Angels existed before the foundations of the earth
Job 38:4 "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?"
Note: Notice when God laid the foundations of the earth, the morning stars sang together and the sons of God shouted for joy. If there was singing and shouting at creation, this implies intelligent beings who were created before human beings. The stars represent the angels of God (Revelation 12:4,9).
Lucifer was in heavenly Eden before the fall
Ezekiel 28:13,15 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardiusd, 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. 14 Thou art the anointed cherub [angel] 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. 15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
Note: Lucifer was in Eden. The Hebrew word for Eden is adin which means "delight". In the NT when Jesus said “Verily I say unto thee Today, shalt thou be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:43, the Greek word paradise (paradeisos) denotes the word Eden. Eden was another name for heaven. Eden is a broad term that is applied to the place where the garden was planted by God in creation on earth, but also, since it means "delight", it is a description of the presence of God in heaven as well. In Gen. 2:15, when God puts man in the "garden of Eden" signifies that God gave earth a snapshot or a replica of heaven. See: The Sabbath in Heaven.
Job 38:4 "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?"
Note: Notice when God laid the foundations of the earth, the morning stars sang together and the sons of God shouted for joy. If there was singing and shouting at creation, this implies intelligent beings who were created before human beings. The stars represent the angels of God (Revelation 12:4,9).
Lucifer was in heavenly Eden before the fall
Ezekiel 28:13,15 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardiusd, 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. 14 Thou art the anointed cherub [angel] 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. 15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
Note: Lucifer was in Eden. The Hebrew word for Eden is adin which means "delight". In the NT when Jesus said “Verily I say unto thee Today, shalt thou be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:43, the Greek word paradise (paradeisos) denotes the word Eden. Eden was another name for heaven. Eden is a broad term that is applied to the place where the garden was planted by God in creation on earth, but also, since it means "delight", it is a description of the presence of God in heaven as well. In Gen. 2:15, when God puts man in the "garden of Eden" signifies that God gave earth a snapshot or a replica of heaven. See: The Sabbath in Heaven.
Lucifer and his angels were cast out of heaven due to rebellion
Isaiah 14:12-14 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.
Revelation 12:7-10 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
That old serpent that was cast out deceives Eve
Gen 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
Satan was still able to go back before God and bring accusations against His people
Job 1:6-7 One day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them. The LORD said to Satan, ’Where have you come from?’ Satan answered the LORD, ‘From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it’”
Satan is not able to go back to heaven anymore when Jesus died on the cross
The kingdom of God was near during the time of Jesus
Mark 1:14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, Mark 1:15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
When the kingdom of God comes, what happens to the accuser of our bretheren?
Rev. 12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
Notice… “Now is come…the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ” and the accuser is cast down.
So the kingdom of God and the power of Christ came and the accuser was cast down at the same time.
Satan was cast out of heaven for good at the cross
John 12:31-33 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This he said, signifying what death he should die.
Notice the connection between “the prince of the world be cast out” and “if I be lifted up from the earth” signifying his death on the cross.
We can conclude that the prince of this world or Satan was cast out of heaven for good at the cross. Although in the beginning Satan was cast out of heaven and cast out into the earth, in the book of Job, Satan was able to go back before God and bring accusations against His people but Satan is not able to go back to heaven to accuse God’s people anymore when Jesus died on the cross.
Since the accuser is cast down or cast out of heaven when Jesus died on the cross, we can also conclude that the kingdom of God has come when Jesus died on the cross.
Notice what Jesus said after the resurrection:
Matt. 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
Now compare this with “Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ” Rev. 12:10.
When Jesus died on the cross, the power of salvation was confirmed. The power of salvation was promised and guaranteed before the foundation of the world. However the power of salvation was sealed when Jesus died on the cross. In this sense, the power of Christ has come when Jesus died on the cross.
Now is the Kingdom of Grace and then will be the Kingdom of Glory
When Jesus went back to heaven Jesus sat on the throne of grace (Heb. 4:14-16). Therefore we are now under the kingdom of grace until Jesus comes back sitting on the throne of glory, (Matt. 25:31, Luke 21:31) the kingdom of glory.
Your Thought Questions Answered
- “We do not agree that the description of the war in heaven of Revelation chapter 12 refers to Satan's rebellion before the creation of the earth. The book of Revelation describes events that take place after the time of the apostle John"
Response: The above is the argument of the Jehovah Witnesses. The teaching of the Watchtower Society (WTS) that the Devil was cast out of heaven in 1914 is bizarre. The WTS teaches Lucifer was put into the garden of Eden to look after Adam and Eve!! However, he was already a devil when he deceived and lied to Eve in the Garden of Eden.
Revelation 21:27 tells us nothing that defiles no deceiver or liar is allowed to be in Heaven.
“And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life”
Yet the WTS will have Satan in Heaven not yet cast out for nearly 6,000 years from the time of the fall until 1914 AD.
“And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life”
Yet the WTS will have Satan in Heaven not yet cast out for nearly 6,000 years from the time of the fall until 1914 AD.
In addition, Jesus says in Luke 10:17-19 that Satan was cast out of heaven already – not in 1914.
Luke 10:18 “I began to behold Satan already fallen like lightning from heaven” (NWT)
Thus, the book of Revelation often goes back in history before the time of John (96 AD) to identify the background and activities of those it is portraying. It not only does this about the dragon or Satan, in Chapter 12, but also the woman. The church was waiting for the Christ child to be born. This child was caught up unto God and his throne and it all happened before John wrote Revelation. In Chapter 13:8 the "Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" is portrayed. In Chapter 1:13-18 Christ is pictured walking between the seven golden candlesticks, but He identifies himself as being the One who was dead pointing to his death. Therefore in Chapter 12 we have the background of Satan given, how he sinned and with his angels were cast out of heave. This too happened at the beginning!
Thus, the book of Revelation often goes back in history before the time of John (96 AD) to identify the background and activities of those it is portraying. It not only does this about the dragon or Satan, in Chapter 12, but also the woman. The church was waiting for the Christ child to be born. This child was caught up unto God and his throne and it all happened before John wrote Revelation. In Chapter 13:8 the "Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" is portrayed. In Chapter 1:13-18 Christ is pictured walking between the seven golden candlesticks, but He identifies himself as being the One who was dead pointing to his death. Therefore in Chapter 12 we have the background of Satan given, how he sinned and with his angels were cast out of heave. This too happened at the beginning!