Although we see the presence of Satan in the Garden of Eden as early as Genesis 3:1, there is little revealed in the Scriptures regarding his origin. This verse shows him taking the form of a serpent and says, “Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God really say, “You must not eat from any tree in the garden”?’”
In this Genesis passage, the serpent is not referred to by another name, such as Satan or Lucifer. Yet we know from the following passage that the serpent was indeed the Devil: “There was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him” (Revelation 12:7-9, emphasis mine).
These verses from Revelation describe a future event, whereby Satan and his angels will be finally excluded from heaven. Yet they are quite similar to two passages many believe reveal the origin of our adversary, the devil. They are these:
“How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit” (Isaiah 14:12-15). (Please note that verse 12 in the King James Version of the Bible addresses this being as “O Lucifer, son of the morning,” and is the only use of the name Lucifer in the KJV or the NIV.)
“This is what the Sovereign LORD says: ‘You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz and emerald, chrysolite, onyx and jasper, sapphire, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared. You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings. By your many sins and dishonest trade you have desecrated your sanctuaries. So I made a fire come out from you, and it consumed you, and I reduced you to ashes on the ground in the sight of all who were watching. All the nations who knew you are appalled at you; you have come to a horrible end and will be no more’” (Ezekiel 28:12-19).
According to Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary, “These passages were addressed originally to the kings of Babylon and Tyre. But in their long-range implications, many scholars believe, they refer to Satan himself. They tell of an exalted angelic being, one of God’s creatures, who became proud and ambitious. He determined to take over the throne of God for himself. But God removed him from his position of great dignity and honor.”
While these passages do refer directly to the kings of Babylon and Tyre, two very evil rulers, it is not a stretch that God’s intent here was also to reveal something of the origin of Satan himself. In fact, Babylon is often portrayed in the Bible as the very model of idolatry and paganism. And in Revelation 18:20-21, after the total destruction of Babylon has taken place, believers are urged to: “‘Rejoice over her [destruction], O heaven! Rejoice, saints and apostles and prophets! God has judged her for the way she treated you.’ Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea, and said: ‘With such violence the great city of Babylon will be thrown down, never to be found again.’”
Therefore, although the passages from Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 in their context refer to two literal kings, it is apparent from the overall context of Scripture that they also show us the origin of evil on earth. This evil, which first reared its ugly head in the Garden of Eden in the form a serpent, was once an angel of light and was referred to as a “morning star.”
Yet ever since Lucifer was cast from heaven to earth with his angels, he has done nothing but attempt to deceive and destroy the souls of mankind. He has been a liar and counterfeiter from the moment he endeavored to exalt himself above our holy God.
Although Satan temporarily “prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8), it’s comforting to know that he is already a defeated foe and that as a believer in Jesus, “the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).
Isn’t it wonderful to have a relationship with Jesus, the eternal God of the universe, who refers to Himself as “the bright Morning Star” (Revelation 22:16, emphasis mine)!
“In him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). And no counterfeiting either!
An alternate version of this entry ran on the front page of iBelieve.com.