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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Where in the Bible? | Rev 12:9 | saltoftheearth | 64114 | ||
Can anyone tell me where in the Bible is the account of Satan being cast out of heaven? I know he was a fallen angel, but I can't find the account of what happened. Thanks for any help!! | ||||||
2 | Where in the Bible? | Rev 12:9 | saltoftheearth | 64297 | ||
Emmaus, thanks for your response to my question--now I have another! Is it generally held that Satan was cast out of heaven before the time of Adam? If so, he obviously still had access to God and heaven [Job 1 -2, for example]. Would that mean that the account we read of the dragon [Satan] in John's vision in Rev. 12 being hurled to the earth perhaps mean his final exclusion from access to God and heaven? Is it generally held that this will occur at the beginning of the period of tribulation? Thanks for the assistance! | ||||||
3 | Where in the Bible? | Rev 12:9 | Emmaus | 64341 | ||
Salt, I think you have to look at the style Rev 12 and for that matter all of Revelation for what it is: apocalyptic. That means it is highly symbolic and many passages can have polyvalent or more than one level interpretation. So, for example, Rev 12 may be interpreted as Satan being cast out of heaven before the creation of man, being cast down by the power of the death and Resurrection of Christ and or being cast down finally at the end of this age when Christ returns. You could see that there was a battle in heaven before the creation of man, an ongoing battle until Satan was defeated by Christ's death and Resurection, which severely impinges on his power here on earth, though he still rages on against Christ's followers, until the final battle and humilition at the end Second Coming. Job is written in a different style. It is a dramatic poem. Satan means accuser. So Satan is described as one of the angels, a very cynical one about man and Job in particular. The whole setting of God's court is anthropmorpized and represented like an oriental king's court. Satan is presented as one of his agents (angels) who keeps tabs on things throughout the kingdom. The Hebrew concept of the devil was not very developed at the time Job was written. And God in Job feels no need to explain what happened or why to Job. He just makes it clear that He is in control and He does not have to explain Himself. Notice that satan, which should be taken as a description of what he does rather than as a name in this situation, disappears from the picture completely after Job 2 when Job is smitten with bodily afflictions. All of this takes place after the Fall in Eden, so obviously Lucifer had already been cast down to the earth. But it is interesting to not that in Genesis the tempter is described as a serpent, but not specifically as a fallen angel. Hewbrew theology about evil and how it comes about grew over time. But back to Rev 12:10. It says that Satan, the accuser, was cast down. But we know he still accuses us and tempts us to sin. Since God is omnipresent, Satan can continue to accuse us before God, just as we can call on God for assistance in prayer.And in the risen and ascended Christ we have an Advocate (1 John 2:1-2)more powerful than Satan the accuser can ever or will ever be. I would not want to say what is "generally held," but this would be brief version of how I see it. I hope it helps clarify things a little for you rather than making them more confusing. Emmaus |
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