How to use your authority as a believer: unconditional authority given
I think we now understand that we are indeed in a spiritual battle. We face it every day. Therefore, it is important to answer these questions like: “Who is our enemy? What power does our enemy have?
There are different points of view about the origin of Satan and how he got the power that he has. Isaiah 14:12 says, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! Thou art cut down to the ground, thou who weakeneth the nations!”
Ezekiel 28:14 says, “Son of man, lift up a dirge against the king of Tyre, and say to him, Thus says the Lord God: You seal the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.”
These scriptures tell us that God created a beautiful angel Lucifer who had wonderful features, rich stones, ornaments, etc. We are told that he was perfect in all his ways according to Ezekiel 28:15: “You were perfect in all your ways from the day you were created, until iniquity was found in you.” However, he later became proud and rebelled against God.
A doctrine has formed around Revelation 12:4, where it is recorded: “And his tail swept a third of the stars of heaven, and cast them to the earth; and the dragon stood before the woman who was standing to give birth. , to devour her child as soon as it was born”. The doctrine is about the devil convincing a third of God’s angels to join him and face God in a fight. He also claims that in the fight God defeated him and threw him to the ground. However, the rest of the entire Bible makes no mention of such.
Some theories say that Satan ruled the earth before Adam was put in the Garden of Eden. This means that he fell before Adam came into being. Cataclysm believes that something happened between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2. This theory believes that there was a judgment that took place, which resulted in the earth becoming waste, meaning formless and empty. What this theory means is that there was a reenactment. Therefore, this implies that God created Adam and Eve, and then placed them where this beast called Satan and his demons were with his evil and corruption so that man could choose between good and evil. This portrays God in a different light if He put his innocent people where this wild beast was just to tempt them. Would you leave your young son where you knew there was a dangerous wild beast just to tempt him? This would be abuse. God is too loving and caring to do such a thing.
How did the devil fall?
The belief that I follow is that God sent Lucifer, who was God’s superior angel, to come down to earth to minister to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. At that time he was not Satan. Hebrews 1:14 says, “Are not all ministering spirits, sent to minister to those who will inherit salvation?” We learn from this portion of Scripture that all angels are sent to minister to us. Lucifer’s divine mission or assignment on earth was to serve, not tempt Adam. However, he transgressed when he was there. We get information about what happened in Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28. We are told how Lucifer became Satan. God, through the prophet addressed a physical person; he that is the King of Babylon in Isaiah 14:4 and the King of Tire in Ezekiel 28:12. What was addressed in these scriptures was a demonic power that was behind the physical person.
Force behind a physical person
In Matthew 16:23, we hear Jesus say these words: “But he turned and said to Peter, Get behind me, Satan; you offend me, because you do not like the things that are of God, but those that are of God.” the men”. What was happening here? Jesus was speaking to Peter but addressing a demonic power that was operating through Peter. So the same thing was happening in Ezekiel 28:11-12:
Ezekiel 28:13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; each precious stone was your cover, the carnelian, the topaz, the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, the carbuncle and the gold: the making of your drums and your flutes was prepared in you the day you were created.
Ezekiel 28:14 You are the great and protective cherub; and I have placed you like this: you were on the holy mountain of God; you have walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
Ezekiel 28:15 You were perfect in all your ways from the day you were created, until iniquity was found in you.
The scripture gives us a description of Lucifer who was placed in the Garden of Eden and how he was created. Lucifer’s transgression against God occurred in the Garden of Eden. This is described in Genesis 3 when he entered a serpent. He used the serpent to speak and tempt Eve. The serpent managed to convince Adam and Eve to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This is the moment when Lucifer rebels against God.
Revelation 12:3-4 is not a solid basis for saying that Satan took a third of God’s angels and led a rebellion against God. How could Satan defeat his Creator who had two-thirds of the angels on his side? How could he win if he had all of God’s angels on his side? We are talking about the Creator of the entire universe here. How could he confront him directly?
absolute authority to rule
God had given absolute authority, that is, unconditional authority to Adam and Eve to rule and dominate the earth and everything on it. The angels, including Lucifer, are supposed to have been given delegated authority, that is, conditional authority. This is the type of authority that could be taken away the moment one violates the conditions that accompany the authority granted.
We learn that Adam and Eve were given unconditional authority. That means there were no restrictions or requirements for God-given power and authority on earth. This is found in Genesis 1:26-28:
Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let him rule over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, over the beasts, and over all the earth. , and above all animals that crawl on the ground.
Gen 1:27 And God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Genesis 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said to them, Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the heavens, and over every living animal that moves on the earth.
God spoke and gave authority, power, and dominion when He created man. As you read these scriptures carefully, you realize that there were no conditions or qualifications in what God gave to mankind.
The integrity of God
God is always faithful to His Word. What He speaks is established as a law. He doesn’t turn his back on his Word. Look at what Psalms 89:34, Hebrews 6:18 and Numbers 23:19 say:
Ps 89:34 I will not break my covenant, neither will I change what has come from my lips.
Hebrews 6:18 so that in two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, those of us who have sought refuge to take hold of the hope set before us may have a strong consolation.
Numbers 23:19 God is not a man, that he should lie; nor the son of man, that he should repent: he said, and he will not do? Or has he said he, and he won’t do it right?
All of the above scriptures reveal God as a true and very trustworthy Creator. He can be fully trusted in what he says in his Word. That is what holds the universe in place. He upholds everything by his Word and his integrity. Look at what Hebrews 1:3 says.
Heb 1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, having by himself purged our sins, sat at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
God never violates what he says. Having given Adam and Eve absolute authority, He could not take it back after they had handed it over to Satan. God gave the absolute dominion of the earth.
God bound Himself by His Word
It was not God’s purpose for man to hand over power and authority to Satan. Man voluntarily yielded dominion to the devil. God’s integrity did not allow him to stop or reverse what had happened. He couldn’t take back the authority. God is not like men who often reverse what they have said or given to others once there is a violation of expectations. So God bound Himself by his Word. The reason is that God magnified his Word above all his names.
“I will worship towards your holy temple, and I will praise your name for your mercy and for your truth; because you have magnified your word above all your name.” (Psalms 138:2)
The name of Jesus is the only name given under heaven by which we must be saved. The Bible tells us that every knee will bow at the name of Jesus and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord according to Philippians 2:9-11. The name of the Lord is a strong tower according to Proverbs 18:10.
Phil 2:9 Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave him a name that is above every name;
Php 2:10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth;
Php 2:11 and let every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Pro 18:10 A strong tower is the name of the LORD; the righteous runs into it, and he is saved.
Taking all of the above, we note that God has magnified His Word even above the name of Jesus.
Lucifer knew the integrity of God. So when he heard that God was giving Adam and Eve absolute authority, he wanted to take advantage of the opportunity. With the assumption that he had conditional authority to function, he knew that authority could be instantly removed once the conditions of his authority were violated. This shows us that he could not directly confront God with delegated authority. Once taken, he would have no power at all.
It is recognized that some things are not clearly stated in the Scriptures. Therefore, they may be beyond human knowledge according to Deuteronomy 29:29, which says: “The secret things belong to Jehovah our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, so that we can do all”. the words of this law.
With the understanding of God, His nature, His character and His Word, this is the direction that the biblical evidence points to. There is no evidence to show that angels have unconditional power and authority like that given to Adam and Eve. However, we learn that angels have free will from 2 Peter 2:4, which says, “For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them into hell and delivered them into prisons of darkness, to be reserved for judgment . ” (2 Peter 2:4).
It can be concluded, then, with everything indicated here, that Satan could not charge directly against God with the third part of the angels. Lucifer simply took advantage of gaining absolute authority to dominate and rule the earth, which originally belonged to mankind.