OF the first departure from truth among all God's creatures the Saviour gives the following testimony: "He [the devil] was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own; for he is a liar, and the father of it." John 8:44. And again, "I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven." Luke 10:18.
Thus we see that he who is the prince of evil in our world (because that with him all forms of iniquity have had their conception) was at one time in heaven, bright as the "lightning," "in the truth," whence he fell because by his own choice he departed from the station in which the all-wise Creator had placed him.
Before inquiring into the cause of Satan's fall it may be permitted us to examine a little further into the position he occupied in heaven. In Eze. 28:12-17, under the symbol of the king of Tyrus, we have the following description:—
"Thus saith the Lord God: Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering; . . . the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. 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. By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned; therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God; and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty; thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness."
"How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer ["morning star," Jewish translation], son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!"
From these scriptures we learn the following facts concerning the place Satan occupied in heaven before he fell:—
He was a created being.
He was a cherub, an angel of high rank.
He was full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
He was created perfect in all his ways, and remained so till iniquity was found in him, hence God was not responsible for his fall.
He was given a place upon the holy mountain of God, to walk up and down with authority in the midst of the stones of fire.
He was endowed with superior musical skill ("tabrets" and "pipes" were prepared in him) to lead the angel throng in their songs of praise in worshipful adoration before their great Creator. Thus when the foundation of the earth was laid, Lucifer, with his companion morning star, struck the joyful note, and "all the sons of God" followed in the shout of joy." Job 38:7.
He was Lucifer, which means the "light-bringer." He was anointed to stand in the presence of God to cover the throne with light and glory ineffable.
He was also a morning star in heaven. Christ was the Morning Star. "I Jesus have sent Mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright and morning Star." Rev. 22:16.
We see, then, that Lucifer was exalted in heaven more than any other angel, occupying a position second to God's only Son. That we may form a correct idea of Lucifer's exalted station let us here pause to notice the following facts: God said of Him, "Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so." When Moses received from God His law to guide and govern His people, at the divine command he made an ark expressly for its reception and safe keeping. Above, upon the ark, and serving as its cover, was the mercy-seat, a cherub standing on either end with outspread wings covering the mercy-seat, their faces looking inward and inclined reverentially toward the mercy-seat. "And thou shalt put the mercy-seat above upon the ark," was the command of God; "and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy-seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony." Ex. 25:21, 22.
The tabernacle, with its furnishings, was but a pattern of the things in heaven. Ex. 25:40; Heb. 8:5. Hence, while in the sanctuary on earth, God met with His people on the mercy-seat between the cherubim, so in God's dwelling-place in heaven, the true tabernacle, He sits upon the mercy-seat, the throne of grace, likewise between the cherubim. One of those cherubim covering God's throne was Lucifer, the light-bringer.
Let us next endeavor to learn the iniquity which was found in the heart of Lucifer, and the final act of transgression which caused his expulsion from the heavenly courts. It is not the purpose at this writing to attempt to fathom the depths of his iniquity, or to find a reason for its existence. Sin is an invader as unaccountable as it is unreasonable and dreadful. Our present object is simply, by the light which Inspiration sheds, to learn what we can concerning its workings, that we may be able the better to shun its foils in our own individual experience; for he in whose breast sin was first conceived is the "god of this world," in which we live, "the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience." Eph. 2:2.
And the same unholy ambition which lurked unrestrained in Lucifer's breast, and which led to his downfall, has, in the ages since, snatched millions, not alone of the children of earth, but from the inhabitants of heaven as well, from their God-given estate in a home of innocence, peace, and joy, and plunged them into misery and ruin as irretrievable as his own. Like the ignis fatuus hovering over some dismal swamp to decoy the unwary traveler, and ever receding as the unsuspecting victim advances, until his feet are hopelessly mired in its slimy depth, so at the present time are earth's teeming multitudes being lured on in the darkness by some phantom prospect of worldly gain, honor, or pleasure; and in the mad rush of the hopeless chase, they are, by the same desire for self-exaltation and self-pleasing, being beguiled into eternal night and oblivion. O, the mystery of iniquity! "What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"
That we have not misstated Lucifer's ambition let us note the further statement of the prophet in the scripture above cited: "For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the North; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High." Isa. 14:13, 14. Note that Lucifer's desire was for the preferment of position without any regard to character. He did not say, "I will be like God,"—merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth. This desire to be like God in character is commendable, indeed it is the very essence of Christianity. Lucifer's determination was to be like the Most High in position, or, in other words, to occupy the throne of exaltation, which the Most High One holds, as the supreme Ruler of the universe. Alas! too often in the hearts of men does there arise the same selfish desire for self-aggrandizement and supremacy of position, and always, sooner or later, is it attended with the same disastrous result.
That Lucifer's desire was simply for the exaltation of position, note again the statement, "And I will sit also upon the mount of the assembly in the farthest end of the North." Isa. 14:13, Jewish translation. To realize the deep significance of this expression we have only to consider that the universal mode of indicating the direction north is up. We say, invariably, "Up north," "down south," etc. That is, north is used as an expression of exaltation; and the farthest end of the North would signify the highest degree of exaltation of which it is possible to conceive. Furthermore, the Scriptures abundantly prove that God's throne is in just that exalted place. "Great is the Lord, and highly praised, in the city of our God, in His holy mountain, a beautiful district, the joy of the whole earth is Mount Zion, the farthest north, the city of the Great King." Ps. 48:1, 2, Jewish translation. "For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place." Isa. 57:15. Said the angels in their joyful announcement, heralding the birth of the Saviour, "Glory to God in the highest." Luke 2:14. The declaration of the angel Gabriel to the mother of our Lord concerning the child Jesus, was: "He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest. . . . The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee." Luke 1:32-35.
That God's exaltation is simply the exaltation of goodness is clear from the Scriptures. "For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place." Isa. 57:15. God dwells in the high place because He is holy. He is not merely high and holy, but He is high because He is holy. He alone is Most High because He alone is Most Holy.
