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Bible Q

Is Satan a fallen angel?

Answered by . November 14, 2009 - 7:41 am

No, Satan is not a fallen angel. God tells us in the Bible that angels do not sin, so they cannot “fall”: angels only do what God wants them to do:

“Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word!” (Psalm 103:20)

Angels obey what God says. Likewise, Heb. 1:14 says that all angels are ‘ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation’.

“Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to provide service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?” (Hebrews 1:14)

Note the word all. Not all angels except the ones who are not.

These two passages are clear. Angels are God’s workers and they only do what God asks them to do. This goes against the idea – an idea with not a single Bible verse to support it – that Satan was once an angel who sinned against God.

 

See also:
How did Satan fall to earth? (Luke 10:18)
Where did the name “Lucifer” come from?
Who was the “cherub in Eden” (Ezekiel 28:13-14)?

8 Replies to “Is Satan a fallen angel?”

  1. That Angels CAN and HAVE sinned is obviously taught in the Bible.

    “For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment…” 2 Peter 2:4

    And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day; Jude 6

  2. This is 100 percent foolishness . Satan was a angel the highest level .God creation are humans and angels. Scripture called them all stars are angels .Sometime after their creation, and most certainly after the sixth day when everything was declared “very good” (Genesis 1:31), Satan rebelled and was cast out of heaven. “How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!” (Isaiah 14:12). When Lucifer sinned, Jesus said, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven” (Luke 10:18), and in the book of the Revelation Satan is seen as “a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth” (Revelation 9:1).

    We are also told that one third of an “innumerable company of angels” (Hebrews 12:22) chose to rebel with him. John saw this great wonder in heaven, “…an enormous red dragon…His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth…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” (Revelation 12:3-9).

    Since Satan is referred to as a star which fell or was cast down to earth, and Revelation 12:4 says a Third of the stars were cast out with him, then the conclusion is that the stars in Revelation 12 refer to fallen angels, fully one third of the heavenly host. If the one-third number is in fact accurate, what assurance that is! Two thirds of the angels are still on God’s side, and for followers of Christ, they are on our side as well.

  3. So if you don’t think satan was an angel that fell, what was he then? Please don’t tell me you believe he was Jesus’ brother.

    • There are a number of ideas and concepts conveyed in the bible which are not specifically referred to or carried by single verse mention. A good example is the idea of a rapture. While never specifically mentioned the idea is laid out in several places, building a case for that understanding of the scripture. Yes the bible never says “satan was an angel” but it builds that case in too many verses to simply deny that conclusion. He is routinely linked to other angels whenever he is mentioned, as thier leader and in thier assembly before God. He is called the highest among them, the morning star or light bringer and it is only fitting that he is tossed heaven and into the fiery pit by his replacement. Note: not by Jesus because they are NOT equals. The bible does clearly state that his angels followed him in his sin and rebellion so indicating that angels could not sin seems to be scriptural you inaccurate. Presently I would say they can no longer sin which is a different issue.

      DH

      • Just because the bible doesn’t point blank say a word, for example Dinosaurs, doesn’t mean it isn’t in the bible (behemoth Job 40, leviathan Job 41). Why do so many people have a problem with the bible not saying something in one word? Is it really that hard to put 2 and 2 together? We are to study the scriptures. When you do so, the Holy Spirit makes the connect.