Who is the Devil? When Was He Created? When Did He Fall? Why Did He Fall? What Are His Powers and Attributes? And How Can We Overcome Him?Dear reader, you may have encountered some or all of these questions before. Together, we will try to answer them as much as grace allows us.=========================1- Who is the Devil?
Names and Meanings:The Devil: From the Hebrew word "שָּׂטָן - Satan," meaning "the adversary" or "the opponent."Or Iblis: From the Greek "διάβολος - diabolos," meaning "the accuser" or "the slanderer."Also Lucifer: (Lucifer) A word of Latin origin meaning "light-bearer" or "morning star." The word is composed of:lux = lightferre = to bearSo "Lucifer" means "the one who bears light" or "the shining one."The word "Lucifer" appeared in the Latin translation (the Vulgate) in Isaiah 14:12 as a rendering of the Hebrew expression "הֵילֵל בֶּן-שָׁחַר - Helel ben-Shahar," the shining one, son of the dawn, which the Van Dyck translation renders as "O morning star, son of the dawn." This name refers to the Devil's nature before the fall—he was the cherub full of light whom God created as the highest of the angelic ranks."How you are fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations!" (Isaiah 14:12)Beelzebul: A symbolic name for Iblis, often meaning the prince of demons, known as a demonic name in some Jewish traditions in the first century.The Devil has other names such as: the dragon, the ancient serpent, the prince of the power of the air, the tempter, your adversary.His Nature:The Devil is a created being, not a god or an eternal power.His nature is spiritual; he is a fallen angel from the rank of the cherubim, the highest of the heavenly ranks. The Psalm says about the angels:"Bless the LORD, you His angels, mighty in strength, who perform His word, obeying the voice of His word." (Psalm 103:20)Meaning he was originally a pure and mighty created being, but he fell due to pride, as explained in what is mentioned in the prophet Isaiah and Ezekiel regarding the Devil.Isaiah 14 speaks of the king of Babylon, and Ezekiel 28 speaks of the king of Tyre, but they did not limit themselves to describing the political or personal state of these kings; rather, they used a well-known prophetic style of likening wicked figures and their fall to the Devil and his fall.For example, Isaiah says: "How you are fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn!" Was the king of Babylon the son of the dawn, existing from the beginning of creation? Or did he fall from heaven to earth? Was the king of Tyre in the Garden of Eden, walking among stones of fire, and was he the cherub who covers?"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." (Ezekiel 28:14)Thus, it is clear that these things cannot be attributed to earthly persons, but the prophet began by describing them in terms of the Devil to rebuke them.From these verses, the Holy Bible tells us about the Devil's nature before his fall:He was from the rank of the cherubim, as it says about him: "You were the anointed cherub who covers."It describes him as perfect and exceedingly beautiful—the most perfect of God's creation—thus possessing great powers and glory, walking in the fire.Ezekiel 28:"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." (Ezekiel 28:12-15)
2- When Was the Devil Created?
The Devil was created on the first day, as part of the creation of the angels, on the day God created the heavens, apparently before creating the earth, and of course before creating man on the sixth day.In Job 38:4-7, God says to Job:"Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?... When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?"The sons of God are the angels who sang to God and shouted for joy when He created the earth, and among them was the Devil before his fall.
3- When Did the Devil Fall?
The Holy Bible does not specify an exact date, but it is clear that he fell before the fall of man, because he was the one who tempted Eve.It is also clear that God had placed the Devil in the Garden of Eden as an angel, as the prophet Ezekiel says: "You were in Eden, the garden of God..." (Ezekiel 28:13)And it is clear that his fall was quick, as the Lord Jesus says about him: "He was a murderer from the beginning," so it is evident that he fell at the beginning of creation, then tempted Eve and caused man to fall with him.It is also clear that he did not fall alone but took many angels with him, as the Book of Revelation says: "And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought." (Revelation 12:7)Here we must understand why this cherub fell and became an adversary to God.
4- Why Did the Devil Fall?
The main reason: Pride and the desire to be equal to God.Isaiah 14:12-15:"How you are fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn!... For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God... I will be like the Most High.'"Ezekiel also described the king of Tyre in terms of the Devil when he made himself a god, which aligns with the reason mentioned by the prophet Isaiah for the Devil's fall—he wanted to be like God."Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre: Thus says the Lord GOD: 'Because your heart is lifted up, and you say, "I am a god, I sit in the seat of gods, in the midst of the seas," yet you are a man, and not a god, though you set your heart as the heart of a god... Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: "Because you have set your heart as the heart of a god..."'" (Ezekiel 28:2-6, excerpts)From all this, and to avoid lengthening the article further, dear reader, we understand that the Devil was an angel from the rank of the cherubim, called the morning star, son of the dawn; he was the seal of perfection, full of wisdom, adorned with every precious thing. "I do not wish to delve into decoding the words of prophecy to avoid prolonging it further, but subsequent articles will follow to complete the remaining questions." Due to the abundance of gifts that the loving God bestowed upon this angel from His creation, he fell into vanity and pride, transforming into one aspiring to divinity—to set his throne above the stars of God's glory and be like the Most High, blessed be His name. Thus, he brought judgment and God's wrath upon himself, turning into an adversary and opponent to God. He intervened to cause other angels to fall and to cause our father Adam and mother Eve—the head of the human race—to fall, which necessitated the incarnation of Christ to redeem humanity.Stay tuned for Part Two.
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