Starting My Research
Alright, so today I really wanted to nail down where this whole “Satan’s fall from heaven” thing actually happens in the Bible. Everyone talks about it, right? Like, those classic images of angels throwing him down. I grabbed my trusty, kinda worn-out NIV Bible off the shelf first thing. Figured I’d start where most folks think it happens – the Book of Revelation. I flipped straight there, all prepared to find the big battle scene.
Turns out? Revelation does mention it, kinda. Found it in Revelation 12:7-9. Bingo! It describes this massive war in heaven: Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. The dragon gets chucked down to earth, along with his angels – who are called Satan and his demons. So yeah, that’s one spot. But honestly… reading it again, it didn’t feel like the original story. It felt more like the climax, the endgame, you know? Like, referencing something that already happened way before. So, where was the actual origin story?
Hitting a Dead End
Here’s where things got frustrating. I scratched my head. If Revelation is describing the big boot-out moment, where’s the backstory? Where did this whole rebellion start? I started flipping like mad through Genesis. Adam and Eve, the serpent, temptation… but the serpent just pops up. No backstory on where he came from. Just a talking snake causing trouble. Was that Satan? Maybe, but it never explains how the serpent got there, fallen or anything. Genesis totally dodges explaining the serpent’s origin.
Next stop? Job. He mentions Satan right there in Job 1, walking around heaven, talking to God, accusing Job. But again – no explanation of how this dude ended up roaming freely between heaven and earth, being this accuser guy. It assumes you already know who he is and what his deal is. Totally maddening! Where’s the juicy origin story?
The Big Surprise
Okay, so Revelation talks about the war, Job talks about Satan working, Genesis shows him acting… but still nothing on the first fall. I was starting to think maybe it just wasn’t explicitly written down. Time to consult the experts. Pulled up a basic online Bible concordance and just typed stuff like “fall”, “Satan”, “pride”.
Isaiah! Chapter 14! How did I forget this? Verses 12 through 15. It’s talking to the king of Babylon, right? Calling him out hard. Then it drops this:
- “How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn!”
- “You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to the heavens’”
- “I will raise my throne above the stars of God’”
- “I will make myself like the Most High.’”
- “But you are brought down to the realm of the dead…”
Hold on. The king of Babylon? That didn’t fit. Why was this prophecy suddenly getting so cosmic? It clicked. This language was way too over-the-top for just a human king. Early readers saw this as pointing to a spiritual power behind the evil king – the spirit of pride and rebellion itself: Satan. Boom. That prideful declaration? That’s the core rebellion. That’s the fall described prophetically.
Putting It All Together
Feeling pretty good about Isaiah, but wait – people often throw in Ezekiel 28 too. Flipped there quickly. Ezekiel 28:12-17. It’s a lament against the King of Tyre. Starts historical enough… then again, suddenly gets super cosmic.
- Talks about this figure being in Eden, the garden of God.
- Calls him a “guardian cherub”.
- Describes him as blameless until wickedness was found in him.
- Says his heart became proud because of his beauty and wisdom.
- God cast him down.
Double boom. Sound familiar? Way too specific for any human king. Again, the imagery points straight to the spiritual power behind the throne – Satan. It describes his original perfection, the corruption, the pride, and the fall. So here’s the key takeaways:
- The full origin story? Mostly implied! But told through prophetic judgment speeches.
- Isaiah 14:12-15 = The cosmic declaration of pride leading to the fall (morning star imagery).
- Ezekiel 28:12-17 = The description of his original perfect state, corruption, and fall (guardian cherub imagery).
- Revelation 12:7-9 = The final heavenly war booting him out completely.
- Job and Genesis just show him already at work.
Mind kinda blown. The most famous part isn’t laid out like a storybook in one spot. You gotta piece it together from prophetic visions and symbolic language. Today was all about finally connecting those dots myself instead of just assuming the Sunday school picture was chapter and verse. Makes you read these passages way more carefully now!
