SW - Session 4
SW - Session 4
SW - Session 4
Session 4
article: the fall of lucifer: rebellion in the heavenlies
e Story goes like this:
Before the creation of
humankind, when God created
the heavens, he also created a
divine society of spiritual
beings, called angels or gods,
existing beneath Yahweh and
above humankind. ese
spiritual beings, like human
beings, clearly had a mind and
will of their own. ey could
choose to work for God and his
vision of Shalom or against him. ey were, like human beings, morally
responsible. Hence their decisions affected others, for better or for worse.
Among them there was a powerful god-like being – apocryphal texts call
this being Helel ben-Shahar or Lucifer in Latin – the captain of the vast
legions of angelic hosts. e most beautiful, the most powerful of them
all. e commander of the armies of God. e guardian of the glory of
the Lord. “Son of the morning.” Glorious as the sun. Unequaled among
his noble peers. Here is where the Story takes its first tragic turn – in the
heavens!
So what does this first commandment tell us about who God is? Did God
set up any advance charges or requirements for eating of the trees? If the
only information we had about God was this first command, what would
this call to ‘eat of every tree in the garden’ tell us about him.
If this is how God reveals himself in this first commandment, how, then,
are we to understand this second command: “You must not eat from the
Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, for when you it of it you will
surely die”?
• How does the serpent depict God, according to these two verses?
• Have you ever experienced or been witness to seeing how lies, gossip,
and slander were used to separate a lover from the beloved, or a people
from their leader, or a friend from another friend?
• Does the serpent’s theology sound familiar to you? What of the
serpent’s theology have you heard or believed?
• What did this event do to the relationships that God had created for
humans?
• How would you say have the relationships in each of these areas been
distorted by sin?
Prior to the Fall, humanity’s relationship to God was one of open trust,
but after the Fall it was one of fear. It is amazing to see how the image of
God has been distorted over and over again and how many idols humanity
has created to replace God. e image of God who created humans and
sustains their life is distorted by an inadequate knowledge of who God is
and what God wishes for all humankind. Let’s just list a few idolatries to
make our point: Communism lasted almost a century and was one idol
that claimed the lives of millions of people. Science, capitalism and
technology continue to demand our faith and allegiance, claiming to save
us from poverty and lead us to prosperity and well-being. Some people
have elevated family as their God: upholding and defending the family’s
honor and wealth is seen a person’s sole life purpose. en there are the
tens of thousands of local idols – ranging from statues, to stones, to
pictures, to animals, to plants etc. – in whom people place their trust. In
his book, “Taking on the Gods” psychotherapist Merle Jordan states that
misconceived perceptions of who God is, often lead to a distorted self-
image. When a person takes his or her identity from that which is less
than God, then the sense of self becomes distorted. is kind of idolatry,
We know we are not what we were meant to be. Most of the world’s
religions concur on this point. It’s not just the obvious evils like murder
and racism and betrayal. Each of us is fraught with fears and suspicions
and petty jalousies. We are, above all else, self-centered – the very
opposite of how the Trinity lives. You have loved God with all you heart,
soul, mind, and strength? You have loved your neighbor as yourself?
Neither have I. In fact, humanity’s alienation from God has led to low
self-images and self-destructive behavioral patterns on the one hand, and
distorted or bloated self-images, God-complexes and arrogant behaviors
on the other hand. For the poor their relationship within themselves is
diminished and debilitated as a result of the grind of poverty and the
feeling of permanent powerlessness. When people believe they are less
than human, without the brains, strength and personhood to contribute to
their own well-being or that of others, their understanding of who they are
is marred. For the non-poor their relationship with themselves is
diminished and their identities are marred by their willingness to
dehumanize themselves for economic, political, educational or other gain.
When the non-poor play god in the lives of other people, they have
stopped being who they really are and are assuming the role of God. In
terms of humans and their work: Instead of using our gifts to establish
Shalom and bring about well-being for ourselves and others, work has
been corrupted. It can be toilsome and frustrating. Work has become a
commodity, something we sell and buy with the temptation to reduce the
human being to an economic asset, a living machine. Work has become a
tool for greed, and even an idolatry whereby one makes a name for oneself.
Production and growth have become pathologically obsessive in many
parts of the world. Covetousness has replaced contentment. e effect of
the fall was that the desire for growth became excessive for some at the
expense of others, and the means of growth became filled with greed,
exploitation and injustice. e result of this pathology is the systems of
poverty that keep hundreds of millions of people poor.
Prior to the Fall, the man’s relationship to the woman was one of
unashamed acceptance, but afterwards their relationship was characterized
by shame. We could cite multitudes of other examples to show how sin –
i.e. mistrust – has destroyed the relationship between humans and Others!
Just to name three examples: For one, instead of being considered equal to
Often, in their analysis of the fall, pastors, theologians and Bible teachers
stop at this point. It is to our demise, however, since we need to
understand the next point, in order to really make sense of all of the
dimensions of evil on earth. Sometimes, evangelicals get so focused on the
impact of the fall on the individual that they forget that the impact of the
fall was on the whole of human society as well. Remember that the
nations and their corresponding social institutions were part of the
creation narrative. So let’s also look at the impact of the fall on human
society, its systems and structures. e thrones, dominions, and powers,
which Paul says were created by God – these social systems and structures
(economic, political, religious) were profoundly distorted by the fall. e
Conclusion
God had intended that humans would use the attributes of his image to
serve others and creation. Indeed, God created a beautiful world destined
for Shalom, and it was always his intention that human beings should look
after it on his behalf. Instead, humans acted selfishly. ey did what they
wanted, rather than what their Maker had purposed. Humans distorted
the image of God, and this distortion has continued through human
history, leading to untold suffering, oppression, exploitation and control.
homework
Read “God’s Initial Rescue Efforts Continued” and study the Scripture
Study 1 within it as homework. Can’t find this document.