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According to Genesis 1:1, God first created the heavens and then the earth, as we discussed in detail in our article on creationism. The term heavens most likely refers to the spiritual or heavenly realm, whereas the firmament heaven represents the physical heavens — that is, the universe. This distinction becomes clearer in Genesis 2:1, which mentions the completion of the hosts of heaven and earth. The host of heaven is generally understood to mean the angelic beings. Therefore, God created the angels first, and then mankind. But unlike the angels — who are ministering spirits (Hebrews 1:14) — man was given a unique distinction: he was created in the image and likeness of God. As Jesus Himself says (John 10:34–35), man can be called god in this sense. Around the same time, however, some of the angels fell. They turned away from the truth and sinned, and as a result, God cast them out of the highest reality into the lowest — into the abyss. Why did these angels rebel? The Bible does not provide a clear answer. The details we have are cloaked in metaphor. The apocryphal Book of Enoch offers some additional information, including the names of the rebellious angels, but even there, the underlying cause remains hidden. For the purposes of this discussion, we will not rely on apocryphal sources, but instead examine what the canonical biblical texts tell us.

Here is what is said through Ezekiel:

Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.

— Eze. 28:13–19.

In other words, the future satan was originally in Eden — right there alongside humanity. He was created flawless, endowed with great power. But he began to abuse that power, using its fruits not to glorify God, but to serve his own desires. Evil took root within him, and he sinned. Because of this sin, God cursed the serpent (Genesis 3:14) — and cursed him irrevocably. This curse marked the fall of a once-beautiful angel from heaven into hell (Luke 10:18). He became satan by turning away from the truth.

The prophecy in Ezekiel is unique. Although it is directed at the king of Tyre, the text draws a clear parallel between the king’s pride and the fall of satan, the serpent. God compares the king’s actions to those of the serpent in Eden. For instance, the passage mentions trade, a type of activity, and Jesus later said in the parable of the talents and money changers (Matthew 25:14), that any gain or profit from such trade ultimately belongs to God — since no one can truly earn anything apart from Him (Matthew 12:30). God is the source of all good.

• “Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor.” The once-glorious cherub abandoned wisdom and was consumed by vanity. But true wisdom is to rejoice in the beauty God has given — to recognize that He is the author of all that is beautiful. Your beauty is not your own accomplishment; you are but an ornament of creation, like the stars in the sky — as long as you remain guided by wisdom and free from sin. Otherwise, you will be swallowed like a star collapsing into a black hole — your beauty reduced to ashes.
• “I cast you to the ground; I exposed you before kings, to feast their eyes on you.” This is a powerful image. In the Gospels, kings often represent worldly power in opposition to the Christians (Matthew 20:25–26). Jesus, in His conversation with Pilate, says: “My kingdom is not of this world.” So the kings here likely symbolize the people of this world — those who are from below (John 8:23), of the earth (John 3:31), not born of the Spirit (John 3:8). Over such people, satan holds a certain sway (Luke 4:6), and they, in a way, carry out his agenda — “they look to him.”
• “I brought fire out from within you; it consumed you. I reduced you to ashes on the ground in the sight of all who were watching.” Here, the end of satan’s story is foretold. God will ultimately destroy him with his own evil — burning him before the eyes of all. People will be shocked, much like those Soviets who once viewed the USSR as eternal and unshakable, only to see it collapse in a day — like a colossus with feet of clay. 🤷‍♂️ satan’s story will serve as both terror and warning. And the father of lies will be no more.

It is spoken through the prophet Isaiah (Isa 14:5–23) in a similar way to Ezekiel:

The LORD hath broken the staff of the wicked, and the sceptre of the rulers. He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, and none hindereth. The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet: they break forth into singing. Yea, the fir trees rejoice at thee, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying, Since thou art laid down, no feller is come up against us. Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations. All they shall speak and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak as we? art thou become like unto us? Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee. How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners? All the kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, every one in his own house. But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcase trodden under feet. Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, and slain thy people: the seed of evildoers shall never be renowned. Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquity of their fathers; that they do not rise, nor possess the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities. For I will rise up against them, saith the LORD of hosts, and cut off from Babylon the name, and remnant, and son, and nephew, saith the LORD. I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water: and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, saith the LORD of hosts.

Although the message is addressed to the king of Babylon, it contains a parable that reflects the fall of satan. Once again, an earthly ruler and his deeds are symbolically tied to satan and his rebellion — actions for which the Lord promises harsh judgment. Just like the king of Babylon, satan relentlessly pursues people in order to devour them (1 Peter 5:8). But the time will come when God will “break the staff of the wicked and the scepter of rulers.” The devil and his followers will be cast down into hell — a prophetic glimpse into what lies ahead.

• “As you slept from heaven, O son of the dawn, bright star, you have fallen to the earth, you destroyer of men!” This verse captures the very moment of satan’s fall from heaven. It also highlights one of his defining crimes: “destroyer of men” — for from the beginning, in Eden, he attacked mankind and led Eve into temptation.
• “You said in your heart: “I will ascend into heaven, I will set my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mountain of the gathering of the gods, at the ends of the north…” The fall was preceded by the desire to be equal to the gods, satan wanted to be like the gods, that is, like people, because people are gods, because the word of God is to them (John 10:34), and they are the image and likeness of God.
• “I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High!” satan was not content with his created glory. His unchecked ambition drove him to rebellion — foolish and futile.
• “But you are brought down to Sheol, to the depths of the pit.” God cursed the serpent and hurled him into the grave — the lowest place — hell itself.

The conclusion of the passage refers to earthly kings who, by following the devil, have ruined both their lives and their kingdoms. In the end, they will end up in the same place as satan, and everything they built — their wealth, their power, their kingdoms — will vanish like smoke. They will be stripped of their pride and authority, and those already in the grave will say to them: “You too have become as weak as we are.”

You cannot become something more than what you were created to be. Evolution doesn’t work: if you are a bacterium, you will remain a bacterium; if you are a bird, you are a bird. A snake cannot become a dachshund, and a bear cannot become a whale. Angels, too, are created in their own kind — they are not human, nor can they become human. This is affirmed by Jesus in John 13:16 and Matthew 10:24–25.

From this, we see that satan’s fall happened simultaneously with his curse. When God cursed the serpent in Eden, he could no longer remain in the holy place. Just as humans were expelled from the Garden, satan too was cast out — but not to Earth, like humans, for learning and redemption. Rather, he was thrown into hell, permanently. Humans are given a chance to repent, to work on their mistakes, and return to God. satan, on the other hand, is beyond redemption. Genesis 3 strongly implies that satan’s casting down into hell occurred immediately after his curse in Eden. His great sin — possibly his first and last — was against man: the serpent, a fallen angel, deceived the woman into disobeying God and eating the forbidden fruit. This, incidentally, also suggests that Eden was a metaphysical garden, not a literal physical place — for animals do not speak, but the serpent did. And if that’s right, then mankind played a key role in the fall of the devil.

And now consider this: how does satan regard the one who caused his downfall? If his envy of mankind led to his eternal condemnation, can he possibly harbor anything but hatred? The question answers itself. Demons have no compassion. No pity. If a human falls into their hands, horror follows. Anyone who serves satan in this life should not expect favor from demons in the next — evil does not reward loyalty. Jesus called satan “the father of lies”, and no matter what the devil promises, hell offers only one thing: eternal, unrelenting torment. Evil uses every trick and lie to lure its victims into its domain, where it can torment them without restraint.

Right now, before Christ’s second coming, the righteous and the wicked still live side by side — tares and wheat growing in the same field. God, in His mercy, sends rain on both the just and the unjust. But this time will end. Eternity will begin. Then, the sheep will be separated from the goats: those who chose light will dwell in the light; those who chose darkness will be in darkness — forever.

Let us now consider the logic of satanism to demonstrate its irrationality. The devil is absolute evil — he has fully departed from good and dwells in darkness. Every sane person seeks happiness and meaning, as the ancients observed. But a satanist serves satan, hoping to gain something good in return. This is absurd. Evil cannot produce good. Just as cold cannot produce warmth, and darkness cannot produce light, evil cannot yield anything good. It is fundamentally impossible. Therefore, the servant of evil will never receive any good from their service.

And by satanism, I do not mean only robed cultists in dark temples. I also refer to the more subtle forms — those who serve evil unknowingly: fortune tellers (sorceresses), warmongers, and others who act against God’s will (Rev. 21:8). Some satanists — no matter how absurd this may sound (imagine a Christian who doesn’t believe in Christ) — don’t believe in satan. These are the so-called “atheistic satanists” or “satan fans.” For them, satan is merely a symbol of rebellion against religion, against God. Accordingly, they do not believe in the Bible. Well, first of all, ignorance of the law does not exempt one from responsibility. And second, whether they believe in satan or not doesn’t matter — their actions are what count. And their actions are the same as satan’s: when “fans” support their idol, they are aligned with him, and if they are aligned with him, they act together with him. In other words, they are his accomplices, who stand with satan against God. That is exactly what satanist fanatics are — those who will share satan’s fate. The devil doesn’t need people to believe in him; what matters to him is that they don’t believe in God. In a broad biblical sense, all who live in sin are of the devil. As John wrote: “Whoever commits sin is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.” (1 John 3:8)

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This article is translated from Ukrainian by AI.