Satan the Prince of Darkness
“Now is the time for judgment
on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out” (John 12:31).
The
time had come for Lucifer to make his desperate attempt to overthrow God – at least
in his own mind. The Bible does not exactly say what Lucifer’s grievance was with
his Creator, but it caused him to sin in his heart. Could it have been that he
was envious of Jesus’ position and relationship with the Father? Could he have
been jealous of God’s creation? Was he upset with some assignment that God had
given? No one knows for certain, but Lucifer’s ultimate goal was to set himself
up as the god of the heavens. The prophetic word later given to Ezekiel
concerning the King of Tyre explains the mindset of Lucifer as well because it
was one of the same. The Bible says, “Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre, “In
the pride of your heart you say, ‘I am a god; I sit on the throne of a god in
the heart of the seas.” But you are a mere mortal and not a god, though you
think you are as wise as a god” (Ezekiel 28:2). Lucifer desired to become a ruler, but he
could not rule anything if he had no followers. He needed some angels to
come on his side so that his plan could work. A very flawed plan it was, but
this did not matter to the prideful angel encompassed with his own fantasies of
grander. Therefore, Lucifer went on a mission to recruit some followers through
his tactics of deception who would pledge their allegiance to him. Those who
did not agree to switch loyalties would have possibly been dealt a heavy hand
with Lucifer in charge, but the choice was still theirs to make. Unimaginable and
incomprehensible was what he would have tried to do to God if he had been able
to succeed.
Lucifer
successfully convinced a third of the angels that it would be to their best
interest to team up with him. He fed them lies because in his eyes, God’s way
wasn’t the best way and Heaven needed to be under new leadership. Lucifer
thought that he could be equal to God and that it was unacceptable for him to
submit to the Godhead. Nonetheless, everyone in the angelic host was not convinced.
Two-thirds of the angels rejected Lucifer’s plan and were not going to betray their
Creator. One can possibly imagine the conversation that took place as some of
the angels pleaded with Lucifer not to take his destructive course of action,
while others listened intently as the thought of self-governance without
regulations crossed their minds. Unfortunately, the first family dysfunction took
place with Lucifer causing havoc with the family of God. A self-made renegade,
Lucifer was not about to humble himself enough to admit that he was wrong, and
reconciliation was not going to happen. There would be no peace treaties, no
peace talks, and no negotiations to be placed on Heaven’s table, for Lucifer and
his angels had crossed the Rubicon. Then there was war in Heaven. The Bible says,
“Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the
dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong
enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down –
that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world
astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him” (Revelation
12:7-9).
The
archangel, Michael, and his angels had to go to battle against Lucifer and his newly
devout followers. The war was a unique one with no one being able to physically
die at that time. The fight, however, was to determine who would stay and who
would leave – who would rule Heaven and who would not. Lucifer and his angels did
their best to gain control, but their best was not good enough against the Lord
Almighty. They were on the losing end and were kicked out of Heaven where they
could never return. At that pivotal moment, Lucifer was no longer seen as the
morning star, but his name became forever associated with everything that was evil.
He was, and still is, known as Satan, devil, dragon, deceiver, and serpent –
just to name a few. The Bible says, “You belong to your father, the devil, and
you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the
beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he
lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John
8:44). Lucifer
is the founder and originator of deception. His first lies were told in Heaven,
and he, now known as Satan, has been deceiving God’s creation ever since.
Everything that was wicked became embodied
through him. No longer did he have the capability to love what was good but
only hate filled his heart and mind. His wisdom became perverted with
foolishness. His beauty became one of vainness. And his gifts became tools that
he used to entice the whole world to do evil. The once beautifully decorated
cherub became the prince of darkness. Sadly, that darkness is encompassing the
whole world. Nevertheless, all is not lost. The Bible says, “Be
alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion
looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). We have been warned to always be on the lookout
for the deceiver of mankind. What Satan could not accomplish in Heaven, he has
tried to do on earth.
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