In religion, a belief that has been around a very long time becomes fundamental to the faith even if it is not found in the Scriptures. This is the case with the devil who is said to be openly evil and already cast out of Heaven. Yet, it makes no sense that the devil would be stupid enough to battle God, and this belief is not supported by the Bible. There is also no clear indication in the Bible that the devil has already been cast out of Heaven.
Satan is not trying to conquer the earth; the devil has complete disdain for humanity. Without committing a sin himself, the devil causes humans to sin. He causes humans to suffer and die to grieve God. This is the only way Satan can harm God.
Jesus said that the devil was a liar and a murderer from the beginning (John 8:44). Satan was a murderer, in that he was full of hatred, but he was also a liar who denied his hatred. Jesus did not say that the devil was exposed as a murderer from the beginning, but only that the devil was a murderer from the beginning.
Satan in the Bible never openly committed a sin. The reason for this is obvious. The devil is powerless next to God. Satan hates God, but he must keep that hatred to himself. That is how the devil is a murderer and a liar.
God, through the prophet Ezekiel, said that Satan was perfect in his ways until iniquity was found in him, so the devil is hiding his hatred of God, and that hatred will somehow be exposed.
Ezekiel 28:14–15 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
In Genesis the “sons” of God came to the Earth (Genesis 6:1–2), but this passage does not mention Satan. There is no reason to believe that Satan was cast out of Heaven at that time.
There are several passages in the Bible that seem to describe Satan being cast out of Heaven, but there are only two passages that indicate the timing of the devil being cast from Heaven.
Isaiah speaks of the leviathan (sea dragon) and indicates a judgment for the dragon (devil) that will take place in the future.
Isaiah 27:1 In that day the Lord with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea.
Not only in the future, the wording in this passage of Isaiah suggests that this takes place at the time of the end. There is a great trumpet being blown, and other details associated with the end times.
Isaiah 27:13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the Lord in the holy mount at Jerusalem.
This passage is the only clue in the Old Testament concerning the timing of Satan being cast out of Heaven. It agrees with the only New Testament clue found in the book of Revelation. Satan is cast out of Heaven at the time of the end.
Revelation 12:12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
When Satan is cast out of Heaven, he knows that he has a short time meaning he now knows that he is doomed. Satan could not have known of his doom before that time. If Satan had previously known he was doomed, he would have previously had great wrath. Once Satan knows that he is doomed there will be conflict in Heaven.
Jesus stated that He saw Satan fall from Heaven, but this could have been a vision of a future event.
Luke 10:18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.
We know Christ was describing a future event since He would later say that the prince of this world “shall be” cast out.
John 12:31 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.
Notice that the casting out “shall be” (in the future) because of something which occurs “now” (at the time of Christ). Satan keeps his hatred hidden within himself. At the time of Christ that evil was exposed so that Satan “shall be” cast out of Heaven sometime in the future.
Hebrews 2:14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
It is Christ who destroys the devil. The devil is destroyed by the exposure of his hidden iniquity, so Christ must be the one who witnessed the devil’s hatred. This occurred at the crucifixion since Christ destroys Satan through death.
In the book of Luke, it was foretold that Christ would reveal the thoughts of many hearts. If Christ revealed the thoughts of many hearts, then someone was hiding their thoughts.
Luke 2:34–35 And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.
Simeon was speaking to both Mary and Jesus. The heart of Mary was pierced, but it was the piercing of the soul of Jesus that revealed the thoughts of many hearts. When Jesus was dying on the cross, the devil exposed his hatred of God. This caused the suffering of Christ, and this is how the devil is condemned.
But why would the devil be so stupid as to expose his hatred of God to Christ?
To understand this, we must understand the Trinity.
God is the uncaused cause outside of time and space. An uncaused cause is not divided into parts. A timeless God would have the simplest structure possible which would be one supernatural Almighty I AM. This would be God the Father.
The God of the Bible is outside of time, but in some Biblical stories God seems to move in time. This is completely reasonable if both are true. God the Father can be outside of time, while God the Son exists in time. This is a better explanation for the Trinity since the uncaused cause would be outside of time, but we know Jesus exists in time since He came into the world and lived as a human.
Mark 13:32 But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.
Jesus said that only the Father knows the time of the end, but it makes no sense that God the Father would be keeping a secret from God the Son. Christians focus entirely on the end-time aspect of this statement which distracts them from what Jesus is saying. Only God the Father transcends time. God the Father knows, or is one with, all moments on the timeline while Jesus is God moving through time.
I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.
There is one God, the Father, outside of time.
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made.
Jesus was “begotten” of the Father, from the same substance, before all ages so there was never “a time” when Jesus did not exist. All of this is best explained by Christ being a consciousness of God that came into time and space the moment God the Father created time and space. Constructing the universe and all the other levels of reality would be executed over time, so it would be the Son of God managing the creation of all things.
God the Father outside of time and God the Son moving in time would be a good explanation for the Trinity, but there is a third member of the Trinity. Only God the Father is outside of time, so there must be a way and a reason for God to have more than one consciousness moving through time.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
The Holy Spirit would have to exist in time like the Son of God but would be a different consciousness if the Holy Spirit exists at a different level of reality.
The Holy Spirit is in Heaven, while the Son of God is at a level of reality that transcends Heaven referred to as the Right Hand of God. This transcending level of Heaven has been kept secret even from the inhabitants of Heaven. The Son of God came down to the earth and He was born as a human, but He continued to exist at the Right Hand of God, and He returned fully to the Right Hand of God after His resurrection.
Matthew 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
When Christ was on the cross, He clearly stated that God had forsaken Him. He was quoting Scripture but by quoting Scripture, Jesus was quoting Himself. That He was repeating His own words should put more emphasis on this statement.
The Lord and Savior was not merely expressing His feelings. With this question Jesus was making an incredibly profound statement. Jesus knew the answer to the question. He asked the question to emphasize that there was an answer. There was a reason for God to forsake Him.
Many demons have openly cursed God and been cast out of Heaven. The more powerful demons have managed to contain their hatred of God, so they remain in Heaven. There may have been times when God looked away as from a great evil, resulting in an area of time and space that is not in the view of God. The powerful demonic spirits would be attracted to such places where they could release some of their pent-up hatred of God.
Jesus was naked and bloodied. He was displayed on the cross like a mounted dead butterfly. There can be no better example of a puny little human the egocentric demons had no reason to fear.
When Christ was dying on the cross, God looked away, and the devil did not know that Jesus was more than a mere human. When God looked away, the powerful demonic spirits rushed to the crucifixion to curse God. God had looked away, but Jesus transcends Heaven.
The devil did not know that Jesus was able to witness his hatred of God. To this day the devil still does not know that Jesus is the Lord because Jesus transcends Heaven.
Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
It must be true that the devil does some type of harm to Jesus. This harm would not be the crucifixion itself since that was done by the Romans. Satan bruises His heel, so the devil strikes Jesus in some way. A person’s only weakness is called their Achilles’ heel. There is no weakness or difficulty for the Lord other than His revulsion to evil.
We cannot begin to understand the immeasurable suffering of Christ. He was subjected to a supernatural level of hatred coming from all demonic spirits. It is believed Christ descended into hell, and this could be because Jesus descended into hell on the cross.
We also cannot know how long the spiritual attack against the Lord lasted. Some demons would be more cautious than others. One by one, they all exposed their hatred of God until they were all condemned.
Deuteronomy 21:23 His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.
Galatians 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
The curse on anyone who hangs from a tree is pointing to the crucifixion, and it is pointing to the supernatural suffering of Christ. Being cursed does suggest a descent to hell.
There are the sorrowful mysteries of Christ, those being the agony in the garden, the scourging, crowning with thorns, carrying of the cross and the crucifixion. By far the greatest sorrowful mystery has been kept secret. The real sorrowful agony of Christ went far beyond any physical pain. It was a suffering so great as to make the rest of the Passion unnoticeable. When He was dying on the cross, Jesus experienced the curse of all the hatred of hell.
We are redeemed by the crucifixion, and the crucifixion is another reason God created the world. On the cross, God put Himself in a position where He was forced to confront evil. God was forced to make an unbelievably incredible sacrifice to express His love and to save His children from death.
Christ witnessed the evil of Satan, and this is why He is called the faithful witness.
Revelation 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
When Christ was dying on the cross, the devil exposed his hatred of God. This is the attack on Christ that revealed the thoughts of Satan and all the other demonic spirits. The devil hid his hatred, but “now” (at the time of Christ) the evil within Satan is exposed. The devil “shall be” cast out at some point in the future.
Satan has not yet been cast out of Heaven because it has been kept secret that the devil was caught in a violation of the Law. Satan unloaded his hatred on Christ and yet God has miraculously prevented billions of Christians from seeing it.
In this next passage there is a verbal attack on someone who is perfect.
Psalm 64:2–5 Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity: Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words: That they may shoot in secret at the perfect: suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not. They encourage themselves in an evil matter: they commune of laying snares privily; they say, Who shall see them?
An attack on someone who is perfect while no one is watching would be an attack on Christ when God turned His face from the crucifixion.
Psalms 22:16–18 For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me. They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.
This Psalm describes the crucifixion in remarkable detail. The dogs were the Roman soldiers, but in this same passage Jesus was also surrounded by much larger “bulls”. The bulls attacked Christ verbally (or spiritually). This would be Satan and his angels.
Psalms 22:12–13 Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round. They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.
Notice what Christ said about those who hate Him.
John 15:22–25 If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloak for their sin. He that hateth me hateth my Father also. If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father. But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause.
This passage was used in the past to justify the persecution of Jews. Today, Christians often avoid this passage because of the violence committed in the past by those who were clearly wrong about what Christ was saying. It should be obvious that this passage is not talking about the Jews. Did Jews not have sin before Christ came into the world?
Yet Christians cannot disregard this passage. These are the words of Christ. There is someone who did not have sin before Christ came into the world, but they now have sin because of His coming into the world. The sin that they now have is hatred of God. “Their law” in this passage is reference to Satan and his angels using the Law of God to condemn humans. They used the sins of humanity to justify their hostility towards humanity, but they have no excuse for their hatred of God. They are condemned by the same Law they used to condemn humanity.
Psalms 109:3 They compassed me about also with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause.
Satan can condemn humans for their sins, but the hatred directed at Christ by Satan was hatred without a cause.
Psalms 110:1 The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
The relationship of Christ at the Right Hand of God will come to an end and the enemies of God will be made His footstool. These are two different events, but they occur at the same time because one causes the other. Christ will no longer sit at the Right Hand of God because He will go into Heaven. Perhaps He will return to the Earth revealing Himself to be the Son of God. His appearance in Heaven, or a revelation in Heaven that He is Lord, will cause His enemies to be His footstool.
Isaiah 66:1 Thus saith the Lord, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest?
The Earth is His footstool, and the devil is cast out into the Earth.
In the book of Job there is a lot of discussion about suffering, and why God allows the righteous Job to suffer. When God answered Job, God spoke of the leviathan. The leviathan is a sea monster, or a dragon and it represents Satan. In answering the question of evil and suffering, God is declaring that He will destroy evil. By asking Job if he can do these things to Satan, God is showing what He will do to Satan.
Job 41:1–2 Canst thou draw out leviathan with an hook? or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down? Canst thou put an hook into his nose? or bore his jaw through with a thorn?
God catches Satan with a “hook” meaning Satan does not openly rebel, but he is caught in a trap. This trap would be Christ on the cross who is the witness against Satan. It is the tongue of Satan that is caught, and this is because the demonic verbal attack against Christ by the devil is how Christ destroys the devil. The Messiah was “lettest down”, which is to say sent down to the Earth to trap the devil.
Job 41:3–4 Will he make many supplications unto thee? will he speak soft words unto thee? Will he make a covenant with thee? wilt thou take him for a servant for ever?
These two verses are remarkable. Here we see the cunning Satan before the throne of God, not in open rebellion, but speaking softly and seeking a covenant with God. Satan secretly hates God, and he knows that his hatred of God will lead to his downfall. Satan wants God to agree to keep him as a servant forever.
Job 41:5 Wilt thou play with him as with a bird? or wilt thou bind him for thy maidens?
Here God binds Satan. The book of Revelation says that Satan will be bound for a thousand years.
As a witness, Christ testifies against the devil, and that testimony is figuratively a sword coming out of His mouth.
Revelation 1:16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
In this next verse the Messiah’s mouth is like a sword, and it also describes the Messiah as being hidden. Jesus has been kept hidden from the inhabitants of Heaven. The Messiah is compared to a shaft hidden in a quiver that will be fired when the time comes.
Isaiah 49:2 And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me;
The secret place is the “Right Hand of God”, a place that transcends Heaven where the Son of God has been kept secret from the inhabitants of Heaven.
Psalm 91:1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
It will be revealed in Heaven that Jesus is Lord, and this will lead to a war, or more of a debate, between the archangel Michael and the devil. The devil will be cast from Heaven.
Revelation 12:7–8 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
The revelation of the Messiah is when it is revealed in Heaven that Jesus is Lord. We cannot know when or how these events will unfold in Heaven, and the devil is extremely arrogant. Satan will not quickly entertain the notion that he has been brought down by a human. Imagine telling a very arrogant person that a bug they once stepped on many years ago is still alive and is going to testify against them.
Luke 17:29–30 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.
When it is revealed in Heaven that Jesus is the Lord, and He is at a transcending level of Heaven, then the devil will know he is doomed. A great disaster, like what happened to Sodom, will happen when the Son of man is revealed. The revelation of the Messiah in Heaven will cause the devil to be cast out of Heaven into the Earth.
This is the surprise party that God has in store for Satan. Satan does not know, nor has he considered, that the human Jesus is the Lord, still alive in a place that transcends Heaven. The devil saw Christ as an imperfect human like all the rest. The Christians came to believe that Christ is part of a three in one God in Heaven, an idea which Satan knows to be false. Once the devil realizes that Christ is the Lord, then the devil will know that he is doomed.
In his great arrogance, the devil will not take this seriously.
But when Satan does take this seriously, there will be a battle, a debate between him and the Archangel Michael. Shown to be guilty, the devil will be cast out of Heaven.
Numbers 10:35 And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said, Rise up, Lord, and let thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate thee flee before thee.
Jesus is at the Right Hand of God, and Jesus is the Right Hand of God.
Psalms 21:8 Thine hand shall find out all thine enemies: thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee.
