(Continued-Chapter IX-Satan, The Kingdom of Darkness and Sin)

How could such a being like him sin, and how could unrighteousness be found in him? This question is answered in the following quotation:

16 By the abundance of thy traffic they filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore have I cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God; and I have destroyed thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. 17 Thy heart was lifted up because of thy beauty; thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I have cast thee to the ground; I have laid thee before kings, that they may behold thee (Ezek. 28:16,17).

The reader should notice carefully the statement, "By the abundance of thy traffic they filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned ... Thy heart was lifted up because of thy brightness." It was by the abundance of the traffic of this cherub that "they" filled the midst of "thee" with violence. What is meant by traffic in this verse, and the abundance of this traffic? This meaning can be ascertained when we realize the parallel which is drawn between the actual king of Tyre, an adumbration of Satan, on the one hand, and this anointed cherub when he was the god of this world, living and reigning in Eden, the garden of God, during prehistoric times.

Who are the ones referred to by "they"? There are two possible answers. One theory is that this pronoun refers to the angels who were working under this cherub and serving him. The other is that there was a pre-Adamic race upon the earth. We have already seen the possibility of such a primitive people, though I would not affirm their existence. If, however, there was such an early race, it is altogether possible that reference is made to it. Then again, the pronoun, they, may refer to both the angels and also to the pre-Adamic race--if there were such.

The creatures thus referred to were used by Satan in the abundance of traffic to fill his capital with violence. By the abundance of the trade carried on by the historic king of Tyre, he increased his riches, his heart was lifted up, and he set himself up as a god. In his doing this, he was simply following in the footsteps of the anointed cherub. The analogy thus drawn forces us to the position that there was some type of trade and traffic that was carried on by the inhabitants of the earth during prehistoric times under the management and authority of the anointed cherub. The traffic was abundant. Everything gravitated toward him and the gratification of his own desires and purposes.

By the increase and abundance of the traffic the very heart of this anointed cherub was filled with violence; that is, those subservient spirits did the bidding and will of the anointed cherub to such an extent that thoughts of violence and a desire to be worshipped finally sprang into being in his very heart. These thoughts grew and became overpowering in his very soul. The result of this heart condition was that he sinned. Confirmation of this position is found in Job 41:34: "He beholdeth everything that is high: He is king over all the sons of pride." We have already seen that these passages (Job, chapters 40 and 41) are veiled references to this anointed cherub after his rebellion against God. Those who were serving him are called "the sons of pride." These doubtless were the angels who rebelled against God and who are mentioned in Revelation 12:4. Here they are called "the stars of heaven." A third of them fell from their high estate in this original revolt against God, being led by the dragon, the old serpent, the devil (Rev. 12:9). That Satan's disloyalty to God and his rebellion were the cause of his sin seems to be hinted at in I Timothy 3:6. In this passage Paul gave Timothy the qualifications of those who should be appointed as bishops (elders) in the church of God. In describing possible candidates for the eldership, he declared that a novice should not be appointed "lest being puffed up he fall into the condemnation of the devil." It was pride and a haughty spirit that caused Satan's downfall, together with the praise and adulation of those who were under him. This supposition is likewise strengthened by the analogy which Paul draws between Satan and the man who is appointed to the eldership without the qualifications necessary to that office. Should some man without these qualifications be thus appointed, he would be open to the temptation of pride engendered by the adulation and praise of those over whom he presided in the church of God. "Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall" (Prov. 16:18). From the facts just seen, one may be absolutely positive that the cause of Satan's rebellion was his manipulation of the traffic throughout his realm and his making it contribute to his glory and praise in the sight of those under his jurisdiction.

The constant, continual heaping up of praise and adoration upon this anointed cherub led him to lose sight of his first love--devotion and loyalty to God--and caused him to have too high and exalted opinion regarding himself. We may infer from his being "the king of all the sons of pride" that these servile spirits rendered homage, praise, and worship to him rather than to the Creator. The fact that he accepted the adulation, worship, and praise of these subordinate spirits is evidence that he substituted his own wishes, desires, and will for those of the Almighty. As is well known, the substitution of the will of the creature for that of the Creator is the essence of sin. Satan exercised his own free choice. He deliberately took the step of his choosing, substituted his own will for that of the Almighty, and received the worship of the creatures, which was due to God alone. To this conclusion all the data bearing upon this subject in the Scriptures point.

Another factor contributing to Satan's substitution of his will for that of his Maker was his beauty and brightness. These things gripped the souls of his admirers. Men are attracted to those who have good personalities and who have unusual mental and spiritual endowments along with an imposing, pleasing appearance. In the light of human experience we can readily see how these facts contributed to Satan's rebellion and downfall. It was this act of substitution of his will for the will of God, which brought about the wreckage and the ruin seen throughout the entire universe today.

3. The Significance of Ezekiel 28:18,19

"By the multitude of thine iniquities, in the unrighteousness of thy traffic, thou hast profaned thy sanctuaries; therefore have I brought forth a fire from the midst of thee; it hath devoured thee, and I have turned thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. 19 All they that know thee among the peoples shall be astonished at thee: thou art become a terror, and thou shalt nevermore have any being" (Ezek. 28:18,19).

What is the significance of these verses? It is altogether possible that they refer to this anointed cherub who by his sin and rebellion was cast from his high place of responsibility and power. If this interpretation is correct, they refer to the wreckage that was wrought upon the primeval earth. That era of bliss and happiness was brought to a close by Satan's rebellion. As the unchallenged ruler of the earth, he ceased to be. Such would be the implication of the clause in verse 19: "... and thou shalt nevermore have any being." If these verses refer to Satan, we must accept this as the significance of these words; because we know from other passages (see Rev. 20:10) that this diabolical spirit will live forever and ever in the place to which he will be assigned.

It is altogether possible that a new paragraph should begin with verse 18 and that this and the following one should be interpreted as referring to the king of Tyre of Alexander's day. If it refers to him, these verses then foretell the complete destruction of the kingdom of Tyre as it was accomplished by Alexander the Great. That civilization was destroyed and passed away, and the king who claimed that he was God had no more being as an earthly monarch.

As to which of the above-mentioned interpretations is the exact one, I cannot say. The latter, however, seems to be the more probable. Let us continue to study this question and seek for further light on it.

As we have seen in the preceding discussion, what the king of Tyre of Alexander's day did was nothing more than to follow in the footsteps of Satan, who by the abundance of his traffic which was conducted by his subjects for his benefit, was filled with violence and sin. Thus we see that material riches together with the praise, adulation, and worship of subordinates contributed most powerfully to the undoing of Satan.

The same thing will bring about the downfall of anyone who follows in Satan's footsteps. A survey of the kings of the earth throughout the centuries reveals that in most instances human sovereigns have followed closely in the footsteps of Satan, in his plunge from the heights of glory to the depths of sin, rebellion, condemnation, and judgment. History shows that as a rule kings and earthly monarchs heap to themselves material wealth, prestige, and power. They consider the great masses of men only as their servants who are to labor and toil largely for their own fleshly aggrandizement, pleasure, prestige, and power. For example, look at the ancient Pharaohs, especially those who built the pyramids and the great temples at Karnak and Luxor. The common people lived practically in slavery, the fruits of the toil of their hands being seized by the government in order that the reigning sovereign might have everything for which his heart yearned. The pyramids, as we know, were the tombs of the kings. They laid great emphasis upon the future life which, according to their superstition, depended largely upon the preservation of the body. These monarchs were not interested in a future life for their subjects. They were looking out for their own selfish interests and cared practically nothing for the welfare of the masses. According to them their subjects lived solely for contributing to the pleasure and enjoyment of royalty. What was true of many of the Pharaohs was also true of the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Hittites, and the rulers of the ancient world. Even since the beginning of the Christian Era unfortunately all too many sovereigns have considered their subjects as nothing more than chattel and have ground them down by extreme taxation in order that they themselves might have all which they desired. The masses were therefore little more than slaves in the eyes of the monarchs.

In carrying out such plans and in sponsoring trade, commerce, and traffic, these sovereigns have simply been duplicating--on a small scale--what Satan did to a practically unlimited degree in prehistoric days prior to the time when he openly, of his free will and choice, rebelled against God.

We know that there will be yet one more world sovereign the Antichrist--who will enact the role of Satan even to a far greater extent than any king or ruler in the past has ever done. This man will come to believe that he is God, will oppose all that is called God, and will demand that all men render praise and adoration to him as God. This fact is not to be an occasion of amazement to us. As we learn in the Book of Revelation, he will be energized and possessed by Satan himself, who will give to him all his authority and power. Hence in the Tribulation will be completed the cycle which was begun by Satan in his arrogance, pride, haughtiness, and rebellion against the Almighty, which has been carried on by many kings and rulers since, and which will be terminated by the awful reign of the Antichrist. We, however, who know the Scriptures, rejoice in the knowledge that the reign of the Antichrist completes the circle of Satan's diabolical machinations against God and will bring to a close his deceptive double-dealings, which have marred man's pilgrimage through this life.

In the foregoing discussion we have been learning of Satan and his career from the time of his creation to that of his rebellion and fall. In the present section we shall study his first appearance upon the historic scene when he approached our foreparents, Adam and Eve. The account of this epoch-making event is recorded in Genesis, chapter 3.

As we have already seen, man was created in the image and likeness of the Almighty--the natural and moral image of the Creator. He possessed the powers of personality--intellect, sensibility, and will. He was, as we learned in Genesis, chapter 2, placed in the beautiful Garden of Eden, which was located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. (As has already been emphasized, this Eden is entirely different from the one about which we have been studying in Section A of this chapter. This latter Eden was in existence during prehistoric times, whereas the one which we are now to examine was in existence during historic times--at the beginning of the human race.)

Man was placed in the Garden of Eden and was allowed access to all the trees growing therein, with the exception of "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." He has access to the tree of life, the fruit of which seemed to be for the health and vigor of man's physical nature. But regarding the tree of the knowledge of good and evil the Lord exhorted man not to eat thereof, warning him that the day on which he should eat of it he would die--"dying, thou shalt surely die" (literal translation.)

The serpent, which was the most subtle of all the beasts, came to Eve and planted a doubt in her mind regarding God's character and His goodness toward her and her husband. "And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of any tree of the garden? (Gen. 3:1). To this query the woman replied, "Of the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat: but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die." Notice the deadly poison of doubt which biased Eve's heart immediately and caused her to add to what God had said, "... neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die." To this the serpent replied, "Ye shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil." This last statement did its deadly work in Eve's heart, for we are told; "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat; and she gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat. 7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig-leaves together, and made themselves aprons. 8 And they heard the voice of Jehovah God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Jehovah God amongst the trees of the garden" (Gen. 3:6-8). Satan made approach to Eve in a psychological manner--through the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the vainglory of life (I John 2:16). Though Eve was deceived, Adam was not (I Tim. 2:13-15).

When Adam and Eve thus partook of the forbidden fruit, their eyes were opened and they experienced feelings, emotions, and desires such as they had never known prior to that time. God had forewarned that on the day on which they violated that one prohibition, "dying, thou shalt surely die" (literal translation). He carried out this threat to the very letter. Man began to die on that day. As we shall see presently, death, in this warning includes both the spiritual and physical, the former of which will, if one does not receive the Redeemer, terminate in the eternal death of Revelation 20:14,15.

The Lord then asked Eve what she had done. She threw the responsibility upon the serpent. Turning to it, He pronounced a curse upon it and at the same time gave the promise of the world's Redeemer: "... and I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed: he shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel" (Gen. 3:15). Then to the woman he pronounced the special penalty for her sin, which found its fulfillment in the sorrows connected with conception and pain of childbirth. Next, turning to the man, He delivered a sentence of judgment upon him, informing him of the penalty that would come to him because of his transgression. The outstanding thing connected with this pronouncement was that man must labor, toil, and gain his food by the sweat of his face.

After the Lord had declared these judgments upon Adam and Eve, He sent them forth from the Garden of Eden lest they might put forth their hands and partake of the tree of life and thereby live forever in their fallen state.

In Genesis, chapter 3, we are told that the serpent, which was one of the beasts of the field, wiser than any of the rest, beguiled Eve into disobeying God. We must therefore conclude that this serpent was an actual animal. But was he simply and ordinary creature, even though he was more subtle than the rest? The Apostle Paul said that the serpent beguiled Eve (II Cor. 11:3). Through the Apostle John was given a vision of the woman clothed with the sun (Israel in the time of the Tribulation), the man-child (the mystical Christ--Christ the head; and the church, the body), and the great red dragon. The dragon is interpreted as being "the old serpent, he that is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world" (Rev. 12:9). From these passages and others we see that there was another present with the serpent in the Garden of Eden who used the latter for carrying out his sinister purpose of deceiving man. Thus in Revelation 12:9 the adversary of man is call the old serpent, the devil, and the deceiver of the world. It was he who, working through the serpent, beguiled man and led him into transgression. Satan is very crafty and cunning. He uses camouflage whenever possible. His methods are always those of indirection, suggestion, insinuation. He always poses as a friend and if possible works through friends rather than enemies, "for even Satan fashioneth himself into and angel of light" (II Cor. 11:14).

The Book of Job is one of the oldest in the Bible. It is the greatest drama ever written. In a vision of the presence of God we see the sons of God appearing before the Almighty to give an account of their ministrations. Among them Satan appears. To the question asked by the Lord regarding his activities, Satan answered that he had been "going to and from in the earth" and "walking up and down in it." Of course he knew of Job. In the course of the conversation, the Lord agreed to permit Satan to come to earth an subject Job to a series of severe tests. Each time, however, he had to stay within the limits prescribed by the Lord. From the information given in the Book of Job, we see that Satan is still motivated by the same purposes, and that he employs the same methods as he did in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve, as well as often calling into play the forces of nature. In the case of Job, he could not, however, go beyond the permission granted him. But we recognize him as the same diabolical, sinister, crafty, conniving spirit which beguiled Eve.

In the Book of Zechariah we see this same evil personage as he opposes Joshua the high priest of the Jewish nation at the time of the restoration from the Babylonian captivity. He hates Israel with a venom and does all within his power to persecute her. He cannot, however, turn the Lord against His chosen servants. They are beloved for the fathers' sake--Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Rom. 11:28). Again, we see Satan, this enemy of both God and man, in his attempt to lead Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, into sin (Matt. 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13).

Notwithstanding efforts on the part of rationalistic critics to do away with the objectivity of the temptations of Jesus, the evidence is all in favor of our interpreting the accounts just as they are written. There is this personal, evil, malignant, sinister spirit known as Satan, the devil, the deceiver of the brethren, who came to the Lord Jesus Christ and endeavored to lead Him into a path of rebellion against God. The temptations were actual, real, and literal. They were very subtle and powerful. The devil approached the Lord Jesus as He did Eve in Eden through the serpent. He appealed to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the vainglory of life.

Today Satan, "like a roaring lion," goes throughout the world seeking whom he may devour. He has sworn eternal vengeance against the human family, as well as against the Almighty. He is enraged especially at man because the latter is destined to rule the world (Ps. 8; Heb. 2:5-8). Thus man will succeed Satan in his rulership of this earth. This fact may explain one of the reasons why Satan has sworn eternal vengeance against the human family.

A careful study of the Scriptures suggests the presence and activity of Satan in all the major crises of the world. Not only does he precipitate wars and disorders which affect the great masses, but he also attacks every individual over whom he hopes to gain a victory. Though he is very powerful--it is impossible for us to estimate adequately his strength, authority, and might--it is indeed gratifying to know that he is not all-powerful. Moreover, he is limited in his activity and can never put forth his hand against any of the saints except as the Lord permits him to do so. For instance, he could touch neither Job nor his property without special permission from the Almighty. This same restriction is seen in Luke 22:31-34. Jesus revealed to Simon Peter that Satan had gone into the presence of God and had requested permission to sift the Apostles as wheat. But the Lord made intercession for them that their faith might not fail when thus subjected to trial. It is also a great comfort to know that the lord will not allow any of His children to be tempted above that which they are able to bear, but will with every temptation make a way of escape that they may be able to endure any ordeal through which they are called to pass (I Cor. 10:13).

The believer can look forward to the time when this infernal, diabolical spirit will be cast into the lake of fire where he will be forever and ever (Rev. 20:10). Nevermore will he be able to touch the world nor influence men for evil. Then, and only then, will the great, glorious future dawn when the will of God shall be done throughout the whole realm of nature.

In the preceding section we have seen the origin of the anointed cherub, his high position, his sinless character and nature, and finally his rebellion against the Almighty, which was the occasion of his downfall. Of this sinister spirit we read in Genesis chapter 3; I Chronicles 21:1; Job, chapters 1 and 2; Ezekiel 28:11-19; and Zechariah 3:1-3. We also see him in the New Testament at the time of the temptation of the Lord Jesus Christ (Matt. 4:10,11), his being cast out of heaven in the middle of the Tribulation (Rev. 12:7-12), his final doom, and his being cast into the lake of fire at the end of the Millennium. Of course in both the Old and New Testaments there are many allusions to his workings and connivings, but these are the special passages where one may get rather full glimpses of this diabolical character.

Men must know that there is such a character as Satan, that he has a kingdom, that he and it vitally touch them and affect them on every side. To be unaware of the existence of Satan and this kingdom of darkness is to invite defeat, sorrow, and disappointment on every hand. Logically in our study of this subject we next take up the origin of this kingdom of darkness.

A concise statement regarding the origin of the kingdom of darkness is that it is a split from the great and vast kingdom of God. He, as we have already learned, was the creator of all things and is the preserver of them to the present moment; for it is in Him that we live, and move, and have our continual being. That His kingdom is throughout the entire universe may be seen from the following quotation:

19. Jehovah hath established his throne in the heavens;
    And his kingdom ruleth over all.

20. Bless Jehovah, ye his angels,
    That are mighty in strength, that fulfill his word,
    Hearkening unto the voice of his word.

21. Bless Jehovah, all ye his hosts,
    Ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure.

22. Bless Jehovah, all ye his works,
    In all places of his dominion:
    Bless Jehovah, O my soul. (Ps. 103:19-22).