The Bible, the word of God, speaks about God, man, and Satan; it is a record of the history of God with and in man, and it is also a record of Satan with his rebelling against God and his being judged and dealt with.
This week in our crystallization-study of the books of Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes we come to a very wide yet very important topic: God, Man, and Satan.
The entire Bible is a record of the things concerning God, man, and Satan; therefore, in our reading of the Bible, we need to know not only the things concerning God and man but also the things concerning Satan (Gen. 1:1, 26-28; 3:1, 4, 15; Isa. 14:12-14; Ezek. 28:12-19).
The starting point is Job 1-2 and then we have the last two chapters in Job; speaking or expounding on this mater of God, man, and Satan, is not easy, for there’s a conflict between God and Satan, and exposing the enemy will cause him to retaliate.
We need to see a panoramic view of God, man, and Satan, and we need to realize what exactly happened, what is really going on, and how we can take sides with God in His economy in order to prevail over Satan, the enemy of God.
Immediately after God created man, we see that He put him in front of two trees: the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil; the tree of life denotes God as life, and the tree of knowledge denotes Satan as the source of death.
Throughout the Bible we see these three characters being developed and interacting; God created all things (including Satan and man), Satan rebelled and became God’s enemy, man was created and fell, God came in to redeem man and bring him back to Him, and man will eventually become a corporate entity that will deal with Satan.
When we read the Bible, we shouldn’t only pay attention to the things concerning man, as important as these are; we need to also know the things concerning God – who He is, what He is doing, and what He is to man and in man – and also the things concerning Satan.
If we have a good grasp concerning the line of God, the line of man, and the line of Satan, the Bible will become crystal clear to us.
We will realize that, even though sufferings come our way, God is not “out there to get us” neither is He our enemy, but there’s an enemy, Satan, who is an evil force in this universe and causes evil, sufferings, and havoc.
In His wisdom, God does not “wipe out” Satan but rather, He chooses to use man to deal with His created being, Satan, so that God will get the glory as He is expressed and represented through His corporate one new man who becomes the warrior, the bride, and the New Jerusalem.
Even though Satan with his history and his works is something negative, we still need to know of his schemes and stratagems so that we may withstand him and be one with the Lord in everything.
Part of Job’s indescribably horrific suffering was related to the fact that he didn’t know the difference between the sovereign God and the supernatural evil force, Satan, who operated in his environment.
He was not aware of what Satan is and what he was doing, but then later he became aware of it.
The Origin of Satan: how the Anointed and Appointed Cherub Rebelled against God and became God’s Enemy
Satan was an angel created by God; he was an anointed cherub created by God before God created the earth, and according to the record in the Bible, he was the highest among the angels (Ezek. 29:12-15; Job 38:4-7).
His origin was wonderful: he had the kingship and also the priesthood, leading all created beings in praise and worship to God, and ruling for God.
This is the very position that we, God’s redeemed people, have and will have forever: we will have the kingship and the priesthood forever, expressing God and representing Him for eternity with His image and His dominion (Rev. 5:9-10; 20:4-6).
Satan was the “Daystar, the son of the dawn” (Isa. 14:12), one of the very first angels created by God at the dawn of the universe; he was appointed to be the head of all the angels (Ezek. 28:14; Jude 9).
His position was the highest, he was the most beautiful one, and he was splendid and glorious; he was the anointed cherub that was appointed by God to rule over the preadamic universe (Luke 4:6).
Satan as the anointed cherub was the one closest to God, having both the kingship and the priesthood, and he held the highest position in God’s creation (Ezek. 28:18).
However, he rebelled against God; Satan’s rebellion against God is revealed in Isa. 14:13-14 and Ezek. 28:15-18.
Because of the pride in his heart, his heart was lifted up because of his beauty, and he corrupted his wisdom by reason of his brightness.
Satan as the anointed cherub was full of wisdom and perfect in beauty; he “sealed up perfection” (Ezek. 28:12), meaning that he had the full measure of completeness and was short of nothing.
However, he gazed upon his beauty and was proud; he looked at his brightness and became corrupted, for he became proud of what he is and rebelled against God.
The cause of the rebellion of Satan was his pride, which arose from him looking at what he was and he had, and not depending on God or acknowledging God as the source.
Because of the pride of his heart, Satan rebelled against God; his heart was lifted up because of his beauty. What a danger it is for us to look at what God has made us and not take God as our source, not depend on God, and not be one with God!
And what a mercy and protection it is for us to be humbled under the mighty hand of God, so that He would exalt us in His time and in His way!
Satan rebelled against God because of the pride of his heart; his intention was to overthrow God’s authority and to exalt himself to be equal with God.
Even though he was the head of all the created beings at that time, leading all of them in worshipping God and praising God, Satan wanted even more; he wanted to be equal with God, desiring to be on the same level as God (Isa. 14:13).
In his rebellion against God, Satan wanted to become the same as God, even to become God, like God, and overthrow God.
Because of his rebellion, Satan became God’s adversary (the foe outside of God’s kingdom), His adversary (the foe within God’s kingdom) – see Zech. 3:1-2; Rev. 12:9a; 20:2a.
Satan means adversary; as God’s adversary, Satan opposes God (Job 1:7, 12; 2:1, 6; Rev. 20:2), so that whatever God does, Satan would oppose and try to destroy.
Enemy refers to the foe outside of God’s kingdom, whereas adversary refers to the foe from within God’s kingdom.
Satan is not only God’s enemy outside of God’s kingdom but also the adversary of God from within God’s kingdom, rebelling against God.
As soon as Satan, the Daystar rebelled, he was judged by God, with all of the power and authority and righteousness of God’s throne.
However, in His infinite wisdom, God is waiting for this judgment to be executed by the man whom He created in His image and according to His likeness.
Although Satan is under God’s judgement and is destined to the lake of fire, the carrying out of the execution is not done yet, for God intends to use man to deal with Satan.
Furthermore, God still has a use for Satan, for He intends to use this adversary, this enemy, for the sake of God’s purpose and goal.
May we take this to the Lord and open to Him, telling Him in all honesty,
Lord Jesus, we love You and we submit ourselves to You! Thank You for creating us in Your image and according to Your likeness. Thank You for coming into us to regenerate us with Your divine life to make us part of Your corporate expression and representation in this universe. We give ourselves to You, Lord, and we take You as our Head, our Lord, our King, and our life and life-supply. Save us from being proud in our heart or of being lifted up by the things that You have done for us and have given us. Oh Lord, we humble ourselves under Your mighty hand; save us from joining Satan in his rebellion against God.
Being Saved from Rebelling against God by Humbling Ourselves before God and being One with God
Just as Satan did, when we look at what God has made us and forget God Himself, we are tempted to be proud; looking at our achievements and beauty may cause us to be proud and rebel against God as Satan did, being one with Satan in his rebellion against God. Oh, Lord!
The cause of Satan’s rebellion was his pride.
This is the reason that Paul, in 1 Tim. 3:6 said that he would not allow a new convert to be an elder in the church, lest he would be blinded with pride and fall into the judgment suffered by the devil.
We may not be as bright, beautiful, and high in position as Satan, but our natural virtues and attributes, and even our spiritual gifts can be utilized by the devil to make us proud. Oh, Lord Jesus!
Paul had received great revelations, even transcending revelations, but God allowed a thorn in his flesh so that he would not be exceedingly lifted up by the transcendence of the revelations (2 Cor. 12:7).
We need to realize that the proud devil is still prowling about on the earth, seeking the proud ones whom he may devour (1 Pet. 5:8).
It is God’s mercy that we would not be lifted up and be proud, but on our side we need to withstand the proud devil by humbling ourselves, girding ourselves with humility, because God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble.
In our case, as human beings, we are made in the image of God and according to His likeness so that we may be made the same as God in life and nature but not in the Godhead through the process of regeneration, transformation, conformation, and glorification.
However, as we are in this process, we need to humble ourselves before God.
We need to follow the Lord’s pattern who, even though He was one with God and was God, did not consider being equal with God as a treasure to be grasped, but He humbled Himself.
Christ humbled Himself to the uttermost, so God exalted Him to the uttermost. God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble; we need to gird ourselves with humility so that we would enjoy God in Christ as the Spirit to be our everything for our enjoyment and supply.
Satan exalted himself and wanted to make himself equal with God; we humble ourselves and take Christ as our Head and God as our source, following the Lord’s pattern in humbling Himself to the uttermost (Phil. 2:8).
Satan rebelled against God and five times he said, “I will” (Isa. 14:13-14); the purpose of his rebellion was was that he would be equal with God.
Throughout history, both among God’s people and in the world, ambition for position is the root of the rebellion of man against God.
In the Bible, ambition for position was the motivation of every rebellion.
The rebellion at Babel (Gen. 11:4), the rebellion of Dathan, Abiram, and the two hundred and fifty princes of the Israelites (Num. 16:1-3), and the rebellion of Absalom (2 Sam. 15:10-12) were all because of the evil ambition for position.
What a contrast this is to the Lord Jesus, who emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave; He did not exalt Himself, neither did He seek His own glory, but humbled Himself to the uttermost.
Therefore, God highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name (Phil. 2:7, 9).
May we learn from the Lord Jesus and be saved from rebelling against God by humbling ourselves before God and be one with God.
Lord Jesus, we humble ourselves before You and take You as our Head and our Lord. You are our Creator. You are our Savior. You are our life. We depend on You. We empty ourselves and do not trust in ourselves. Thank You for what You have done in us and for us; we look to You, Lord, and we take You as our everything. Save us from rebelling against God by being proud or by being ambitious for a position. We want to gird ourselves with humility and be humbled under Your mighty hand. We take You, dear Lord Jesus, as our pattern, to empty ourselves, humble ourselves, and submit ourselves to God, so that He would exalt us in His time and in His way. Lord, we are joined to You as one spirit!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Sources of inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, the message by Ron Kangas for this week, and portions from, Life-study of Genesis, pp. 16-17 (by Witness Lee), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crystallization-study of Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes (2020 winter training), week 2, God, Man, and Satan.
- Hymns on this topic:
– Lo, how Satan came to damage / Human life on the earth; / But the Lord in all this ruin / Raised a man full of worth! / From the seed of the woman / God incarnate became / The man Jesus—the last Adam— / To destroy Satan’s aim! (Hymns #1172)
– Heaven’s crown of brightest glory / Be to Him, the humbled One. / Heaven’s robe of brightest splendor / Be to Him and Him alone. (Hymns #134)
– The universe of God consists / Of heaven, earth, and air. / The enemy of God resists / His purpose everywhere. / At first the mighty rebel one / The earth from God obtained; / Then from the Lord the air had won, / Establishing his reign. (Hymns #1296)
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