James H said:
It is my understanding that in christian theology, Satan was once the highest angel. The story goes, Lucifer in his arrogance decided to rebel against god and was defeated and then cast into a bottomless pit.
My questions, are:
1. How could Lucifer rebel against God if God knew the future before Lucifer was even created?
2. How did Lucifer go from being an Angel cast into a bottomless pit to being an omnicient, omnipressent psuedo-deity capable of swaying gods children into the pits of hell. How did Satan aquire so much power. Did god just hand the power over to Satan on a silver platter?
When satan fell into sin because of pride, it was no surprise to God, but He used it to bring about glory to Himself.The Bible says that He suffers the vessels of dishonor for that reason. I've used this illustration many times: that a painter cannot paint a self portrait with just white. He has to use all the colors light and dark, and then black as the defining contrast as an outline that gives more detail to the beauty of God. The devil thinks that he does damage, but there is nothing that he can do that God cannot restore or make live again. God has the power to give life and resurrect the dead to new life. All the damage and circumstance done by satan is turned into advantage and blessing to those that love God.
Ro 9:22 What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:
Ro 8:28 And we know that
all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
2)Satan is not omniscient like God, but he does have some advantage, being interdimensional by nature, as a son of God. These angelic beings have properties in life that are greater than man's, having the ability to manifest in the flesh, but being restrained by God from doing so since Jesus defeated Him and gave back authority to man in His name (in Jesus name we pray). It was mankind that lost authority to satan when he fell in the garden of Eden. Man lost authoruty and satan became the prince of the power of the air, where he still uses his fallen angels as generals over certain areas of the earth. As others have said, we are instructed to prepare for battle, as it is not flesh and blood that we figt against but principalities and powers in high places. We are even warned to not mock satan, but put on the full armor of God, realizing the power and great deceptive powers he will once again display on earth, copying the miracles and signs of Jesus in the last days when his false prophet and the antichrist come into power in a new world order.
Eph 2:2 You used to live just like the rest of the world, full of sin, obeying Satan, the mighty prince of the power of the air. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God.
Eph 6:12 For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.
2Pe 2:10 and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise authority. Daring, self-willed, they do not tremble when they revile angelic majesties,
Jude 1:8 Yet in the same way these men, also by dreaming, defile the flesh, and reject authority, and revile angelic majesties.
Satan is cast into the pit during the thousand year
physical reign of Jesus upon the earth. Many try and over spiritualize this kingdom of Jesus, as it has already come in the spirit and is within us now, not being commonly observed, but a physical manifestation of Jesus is coming along with that 1000 years where satan is bound. At the end of that period where the law has once again established, there will still be nations upon the earth that do not want to follow Jesus. They will arise and rebell once again (Gog and Magog, many believe this is the nation of Russia) to attack Jerusalem, the city, and Israel the nation of God's people. After this battle, the Great White throne judgment occurs, where all the unrighteous are resurrected and the books are opened for judgement. All men are judged according to their deeds in life except for those who judgment has already occurred at the cross where Jesus died for the sins of them that accepted His gift of life. Their judgment is more like an awards ceremony where they receive crowns of life, only to throw them all at the feet of Jesus who redeemed them and gave them His Holy Spirit of truth.
Revelations 20:3 The angel threw him into the bottomless pit, which he then shut and locked so Satan could not deceive the nations anymore until the thousand years were finished. Afterward he would be released again for a little while.
4 Then I saw thrones, and the people sitting on them had been given the authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony about Jesus, for proclaiming the word of God. And I saw the souls of those who had not worshiped the beast or his statue, nor accepted his mark on their forehead or their hands. They came to life again, and they reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
5 This is the first resurrection. (The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years had ended.)
6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. For them the second death holds no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him a thousand years.
7 When the thousand years end, Satan will be let out of his prison.
8 He will go out to deceive the nations from every corner of the earth, which are called Gog and Magog. He will gather them together for battlea mighty host, as numberless as sand along the shore.
9 And I saw them as they went up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded Gods people and the beloved city. But fire from heaven came down on the attacking armies and consumed them.
10 Then the Devil, who betrayed them, was thrown into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
11 ¶ And I saw a great white throne, and I saw the one who was sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide.
12 I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before Gods throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to the things written in the books, according to what they had done.
13 The sea gave up the dead in it, and death and the grave gave up the dead in them. They were all judged according to their deeds.
14 And death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second deaththe lake of fire.
15 And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.
Isa.2:2,3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the Law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
I hope this helps.