Monday: Satan Cast Down to Earth
Read Revelation 12:7-9, which talks about a war in heaven. What was the nature of that war that resulted in Satan’s expulsion from heaven?
Satan was cast out of heaven at the beginning of the great controversy, when he rebelled against God’s government.
Image © Review & Herald Publishing from GoodSalt.com
He wanted to seize God’s throne in heaven and to be “like the most High” (Isa. 14:12-15). He stood in open revolt against God but was defeated and exiled on earth. However, by deceiving Adam and Eve, Satan usurped Adam’s rule over this world (Luke 4:6). As the self-proclaimed ruler of this world (John 12:31), Satan claimed the right to attend the heavenly council as earth’s representative (Job 1:6-12). However, since his defeat at the cross, Satan and his fallen angels have been confined to the earth as a prison, until they receive their punishment (2 Pet. 2:4, Jude 6).
By His death, Jesus redeemed what was lost, and Satan’s true character was revealed before the universe. “Satan saw that his disguise was torn away. His administration was laid open before the unfallen angels and before the heavenly universe. He had revealed himself as a murderer. By shedding the blood of the Son of God, he had uprooted himself from the sympathies of the heavenly beings. Henceforth his work was restricted”. – Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 761. Before the whole universe, the rule over the earth was transferred from Satan to Jesus, and He was proclaimed the legitimate ruler over the earth (Eph. 1:20-22, Phil. 2:9-11).
Jesus foretold this event saying: “Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out” (John 12:31, NASB).
With this judgment on Satan, the “salvation and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come” (Rev. 12:10, NKJV). Satan still has limited power to harm God’s people on earth, but it is with a realization that “he has a short time” left (Rev. 12:12, NKJV). Although his time is indeed “short”, he is doing all that he can to cause pain, suffering, and havoc here.
| What does Revelation 12:11 teach about how to defend against the devil? (See also Eph. 6:10-18). |
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The sympathy of heaven.
If I were the one I would have destroyed Satan immediately.
I would have cast him to one of the hottest stars.
I would have cast him to this earth but relocate my Adam and Eve to another galaxy.
In that council in heaven that Satan attended, I would have humiliated him and made him leave immediately.
I would have made sure the fallen angels have rebelled against him and thus divide his kingdom. A tit for tat.
After shedding the blood of Jesus I would have not given him any more time.
But heaven had sympathy on Satan, they gave him time to repent but he didn't.
There is no indication in the Bible the heaven ever had any sympathy for Satan or his cohorts.
Why did God need to make peace with heaven? (1 Col 1:19-20) This verse may help us understand just how real the war in heaven was:
For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. Colossians 1:19-20 NLT
Even after Lucifer was cast out, those who remained may have still had their doubts. Did God really love them, or did Lucifer have some points about God just being a tyrant? On earth Eve thought that God did not care for her and eating the forbidden fruit would make her really happy.
Have you ever been loyal to a boss, not because you thought he was fair, but because you did not see any way out? So out of fear you remained loyal to him, still wishing you weren’t in that situation? If so, what did it take for you to reconcile the situation so you could have peace at work and not just conformity?
When the Son of God died on the cross He was not just atoning for Eve taking a piece of fruit she was told not to. Eve’s disobedience was a symptom of her doubts. The cross of Christ did not just take care of the symptoms of sin. The cross took care of sin itself! Christ’s death on the cross removed all doubt about God’s love. All questions in heaven and earth are answered at the cross! There can be conformity while rebellion is still in the heart. The cross goes way beyond bringing us into conformity and outward obedience. The cross replaces our thoughts of rebellion with peaceful thoughts towards God.
That which alone can effectually restrain from sin in this world of darkness, will prevent sin in heaven. The significance of the death of Christ will be seen by saints and angels. Fallen men could not have a home in the paradise of God without the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Shall we not then exalt the cross of Christ? The angels ascribe honor and glory to Christ, for even they are not secure except by looking to the sufferings of the Son of God. It is through the efficacy of the cross that the angels of heaven are guarded from apostasy. Without the cross they would be no more secure against evil than were the angels before the fall of Satan. Angelic perfection failed in heaven. Human perfection failed in Eden, the paradise of bliss. All who wish for security in earth or heaven must look to the Lamb of God.-Ellen White, Signs of the Times, December 30, 1889
Some have the idea that once we get to heaven, God will flip a little switch in the back of our heads that makes us stop sinning. After all, we will be in heaven and so we automatically won’t sin right? Wait. Where did sin begin? Heaven!
The reason why humans and angels will not sin, is the same reason why God reconciled both heaven and earth to Himself. The cross of Jesus. The cross cures the root cause of sin which is doubting God’s love. The reason there will be no sin in heaven is not due to a mechanical correction made by the flip of a switch. There will be no sin in heaven because the cross will cure humans and angels alike from ever doubting God’s love and thinking we need anything God has not given us. There will be no reason to rebel.
Rules without relationship cause rebellion. The love of Christ on the cross removes our fear of God, so we are not afraid to have an intimate relationship with Him. With our relationship cured, we will have no reason to rebel. We won’t be conformists. We will be free-thinking moral agents who are at peace with God because God is love.
He was givin by God a a fair chance to repent and change his mind but did not and that's when he was cast down. It's in the Bible.
The Love of God amazes me... be so long suffering towards us shows the amazing love God has for each one of us. The manner in how deals with Satan shows how God is fair in all His judgement.
I would have certainly dealt with Satan in a way he deserves, but today lesson shows us how our Father in Heaven patiently waits for each one of us to come to full repentance. We have a Precious friend in Jesus! Satan is nobody's friend.
Satan has been dealt with as he deserves. Perhaps not in the time WE think it's should be done, but that only shows that God's timetable is not limited to our limited perspective. In fact, if it were, most of us would not exist or have the opportunity of restoration.
We need to be close to God. By prayer, by reading of His Words, by a true relationship with His Son, which is Jesus. Jesus is the one to bring peace to our lives! Although sometimes we may feel the opposite! Because our own fallen nature fights against what is pure and perfect! And when we look for perfection, that is only possible through Jesus love, who died for us, and who can take our prayers directly to God Himself! This is the Gospel of peace! We get right with the Father through His Son, Jesus!
The war in heaven is a war of words, not a physical war
In Rev 12:4 the tail of the dragon, dragged a third of the stars out of heaven. In Isaiah 9:15, the tail represents prophets telling lies. Satan told lies and one third of the angels believed him and were cast out of heaven with him
Then in Rev 12:9 the dragon is called “the ancient serpent.” Which reminds us of Genesis 3 and the “battle” between the serpent and the woman (Eve), which was a “war” of words with the serpent telling lies about God and the woman in the end believing them and acting upon them.
Rev 12:10 makes it clear that Satan is being cast out not as a general at the head of armies, but as the accuser of the “brethren.” Once again the weapon of choice is words. The language and role here reminds us of Satan against Job and against Joshua in Zechariah 3:1-2, where he accuses believers and by implication God Himself.
Those who resist Satan in this passage do so by the “word of their testimony” Rev 12:11
So all together these point to a battle of words over the character of God and who has the right to rule the universe. Rev 12:10 points back to chapter Rev 5 and the enthronement of the Lamb on account of the cross Rev 12:11. So the war in heaven is fought with words and concerns the claims of Satan, the character of God and His right to rule the universe. By their behaviour in the controversy, the respective characters of God and Satan become clear to the watching universe.
Well explained Shirley! Thank you
I would disagree. When the Bible say it was war, it was war. They did not have an intellectual debate and after Satan loss he turned around and walked out. I was a lanndlord and to get people out who shouldnt be there it takes a Sheriff (Force). Satan wanted the throne, he was not going to just give it up. The bible describes him being kicked out as being cast out of heaven. They had to physically get him and his angels out of there. Revelation 12:7 states
7 Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, 8 but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
All Indications are it was a slander campaign that lead to an all out physical war.
Hi Mark, Shirley can correct me if I am wrong, but I think her point was that it was a war of the minds. There may have been some physical interaction but God does not need to get physical. The angels blinded the men at Lot's door. The blinding was indeed physical but there was no physical interaction between the angels and the men who were trying to get physical. Just like the men tried to get physical with Lot and the angels, the angels did not need to get physical with them. So Satan may have tried to get physical with God and the angels, but they did not need to get physical with him. Revelation 20:7-9 presents Satan trying to physically take over the New Jerusalem, but fire comes down and destroys them before that ever happens.
I am not entirely sure how "push and shove" is played out among supernatural beings, and not being a witness to the actual event, I have to rely on the testimony of others. What is apparent is that the "war" threatened existence itself. Here is a poor analogy but perhaps one that we can think about. Suppose you invented the powerful computer with artificial intelligence that equaled your own. And in the process of it going about its business, it decided that you, its creator, was no longer necessary and decided to eliminate you. If in the process of eliminating you it would eliminate itself. It would not be a battle of power lasers and explosive devices, but a meeting of intelligent minds, each trying to dominate the other.
As I have said before, the battle between good and evil is a close fought battle. It has been won; we can rejoice in that, but we should never think of it as a bit of play-acting on a cosmic stage.
Did God create Satan/Lucifer, in any way, equal to Himself?
The term "equality" takes some teasing out, Kenny, particularly with the qualifier, "in any way". Let me rephrase the question? Did God create Lucifer in such a way that he was inferior to God "in any way"? God gave Lucifer, intelligence and free-choice. He was not created as an automaton.
What can the created share in common with the Creator? That would give an indication of what the created and the Creator share in common.
What can the created never share in common with the Creator? That would give an indication of what is distinct between the created and the Creator.
Could it be that God 'poured' everything that was possible into the creation of Lucifer and only omitted that which was not possible?
Interesting point Mark, how do see them fighting? With fists? Karate kicks? With weapons? Certainly angels sent to earth could kill a whole army in one night. It appears the 'fight' stopped short of killing as they were still alive to be thrown out of heaven. However I agree it was a fierce battle and the stakes were very high.
The stakes may have been high, but the outcome is a given..... The only question of an outcome was left to our choice: Will we make a choice that a perfect human being failed to make? Will we accept GODS gift of his son that make it possible for imperfect creatures to succeed where a perfect human failed? The outcome is still a given - and the time of choosing is VERY short......
I would propose that 2 Cor 10:4 provides insight into what kind of war/battle is being talked about in the spiritual realm.
To view any of several "battles" from this war, look at:
Gen 3
Gen 22
Job
Dan 1, 3, 4, 6
Matt 4:1-10
your own life
etc
It is of deep interest that the dragon is cast out of heaven BECAUSE of the coming power of "the Christ" and if the authority GIVEN to him exemplified by the "Kingdom".
"Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ..."
The ousting of Satan and his followers is, by what is written, well after the life of Jesus, his ministry, his death, resurrection and ascension. Satan had full access to heaven in Job, obviously yet to be expelled.
Interesting study to see deeper into the time period I. Which Revelation (a "revealing"/"unveiling" of events yet to take place at the time John wrote it well after Christ's time on earth). Perhaps a deeper understanding of the time in which John is, in vision, "seeing" in signs? Was it on the Sabbath (the "Lord's Day")? Or is the "Lord's Day" a specific time period of of the final fulfillment of God purpose?
Michael, you ask some interesting questions in respect of the timing of Satan being thrown out of heaven.
I believe that the visions of John were not necessarily linear. There were 'flash backs' to help us understand.
I would recommend that you read the post and the many comments to find the answers to your questions.
I hear what your saying. However, neither Revelation itself, nor the rest of scripture gives support to it's being any sort of flashback.
God himself gave the vision to (the resurrected) Jesus Christ to give to John, in order to pass on to the Congregations (who already had all the "history" needed written in scripture (2Tim 3:16), with the purpose of strengthening the Congregations for the "things to come". Revelation 1 verse 1.
John also starts out the "Revelation" ("unveiling/revealing") of those things to come by stating that he, "by inspiration" found himself during the "Lord's Day", a specific time period often referred to throughout scripture as a time of judgement and of the end of man's rule; a time when the Kingdom, by God's appointed King,Jesus, would be installed as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. (Psalms 110:2; Dan 2)
Revelation refers to a future time (from the time it was written) during which events that John was privileged to see in vision WOULD OCCUR. This included such happenings as the war in heaven and the ouster of Satan, the destruction of Babylon the Great and the kings of the earth and their armies, the binding and abyssing of Satan, the resurrection of the dead, and Christ’s Thousand Year Reign.
In principle I agree with you, I was referring to the 'child' that was born which I believe referred to Jesus.
That "child" in Revelation 12 is produced, not by a human mother, but by a "woman" "clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars.". This is obviously not speaking about Mary or giving "birth" to Jesus, but of a much grander event at a later time: the "birth" of the Kingdom; the establishment of the means by which, by the authority GIVEN him, Jesus uses to restore everything. (1 Cor 15:23-28). Interestingly, it is the SAME scenario that is played out in Daniel 2 where the "rock" is cut out from the "mountain" and hurled against all the collective kingdoms of the world and fills the earth, restoring God's creation.(Daniel 2:44,45)
It is, as stated in Revelation 12, that "birth" that leads to the "war" in heaven and the casting out of Satan and goes on to state: "NOW (as the result of that birth and subsequent war) is come SALVATION, and STRENGTH, and the KINGDOM of our God, and the POWER OF HIS CHRIST ("anointed", "Chosen"): for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night." That is WHY the heavens can be glad - but also starts a period of time on earth that,as Jesus stated, would be marked by problems that had never before been faced. He even goes on to state that if those days were not "cut short" no flesh would survive. (Matthew 24:23) I can clearly "see" that happening NOW.....
Michael, we generally understand the pure "woman" to be the church of God, and before Christ, it would be His people Israel. It was from this "woman" (God's people, the "seed" of Eve, Seth, Abraham, etc.) that Christ was born. All of the 'Old Testament" led up to this "seed" of the original "woman." Satan was ready to "devour" the Christ child quite literally, as the killing of all the babies in Bethlehem indicates.
As for chronological order:If you'll check out the prophetic books of the Bible, I think you'll see that events are not necessarily in chronological order - and particularly not in Revelation. In Daniel, the rise and fall of the same nations is indicated from different angles in several visions. Even the several dreams given to Pharaoh in Joseph's came in two ways. The butler and the baker had different visions of the same events. God told Pharaoh of the coming famine in two different dreams of fat cows and skinny cows and fat corn and skinny corn. God does not always give dreams and visions in the order we deem appropriate.
RE: "He stood in open revolt against God but was defeated and exiled on earth."
I cannot find one scripture or EGW quote that says that Satan was exiled to earth in his ORIGINAL rebellion. Why would God send Satan to earth and not some abandoned planet?
Satan was cast to earth at Calvary. That is the war that is referred to in Revelation 12:7-9, not the original casting out of heaven.
Before Calvary he was the "prince of the powers of the air" (Ephesians 2:2) Now he is confined to the earth.
an interesting view which l want to explore of Satan being cast out at calvary
Sam & Lecates: I hadn't heard that before either, but I bought the companion booklet for this quarter & Ranko Stefanovic explains & documents it very clearly on pages 77-79.
The verse quoted in Ephesians was written after Christ returned to heaven and is clear that such authority of the "air" was at work, and is still at work in the "sons of disobedience". Christ was told to "sit" at God's right hand UNTIL the time came for his enemies to place beneath his feet, the time Jesus' disciples were asking about at Matthew 24 when they asked for a "sign" so they would know he had been given power. Revelation 12 shows that when that power is granted he would "go subduing in the midst of his enemies", first, by cleansing the heavens and beginning Satan's "short period of time".
Michael, to which time are you referring?
Jesus' Crucifixion or the outpouring of the Holy Spirit to confirm Jesus' acceptance by God or His Second Coming or the end of the 1000 years when everyone will bow before Him?
Jesus' death was the fulfilment of being "bruised in the heel" (Gen 3:15). The "head" of the Serpent would not occur until the end of the 1000 years of Christ's reign and the rest of scripture explains "how" it would all come about.
The outpouring if holy spirit in the first century congregations serves as undisputable proof of God's blessing and use of 5he newly formed Christian Congregation and that his purpose would be fulfilled through THEM as "Spiritual Israel" and not through fleshly Israel.
As prophesied, after the Apostles died off, there was no longer a "restraint" against the foretold apostacy, during which time the "weeds" would be allowed to grow alongside of the "wheat" until the time arrived when "Truth" would no longer be hidden and obscured, but again become abundant. It would also be the time when Jesus would "sit" at the right hand of God until the time arrived for him to "go subduing in the midst of his enemies - the first function in power being the cleansing of Satan and cohorts from Heaven, NEVER AGAIN TO ACCUSE JESUS' "brothers" again.
Jesus' FOLLOWERS would be able to clearly recognize that even by the "sign" their LEADER gave them that would CLEARLY define the time period and that the END was near.
It is THAT time period Revelation is describing in "symbols" that the Bible itself define and interpret.
We know what "white" represents. We know what "horses" represent in the Bible. We know, scripturally, what being "given a crown" means,and who it is telling the one in white, on a white horse, who is given a crown and being told to "go subduing in the midst of your enemies" at Revelation 6, and we can see clearly how perfectly it aligns with Jesus' description of the "sign" he gave his followers at Matthew 24. They asked. He told the what to watch for.
The "short period of time" of Satan's Rule started when the "sign" was clearly seen: War, Food shortages, deadly plague, and the untimely death and grave (associated with the aforementioned signs) of literally hundreds of millions.
Have we seen it? DO we see it? Not everyone will...... Nor will everyone be doing the "Will" of Jesus' Father.
Thanks for your explanation, for those interested in more details I would recommend reading the original post and the comments to it.
For more accurate information, the Bible is the absolute best source, as it alone is reliable. It is the original post that has raised the questions presented by many people.
"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works." 2 Tim 3:16,17
It is either correct in what it is stating, or it is not.....
The Bible is always correct. Our interpretation of it isn't always correct. Hence the differing views.
I believe a little humility can go a long way towards opening the door to learning from each other. None of us knows the mind of God precisely. But He has told us to "assemble together" so that we might learn from each other, since the Spirit speaks to us in ways most suited to our individualities. And by encouraging each other and listening to each other, our individual experiences can be enriched.
Where are texts that indicate that Satan and his angels were confined to earth at Calvary? I have never heard that before.
" He knows that his last chance to succeed against God before the Second Coming is to win the battle of Armageddon."
Does anyone have a comment on this? Isn't the battle already won at the cross?
The 'battle' to regain humanity as a 'species' was won at the cross by the second Adam retracing the steps of the first Adam except that where the first Adam fell, the second Adam refused to do so no matter what - including being put to death in the cruelest possible way known at the time (see Rom 5:19 in conjunction with Isa 53:12 and Phil 2:8).
But all this did was provide the POTENTIAL for any individual human to have a second chance at choosing life instead of death (as per Deut 30:15-20 for example). In order for that POTENTIAL to become reality for any individual, they have to choose to the point of irreversibility which Kingdom they wish to be part of. The battle to influence that choice for each individual continues until each person alive has made their irreversible choice. This scenario has already happened once before in history leading up to the flood - hence as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be again at the second coming.
If God had not intervened at the time of the flood and left things go a bit longer, quite likely all humans alive would have chosen the Kingdom of Darkness as per Gen 6:5.
A sobering thought...
See quote below from Desire of Ages: Jesus' death is linked to Satan's being cast down in Rev 12:10.
Rev 12:13 says Satan was cast down to the earth.
Jesus said just before His Crucifixion: John 12:31 Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.
Angels in the Abyss of 5th Trumpet
Rev 9:1-2 And the fifth angel sounded. And I saw a star fall from the heaven to the earth, and it was given the key of the abyss. 2 And it opened the bottomless pit. And there arose a smoke out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace. And the sun and air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit.
Rev 9:11 And they had a king over them, the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in Greek his name is Apollyon.
2Pe 2:4 For if God did not spare sinning angels, but thrust them down into the abyss, and delivered them into chains of darkness, being reserved to judgment.
Jude 6 And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day;
Desire of Ages:
Could one sin have been found in Christ, had He in one particular yielded to Satan to escape the terrible torture, the enemy of God and man would have triumphed. Christ bowed His head and died, but He held fast His faith and His submission to God. “And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.” Revelation 12:10.
Satan saw that his disguise was torn away. His administration was laid open before the unfallen angels and before the heavenly universe. He had revealed himself as a murderer. By shedding the blood of the Son of God, he had uprooted himself from the sympathies of the heavenly beings. Henceforth his work was restricted. Whatever attitude he might assume, he could no longer await the angels as they came from the heavenly courts, and before them accuse Christ’s brethren of being clothed with the garments of blackness and the defilement of sin. The last link of sympathy between Satan and the heavenly world was broken.
Yet Satan was not then destroyed. The angels did not even then understand all that was involved in the great controversy. The principles at stake were to be more fully revealed. And for the sake of man, Satan’s existence must be continued. Man as well as angels must see the contrast between the Prince of light and the prince of darkness. He must choose whom he will serve.
In the opening of the great controversy, Satan had declared that the law of God could not be obeyed, that justice was inconsistent with mercy, and that, should the law be broken, it would be impossible for the sinner to be pardoned. Every sin must meet its punishment, urged Satan; and if God should remit the punishment of sin, He would not be a God of truth and justice. When men broke the law of God, and defied His will, Satan exulted. It was proved, he declared, that the law could not be obeyed; man could not be forgiven. Because he, after his rebellion, had been banished from heaven, Satan claimed that the human race must be forever shut out from God’s favor. God could not be just, he urged, and yet show mercy to the sinner.
Desire of Ages pg 758-762
Hard to imagine war in heaven, God's residence! Yet, we are told in this cartoon sketched drama that there was a struggle of cosmic proportions in the very presence of God. The tussle was bloodless, but the power struggle real. Was it physical, verbal, both? Death wasn't immediate as the dragon and his loyal hosts were cast out to the limited territory of earth where the battle picks up and ends. And, it involves us. It is a long contest that closes clearly with the ultimate end of Satan.
Interesting thoughts are posted. Here's just a few thoughts of my own.
1. The battle is definitely one of words, a battle for the mind. Yet reflect on Satan's methods over the course of history. The deceptions, temptations fall into the "battle for the mind" category. But Satan does not stop there. He gets very physical in his assaults when his deceptions aren't working as well as he'd like.
2. It appears that Satan's first tactics in his rebellion were purely a battle of words and deceptive persuasion. God, in His wisdom, let it ripen. It wasn't until it was determined he and his followers were going to be banished from heaven, that things got physical.
3. There is something in the universe that always puzzled me. Sin, we've been told, is practiced only on this earth, while the rest of the universe is loyal to God. The question then is -- why is there so much chaos in the universe? Broken planet pieces floating around in space, planets and suns crashing into each other. Space camera's send back awesome pictures of celestial objects that have exploded or collided. The more one looks into astronomy the more it seems some huge monkey wrench went flying through space knocking things out of their order.
Makes one wonder if the rebellious angels, enraged that they were going to be kicked out of heaven, went on a rampage to destroy God's creation. Remember, even in Revelation 20, Satan marshal's his armies to wage war against God. He's very capable of doing so until he and his angels are restrained.
God (and Jesus) are far superior to even the greatest and strongest angels. God doesn't need to "go on a rampage" to cast out the rebels. But the "casting out" was physical removal.
Jude 1:6 seems to indicate the rebellious angels LEFT the place they were supposed to be, and thus had to be chained (somehow restrained).
4. It appears Satan (and/or some of his angels) could access the "tree of good and evil" on all the other inhabited planets. (see EW p. 40)
Also, it appears this earth was NOT his territory when he was first cast out of heaven -- he could only be at the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
But it's only on Earth that the inhabitants released him from his limited access to our planet, by obeying him. Satan was not free to follow Adam and Eve around the garden BEFORE they ate of the forbidden tree.
5. After the cross, Satan and his angels were entirely restricted to this planet. But even here they were somewhat restricted, for God, in His mercy puts restrictions on Him. But in the last days, those restrictions will be removed and the full revelation of satan's government will develop. It will result in a terrible time of trouble, worse than anything that has happened on this earth before.
But the heavenly army will ride forth (Rev. 19) and end it.
Why would anyone chose Satan's government -- God's ways are righteous, and good, and the only real happy way of living.
Primarily, people choose Satan's government by default, because they don't believe in God, or because they are deceived by Satan (or all three). We are born with Satan's nature, and unless we actively choose God, we cannot belong to God. We are born with a natural love for darkness, which we are to overcome through our lifetimes.
GC, Ch. 30: "When man transgressed the divine law, his nature became evil, and he was in harmony, and not at variance, with Satan. There exists naturally no enmity between sinful man and the originator of sin. Both became evil through apostasy."
Melissa, I have come to believe that we are born with choices to make, and are not born guilty, since what is a newborn child guilty of until it chooses to sin?
Adam was created in the image of God, but had to make a choice. We are born no different, only the image of God is marred by the fact of inherited traits, but not guilt. Guilt comes when we choose to sin(see Rom 5:12).
Why would anyone choose Satan's government? Most of the lost probably don't, since most will tell you the devil is a myth.
People choose unbelief because they " believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness"(2 Thess 2:12). When we allow our carnal nature to live out its desires, truth becomes despised. Romans 8 highlights the solution, which most are not willing to follow. The wicked are aligned with the devil by the principle of their unbelief and resulting actions, not out of sympathy or agreement with the devil himself. As with the devil, sinners place self in the place of God in their lives, and carry out the desires of the flesh, and not the Spirit. Satan has deceived them, though not while appearing as himself, asking for their devotion to him.
What you have said illustrates that our deepest, core motive underpins everything else we do (Prov 4:23): self-renouncing vs self-exalting/indulging/gratifying. Whichever one of these core motives we 'hunger for' will in turn be manifest in the desires we carry out including whether we live in harmony with or rebellion against Truth.
Ulrike, I don't understand EW p 40, to say that Satan had access to the trees of life in other planets? Please explain.
Ellen G. White, Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, March 9, 1886:
If God were like us, we 'would expect to hear him say, " Let the world go ; let Satan have it for his own." But I am so thankful that God is not like man. He so loved the creatures of his care that he provided a way by which they might be brought back to their Eden home. But at what an immense cost was this provision made! It was no less than by giving up his own dear Son, who was equal to himself, to bear the penalty of the transgressor. The controversy was not to be taken into the other worlds of the universe ; but it was to be carried on in the very world, on the very same field, that Satan claimed as his.