My New Discoveries About the Fall of Satan

One of the most incredible things about taking seminary classes is understanding how little you fully understand about the different doctrinal beliefs you have had.  Take for instance my view of Satan.  Up until a week ago I knew my proof texts and could outline the ways that Satan fell.  Today I have come to the realization that I do not know the exact story of Satan's fall and that I have no idea of the way that it happened.  This happens a lot in Theology, we think we know something but in fact if we slowed down and really worked through the text we would find a different truth.  I learned that sloppy exegesis leads to terrible Theology.

Isaiah 14


In order to understand the context of this passage you need to look around the text, so go to the start of the oracle which is found in Isaiah 13:1, The oracle of Babylon.  Now we know this letter was written to Babylon and that the references will refer to Babylon.  You might be screaming right now that Babylon is a type of the world and the world system so it is still valid, but I argue that it is actually written to Babylon.  As we look at the rest of the book notice that Isaiah is delivering Oracles to the nations that existed historically (Is 14:24 Assyria, Is. 14:28 Philistia, Is. 15:1 Moab, Is. 17:1 Damascus, Is. 18:1 Cush, Is. 19:1 Egypt, Is. 22:1 Jerusalem, Is. 23:1 Tyre and Sidon, etc.).
If you take this portion of the passage as figurative then you destroy the literal application of this prophecy.  In other words if part of this is figurative where does the literal application fall off.  Also this is a future prophecy not a historical recreation.

Ezekiel 28:12-19

  The first problem with this text in reference to Satan is the clear address to the King of Tyre.  This is the last of 4 dirges against the King of Tyre starting in Ez 26:1.
In order for this to be about Satan you would have to take much of the text figuratively and some of it literally.  It is obvious that both figurative and literal language is being used which is normal for poetry, but it becomes hard to say that the very title of address is figurative when all of the ones around it are figurative.
Many of the figurative language used is found in the surrounding oracles about the King of Tyre (full of wisdom and perfect in beauty 27:3-4, 11, 32-33, 28:3-4,7; every precious stone was your covering 27:22).


Conclusion


Does this mean I do not believe Satan fell? NO!  I believe he fell we just do not have as many of the details of that fall as we thought we did.  I believe Satan was created by God during the 7 days of Creation and at some point in the 7 days he fell. (The topic for a future blog).