THE FIRST SIN IN THE UNIVERSE

By Craig von Buseck
CBN.com Ministries Director

Question: The first sin in the universe came through ________ .

Answer: Lucifer

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The first sin in the universe was pride and the first being to sin was Lucifer, an Arch angel who dwelled in the very presence of God in heaven. There are three key Scriptures that describe this tragic beginning of sin – Isaiah 14:12-18, Ezekiel 28:12-18, and Revelation 12:1-13.

Theologians believe that Lucifer was the worship leader in heaven, in the very presence of God. He was exceedingly beautiful and endowed with special abilities. As we see in the passage from Isaiah 14, Lucifer looked upon his own beauty and wisdom – attributes created in him by the Lord – and he decided that he would raise his throne above God. He foolishly declared, “I will make myself like the Most High.”:

“How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, you who have weakened the nations!  But you said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.'  Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol, to the recesses of the pit. Those who see you will gaze at you. They will ponder over you, saying, 'Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms, who made the world like a wilderness and overthrew its cities, who did not allow his prisoners to go home?'”  (Isaiah 14:12-18).

There are many people today, both believers and non-believers, who have great fear of Lucifer, now known as Satan or the devil. Yet Isaiah tells us that the day will come when, “Those who see you will gaze at you, They will ponder over you, saying, 'Is this the man who made the earth tremble…” It is important to remember that Satan is a finite, created being. Some have rightly said, “Satan is God’s devil.” At Calvary, Jesus defeated Satan once and for all time.

Another key verse is found in the book of Ezekiel. Though it addressed to the king of Tyre, most theologians believe that this passage describes the fall of Lucifer from heaven. Here we see that Lucifer’s heart was filled with pride after considering his own beauty. “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor”:

“Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre and say to him, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, you had the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The ruby, the topaz and the diamond; The beryl, the onyx and the jasper; The lapis lazuli, the turquoise and the emerald; And the gold, the workmanship of your settings and sockets, was in you. On the day that you were created they were prepared. You were the anointed cherub who covers, and I placed you there. You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked in the midst of the stones of fire. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created until unrighteousness was found in you. By the abundance of your trade you were internally filled with violence, and you sinned; Therefore I have cast you as profane from the mountain of God. And I have destroyed you, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I put you before kings, that they may see you. By the multitude of your iniquities, in the unrighteousness of your trade you profaned your sanctuaries. Therefore I have brought fire from the midst of you; It has consumed you, and I have turned you to ashes on the earth in the eyes of all who see you (Ezekiel 28:12-18 NASB).

A final passage that helps to piece together the fall of Satan is from John’s Revelation. Here we see that somehow Lucifer convinced 1/3rd of the angels to follow him in his rebellion. They were cast from heaven to earth, becoming the fallen angels, now known as demons or evil spirits. Theologians believe that the woman in this prophetic story represents spiritual Israel and the child is Jesus.

“A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; and she was with child; and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems. And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child. And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne. Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God, so that there she would be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days. And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, 'Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night.' And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death. For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has onlya short time. And when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child." (Revelation 12:1-13 NASB).

Through Lucifer, sin entered the universe, and through his temptation and the fall of Adam, sin entered the world. But we see a wonderful promise in this passage from Revelation – in Christ we overcome sin, Satan and the world, “…because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.”

“Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives” (Hebrews 2:14-15 NASB).

“Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:7-8 NASB).

Jesus won the victory, defeating Satan and his fallen angels as he declared from the cross that “it is finished.”

“In this way, God disarmed the evil rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross of Christ” (Colossians 2:15 NLT).