The Rebellion and the Fall
Before God’s purpose could be revealed to mankind, rebellion broke out in heaven when the once beautiful celestial being, Lucifer – aka the Shining One – no longer wanted to assent to divine rulership. He wanted to be a divine ruler himself who would bring his own form of liberty that he felt was superior to what he perceived as the restricting rulership of the Father. The prophet Isaiah prophetically spoke of this ‘pre-Adam and Eve’ rebellion when he wrote:
“How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.”
– Isaiah 14:12-14
As Isaiah wrote, Lucifer sought a seat on the ‘mountain of meeting.’ His rebellion vanquished heavenly nations and caused a great upheaval. ‘Vanquishing nations’ is indicative of war, and war implies some type of organization of opposing forces. This beautiful ‘shining one’ obviously captivated the support of many lower beings who simply could not imagine such a powerful one would go astray and be so wrong. The Bible indicates that many celestial personalities followed Lucifer and were misled into judgment:
“For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell,[a] putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment.”
– 2 Peter 2:4
“And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their proper dwelling—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.”
- Jude 1:6
But war in heaven is not a physical battle as such a conflict might be conceived on earth. We suspect it would be a war of words, a war of ideas – with one side arguing against the divine will of the Father and one side arguing for it. Such a war would continue until every one involved had firmly made a decision by taking a stand on one side or the other – a battle plain of decision.
Even though it was not carnal, it was no doubt very terrible and very real. There would not be the displays of barbarities that are characteristic of physical warfare on earth, but such a conflict would be far more deadly. Physical life is in jeopardy in an earthly war; whereas war in heaven was fought in terms of life eternal. This war began before Adam and Eve were placed in Eden, but it did not end there.
While this war continued, as one of his many acts of rebellion, the Devil, and those who sided with him, turned their attention to the earth. Through the Devil’s cunning, represented as a serpent, Eve was seduced into believing that Lucifer’s distorted form of liberty would make her ‘like God.’
“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
– Genesis 3:4-5
As she considered the proposition, it began to appeal to her. Perhaps by being ‘like God,’ she could better and more quickly complete their commission that God gave them:
“God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
– Genesis 1:28
Through her desire for expediency, she sinned against the will of God for her, pushing ahead without first consulting her husband, her partner, who it appears would likely have advised her to stay the steady divine course. But when he found out about her sin, it was too late. And so he cast his lot in with hers – this woman whom he came to love so completely – agreeing to accept and undergo whatever punishment would befall her together.
“When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.”
– Genesis 3:6
But the seriousness of this grave error quickly presented itself. Both of their consciences were seared as they knew they had failed. The divine protection they once felt seemed to disappear and in their minds, they were naked and without divine cover. Guilt had set it.
“Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.”
– Genesis 3:7
These two tragedies – the rebellion of Lucifer and the default of Adam and Eve – threw our world into a ball of confusion. The gift Adam and Eve were to give their offspring was tainted. Their failure to follow the divine will affected their children as Cain jealously slew his brother Abel. And as Cain when off on his own, he took with him, not the pure love and purpose of a divine Father, but the distorted and defeated unreality of disobedient guilt-ridden parents.
