The words, “For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea,
and all that in them is,” tell us that the angels were created during
the six days of creation (Exodus 20:11). In other words, the angels are
included in the words, “all that in them is”. Therefore, by the
beginning of the seventh day God’s work of creation was complete. At
that time all that He created was holy, good, and pure (Genesis 2:1-2,
Genesis 1:31, Job 38:7, 1Corinthians 14:33, Deuteronomy 32:4, Matthew
25:31).
While the angels whom God created are spirit beings
who by nature are more powerful, intelligent, and glorious than man;
they are finite spirits who neither die nor reproduce, and whose power
and wisdom is limited. At the same time, the fact that Michael dared
not bring a railing accusation against Satan tells us that Satan is
more powerful than the others. [Hebrews 1:14, 2Kings 19:35, 2Samuel
14:20, Luke 11:17-18 and 15:10, Revelation 12:9, Matthew 18:10, Psalm
8:5, 1Peter 1:12 and 3:22, Matthew 22:30, Jude 1:9, Mark 12:25, Luke
20:36, Ezekiel 28:13-14, Isaiah 14:12, 2Corinthians 11:14.]
However, in spite of Satan’s power, sin brought him
under condemnation. Moreover, the fact that the evil in man’s nature is
a reflection of Satan’s nature tells us that Satan wanted to be God,
for all sin is an attempt to overthrow God’s authority (John 8:44,
Isaiah 14:12-14, Matthew 25:41).
Through sin Lucifer ceased to be the bearer of light
and became Satan – the enemy, the accuser, the father of the lie. Since
one-third of the angels were carried down into spiritual death by his
influence, he was also the first murderer (Revelation 12:3-10, John
8:44, Ezekiel 28:15, 2Peter 2:4, John 8:44). Furthermore, by leading
Adam and Eve to sin, Satan was able to pass his desire to be God on to
them, thereby bringing Adam, Eve, their descendants, and the entire
physical universe (which they ruled) under his dominion (Genesis 3:4-5,
Romans 5:12-14, Romans 6:16, 2Corinthians 4:4, Genesis 3:14, Hebrews
1:10-12).
Since all sin is an attempt to overthrow God’s
authority, sin itself is rooted in the desire to be God, and the desire
to exalt yourself over others or make them do your will (which stems
from that satanic mentality) is the essence of pride and the opposite
of love. That is not to say that love is always the exact opposite of
pride or hatred, for under certain circumstances love not only requires
us to condemn and fight evil, but Satan is sometimes able to disguise
evil as love. Nevertheless, those who do Satan’s will always justify
evil while condemning good.
Since the desire to exalt one’s race is closely
related to the desire to exalt self, racism is clearly a manifestation
of the satanic mentality. In fact, racists promote the lie of a
superior race because they want to lord it over other races. That is
why they never view their own race as inferior. At the same time, Satan
uses the delusion of racial superiority to blind those under it to the
fact that their own nature is deceitful above all things and
desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). What they fail to realize is that
by rejecting God’s evaluation of their nature for their own delusion of
superiority, Satan has them fighting against God by trying to replace
His truth with their lie (John 14:6, Psalm 146:5-6). [Note: God is the
one who determines what is true. In fact, if He did not have the
ability to determine what is true, He would be subject to and limited
by the truth. If that were the case, then the truth (or the one who did
determine the truth) would be His superior, and thus the true God.
Therefore, Satan’s rebellion could be viewed as his attempt to change
the truth in order to make himself God, which explains why Satan is the
father of the lie (John 8:44).]
Although God originally intended for our nature to
reflect His righteousness, sin has so altered our nature that it now
reflects the deceitfulness and rebellion of Satan. That is why we are
so quick to excuse or justify our own sins (Jeremiah 17:9). Every time
we excuse something that we know to be wrong, we are attempting to make
ourselves God by changing the truth to suit ourselves.
In short, every sin committed by man is somehow
rooted in the satanic desire to make oneself God (self-deification).
That desire often manifests itself in the drive to control, dominate,
manipulate, and use others for the benefit of self. For example, the
man who seduces a woman does so only to gratify his own selfish
desires. If he really cared for her, he would not want her to sin.
Therefore, any love that he thinks he feels for her is really hatred
disguised as love, and thus a delusion of Satan (1John 5:2). That being
the case, all that he says about love is really an attempt to make
himself God by making his lie (that adultery is love) into the truth.
In the same way, any who excuse, defend, and promote wicked behavior
are trying to make themselves God, while showing only contempt for
those whom they deceive (James 4:4).
When it comes to idolatry, those who create idols
are attempting to make themselves into God’s creator. The worship of
idols is an attempt to overthrow the true God. In fact, every attempt
to change the truth of God into a lie is a rejection of the true God.
That also is true of atheism. The atheist denial of God is rooted in
the same desire to be God that is behind every other sin. In his book
“The Gods Of Atheism,” Vincent P. Miceli documents that fact by citing
a number of prominent atheists who have claimed that man is God.
Those who curse in God's name are seeking to make
themselves into the one who decides who should be damned (Matthew
10:28). Those who refuse to attend church are refusing to humble
themselves before God. Those who turn away from the faith or do evil,
disregarding the teaching of their parents, are rejecting the authority
that God has placed in their lives (Luke 10:16). Those who commit
murder are taking to themselves the authority to determine when someone
should die. Those who bear false witness are attempting to make
themselves into the one who determines what is true. Those who steal
are attempting to change the truth as to who is the real owner. Those
who covet would like to do the same thing. In fact, the very desire to
sin is itself sin, for that desire stems from the desire to make
oneself God (Job 24:13, 1 Samuel 15:23).
Since the satanic desire to be God underlies the
corruption of our nature, that desire reveals itself most openly in the
area of religion. Not only do idolaters reject God’s authority, but one
very active cult promises godhood to those who follow its teachings.
The church of Rome officially designates the Pope as God on earth (Labb
IX Dist. :96 Can. 7, Satis evidentur, Decret Gratian Primer Para,). In
either case, the claim of godhood is a mark of the anti-Christ
(2Thessalonians 2:4, Isaiah 43:10). In addition, the flattering
titles and superior attitude of many clergymen also reveals an inner
desire to be revered as God.
Another way false teachers attempt to make
themselves God is by trying to make their word into God's Word. We not
only see that whenever false Scriptures are written, but also whenever
made up doctrines and private interpretations are passed off as the
Word of God. That holds true for those who claim false revelations. [I
once heard a man claim that God told him that Christ would return
1985.] And, also for those who set themselves above Scripture by either
explaining away things it says or finding fault with it as if they were
a higher authority than its Author.
Because Satan is very subtle, it is not always easy
to spot additions to God’s Word. Sometimes they are disguised as
explanations and hidden behind reasoning that may seem plausible. The
addition may consist of hidden assumptions or conclusions based on
those assumptions, which contradict what the Bible explicitly says. For
example: It is often assumed that infants have no sins, even though the
Bible tells us that, “All have sinned,” (Romans 3:23). However, if
infants were not sinners they would not die, for only sinners die
(Romans 6:23). Therefore, you can see how that one assumption
undermines what the Bible says about the nature of sin and about
salvation being through Christ alone (Romans 5:12, Acts 4:12). [Note:
It is important to understand that sin consists of more than just
outward acts. The Bible tells us that, “all unrighteousness is sin,”
and the word “all” includes the unrighteousness of a heart that is,
“deceitful above all things and desperately wicked” (1John 5:17,
Jeremiah 17:9). In other words, it is our sin-corrupted nature, and not
merely the outward manifestation of it, that makes us the children of
wrath (Ephesians 2:3, Psalm 51:5).]
It is Satan (not God) who is to blame for all the
sin and suffering in the world. Those who want to blame God for man’s
sin are seeking to make themselves God by setting themselves over God
as His judge. At the same time, they are denying their own sin, by
condemning others but not themselves (1Corinthians 11:31). Not only was
Satan’s rebellion the first sin, but it is the root of all sin. For all
sin is rooted in the desire to overthrow God’s authority. Moreover,
while many sins produce physical suffering, the sin of religious
falsehood should never be overlooked or encouraged, because it destroys
souls. To that end we have a responsibility to critically examine
ourselves and make certain that we are not guilty of it. As it is
written, “Judgment must begin at the house of God” (1Peter 4:17).
[Deuteronomy 18:20, Jeremiah 23:1,11,14,16-20, Jeremiah 29:19-32, 2
Timothy 4:3.]
1- When was Satan created?
2- Was Satan evil when God first created him?
3- What was the first sin?
4- What is racism a manifestation of?
5- What is every sin rooted in?
6- What does the satanic mentality desire?
7- What is behind the claim that man is God?
8- What are all who defy God's commandments attempting to do?
9- How are false teachers seeking to make themselves God?
10- Where is the desire to be God seen most openly?