Opening Prayer
Many people think the first sin occurred in the Garden of Eden, but before Adam and Eve ever sinned, there was a rebellion in heaven. That rebellion began with a being created in beauty, wisdom, and glory — Lucifer, the “morning star,” who desired something that was not his to have: the throne of God.
Let’s begin by reading two foundational passages that describe this fall: Lucifer Was Created Perfect, Not Evil. Lucifer was created by God. Let that sink in. He wasn’t born in sin. He wasn’t created to be wicked. The Bible says he was perfect in beauty, full of wisdom, and blameless in his ways — until sin was found in him.
God, who is holy, only creates what is good:
Genesis 1:29-31
Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground — everything that has the breath of life in it — I give every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning — the sixth day.
For many, the mind immediately turns to the Book of Genesis — the account of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. In that garden, God had provided everything humanity needed. Adam and Eve were created pure, innocent, and in direct communion with God. He gave them one simple command: “Do not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” They were free to enjoy all else.
However, as the story goes, a serpent approached Eve, questioning God’s motives and tempting her to eat from the forbidden tree. She ate, and gave some to Adam, who also ate. At that moment, sin entered the human world. Their relationship with God was fractured, and shame, guilt, and separation from their Creator followed.
But if we look closely, this story does not introduce the origin of evil — it begins with evil already present in the form of the serpent.
There is a sin that predates the disobedience of Adam and Eve: the sin of Lucifer, also known as Satan, the adversary.
Before the creation of the physical universe — before the stars, galaxies, or even time as we know it — God created the heavens. This included the creation of angelic beings: cherubim, seraphim, and all the hosts of heaven. Among them was Lucifer, a being of beauty, wisdom, and power. He was not created evil. Like all of creation, he was made “very good” (Genesis 1:31), and he served a holy purpose: to glorify and worship the Creator.
The Bible affirms that all of God’s creation — both visible and invisible — was originally good. As Paul writes in 1 Timothy 4:4: “For everything God created is good.” And 1 John 1:5 reminds us: “God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all.”
So, where did Lucifer’s first sinful desire come from? Heaven.
Lucifer’s fall is one of the greatest mysteries in Christian theology. If he was created good, with no external source of evil to tempt him, where did the desire to rebel against God come from?
Some scholars point to passages like John 8:44, where Jesus calls Satan “a murderer from the beginning” and “the father of lies.” This suggests that Satan’s wickedness originated internally. But this only raises a deeper question: How did internal corruption arise within a being that was originally pure and holy?
“How did Satan become evil? I do not know… To say that Satan had free will is not an explanation — it is a label for a mystery.”
Indeed, saying Satan had “free will” does not explain the origin of his first sinful desire. It only acknowledges that he had the capacity to choose.
This is where the Bible remains silent. Nowhere in Scripture are we given a clear, step-by-step explanation of how a perfect being could give rise to an imperfect desire. And perhaps that is by divine design.
What we do know is that God is sovereign. Nothing in heaven or on earth occurs outside His ultimate will or permission. As the Creator, God allows certain things to unfold, not because He causes evil, but because He can bring good from it — even from the rebellion of Satan.
This distinction is critical: God permits evil, but He does not cause it. He remains holy, just, and untainted by sin.
Satan’s fall was the result of his own rebellion. And yet, even this fall played into God’s redemptive plan for humanity. Through the entrance of sin came the opportunity for grace, mercy, and the revelation of God’s love in the person of Jesus Christ.
Still, we are left with unanswered questions. Where did the first spark of rebellion in Lucifer originate? What gave birth to that first prideful thought? The Bible does not tell us — and that, too, is something we must humbly accept.
Deuteronomy 29:29
“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever…”
There are divine secrets that belong only to God.
Isaiah 55:8–9
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
We often try to fit Him into human categories or assume His logic must mirror ours. But God exists in Glory, majesty, and mystery far beyond what our minds can grasp.
One day, when we stand before our Creator, we may finally understand the mysteries that perplex us today. Personally, I have questions I long to ask God — questions about the origin of Satan’s sin, and about what existed before time began. What did God do in eternity past, before anything was made?
Until then, we live by faith. We trust in what God has revealed, and rest in what He has chosen to conceal. For now, it is enough to know that God is holy, sovereign, and wise beyond measure — and that one day, all things hidden will be made clear in the light of His presence.
Isaiah 14:12-15
How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! 13 You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. 14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” 15 But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit.
This pride that started in Lucifer eventually found its way into the human heart. In the Garden of Eden, what did the serpent say to Eve?
Genesis 3:1-5
Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” 4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
What happened to Lucifer? Revelation 12 gives us another glimpse:
Revelation:7-9 “Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8 But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. 9 The great dragon was hurled down — that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.”
This message is not just about a fallen angel — it is a mirror for our own hearts. Lucifer’s story is a warning to every believer: pride is deadly.
Whether in ministry, in success, in beauty, or in influence — pride can creep in, even in the most holy settings. But there is hope. Jesus came to reverse the curse that began in Lucifer’s heart and spread to ours.
Philippians 2:5–8 “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God… made himself of no reputation… and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”
Philippians 2:9
“Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name…”
We all have a choice: the pride of Lucifer or the humility of Christ. One leads to judgment. The other leads to glory. Let us reject the desire to be our own gods. Let us flee the pride that brought down Lucifer. And let us embrace the humble obedience of Jesus, the true and rightful King.
James 4:6
“God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”