Satan Expelled—Twice!
Once upon a time a zookeeper put a lion in the rabbit area. The rabbits, and the visitors, were horrified! The rabbits didn’t stand a chance!
A common misconception held by many is that God exiled Satan directly to earth. How unfair! Humanity didn’t stand a chance!
The Bible makes the three stages of Satan’s exile very clear. First, he was expelled from heaven to a dark, remote corner of the universe. Second, he gained access to Earth (and heaven again) after deceiving Adam and Eve. Third, after Christ’s successful sacrifice on the cross, the devil was limited to just the earth.
First: into remote darkness
And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. (Jude 1:6)
For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment. (2 Peter 2:4)
Both of these texts show that darkness, not Earth, immediately followed expulsion. Judgment was going to come later, so there was something else that needed to happen first. One of them was decisions by other people and that is where the tree of knowledge of good and evil comes into play.
(Why wasn’t Satan killed instead? That is a bigger question addressed in the Seven Pillars Project. )
Then becomes god of this world
And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. (Revelation 12:3-5)
Who does the casting is different in this verse from the ones in Jude and 2 Peter. Here, Satan brings the devils to earth. In the others, God does the casting out to darkness. This passage gives us the end result without describing the intermediate steps.
Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, has God said, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden? (Genesis 3:1)
Satan, the dragon and the serpent, tempted the man and woman and overcame them. Thus, he became the god of this world.
of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. (2 Peter 2:19)
Know you not, that to whom you yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants you are to whom you obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? (Romans 6:16)
These texts make a spiritual application of being overcome by sin, but we must remember that Adam was given dominion over the earth. So to gain control of him was to gain control over his dominion.
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth. (Genesis 1:26)
Adam clearly lost His dominion, because we read that Christ had to get it back.
And you O tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto you shall it come, even the first dominion. (Micah 4:8)
And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. (Daniel 7:14)
Before his fall, Adam was the “god” of this world. (see Psalm 82:6) He was a prince over the earth under the King of the universe. However, after the fall, Satan took Adam’s place.
the prince of this world comes and has nothing in me. (John 14:30)
the prince of this world is judged. (John 16:11)
in time past you walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2)
the god of this world has blinded the minds of them which believe not (2 Corinthians 4:4)
Satan’s control over Earth and people was still limited by God, but the devil was well aware that he was permitted a lot of power.
Again, the devil takes him up into an exceeding high mountain, and shows him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And said unto him, All these things will I give you if you will fall down and worship me. (Matthew 4:8-9)
Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD. (Job 2:1)
Adam was “the son of God” on Earth. (Luke 3:38) However, Satan, not Adam, is at this council meeting in heaven. After being expelled, Satan usurped Adam’s seat and regained access to heaven, although he did not live there anymore. This condition existed throughout the Old Testament, but Christ was soon to come to end it.
Second: limited to earth
Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. (John 12:31-32)
Jesus said these words in Jerusalem during the last week before His death. He was refering to the cross when He said that He would be lifted up and draw everyone to Himself. (“Men” here is not male, nor even human. It is generic to include all beings.) So the soul sacrifice on the cross would sooner or later cause “every knee to bow.” (Philippians 2:10) More immediately, as in “now”, Satan would be judged and cast out. Cast out of where? Not earth! He is still here. He would be cast out of heaven—a second time.
And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceives the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Therefore rejoice, you heavens, and you that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has but a short time. (Revelation 12:7-12)
At the beginning of Revelation 12, the dragon casts a third of the angels to the earth before the Man Child is born, and before the Child is caught up to God. The war in this passage happens afterwards.
1. Notice that the good angels cast out the bad angels to the earth, not a dark place.
2. Notice that “now” is come salvation and the power of Christ.
3. Notice that Satan has been accusing the brethren, which could only be after the fall into sin.
4. Notice that the saints overcome by the blood of the Lamb.
5. Notice that Satan has only a short time.
All of these things could only be true after Lucifer’s first fall from heaven. Items 2, 4, and 5 could only be true after the cross.
The people who live in the heavens are happy, because their war is finally over. Satan cannot annoy them anymore.
Why did their war take so long? Because it was not physical. It was spiritual.
The loyal universe trusted God the whole time, but they hoped maybe Satan had a point or two and that maybe there was a solution to bring the sides back together. However, after killing the Son of the Lifegiver on the cross, they determined the angel was hopeless. They were ready to execute their sadistic, insane brother. Any residual faith, hope, and love they felt for their former brothers was gone. Satan’s days were numbered, and he knows it.
God did not force Adam and Eve to obey. That is why He gave the tree of knowledge to publicly show it. Neither did God force loyalty from the angels. He give everybody time to be fully persuaded in their own minds. It took thousands of years until the cross, but the heavenly hosts finally and decidely made up their minds.