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As a child of the eighties, I grew up watching Saturday morning cartoons. There was no internet, no streaming services and no Cartoon Network. If you, as a kid, wanted to watch cartoons, you got your butt out of bed on Saturday morning, grabbed your bowl of cereal and plopped down in front of the tube to indulge in several hours of animated entertainment. One series that I always made sure to watch was G.I. Joe.
Now, for those unfamiliar, the premise of the show was very simple; a nefarious organization called “Cobra” – led by the evil Cobra Commander – was bent on world domination, thwarted only by the continual efforts of an organization of elite military personnel called G.I. Joe.
The thing that always bugged me though, was how one-dimensional the enemy always seemed. I mean, I was never given a viable reason for why Cobra Commander wanted to rule the world – he just did. Even when the plot shifted in later years, they did little to provide me with convincing motivations for the bad-guys and generally, kind of hand-waived the matter to a certain degree.
Where I’m going with this is that, throughout my life, I’ve perceived that the Church, in general, tends to view the person of “the Devil” through a similar, one-dimensional lens… so yeah, you came to a theology website that’s been tackling sociology and politics – and now we’re talking about 80’s cartoons and the devil.
The Rebellion
The first thing I think we need to understand is the nature of the rebellion – that is the why behind the fall of the Adversary and the deception of man by “that old serpent, the Devil”.
Scripture makes it plain that the fundamental issue at play within the heart or the adversary was, and is, pride. My life experience has taught me that pride can lie dormant for years and even decades on end before it is exposed. Not inconsequentially, I find that perceived offense is often the catalyst for such manifestation.
The first act of rebellion recorded in scripture took place in Gan Eden, or the Garden of Eden. It came in the form of the deception of Adam and Havah (Eve) by the serpent, bringing about the fall – whereby Death entered into the world. (see Romans 5:12). The question I raise at this point is, why this particular action? Why, in his rebellion against God, does the Devil target man?
The answer to this, in my opinion, is that we – mankind – are the source of the offense which triggered the manifestation of his pride. Consider the creation narrative:
The Lord God formed the man from the soil of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
Genesis 2:7
I personally find it very telling that this act, that of God having breathed directly into Adams’ nostrils to give him life, is recorded for no other being anywhere in the whole of scripture. It is peculiar and specific to Adam and, by extension all mankind. I see it as being further indicative that we are made to be His (God’s) image bearers. (see Genesis 1:26).
We likewise have indication, though not stated explicitly in Genesis, that the Angelic Host had been created prior to this, and would have witnessed the creation of man:
“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you possess understanding. Who set its measurements—if you know— or who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its bases set, or who laid its cornerstone— when the morning stars sang in chorus, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? …”
Job 38:4 – 7
And that folks, is what I believe to be the catalyst for the rebellion of ha Satan. He (Satan) thought himself the highest and second only to God… and then God created man in His own image, and breathed His breath, His Nefesh directly into the man – distinguishing him (Adam) from everything else in all of creation… That is what I believe pushed him (Satan) over the edge.
Now, you may agree or disagree, but it actually isn’t my purpose to convince you that I’m right. My purpose is to get you to see that there is more than ample room here to establish a motive for the actions taken, and that they extend far beyond the simple one-dimensional thought processes of an Eighties Cartoon Villain. We’re not told how much time transpired between the creation and the fall, or are we explicitly told what it was that caused Satan’s pride to manifest and the rebellion to ensue. It is left for us to determine using logic and reason.
It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, and it is the glory of a king to search out a matter.
Proverbs 25:2
… and has appointed us as a kingdom, as priests serving his God and Father—to him be the glory and the power for ever and ever! Amen.
The Aftershock
This is a bit of a divergence from the overall point, but have you ever thought about the impact this must have had throughout the heavens? I mean, really thought about this? The consequences of the fall have been dire – for all of creation.
Some time back, following a number of Angelic encounters, I had a bit of a revelation. It occurred to me that I had never truly given much thought to how the rebellion and the fall affected them.
Now, before we continue, if you think it a strange thing to be discussing such, I would remind you that Angels aren’t what they are commonly perceived or believed to be. They, and in fact much of what we call spirit actually represents physicality, but of a different dimensional order than our own. I would direct you to the article Spiritual / Dimensional for more on that subject.
Now, we know that the Angelic Host preceded the creation of man. They witnessed, not only the creation of mankind, but the rebellion of their own brothers against their own Father – as well as the deception of Adam and Havah (Eve) and the curse that befell creation because of it. I don’t know about you, but the weight of that is considerable to me.
It’s clear to me, straight from the pages of scripture, that the Angelic Host have free will, just as we do. Most – two-thirds at least – have employed their will to obey God almighty, to protect and uphold mankind and, in so doing, even fight against their own brothers… beings they would have known, and even loved before Adam had even drawn his first breath.
To me, this is something worthy of being honored. I believe when all things are put to rights, God will honor them greatly because they deserve it! I thank Him (God) for their loyalty, love and obedience and I look forward to the day when I can see them, interact with them, and personally thank them for all the acts of obedience, intercession and intervention at the command of the Living God.
The Cosmic Chess Game
Have you ever played Chess against someone who was schooled and learned i the game? Someone who knew and understood all the possible moves at any given juncture?
I have – and let me tell you, never once was there any chance that I was going to win any one of those games. The fact was, my opponents knew the correct and proper counter-moves to anything and everything I did. I even recall one game where my opponent had sacrificed so many pieces, I really thought I had him… I didn’t. The truth was, he’d set me up and I never even saw the coup de grâce until he smiled and said flatly; “check-mate”.
To put this in perspective, as it pertains to our topic, it always struck me as odd… I mean, the future has already been written, the battles decided and the outcome assured. Despite this, we see the Devil locked in a millennia-spanning conflict, a Cosmic Chess Game, if you will, against the Creator.
Now, personally, once I’d realized that I had absolutely no chance at defeating such skilled foes, I quit playing against them. I was more than happy to sit back, watch them play against one another and try to learn from their actions, choices and strategies. Before long, I came to realize that these gentlemen employed a level of discipline concerning this game that I simply wasn’t going to be able to match – but I digress.
The point is, when faced with inevitable defeat, I quit – why then, would a being with significantly greater knowledge and ability than I not do the same? To put it bluntly; if the Devil knows he’s beaten, why does he continue to struggle so?
One day it occurred to me; when I relented and stepped away from the Chess Board, the only real consequence was that I was done playing chess… but what if on the other side of that game, destruction awaited my loss? It may sound preposterous – and it is for the most part – but this is exactly the position the Adversary finds himself in presently.
You see, if I knew that if I lost the game, I’d be killed upon its conclusion, I’d probably do everything in my power to drag that game out for as looooooong as possible. Moreover, I’d be looking for any hint of potential and might even try to cheat if I thought I could somehow steal the win and save my own skin.
This is the present motive of the Adversary as I see it. His primary purpose, at this time, isn’t just to stick his finger in God’s eye by oppressing and destroying mankind; it’s a vain attempt at self-preservation. Think through the following:
- In Genesis 3:15, God pronounces judgement upon the serpent and essentially prophesies the coming Messiah.
- In Genesis 6 we see the introduction of the Nephilim and the corruption of “all flesh” (Gen 6:12)… if the enemy could wholly corrupt the gene-seed of man, he could have effectively prevented the prior prophecy from being fulfilled.
- Later, following the covenant with Abraham and his offspring, we see attempts to essentially wipe them out. Have a read-through of the Book of Esther. Once again, this is an attempt to prevent the coming of the Messiah.
- Following the coming of the Messiah, we see still, further attempts to wipe out the Jewish people… but why?
For I tell you, you will not see me from now until you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’”
Mathew 23:39
It’s simple really – Yeshua, Jesus spoke this to the Jewish People. If there are no Jews left to recognize His Lordship and utter this phrase, then His (Jesus’) second coming would be cut-off.
The simple fact is, Satan wanted a Kingdom, but that proverbial ship sailed long ago. Sure, he maintains a status as a usurper, but make no mistake, any authority he truly had evaporated at the cross. Now, it’s no so much a fight to preserve a kingdom, he’s fighting to try an save his own skin – and while that isn’t possible, he’ll do anything and everything within his means to try… because once the game is finished, so is he. To summarize, Satan knows full-well; his ass is grass and Yeshua is the lawn-mower.
I say all of this to remind you of a simple principle made plain in scripture:
Disarming the rulers and authorities, he has made a public disgrace of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
Colossians 2:15
It’s not hyperbole, symbolic or poetic; Satan is literally a defeated foe. As such, he is desperate, knowing that his end draws nearer with every passing moment. We should, therefore, neither over-estimate, nor under-estimate his ability or will. A desperate animal is a dangerous animal to be sure.
In the end, know that if you walk in submission to the Living God, then Satan (and his minions) will most assuredly flee from you when you resist them.
So submit to God. But resist the devil and he will flee from you.
James 4:7
People often quote the “resist and he will flee” portion of this verse – not so much the “submit to God” part…
Until next time,
שלום עליכם – Shalom Aleichem – Peace Be Upon You