastplate, but the similarities of such a covering signifies that Lucifer was a priestly-like ruler over the old world of those ancient times. But he was not satisfied with his glorious appointed station over all things in the Kingdom and eventually desired to be “God” himself: “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.”

Lucifer rebelled and transgressed against the Lord God and became the first created being to sin. Lucifer sinned a long, long time ago before Adam was even created. The earliest (thus first) documented sin (and documented in the Holy Scriptures we should add) occurred countless eons ago. It certainly happened before the Cambrian geologic period (about 500 -600 million years ago), because that is where we see an explosion of well-developed life forms in the fossil record, with no antecedent fossils in the more ancient Precambrian, except for what has been interpreted as bacteria or primitive cell remains. Consequently, what appears in the fossil record to the evolutionist as an explosion of life is, to the creationist, an explosion of death. The sudden appearance of the remains of extremely complex life forms does not mean those ancient life forms were only as old as the Cambrian times. They could have been living in the geologic times long before the Cambrian. Things that are alive don’t leave remains UNTIL they die. The Cambrian, therefore, marks the first record of death of complex life forms in the Earth’s history, not the very beginning of complex life itself.

There is another extremely noteworthy geologic event that took place on the ancient Earth just before the Cambrian explosion. Scientists have accumulated evidence through observations that seem to suggest that the Earth was frozen over completely at the end of the Precambrian. Since the 1960s, scientists have hypothesized that the Earth was subjected to severe glacial action between about 750 million and 580 million years ago. This is called the Snowball Earth hypothesis and it has been proposed to explain a number of observations in the geological record. It proposes there was an ice age back at that time which was so severe that the Earth’s oceans completely froze over.

How is this event directly connected to the Cambrian Explosion that followed? Is it a coincidence that, following the Snowball Earth and the Cambrian Explosion events, the Earth’s continents began to break apart? At that time in Earth’s history the world’s continental landmass was locked together in the configuration of a supercontinent (called “Rodinia”) which was clustered near the Earth’s equator. This sequence of events (Super Ice Age, Cambrian Explosion of Life, Breakup of Rodinia) in the time frame of from about 750 million to 580 million years ago, marks the time of Lucifer’s rebellion in Earth’s ancient past and the effects it precipitated on all creation.

With his initial act of sin and rebellion, Death and corruption, like leaven, began to permeate the physical cosmos that was under Lucifer’s stewardship to rule. It started in Eden, the Garden of God on the Earth, and spread like a cancer. Because Lucifer was the steward of the whole creation under heaven when he fell, all things under his rule were also subjected to corruption. Every life form then present, and those that afterwards came forth across Earth’s natural history, had the sentence of death upon them. Their fossilized remains are the testimony, written in stone, of life’s struggle under that sentence across the geologic ages. And over those vast geologic ages the physical universe, and all things in it, eventually decayed and the whole system finally ran down and died (entropy).

Scientists use the term “Evolution” to describe the observed “progress” of life forms on this planet as revealed in the fossil record. Darwin called it the survival of the fittest, and it does appear that more and more complex organisms took their place on the stage of history, but they did so by killing and adapting to the struggle against death. The dinosaurs came and went. All things died, and those creatures that came after them also died. So it continued across millenniums of historical time until the spirit of death overtook all things, including the stars across the universe. A few million years ago coldness and darkness began to increase. It was the onset of what we call the beginning of the last Ice Age. And it is the universe’s eventual cold, dark, and completely dead condition that the Spirit describes in the words of the time period of

Genesis 1:2: “And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness [was] upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” (Genesis 1:2 KJV)

At this point in historical time (Genesis 1:2), with the ancient world in total ruin, the Lord God draws a clear distinction in the cosmos between spiritual AND physical light and darkness. At the very beginning of this regeneration work He sets an impassable and fixed boundary between His Holy throne on high and the corrupted physical realm of matter below.

“And God said, Let there be a firmament []in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which [were] under the firmament from the waters which [were] above the firmament: and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.”
(Genesis 1:6-8 KJV)

This firmament, the reconfiguration as structured here, contains three heavens; specifically, the Earth’s atmosphere as the first and outer space as the second. The Third Heaven is above it all, beyond the realm of the physical cosmos. In between the second and third heaven the Lord God now places a “Sea” which is a point of division. This Sea is above the cosmos but below the third heaven. This is the “waters above the firmament” which are spoken of in the following references: Gen 1:6-10, Rev 4:6, Rev 21:1 , and others including Ezekiel 1:22.

This is a partition He established between Himself and His abode (Holy and pure) and the physical cosmos below (now purged from uncleanness, yet still bearing the buried scars of Death’s previous effects, the fossil record). You will notice that this partition work, the work of the second day, is NOT pronounced as “good.” The work of the second day is the only work that is not called “good,” but it was necessary and good only in respect to the whole regeneration scheme, for reasons that will become more evident later in this study.

“And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.”
(John 8:23 KJV)

“Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named.”