50. WHERE DID EVIL COME FROM?Where did Satan come from and why hasn't God destroyed him yet?
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At the very beginning of our lessons we asked some important questions about the presence of evil in our world, fate, and the character of God. If God is good, why is there evil in the world? Did God create evil? If He did not create evil, where did evil come from? Is God powerful enough or loving enough to destroy evil from the universe? Or will sin continue for all eternity? We already found the answers to some of these questions. We learned that sin came into the world when Satan, disguised as a snake, enticed Adam and Eve to disobey God in the Garden of Eden. Fortunate for us, immediately after their sin God foretold that the offspring of Eve would crush Satan's head. Sin would not continue forever. But up until now our lessons haven't answered the question of how Satan came to be evil in the first place. Before the events in the Garden of Eden, what happened?
In most lessons we have studied a single story or passage of scripture from the same author. In this lesson, we will examine two separate passages of Scripture to learn how one prophet adds to and compliments another prophet's writings. After comparing them we will actually get a clearer picture of a somewhat complex event.
Both authors, Isaiah and Ezekiel, have something to teach us about the origin of evil and what God will do about it. To help us
understand the nature of these Scripture passages let us consider a story from secular literature.
Have you ever heard of the book called Animal Farm written by George Orwell and published in 1945? Most people understand that Animal Farm is a satire based on events that happened in Russia after the 1917 Revolution. In that year workers overthrew the Czar of Russia. Based on the writings of Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels and others, the rst major leader, V. I. Lenin developed the ideas of communism. The basic principles were government by the common people and equality.
After Lenin died in 1924, two Communist Party leaders, Stalin and Trotsky competed for power. Stalin ended up the winner, and in 1934 he ordered mass executions of people who were considered enemies of the state. In 1941 Stalin named himself the head of the collective government. During most of Stalin's rule rationing was enforced and minimum labor requirements were imposed on all. Contrary to the fundamental beliefs of communism, Communist Party members were generally recognized as having a higher living standard than the average citizen.
In the book Animal Farm, the story takes place on Manor Farm owned by Mr. Jones. One night the prize boar, Old Major, makes a speech to the other farm animals. He says to them,
"Man is the only creature that consumes without producing. He does not give milk, he does not lay eggs, he is too weak to pull the plough, he cannot run fast enough to catch rabbits. Yet he is lord of all the animals. He sets them to work, he gives back to them the bare minimum that will prevent them from starving, and the rest he keeps for himself."
He tells the animals that they must work to overthrow the human race because, as he says,
"All men are enemies. All animals are comrades." •
He tells all the animals, including the wild ones, to stick together and remember that they are all equal.
But Old Major dies and two boars named Snowball and Napoleon become leader of the pigs. The pigs start teaching Old Major’s ideas to the other animals. They call their new system Animalism. One night Mr. Jones gets drunk and forgets to feed the animals. The ani- mals get so hungry that they rebel and drive the human beings off the farm. They rename the farm, "Animal Farm". They even write the seven Commandments of animalism:
1. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.
2. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend.
3. No animal shall wear clothes.
4. No animal shall sleep in a bed.
5. No animal shall drink alcohol.
6. No animal shall kill any other animal.
7. All animals are equal.
Of course, Snowball and Napoleon can't agree about the farm's future plans. A power play ensues and eventually Napoleon calls in nine dogs to chase Snowball off of the farm.
Up until this point in the story, the animals had worked very hard making a windmill to provide electric power to the farm. It was
really Snowball's idea, but Napoleon claimed it as his own. The work on the windmill is slow and relies heavily on Boxer the cart-horse who is strong and hard-working. While Boxer works away, the pigs decide to move into the farm house and sleep in beds; even though sleeping in beds like humans was forbidden by the seven Commandments.
Soon thereafter life became harder than ever for everyone but the pigs. While the other animals were forced to adhere to the Seven Commandments, which constantly changed, the pigs began to walk on two feet. Eventually, the Commandments were taken off the wall of the barn. Then comes the famous quote,
“All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.”
When a group of humans come to see the farm, the other animals notice that they can't tell the difference between the humans and the pigs.
You may be wondering what this story could possibly have in com- mon with the origin of sin in the universe. We will see the relation as we begin to look at our story in Isaiah chapter 14 verses 3-20:
3 It shall come to pass in the day the LORD gives you rest from your sorrow, and from your fear and the hard bondage in which you were made to serve, 4 that you will take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say: "How the oppressor has ceased, The golden city ceased! 5 The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked, The scepter of the rulers; 6 He who struck the people in wrath with a continual stroke, He who ruled the nations in anger, Is persecuted and no one hinders. 7 The whole earth is at rest and quiet; They break forth into singing. 8 Indeed the cy- press trees rejoice over you, And the cedars of Lebanon, Saying, 'Since you were cut down, No woodsman has come up against us.' 9 "Hell from beneath is excited about you, To meet you at your coming; It stirs up the dead for you, All the chief ones of the earth; It has raised up from their thrones All the kings of the nations. 10 They all shall speak and say to you: 'Have you also become as weak as we? Have you become like us? 11 Your pomp is brought down to Sheol, And the sound of your stringed instru- ments; The maggot is spread under you, And worms cover you.' 12 " How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morn- ing! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! 13 For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.' 15 Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the Pit. 16 "Those who see you will gaze at you, And consider you, saying: 'Is this the man who made the earth tremble, Who shook kingdoms, 17 Who made the world as a wilderness And destroyed its cities, Who did not open the house of his prisoners?' 18 "All the kings of the nations, All of them, sleep in glory, Everyone in his own house; 19 But you are cast out of your grave Like an abominable branch, Like the garment of those who are slain, Thrust through with a sword, Who go down to the stones of the pit, Like a corpse trodden underfoot. 20 You will not be joined with them in burial, Because you have destroyed your land And slain your people. The brood of evildo- ers shall never be named.
This passage of scripture begins as a prophecy against the king of Babylon. It expresses a time when the Israelites would return from their captivity in Babylon and Babylon would no longer be the center of a strong empire. It explains how the whole world rejoices to be free of the despotic power of Babylon and her king. But just as Animal Farm had a double meaning, so does this passage of scrip- ture. In fact, right in the middle of this account, in verses 12-14, we can see that Isaiah is talking about something deeper. Let's reread those verses:
12 " How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morn- ing! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! 13 For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.'
Who is Lucifer? It is Satan himself! This is actually the history of Satan's fall with Babylon only serving as a comparison. The king of Babylon became very proud and with his power he oppressed the nations of the earth. In the same way Lucifer, who fell from heaven,
came to power and oppressed the people under him, that is, all the nations of the earth. We see that the reason for this rebellion was ambition and pride. Lucifer, who after his fall is called Satan, actu- ally desired to remove God from His throne and take over the king- ship of the universe. In short, he wanted to be God!
It is rumored that in 1995 when Michael Jackson came to Turkey he visited Topkapı palace. There is a throne there made with 250 kilos of gold and laden with jewels. When he saw the throne, Mi- chael Jackson asked if he could sit on it and have his photo taken. Of course it is forbidden for anyone to sit on it because it was the sultan’s throne and has great national and historic value. Nonethe- less Michael asked and was denied. The museum would make no exceptions. Michael Jackson wasn't the sultan! Likewise, Satan isn't God and has no right to sit on His throne.
On the surface, the book Animal Farm is an amusing story about animals and a farm. But with a little comparative historical analysis, it is obvious that it is the history of communism in Russia. It is the story of rebellion against a monarchy and the establishment of a new government. Likewise, we see that the fall of Satan was also the result of rebellion.
In previous lessons, we have seen a few glimpses of the nature of Lucifer's rebellion against God. Do you remember when Satan ap- proached Eve in the Garden of Eden and said:
"You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."7
Satan suggested to Eve that God was sel shly withholding good things from her and exalting Himself.
In the book of Job Satan said to God,
"Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse you to your face!"8
The implication of Satan's words touch at the very foundation of the government of God. God declares that the foundation of His gov- ernment is unsel sh love. But Satan says that Job only served God because he recieved physical bene ts that God provided. He
insinuated that God was bribing Job for his allegiance and that it wasn't based on love but rather selfish gain.
In the book Animal Farm there was a rebellion against an oppressive ruler. The animals took over and formed their own government. But they found in a very short time that the equality they were seeking was still eluding them. The leaders were selfish and broke the rules that they themselves had set up. They indulged themselves in luxury while the others worked and suffered.
The lesson is that humans can not sustain a government that depends on unselfishness because humans are by nature selfish. That is the inheritance we receive from our ancestors Adam and Eve who were infected with it by Satan. So all human governments, regardless of what we call them, have this weakness, the selfishness of the people who live in it and run it. Therefore, no matter how well the government is planned or how hard humans try, most governments eventually fail. Everywhere we hear, “We are all equal.” But everywhere we see the principle played out as, “But some are more equal than others.”
So what is the solution? Well it can't be found with the human mind. The only solution is a supernatural act that requires God to change the selfish human heart into an unsel sh heart, full of the desire to serve others. The Bible calls it conversion and the Kingdom of God.
No other government can work. That is why the Bible consistently deals with the sin problem, the problem of self. That is the real problem, not the governments. Whether the government is a democracy, communism, socialism, or a monarchy doesn’t matter. If the people are selfish, the system won’t work.
In Animal Farm after the animals overthrew the monarchy to create a better way of life, they replaced it with the very oppression and self-seeking that they accused the monarchy of exhibiting! When Adam and Eve chose to believe Satan over God, they essentially gave him dominion over the earth. It was at that point that Satan began to set up the kingdom that he claimed would be better than God's.
How have you liked living in it so far?
Every day the newspapers are lled with reports of the vilest crime and terrible suffering. This is certainly not the kingdom that God created! Those evils are the result of sel shness reigning in the human heart. Self is the basis of the kingdom of Satan. It doesn’t work. It can never work. But people need to see that it doesn’t work. So God allows us to try every conceivable government in an attempt to reverse what Satan has started.
Now we come to the fascinating part. God could destroy everything like He did in Noah's day. But He doesn't. Instead He reveals Him- self to man in goodness that He may win the people's hearts again to Himself. He is allowing Satan to play his game so that his real character is revealed. When Satan's character, motives, and intentions are exposed in the light of God's pure character, no one in their right mind would want to keep living as part of Satan's kingdom. Only by giving our allegiance back to God can we nd true peace and happiness. Man’s problems will not be solved by just making another government system if that system is based on self.
The answer to all the problems of humanity are found in the unselfish reign of God in the heart.
There is another passage of Scripture that is similar to the passage in Isaiah. Let us go to the book of Ezekiel. There we will read a lam- entation for the king of Tyre. But can you nd clues in this passage that there is a deeper meaning? Do you see indications that there are parallels with the fall of Lucifer and his work in this world? Let's read chapter 28 verses 12-19:
12 "Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, and say to him, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "You were the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. 13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your cover- ing: The sardius, topaz, and diamond, Beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes Was prepared for you on the day you were created. 14 "You were the anointed cherub who covers; I es- tablished you; You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked back and forth in the midst of ery stones. 15 You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in you. 16 "By the abundance of your trading You became lled with violence within, And you sinned; Therefore I cast you as a profane thing Out of the mountain of God; And I destroyed you, O covering cherub, From the midst of the ery stones. 17 "Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; I cast you to the ground, I laid you before kings, That they might gaze at you. 18 "You defiled your sanctuaries By the multitude of your iniquities, By the iniquity of your trading; Therefore I brought re from your midst; It devoured you, And I turned you to ashes upon the earth In the sight of all who saw you. 19 All who knew you among the peoples are astonished at you; You have become a horror, And shall be no more forever."
When was the king of Tyre in the Garden of Eden? He never was. A covering cherub is one of the angels in heaven that stand closest to God.9 Was the king of Tyre a covering cherub? Of course not! When was the king of Tyre cast out of the mountain of God? He never was.
So we understand that the lamentation against the king of Tyre is a metaphor similar to Isaiah's against Babylon. As Animal Farm used
a story about animals to illustrate deeper political relationships and concepts in terms that we could understand, so also the Bible makes comparisons to help us understand.
In Ezekiel's account, we learn a number of things about the fall of Lucifer. Lucifer was a covering cherub. So no one was more
acquainted with the character of God than Lucifer. As an angel, he actually stood in the presence of God. He was also very beautiful. So much so that he became proud and his heart became lled with violence. He actually started to believe that he was better than God and wanted to overthrow him. But now we come to the most important question. Did God create Lucifer that way?
Ezekiel tells us that Lucifer was perfect in all his ways until iniq- uity was found in him. God did not create the iniquity in him. But God did give him free choice, just like Adam and Eve, because it is necessary in a kingdom established upon love. He wants us to love Him because we choose to, not because we have to! Lucifer abused that privilege and became sel sh, proud, and rebellious.
Another important thing that we learned from these passages is that sin will come to an end. Lucifer, who became Satan, will at last be destroyed. He will not be the guardian of an eternally burning hell and he will not live on to cause misery and temptation to anyone in God’s kingdom. He will become ashes. Remember the verse we just read from Ezekiel chapter 28 verse18:
18 "You defiled your sanctuaries By the multitude of your iniquities, By the iniquity of your trading; Therefore I brought fire from your midst; It devoured you, And I turned you to ashes upon the earth In the sight of all who saw you.
Pride caused the king of Babylon and the king of Tyre to abuse their position and they lost their kingdoms. Pride caused Lucifer to rebel against his Creator and to oppress God’s people. Lucifer, like the king of Babylon and the king of Tyre will lose his kingdom. He will be destroyed.
In Animal Farm the animals rebeled and attempted to rule the farm better than the farmer. But their attempt ended in failure. In 1917, the Bolsheviks of Russia led a rebellion against the czar and set up a new form of government called Communism that also ended in failure. In this lesson, we learned that Lucifer became dissatis ed with the leadership of God in heaven and desired to take God’s place. Like a politician looking for supporters, he incites others to join him in rebellion against the Creator. The real question is:
Is God and His leadership good?
We see from the outworkings of Satan’s rebellion that the result of Satan’s rulership is only sin, misery, suffering and eventually eter- nal death. When everyone has had a chance to choose which side they are on in this great controversy between God and Satan, the end of this world will come. Satan is a personal being that is intent on your destruction. He hates what God loves and that puts you at risk. There can only be one king of the universe and the Bible says it won't be Satan. Whose side do you want to be on?
Discussion Questions
1.The animals experienced the sel shness of the pigs in Animal Farm. Can you share some of the things you have experienced
because of your own sel shness or the sel shness of others?
2. Lucifer had been in the immediate presence of God and knew of God’s love and power. What do you think made Lucifer think that
he could rebel against God and win?
3. Can you give an example that you have seen of how pride has blinded someone to the truth and caused them to do something
foolish?
4. In Animal Farm, the pigs removed the 7 commandments from the barn wall. Why did they do that? Do you think Satan tries to
remove the 10 Commandments of God from people’s minds? How does he do that? What role does that play in the controversy
over the allegiance of people to either God or Satan?
7 Genesis 3: 4, 5
8 Job 1:9-11
9 Imagine one of the angels standing above the Ark of the Covenant in Solomon's Temple.
In most lessons we have studied a single story or passage of scripture from the same author. In this lesson, we will examine two separate passages of Scripture to learn how one prophet adds to and compliments another prophet's writings. After comparing them we will actually get a clearer picture of a somewhat complex event.
Both authors, Isaiah and Ezekiel, have something to teach us about the origin of evil and what God will do about it. To help us
understand the nature of these Scripture passages let us consider a story from secular literature.
Have you ever heard of the book called Animal Farm written by George Orwell and published in 1945? Most people understand that Animal Farm is a satire based on events that happened in Russia after the 1917 Revolution. In that year workers overthrew the Czar of Russia. Based on the writings of Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels and others, the rst major leader, V. I. Lenin developed the ideas of communism. The basic principles were government by the common people and equality.
After Lenin died in 1924, two Communist Party leaders, Stalin and Trotsky competed for power. Stalin ended up the winner, and in 1934 he ordered mass executions of people who were considered enemies of the state. In 1941 Stalin named himself the head of the collective government. During most of Stalin's rule rationing was enforced and minimum labor requirements were imposed on all. Contrary to the fundamental beliefs of communism, Communist Party members were generally recognized as having a higher living standard than the average citizen.
In the book Animal Farm, the story takes place on Manor Farm owned by Mr. Jones. One night the prize boar, Old Major, makes a speech to the other farm animals. He says to them,
"Man is the only creature that consumes without producing. He does not give milk, he does not lay eggs, he is too weak to pull the plough, he cannot run fast enough to catch rabbits. Yet he is lord of all the animals. He sets them to work, he gives back to them the bare minimum that will prevent them from starving, and the rest he keeps for himself."
He tells the animals that they must work to overthrow the human race because, as he says,
"All men are enemies. All animals are comrades." •
He tells all the animals, including the wild ones, to stick together and remember that they are all equal.
But Old Major dies and two boars named Snowball and Napoleon become leader of the pigs. The pigs start teaching Old Major’s ideas to the other animals. They call their new system Animalism. One night Mr. Jones gets drunk and forgets to feed the animals. The ani- mals get so hungry that they rebel and drive the human beings off the farm. They rename the farm, "Animal Farm". They even write the seven Commandments of animalism:
1. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.
2. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend.
3. No animal shall wear clothes.
4. No animal shall sleep in a bed.
5. No animal shall drink alcohol.
6. No animal shall kill any other animal.
7. All animals are equal.
Of course, Snowball and Napoleon can't agree about the farm's future plans. A power play ensues and eventually Napoleon calls in nine dogs to chase Snowball off of the farm.
Up until this point in the story, the animals had worked very hard making a windmill to provide electric power to the farm. It was
really Snowball's idea, but Napoleon claimed it as his own. The work on the windmill is slow and relies heavily on Boxer the cart-horse who is strong and hard-working. While Boxer works away, the pigs decide to move into the farm house and sleep in beds; even though sleeping in beds like humans was forbidden by the seven Commandments.
Soon thereafter life became harder than ever for everyone but the pigs. While the other animals were forced to adhere to the Seven Commandments, which constantly changed, the pigs began to walk on two feet. Eventually, the Commandments were taken off the wall of the barn. Then comes the famous quote,
“All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.”
When a group of humans come to see the farm, the other animals notice that they can't tell the difference between the humans and the pigs.
You may be wondering what this story could possibly have in com- mon with the origin of sin in the universe. We will see the relation as we begin to look at our story in Isaiah chapter 14 verses 3-20:
3 It shall come to pass in the day the LORD gives you rest from your sorrow, and from your fear and the hard bondage in which you were made to serve, 4 that you will take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say: "How the oppressor has ceased, The golden city ceased! 5 The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked, The scepter of the rulers; 6 He who struck the people in wrath with a continual stroke, He who ruled the nations in anger, Is persecuted and no one hinders. 7 The whole earth is at rest and quiet; They break forth into singing. 8 Indeed the cy- press trees rejoice over you, And the cedars of Lebanon, Saying, 'Since you were cut down, No woodsman has come up against us.' 9 "Hell from beneath is excited about you, To meet you at your coming; It stirs up the dead for you, All the chief ones of the earth; It has raised up from their thrones All the kings of the nations. 10 They all shall speak and say to you: 'Have you also become as weak as we? Have you become like us? 11 Your pomp is brought down to Sheol, And the sound of your stringed instru- ments; The maggot is spread under you, And worms cover you.' 12 " How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morn- ing! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! 13 For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.' 15 Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the Pit. 16 "Those who see you will gaze at you, And consider you, saying: 'Is this the man who made the earth tremble, Who shook kingdoms, 17 Who made the world as a wilderness And destroyed its cities, Who did not open the house of his prisoners?' 18 "All the kings of the nations, All of them, sleep in glory, Everyone in his own house; 19 But you are cast out of your grave Like an abominable branch, Like the garment of those who are slain, Thrust through with a sword, Who go down to the stones of the pit, Like a corpse trodden underfoot. 20 You will not be joined with them in burial, Because you have destroyed your land And slain your people. The brood of evildo- ers shall never be named.
This passage of scripture begins as a prophecy against the king of Babylon. It expresses a time when the Israelites would return from their captivity in Babylon and Babylon would no longer be the center of a strong empire. It explains how the whole world rejoices to be free of the despotic power of Babylon and her king. But just as Animal Farm had a double meaning, so does this passage of scrip- ture. In fact, right in the middle of this account, in verses 12-14, we can see that Isaiah is talking about something deeper. Let's reread those verses:
12 " How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morn- ing! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! 13 For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.'
Who is Lucifer? It is Satan himself! This is actually the history of Satan's fall with Babylon only serving as a comparison. The king of Babylon became very proud and with his power he oppressed the nations of the earth. In the same way Lucifer, who fell from heaven,
came to power and oppressed the people under him, that is, all the nations of the earth. We see that the reason for this rebellion was ambition and pride. Lucifer, who after his fall is called Satan, actu- ally desired to remove God from His throne and take over the king- ship of the universe. In short, he wanted to be God!
It is rumored that in 1995 when Michael Jackson came to Turkey he visited Topkapı palace. There is a throne there made with 250 kilos of gold and laden with jewels. When he saw the throne, Mi- chael Jackson asked if he could sit on it and have his photo taken. Of course it is forbidden for anyone to sit on it because it was the sultan’s throne and has great national and historic value. Nonethe- less Michael asked and was denied. The museum would make no exceptions. Michael Jackson wasn't the sultan! Likewise, Satan isn't God and has no right to sit on His throne.
On the surface, the book Animal Farm is an amusing story about animals and a farm. But with a little comparative historical analysis, it is obvious that it is the history of communism in Russia. It is the story of rebellion against a monarchy and the establishment of a new government. Likewise, we see that the fall of Satan was also the result of rebellion.
In previous lessons, we have seen a few glimpses of the nature of Lucifer's rebellion against God. Do you remember when Satan ap- proached Eve in the Garden of Eden and said:
"You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."7
Satan suggested to Eve that God was sel shly withholding good things from her and exalting Himself.
In the book of Job Satan said to God,
"Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse you to your face!"8
The implication of Satan's words touch at the very foundation of the government of God. God declares that the foundation of His gov- ernment is unsel sh love. But Satan says that Job only served God because he recieved physical bene ts that God provided. He
insinuated that God was bribing Job for his allegiance and that it wasn't based on love but rather selfish gain.
In the book Animal Farm there was a rebellion against an oppressive ruler. The animals took over and formed their own government. But they found in a very short time that the equality they were seeking was still eluding them. The leaders were selfish and broke the rules that they themselves had set up. They indulged themselves in luxury while the others worked and suffered.
The lesson is that humans can not sustain a government that depends on unselfishness because humans are by nature selfish. That is the inheritance we receive from our ancestors Adam and Eve who were infected with it by Satan. So all human governments, regardless of what we call them, have this weakness, the selfishness of the people who live in it and run it. Therefore, no matter how well the government is planned or how hard humans try, most governments eventually fail. Everywhere we hear, “We are all equal.” But everywhere we see the principle played out as, “But some are more equal than others.”
So what is the solution? Well it can't be found with the human mind. The only solution is a supernatural act that requires God to change the selfish human heart into an unsel sh heart, full of the desire to serve others. The Bible calls it conversion and the Kingdom of God.
No other government can work. That is why the Bible consistently deals with the sin problem, the problem of self. That is the real problem, not the governments. Whether the government is a democracy, communism, socialism, or a monarchy doesn’t matter. If the people are selfish, the system won’t work.
In Animal Farm after the animals overthrew the monarchy to create a better way of life, they replaced it with the very oppression and self-seeking that they accused the monarchy of exhibiting! When Adam and Eve chose to believe Satan over God, they essentially gave him dominion over the earth. It was at that point that Satan began to set up the kingdom that he claimed would be better than God's.
How have you liked living in it so far?
Every day the newspapers are lled with reports of the vilest crime and terrible suffering. This is certainly not the kingdom that God created! Those evils are the result of sel shness reigning in the human heart. Self is the basis of the kingdom of Satan. It doesn’t work. It can never work. But people need to see that it doesn’t work. So God allows us to try every conceivable government in an attempt to reverse what Satan has started.
Now we come to the fascinating part. God could destroy everything like He did in Noah's day. But He doesn't. Instead He reveals Him- self to man in goodness that He may win the people's hearts again to Himself. He is allowing Satan to play his game so that his real character is revealed. When Satan's character, motives, and intentions are exposed in the light of God's pure character, no one in their right mind would want to keep living as part of Satan's kingdom. Only by giving our allegiance back to God can we nd true peace and happiness. Man’s problems will not be solved by just making another government system if that system is based on self.
The answer to all the problems of humanity are found in the unselfish reign of God in the heart.
There is another passage of Scripture that is similar to the passage in Isaiah. Let us go to the book of Ezekiel. There we will read a lam- entation for the king of Tyre. But can you nd clues in this passage that there is a deeper meaning? Do you see indications that there are parallels with the fall of Lucifer and his work in this world? Let's read chapter 28 verses 12-19:
12 "Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, and say to him, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "You were the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. 13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your cover- ing: The sardius, topaz, and diamond, Beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes Was prepared for you on the day you were created. 14 "You were the anointed cherub who covers; I es- tablished you; You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked back and forth in the midst of ery stones. 15 You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in you. 16 "By the abundance of your trading You became lled with violence within, And you sinned; Therefore I cast you as a profane thing Out of the mountain of God; And I destroyed you, O covering cherub, From the midst of the ery stones. 17 "Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; I cast you to the ground, I laid you before kings, That they might gaze at you. 18 "You defiled your sanctuaries By the multitude of your iniquities, By the iniquity of your trading; Therefore I brought re from your midst; It devoured you, And I turned you to ashes upon the earth In the sight of all who saw you. 19 All who knew you among the peoples are astonished at you; You have become a horror, And shall be no more forever."
When was the king of Tyre in the Garden of Eden? He never was. A covering cherub is one of the angels in heaven that stand closest to God.9 Was the king of Tyre a covering cherub? Of course not! When was the king of Tyre cast out of the mountain of God? He never was.
So we understand that the lamentation against the king of Tyre is a metaphor similar to Isaiah's against Babylon. As Animal Farm used
a story about animals to illustrate deeper political relationships and concepts in terms that we could understand, so also the Bible makes comparisons to help us understand.
In Ezekiel's account, we learn a number of things about the fall of Lucifer. Lucifer was a covering cherub. So no one was more
acquainted with the character of God than Lucifer. As an angel, he actually stood in the presence of God. He was also very beautiful. So much so that he became proud and his heart became lled with violence. He actually started to believe that he was better than God and wanted to overthrow him. But now we come to the most important question. Did God create Lucifer that way?
Ezekiel tells us that Lucifer was perfect in all his ways until iniq- uity was found in him. God did not create the iniquity in him. But God did give him free choice, just like Adam and Eve, because it is necessary in a kingdom established upon love. He wants us to love Him because we choose to, not because we have to! Lucifer abused that privilege and became sel sh, proud, and rebellious.
Another important thing that we learned from these passages is that sin will come to an end. Lucifer, who became Satan, will at last be destroyed. He will not be the guardian of an eternally burning hell and he will not live on to cause misery and temptation to anyone in God’s kingdom. He will become ashes. Remember the verse we just read from Ezekiel chapter 28 verse18:
18 "You defiled your sanctuaries By the multitude of your iniquities, By the iniquity of your trading; Therefore I brought fire from your midst; It devoured you, And I turned you to ashes upon the earth In the sight of all who saw you.
Pride caused the king of Babylon and the king of Tyre to abuse their position and they lost their kingdoms. Pride caused Lucifer to rebel against his Creator and to oppress God’s people. Lucifer, like the king of Babylon and the king of Tyre will lose his kingdom. He will be destroyed.
In Animal Farm the animals rebeled and attempted to rule the farm better than the farmer. But their attempt ended in failure. In 1917, the Bolsheviks of Russia led a rebellion against the czar and set up a new form of government called Communism that also ended in failure. In this lesson, we learned that Lucifer became dissatis ed with the leadership of God in heaven and desired to take God’s place. Like a politician looking for supporters, he incites others to join him in rebellion against the Creator. The real question is:
Is God and His leadership good?
We see from the outworkings of Satan’s rebellion that the result of Satan’s rulership is only sin, misery, suffering and eventually eter- nal death. When everyone has had a chance to choose which side they are on in this great controversy between God and Satan, the end of this world will come. Satan is a personal being that is intent on your destruction. He hates what God loves and that puts you at risk. There can only be one king of the universe and the Bible says it won't be Satan. Whose side do you want to be on?
Discussion Questions
1.The animals experienced the sel shness of the pigs in Animal Farm. Can you share some of the things you have experienced
because of your own sel shness or the sel shness of others?
2. Lucifer had been in the immediate presence of God and knew of God’s love and power. What do you think made Lucifer think that
he could rebel against God and win?
3. Can you give an example that you have seen of how pride has blinded someone to the truth and caused them to do something
foolish?
4. In Animal Farm, the pigs removed the 7 commandments from the barn wall. Why did they do that? Do you think Satan tries to
remove the 10 Commandments of God from people’s minds? How does he do that? What role does that play in the controversy
over the allegiance of people to either God or Satan?
7 Genesis 3: 4, 5
8 Job 1:9-11
9 Imagine one of the angels standing above the Ark of the Covenant in Solomon's Temple.