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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.
Pride goes before the fall. A common phrase used by people today who honestly have no clue where it comes from. It’s a shortened paraphrase of Proverbs 16:18 – Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
Satan thought he was hot stuff. And for awhile he certainly was. The list of job duties ascribed to him read like the professional letters after someones name.
- Covering cherub, ruler and protector of the earth
- The tester, God’s own quality control expert
- Light bearer
- Perfection of beauty
But Satan rebelled thinking he was all these things by his own merit rather than the grace of God.
He becomes all the things we now refer to him by: liar and father of lies, serpent, betrayer, the accuser of the brethren, and one that many people find strange…murderer.
He (the devil) was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a falsehood, he speaks what is natural to him, for he is a liar and the father of lies and of all that is false.
Firstly, if he was these things from the beginning, how could he have been created perfect? The beginning referred to here is the beginning of mankind.
Secondly, who did he murder? The answer to that question is – who didn’t he murder?
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Satan murdered mankind.
In Genesis 3 we read – Now the serpent was more subtle than any other wild creature that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God say, You shall not eat of any tree of the garden?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden; but God said, You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die.
Satan hated mankind because God loved mankind. In deceiving them into disobeying God, Satan ensured the death of every human being who would ever live. Satan threw mankind under the Justice of God knowing it would break God’s heart, knowing God being not just a God of love but also of Justice would have no choice but enforce His decree regarding the disobedience of Adam of Eve.
Satan murdered creation.
In Romans 8 we read that all of creation, the plants, the animals, the rocks, everything was made subject to decay and death because of Adam’s sin – For the earnest expectation of creation waits for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creation was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of Him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
Remember what Jesus said about hate? That you don’t have to murder a man to be the same as guilty of murder in the eyes of God. That whoever even just hates their brother is a murderer.
Satan murdered mankind, and he murdered creation, because of his hatred born of pride and jealousy of God. The only Satan we know is Satan the murderer.
But thanks be to God, who in His infinite wisdom made a plan to thwart the hateful schemings of Satan. A plan that allowed Him to fulfill His nature, a God of Justice, but to bring about the renewal and cleansing of mankind and creation because He is also a God of infinite love, through Jesus Christ His Son our Lord.
