I’m hoping this question belongs in this forum....if not, I’m sure someone will let me know
I’ve always had a curious fascination with the fall of Lucifer and 1/3 of the angels who rebelled against the authority of God. Obviously this happened before Eve was tempted by Satan, but when did it happen? Are there any clues in the Bible explaining it?
Of course, I know about the ‘gap theory’ but I dont’ know if that is a widely accepted view, or if there is really any validity to it anyway?
Comments?
Not in much detail.
I'd say in falls into the "GOD spoke and things happened" category: take it on faith.
Here are scripture that scholars think are describing Satan, while speaking of the king of Tyre...
Ezekiel 281. The word of the LORD came to me:
2. "Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre, `This is what the Sovereign LORD says: "`In the pride of your heart you say, "I am a god; I sit on the throne of a god in the heart of the seas." But you are a man and not a god, though you think you are as wise as a god.
3. Are you wiser than Daniel ? Is no secret hidden from you?
4. By your wisdom and understanding you have gained wealth for yourself and amassed gold and silver in your treasuries.
5. By your great skill in trading you have increased your wealth, and because of your wealth your heart has grown proud.
6. "`Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: "`Because you think you are wise, as wise as a god,
7. I am going to bring foreigners against you, the most ruthless of nations; they will draw their swords against your beauty and wisdom and pierce your shining splendor.
8. They will bring you down to the pit, and you will die a violent death in the heart of the seas.
9. Will you then say, "I am a god," in the presence of those who kill you? You will be but a man, not a god, in the hands of those who slay you.
10. You will die the death of the uncircumcised at the hands of foreigners. I have spoken, declares the Sovereign LORD.'"
11. The word of the LORD came to me:
12. "Son of man, take up a lament concerning the king of Tyre and say to him: `This is what the Sovereign LORD says: "`You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
13. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz and emerald, chrysolite, onyx and jasper, sapphire, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared.
14. You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones.
15. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you.
16. Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones.
17. Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings.
18. By your many sins and dishonest trade you have desecrated your sanctuaries. So I made a fire come out from you, and it consumed you, and I reduced you to ashes on the ground in the sight of all who were watching.
19. All the nations who knew you are appalled at you; you have come to a horrible end and will be no more.'"
20. The word of the LORD came to me:
21. "Son of man, set your face against Sidon; prophesy against her
22. and say: `This is what the Sovereign LORD says: "`I am against you, O Sidon, and I will gain glory within you. They will know that I am the LORD, when I inflict punishment on her and show myself holy within her.
23. I will send a plague upon her and make blood flow in her streets. The slain will fall within her, with the sword against her on every side. Then they will know that I am the LORD.
24. "`No longer will the people of Israel have malicious neighbors who are painful briers and sharp thorns. Then they will know that I am the Sovereign LORD.
25. "`This is what the Sovereign LORD says: When I gather the people of Israel from the nations where they have been scattered, I will show myself holy among them in the sight of the nations. Then they will live in their own land, which I gave to my servant Jacob.
26. They will live there in safety and will build houses and plant vineyards; they will live in safety when I inflict punishment on all their neighbors who maligned them. Then they will know that I am the LORD their God.'"
Revelation 121. A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head.
2. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth.
3. Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads.
4. His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child the moment it was born.
5. She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne.
6. The woman fled into the desert to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.
7. And there was war 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.
10. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.
11. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.
12. Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short."
13. When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.
14. The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the desert, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent's reach.
15. Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent.
16. But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.
17. Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring--those who obey God's commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus.
IMHO, there are many aspects of Gap Theory, which are consistent with ancient history, Euhemerism, and Scriptural timelines, however, the same might be said for many heresies.
Insofar as one interprets the Gap theory based upon Scripture, there may be some sound conclusions, but one has to be careful not to begin interpreting Scripture based upon Gap Theory. Many aspects of it are extrabiblical and some devious systems might be involved either in its formation, or how it begins to lead us to think.
Here is another interesting position. Since the fallen angels are associated with the 1/3 who followed the Adversary, and the remainder are associated as ‘elect angels’, perhaps all angels sinned and 2/3s were also saved, hence elect. Nothing is written in Scripture, that I am aware of, to suggest the elect angels had sinned, but then again, there is a class of angels who are not fallen, but described as “elect”. What are they ‘elect’ from?
You can always count on Elsie to Scripture references to anything.
As far as the Gap theory, what I’ve been told by someone who knows Hebrew is that there is a change in tense between the first two verses in Genesis. The first verse is that the universe was created, as in the creation of something new.
The second verse indicates a remaking of the earth, making it habitable for humans and life. Apparently the verb means that the earth became formless and void. The thinking is that there is no knowing what the time frame is between the first and second verses.
Not knowing Hebrew myself, I honestly have never investigated that.
Other people disagree with that interpretation.
The thing that makes it all so difficult is that there are Bible scholars who take both positions and present good cases for their side.
Great point. The truth is we just don’t know that timeline. I often wonder if a thing such as time even existed then.