How to use your authority as a believer, given unconditional authority
I think we now understand that we are indeed in a spiritual battle. We face it every day. Therefore, it is important to answer such questions as: “Who is our enemy? What power does our enemy have?”
There are different views on where Satan came from and how he got the power that he has. Isaiah 14:12 says: “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou thrown down to the earth, which weakened the nations!”
Ezekiel 28:14 says: “Son of man, raise a lamentation over the king of Tire, and tell him: Thus says the Lord GOD: You seal the sum, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.”
These scriptures tell us that God created a beautiful Lucifer angel that had wonderful features, rich stones, decorations, etc. We are told that he was perfect in all his ways according to Ezekiel 28:15, “You were perfect in all your ways from the day you were created until iniquity was found in you.” However, he later became proud and rebelled against God.
A doctrine was formed around Revelation 12: 4, where it is recorded: “And his tail dragged a third of the stars from heaven and hurled them to the earth; and the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to be released.” . , to devour his son as soon as he is born. “The doctrine is about the devil convincing a third of God’s angels to join him and face God in a fight. It also states that in the fight God defeated him and threw it to the ground, however, the rest of the entire Bible does not mention it.
Some theories say that Satan ruled the earth before Adam was put in the Garden of Eden. This means that it fell before Adam was born. Cataclysm believes that something happened between Genesis 1: 1 and Genesis 1: 2. This theory believes that there was a judgment that took place, resulting in the earth becoming a waste, that is, shapeless and empty. What this theory means is that there was a reenactment. Therefore, this implies that God created Adam and Eve, and then placed them where this beast called Satan and his demons was with their evil and corruption so that man could choose between good and evil. This portrays God in a different light if he put his innocent people where this wild beast was just to tempt them. Would you leave your little boy where you knew there was a dangerous wild beast just to tempt him? This would be an abuse. God is too loving and cares to do such a thing.
How did the devil fall?
The belief that I follow is that God sent Lucifer, who was God’s superior angel, to come down to earth to minister to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. By then, he was not Satan. Hebrews 1:14 says, “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent to minister for those who will inherit salvation?” We learn from this portion of scripture that all angels are sent to minister to us. Lucifer’s divine mission or assignment on earth was to serve and not tempt Adam. However, he transgressed when he was there. We get information about what happened in Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28. We are told how Lucifer became Satan. God, through the prophet, addressed a physical person; that’s the King of Babylon in Isaiah 14: 4 and the King of Tire in Ezekiel 28:12. What was addressed in these scriptures was a demonic power that was behind the physical person.
Force behind a natural person
In Matthew 16:23 we hear Jesus say these words: “But he, turning, said to Peter: Get behind me, Satan; you are a stumbling block to me, because you do not taste the things of God, but those that are of God.” They are of men. “What was happening here? Jesus was speaking to Peter, but He was addressing a demonic power operating through Peter. So the same thing was happening in Ezekiel 28: 11-12:
Eze 28:13 You were in Eden, in the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering, the carnelian, the topaz and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, the carbuncle and the gold: the elaboration of your tambourines and your flutes was prepared in you the day you were created.
Eze 28:14 You are the anointed cherub that covers; and I put you like this: you were on the holy mountain of God; you walked up and down amidst the stones of fire.
Eze 28:15 You were perfect in all your ways from the day you were created until iniquity was found in you.
The scripture gives us a description of Lucifer, who was placed in the Garden of Eden and how he was created. Lucifer’s transgression against God occurred in the Garden of Eden. This is described in Genesis 3 when he entered a serpent. He used the serpent to speak and tempt Eve. The serpent managed to convince Adam and Eve to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This is the moment Lucifer rebelled against God.
Revelation 12: 3-4 is not a solid basis for saying that Satan took a third of God’s angels and led a rebellion against God. How could Satan defeat his Creator who had two-thirds of angels on his side? How could he even win if he had all of God’s angels on his side? We are talking about the Creator of the entire universe here. How could I directly confront him?
Absolute authority to rule
God had given Adam and Eve absolute authority, that is, unconditional authority to rule and dominate the earth and everything in it. The angels, including Lucifer, were supposed to have been given delegated authority, that is, conditional authority. This is the kind of authority that could be taken away the moment one violates the conditions that accompany the given authority.
We learn that Adam and Eve were given unconditional authority. That means there were no restrictions or requirements for God-given power and authority on earth. This is found in Genesis 1: 26-28:
Gen 1:26 And God said: Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and he will rule over the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the beasts, and the whole earth. and above all animals that crawl on the ground.
Gen 1:27 And God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
Gen 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said to them: Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it; and let the fish of the sea rule, and the birds of the sky, and over all living animals that move on the earth.
God spoke and gave authority, power, and dominion when He created man. Looking closely at these scriptures, you realize that there was no qualification or qualification on what God gave to mankind.
The integrity of God
God is always faithful to His Word. What He speaks is established as law. He doesn’t turn his back on His Word. Look at what Psalms 89:34, Hebrews 6:18 and Numbers 23:19 say:
Ps 89:34 I will not break my covenant, nor will I alter what has come from my lips.
Heb 6:18 so that for two immutable things, in which God cannot lie, we may have a strong comfort, those of us who have fled in search of refuge to cling to the hope set before us.
Num 23:19 God is not a man, that he should lie; nor son of man, so that he may repent. He said, and won’t he? Or has he spoken, and will not fulfill it?
All the above scriptures reveal God as a true and very trustworthy Creator. You can fully trust what He says in His Word. That is what keeps the universe in place. He upholds everything by His Word and integrity. Look at what Hebrews 1: 3 says.
Hebrews 1: 3 who, being the radiance of his glory, and the express image of his person, and sustaining all things by the word of his power, having himself purified our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in the heights.
God never violates what He says. Having given absolute authority to Adam and Eve, he was unable to withdraw it after they handed it over to Satan. God gave up the absolute dominion of the earth.
God bound Himself by His Word
It was not God’s purpose for man to hand over power and authority to Satan. The man voluntarily yielded dominion to the devil. God’s integrity did not allow him to stop or reverse what had happened. He could not withdraw authority. God is not like men who often reverse what they had said or given to others once there is a violation of expectations. So God bound Himself by His Word. The reason is that God magnified His Word above all His names.
“I will worship towards your holy temple, and I will praise your name for your mercy and your truth; because you have magnified your word above all your name.” (Psalm 138: 2)
The name of Jesus is the only name given under heaven by which we must be saved. The Bible tells us that every knee will bow at the name of Jesus and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord according to Philippians 2: 9-11. The name of the Lord is a strong tower according to Proverbs 18:10.
Php 2: 9 For this reason God also exalted him to the utmost, and gave him a name that is above all names.
Phil 2:10 so that every knee of those in heaven, on earth, and under the earth may bow in the name of Jesus;
Phil 2:11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Pro 18:10 A strong tower is the name of the LORD; the righteous run to it and are safe.
Having all of the above, we note that God has magnified His Word even above the name of Jesus.
Lucifer knew the integrity of God. So when he heard that God was giving Adam and Eve absolute authority, he wanted to seize the opportunity. Assuming he had conditional authority to function, he knew that they could be instantly taken away from him once the conditions of his authority were violated. This shows us that he could not directly confront God with delegated authority. Once taken, it would simply have absolutely no power.
It is recognized that some things are not clearly stated in Scripture. So they may be beyond human knowledge according to Deuteronomy 29:29, which says: “The secret things are from Jehovah our God; but the things revealed are from us and our children forever, so that we can do all things.” . the words of this law “.
With an understanding of God, His nature, His character, and His Word, this is the direction the biblical evidence points to. There is no evidence to show that angels have unconditional power and authority like those given to Adam and Eve. However, we learn that angels have free will according to 2 Peter 2: 4, which says: “For if God did not forgive the angels who sinned, but cast them into hell and handed them over to prisons of darkness, to be reserved to the judgment … “(2 Peter 2: 4).
Therefore, it can be concluded with all that has been indicated here that Satan could not directly accuse God with a third of the angels. Lucifer simply took advantage of obtaining the absolute authority to dominate and rule the earth, which originally belonged to humanity.
