Edward F. Lundwall, Jr.
A Latent Stumbling Block – Part IV
The earth and human experience has been from the very first a stage of spiritual warfare. Indeed, after God rested from his work to make the earth suitable for mankind, Satan appears on the scene as an already fallen creature. His original name was Lucifer (Isaiah 14:12). He had been a "covering cherub," (Ezekiel 28:16). However, Satan had fallen from that exalted status. He had taken his eyes off God. Instead he focused on his own God- given excellent qualities, that he became filled with all consuming pride.
He tried to become a god in competition with his Creator (Is. 14:12–14). This filled heaven with contention. The angels were forced to choose. Indeed, a third of the angels was deceived and followed Satan (Rev. 12:4, 7)! To this day, he possesses angels who war in heaven and on Earth against God (Jude 6; Rev 12:7-9) and human beings (Luke 8:26-39).
After God made Adam, or mankind, to be under sovereigns of the earth, the first scene of mankind's sovereignty was one of lost spiritual warfare. Satan appears as a subordinate creature, as a smart aleck snake that could talk, but subordinate to man because God had made man to be the sovereign over all things on earth. Satan gained control of the world when Adam, the world’s ruler, surrendered to Satan’s temptation. However, that is not the end of the story.
By God creating and redeeming man through Christ, God is demonstrating that He is able to take man, who begins as one who has nothing of which Satan could boast and transform him into more than Satan hoped to be. In doing so, redeemed men, as the Church, are God’s instruments to teach the heavenly beings (Eph. 3:10).
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