The Cosmic Rebellion

You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty… You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. -Ezekiel 28:12b, 15

Background

Though not immediately clear in relation to humanity’s timeline, at some point God’s seal of perfection (Ezekiel 28:12), elsewhere referred to as Morning Star (Isaiah 14:12), rebelled against Yahweh.

Note: Morning Star, translated through Latin, is where the name “Lucifer” originated. Lucifer does not exist in the original text.

Apparently, prior to his rebellion this created being was one of God’s greatest, if not the greatest (Jude 9). But pride crept into his heart. He desired to be equal to the Most High. Acting on that desire changed the course of cosmic history.

Life lesson: “Lucifer” did not desire to be the Most High, but to be like Him. Such is the definition of covetousness. One who covets does not desire to be the other person, but to attain what the other has.

Presently we find ourselves within the consequences of this ongoing saga. After the created Morning Star (which we’ll now refer to as the Dragon) rebelled, he was expelled from Eden (Ezekiel 28:13), expelled from heaven (vs. 14), and cast down to Earth (vs. 17).

The Timing

When this occurred remains debated. Three theories rise to the front:

1) The Dragon rebelled sometime between day one of creation and when he came to tempt Eve. What is unknown is how long Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden before they sinned.

2) The Dragon rebelled prior to the six days of creation. Challenging this view is the Dragon being cast down to Earth where he was mocked by kings (Ezekiel 28:17). How did the Dragon fall to Earth if this was before the creation of Earth? Which kings were there to mock him? A possible explanation is the “gap theory,” being a gap between Genesis 1:2 and 1:3. Among other passages, supporters point to the phrasing in Genesis 1:2 “And the earth was without form, and void…” In Hebrew, the two critical words phrased together are “The earth was tôû bôû.” Interestingly, there are only two other times throughout the Bible that these two Hebrew words are paranomastically joined together. In both instances, they refer to something built that then became destroyed. Did Yahweh’s spiritual creations exist on Earth prior to the six days of modern creation, who perhaps rebelled and caused the old Earth to become tôû bôû, at which some point later Yahweh’s Spirit returned and hovered over the water…? Was C.S. Lewis’ good friend J.R. Tolkien on to something?

3) The Dragon’s rebellion occurred sometime after the Garden of Eden event, perhaps being cast down like lightning when Christ rose from the grave. The challenge to this is how, then, did he tempt Eve in the Garden if he had not yet rebelled? One theory on this is the word satan, which in Hebrew can denote a position or title rather than a proper name. Satan, in Hebrew, also means “an adversary in a court of justice.” Is it possible, then, that the adversarial lawyer that tempted Eve, and perhaps the same lawyer or one of the same firm who shows up in Job 1:6, was not the Dragon proper? I have always wondered how God, who cannot let sin in His presence, allowed the Dragon to stand before Him in Job 1:6.

I’m guessing two of these views are likely new to you and you’re quick in dismissing them. Not a problem. My intent is not to promote one, but simply to elaborate in areas I’m not 100% sure of. What I have found from listening to Christians who align with each is they all love Jesus. I don’t believe it is a salvation issue, and considering their supporting evidence is both useful and interesting, even if I don’t agree.

The Rebellion

Back to the cosmic rebellion. In John’s spiritual vision captured in Revelation, we see reference to what is likely this same event. From Revelation 12:4, it is derived that 1/3rd of the spiritual beings aligned themselves with the Dragon’s rebellion. It is likely that these beings, including a contingent of created 'ĕlōhîm (gods), are what Paul is referencing in Ephesians 6:12 as he tells us to suite up against our real adversary.

Without skipping too far ahead, we remain at war against these spiritual entities to this day. Christ defeated them through his physical death, subsequent life in the spirit, and resurrection; presently, Christ sits at the right hand of the Father “with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him” (1 Peter 3:18-22). He will soon return and destroy them, the last being death (1 Corinthians 15:24-27). Until then, our Commander has ordered His church to overtake the kingdom of darkness (Matthew 16:18). To do so, He gave us gifts (Ephesians 4:11-13) and spiritual weapons (2 Corinthians 10:4-6). The early church used them well; are we?

Conclusion: Your hand-to-hand combat is not with human beings, but with the highest principalities and authorities operating in rebellion under the heavenly realms. For they are a powerful class of demon-gods and evil spirits that hold this dark world in bondage. -Ephesians 6:12 TPT