Episode 2317 - Lesson 9 - Tuesday Feb. 25 - The Origin of the Controversy in Heaven

Genesis 1–3 alone shows that evil existed before the fall of Adam and Eve. Even if evil was not a concrete reality in Eden, conceptually, “evil” has already appeared, in the name of “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Gen. 2:9, 17). Then the serpent accuses God of lying when, in fact, he, the serpent, is the one lying. The existence of the serpent (Rev. 12:9), along with his lying, shows the reality of evil there. Thus, even in Eden before the Fall, the presence of evil is manifest.Read Ezekiel 28:12–19 in light of Exodus 25:19, 20. What is the nature of this being’s fall?According to this passage, the origin of evil and the cosmic conflict began in heaven.Before he fell, the being who became known as Satan was a covering cherub. Beyond being identified as this cherub, he was “ ‘the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty’ ” and was “ ‘in Eden, the garden of God’ ” (Ezek. 28:12, 13, NKJV). Neither of these things could be said of the human king of Tyre (or any other human). Hence, we know that we have been given here a glimpse into the fall of Lucifer.Read Isaiah 14:12–15. What additional light does this shed on the origin of the great controversy?According to Isaiah 14, Lucifer decided to exalt himself and make himself like God. This verse complements what we saw in Ezekiel 28, that his “heart was lifted up” because of his “beauty” (Ezek. 28:17), which should have brought him to glorify the God who made him beautiful. Instead, he became proud. Worse, in this pride, he set out to take God’s place and to slander Him. The Hebrew term for “trading” in Ezekiel 28:16 also means “slander,” an indication of how Satan will operate against God and against us, as well.How do we understand the fact that Lucifer, who fell, was originally “perfect . . . from the day” he was created “till iniquity was found” in him (Ezek. 28:15)? How could a perfect being fall unless being “perfect” included true moral freedom?