All my life, I was taught that Satan was once a Cherub who rebelled against God, and was able to convince one third of God’s angels to rebel with him. Never did I question this doctrine; I simply believed what I was taught. Such was the extent of my blind faith.
So when I first encountered someone who challenged this doctrine (which I knew all my life), without personally searching the scripture to confirm, I concluded that they were wrong and that they were arrogant to think that they were right, especially when there are so many well respected biblical scholars who disagree with them.
Scripture says:
He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.
Proverbs 18:13 KJV
I pray you do not repeat my error in rejecting what I’m about to share without first hearing it. I pray that you would search the scripture (John 5:39), as Jesus asks us to, and hear what the Spirit of God is saying.
As you may have gathered by now, I no longer hold to the doctrine that Satan was once a good Angel who rebelled against God, before being kicked out of Heaven.
Follow me in the Bible, as I present the scriptural basis for my change of perspective:
1. Was Satan created good?
If you were taught like me, the standard answer to this question is yes, he was created good. But does the scripture support this? Let’s search and see.
The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.
Proverbs 16:4
Here, scripture presents us with clear/ unambiguous statements:
- The LORD created “all things”
- He even created “the wicked”
The LORD created “all things”
God creating “all things” speaks to the creation of everything we see or don’t see. Heaven, earth and everything/everyone in them.
For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
Colossians 1:16 KJV
In lining up the two verses quoted above i.e. Proverbs 16:4 & Colossian 1:16, we are able to see that both verses are speaking of the same thing. However, Colossians furnishes us with information not provided in Proverbs. See the table below (in landscape mode) for ease of reference
| Proverbs 16:4 KJV | Colossians 1:16 KJV |
| “The LORD made all things” | “By him were all things were created” |
| Proverbs 16:4 KJV | Colossians 1:16 KJV |
| “The LORD made all things for himself” | “All things were created by him and for him” |
| Proverbs 16:4 KJV | Colossians 1:16 KJV |
| “The LORD” | The context of Colossians 1 tells us “him” is in reference to Jesus, he is the LORD |
| Proverbs 16:4 KJV | Colossians 1:16 KJV |
| The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked” | For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: |
He created “even the wicked”
From Proverbs 16:4, we know that “even the wicked” was created by the LORD, but it’s only in Colossians 1:16, we learn that principalities and powers are also “even the wicked”. They are the invisible spiritual wickedness which we wrestle with:
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Ephesians 6:12 KJV
As we read the Bible, we easily understand that, “the wicked” refers to all who are wicked, whether it’s flesh or spirit or both. Even so, Colossians 1:16 in combination with Proverbs 16:4, tells us of spiritual beings who were created as they are now i.e. wicked. From the beginning, man had choice: Whereas Satan was noted as a murderer from the beginning i.e. from the start, from creation, this is who he was:
Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
John 8:44 KJV
Satan was created wicked, but his children are wicked by choice i.e. when they do his will. So to, ‘the righteous’ are considered to be children of their Father, when they do his will:
And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
John 6:40 KJV
‘The wicked’ refers to all who are wicked, however, “the wicked one” is applied to the ‘leader’ of wickedness or the ‘father’ of the wicked:
When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.
Matthew 13:19 KJV
Jesus doesn’t leave us to wonder on the identity of “the wicked one” who comes to take away the ‘word of the kingdom’, stated in Matthew 13:19, in fact: he tells us plainly in the parallel account of Mark:
And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.
Mark 4:15 KJV
Satan is ‘the wicked one’ , and all children bear his adjective i.e. they are called “the wicked”:
…..but the tares are the children of the wicked one;
Matthew 13:38,49 KJV
So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,
In the same way, those who are children of Christ also bear his image: He is called “the Just One” (Acts 7:52) and his children are “the just”:
For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
Romans 1:17 KJV
By careful examination of the scriptures, we understand that Christ is just and the justifier of those who do the will of the Father i.e. believe in Jesus. Similarly, the devil is wicked and the father of “the wicked”. Jesus’ purpose from the beginning (Rev 13:8) was to destroy the works of the devil:
He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
1 John 3:8 KJV
We already saw that the said devil and his horde, who are the rulers of the darkness of this world, are “even the wicked” made by the LORD (Prov 16:4) and a scripturally synonymous way of saying this is: The LORD created “evil or darkness”:
I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things.
Isaiah 45:7 KJV
All scripture is breathed out by God, (2 Timothy 3:16, ESV), therefore, there will be no contradictions. Just one clear scriptural reference showing that God created the devil and not an angel who became a devil, should be sufficient to have us re-examine our long held traditional belief of “Satan was once good”.
However, the foregoing article barely scratches the surface of this topic. There is much to be said, and in the coming articles, we’ll examine Satan and his many names, as we dig deeper to show: he is today as he always was, Evil!
The next article in this Series is titled “Leviathan, the dragon of the sea“, click on the title to follow the link to the article. I hope the foregoing article has led you to dive into the scriptures, whether you agree or not, I praise the Lord for every soul led to search his book of life.
