If God created all things-and He did-then why did He create Satan? Jesus mentioned Satan many times and acknowledged his presence in our world. How did Satan or the Devil get here on the earth? How does the Bible explain this mystery?

An archangel named Lucifer

Once Satan was one of God's leading angels-an archangel called "Lucifer" meaning Light Bringer, or Morning Star. Note also that "stars" can symbolize angels in the Bible. Isaiah 14:12-15, "How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars (angels) of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.' Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit." New King James Version. (Words in parenthesis were added by the author.)

Lucifer was not satisfied with his high position as one of the leading angels, he wanted to be a "Higher Power" than the other angels, like the "Most High" and sit on a throne. He wanted to be worshipped! Ezekiel reveals more about a "king" who is obviously Lucifer.

A flaming defeat

Ezekiel 28:12-17, "·take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre and say to him, "Thus says the Lord GOD, 'You had the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering: the ruby, the topaz and the diamond; the beryl, the onyx and the jasper; the lapis lazuli, the turquoise and the emerald; and the gold, the workmanship of your settings and sockets, was in you. On the day that you were created they were prepared. (He was created with a covering of incredibly beautiful precious stones.)You were the anointed cherub (a type of angel) who covers, and I placed you there. You were on the holy mountain of God; you walked in the midst of the stones of fire. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created until unrighteousness was found in you. By the abundance of your trade you were internally filled with violence, and you sinned; therefore I have cast you as profane from the mountain of God. (God cast him out of His Holy Mountain.) And I have destroyed you, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I put you before kings, that they may see you. By the multitude of your iniquities (sins), in the unrighteousness of your trade you profaned your sanctuaries. Therefore I have brought fire from the midst of you; it has consumed you, and I have turned you to ashes on the earth in the eyes of all who see you."(New American Standard Updated Bible is quoted unless otherwise noted.)

Jesus – an eye witness!

When the Most High God cast Lucifer from His Holy Mountain in disgrace, he fell in a flaming descent through space like a blazing meteorite. His beautiful covering of precious stones was burned into ashes! Jesus refers to this ejection from heaven in Luke 10:18, and tells his disciples, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven!" To understand his statement, one needs to realize that Jesus existed as the "Word" in heaven before he became a human being. This is explained in John 1:1-2, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God." John 1:14 also refers to Jesus as the Word, "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us,·" So Jesus was an eye witness to this spectacular event when Lucifer fell to earth. Since Lucifer was created by God to be an immortal being, he survived his fiery banishment from heaven and became known as the Devil or Satan!

Satan will go into the Pit or Abyss

Several verses reveal a future judgment that Satan faces. In Isaiah 14:12, "Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol (Greek for "grave"), to the lowest recesses of the Pit. Those who see you will gaze at you, they will ponder over you, saying, 'Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms, who made the world like a wilderness and overthrew its cities·?'"

The apostle John also saw this future event in a vision from God, Revelation 20:1-3, "Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old (the serpent in the Garden of Eden), who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time."

This Pit already exists for we find in Luke 8:32 that Jesus was casting demons out of a man and the demons pleaded with him not to command them to go to the same Pit or Abyss mentioned in Isaiah and Revelation. "And they begged him repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss." New International Version.

How did demons come to be?

Rebellious spirits called "demons" serve Satan. Who are they and how did they come to be? A major clue is found in Matt 25:41. "Then He (Jesus when he returns to the earth) will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;'" This "eternal fire" is found in the Abyss, and the "angels" with the devil are angels that joined in his rebellion against the Most High God. Demons are former angels, just as Satan is! They became evil angels, but evidently, they often still pose as God's holy angels as we see in this next scripture.

Disguised as angels of light

"No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds," 2 Cor. 11:14-15. We see that Satan and his angels try to appear to be good like angels of "light"! Satan and his "angels" deceive people and masquerade as angels still serving God!

The ruler of this world

So we see that God created a beautiful, blameless angel who was a leader, yet that angel had free will and chose to rebel against God Himself. "You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created until unrighteousness was found in you." Ezek. 28:15. His own vanity led him to desire to be worshipped as a "Higher Power," and this led to a violent rebellion against God. His evil ways have so influenced our world that Jesus even referred to him as "the ruler of this world" in John 12:31; 14:30; and said in John 16:11 "·the ruler of this world has been judged."

Christ to return in great power

The judgment upon Satan and his demons will come when Christ returns to this earth with great power, just as we are told in Matthew 24:30-31. "And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. And He will send forth His angels with a great Trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other."

Punishment and rewards

Matt. 25:41-46 "Then He (Jesus) will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; ·. 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

These "righteous" ones who have been forgiven of their sins because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and have obeyed and served him, will rise from their graves to be rewarded, as we see in 1 Cor.15: 42, 52-55. But the "ruler of this world" and those who have followed his ways and leadership will face punishment. Satan and his angels, who are immortal beings, will face punishment in the fearsome Abyss. Those humans who have rejected Jesus Christ will face a fiery death, and will miss out on immortality and eternal life. However, since these disobedient people have NOT been given immortality they cannot suffer pain eternally. They will die and be reduced to ashes as foretold in Malachi 4:3, "'You will tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day which I am preparing,' says the LORD of hosts."

Everlasting joy

That is a frightening prediction, yet there is encouragement and comfort in what God has in store for those who have turned to Jesus Christ in sincere repentance and obedience. Rev. 21:4 "And He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away." Also see Isaiah. 35:10, "And the ransomed of the LORD will return and come with joyful shouting to Zion, with everlasting joy upon their heads. They will find gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing will flee away."