I Will Be Like the Most High, Part 3

Theology and Politics from a Conservative, Biblical Perspective

The idea that Satan could actually think in terms of becoming like the Most High is absurd, but proves just how far an entity can fall because of pride, arrogance, or hubris. Isaiah 14:12-15 tells the story.

12 “How you have fallen from heaven,
O star of the morning, son of the dawn!
You have been cut down to the earth,
You who have weakened the nations!
13 “But you said in your heart,
‘I will ascend to heaven;
I will raise my throne above the stars of God,
And I will sit on the mount of assembly
In the recesses of the north.
14 ‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.’
15 “Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol,
To the recesses of the pit.

Such a tragic end to such a noble, intelligent, and apparently, beautiful creature, created directly by God. Yet, this is the story of Lucifer who became Satan because of sin found within him. That sin was born of pride and actually caused him to think far more highly of himself than he ought to have thought. Moreover, his conceit brought about his own demise, his fall from heaven and his ultimate inglorious and final state when he will take up permanent, eternal residence in the Lake of Fire.

We introduced this subject in our first part and continued our discussion in our second part, of not only Satan’s purposes but why God has allowed it to continue as though Satan actually has the chance to bring his promises to fruition. To the casual (or deceived) viewer/reader, he or she can only wonder whether or not there is any credence in the idea that this epic battle between “good” and “evil” actually has any chance at all for Satan. In certain ways, it appears as though this might be the case since the battle seems to continue and God either did not or has been unable to end it.

To those who think like that, there is the matter not merely of Satan’s highest purposes, but God’s highest purposes. For instance, it is stated that today’s global elite (believed to be the human beings that Satan has chosen to work through in this realm to help bring his promises of Isaiah 14 to fruition), worship Lucifer, who was Satan, before his fall through pride. These individuals (as well as others who worship Satan, whether global elite or not), believe that Lucifer is the true God who tried to give humanity a heads up about the God of the Bible. It is said that Lucifer was also the one who wanted to share true knowledge with us, as opposed to the God of the Bible who did not want to share that with us.

Lucifer is also often presented as an opposing force (to God), and one who is fairly equal to the God of the Bible. This belief rests purely on how people feel about things and what they simply choose to believe. This explains to them why, for instance, the battle between “good” and “evil” or God vs. Satan has continued as long as it has with no true end in sight.

The people who believe like this have chosen to focus on Satan’s highest purposes, not God’s. The Bible reveals Satan’s plan to us yes, but it also reveals God’s plan, His highest purposes as we’ve been discussing. That is the main reason we have the Bible. It highlights the path that Satan chose in defiance of the Living God and it shows us God’s reaction to Satan’s choices.

I believe that God’s purposes – His highest purposes – have to do with causing all things to bring Him glory. This will happen grudgingly or willingly, but it will happen. You’ll recall the passage in which Paul states that at the Name of Jesus, every knee will bow in Philippians 2:10? This will happen.

But ultimately, God has chosen to prove to the entire Creation that there is no point in even trying to be what we were not made to be and that includes Satan. Created beings will always merely be created beings especially when compared to the fact that God was never created but has always simply existed from eternity past.

If we consider the image I created at the top of this article, it is understanding the details of that image that help us realize that God’s ways are by no means, man’s ways. God’s ways are so far above man’s that we even wrongly assign pride and hubris to God for wanting to bring glory to Himself! But let’s focus on the image and see if we can wrap this short series up with this article and possibly one more.

We know that at some point, either in eternity past or during part of the Creation process, or immediately following it (after God had declared that everything He had made was “good”), Lucifer fell through pride. He became the first creature that we’re aware of who sinned. His name changed from Lucifer (bright morning star) to Satan (adversary). Satan’s sin was based upon the way he looked at himself and the way he viewed God. Satan fully believed that he could become like the Most High. He deceived himself into thinking that “could” became “would.”

God noticed of course, but even so, a chain of events began to occur that God would ultimately use for His glory. It involved a long – very long – road of Satan’s attempts and failures and more attempts and some wins.

Not long after Satan fell, he brought ruin to the earth that God had created over which He placed the man (and eventually the woman) as overseers. They were to tend to God’s Creation. God even allowed Adam to name all the animals, just to see what Adam would come up with on his own. Their job was to tend the garden, to rule over the animal and plant kingdom and to essentially keep things looking nice. Their failure not only forced them to change allegiances – from God to Satan – but also gave Satan the title-deed to earth.

We understand that from this point onward, Satan was hot and heavy to bring his Isaiah 14 promises to fruition. He quickly gained control of all the earth, managed to turn nearly all men and women to him, ruined the garden, the earth, and the animal kingdom within it. Had not God destroyed the earth at that point, nothing would have survived. But God chose Noah and sent a flood, only saving specific animals so that Noah could start over.

After the Flood, Satan wasted no time in again gaining control of earth’s growing population. By Genesis 10 and 11, Satan had been successful in creating a one-world system based in the area known as Babel. Again, had not God intervened, the world would have become fully and thoroughly “one” in purpose and goals that things would have ended eons ago.

So why did God allow Satan to do all of this only to stop him from completing his mission? Was God afraid that He was inevitably too weak to deal with Satan? Let’s not be absurd. There are only two reasons why God “delayed” the inevitable here. First, the nation of Israel had not yet been created. From the nation of Israel would come to Messiah/Savior of humanity for those who would trust in Him through faith. It was only after God the Son came in human flesh as Savior to live a life of sinless perfection and die a sinner’s death only to rise again because death could not hold Him, would Satan be allowed to bring His Isaiah 14 promises to fruition in earnest. Second, God wanted to ensure that Satan had every opportunity to bring his whispered goals to fruition, but they would be done in God’s time.

The fact that Satan’s plans have been temporarily postponed does not mitigate God’s strength or His purposes. It actually mitigates Satan’s, but he is being given the chances needed to bring his promises to pass.

Since Jesus has come and fulfilled all of the requirements necessary to open the door to salvation for all who would enter in through faith and all of that is behind us, God can now allow Satan every opportunity to do what he needs to do in order to bring the “I will be like the Most High” promise to life. It is happening in earnest now. Satan knows it. God knows it and in fact, is allowing Satan to move ahead with speed and force that he has never really had before. It’s as though the entire universe is rushing toward the God-ordained conclusion.

It reminds us of the apostle Paul’s words about the Creation itself, in Romans 8:22. “For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.”

Take a few minutes to study that chart because we’ll talk more about it next time.

Theology and Politics from a Conservative, Biblical Perspective