“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! You said in your heart, “I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain? I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit” (Isa. 14:12-15).

The Bible provides a wealth of helpful advice to apply to our spiritual lives. Much of this instruction comes from the trials and failures of others. Paul made reference to the teaching power of the biblical examples, saying, “Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:11-12). The one thing that makes the Bible unique from all other religious texts is that God chose not to whitewash accounts of people who turned their back on Him.

Lucifer’s downfall is the greatest example of failure. Judas is another relevant example. Judas is infamous for betraying Jesus for money. We are told that he was a devil from the beginning (John 6:70), so he never was a true follower of Christ. Lucifer was created perfect, and he served God directly in His holy temple. Despite that perfect environment, he chose rebellion.

The Bible gives no time frame for when Lucifer fell and became Satan. I’ve never understood why so many Christian leaders seem to assume that the creation and downfall of Lucifer was within a few years of man’s creation. God exists forever. To say that at some point He had a falling-out with His lead angel leaves open the possibility that this event could have occurred a very long time ago.

The judgment against Satan is at least 6,000 years ago. With the last days drawing near, Satan must realize that the vast majority of his time of being free to do his devilish work has now run out.

The fact that he may only have a few more years left must constantly gnaw at his mind.

Downfall I – Satan Gets Fired
Pride caused Satan’s downfall. God created him with such splendor that Lucifer looked in the mirror one day and said, “I should be running things around here.” He conspired with a third of the angelic host to launch a coup against the Lord of hosts.

The Bible gives a wonderful illustration of the hopeless nature of Satan’s insurrection. When he made his move, God cast him out of heaven so fast, his ejection resembled a bolt of lightning streaking across the sky. Jesus said, “I was watching Satan fall like lightning from heaven” (Luke 10:18).

Even though God cast Satan out of heaven, He did not forever ban him from re-entering the heavenly realm. The account of Job tells us that the devil is still able to enter the gates of paradise.

“One day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them. The LORD said to Satan, ‘Where have you come from?’ Satan answered the LORD, ‘From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it’” (Job 1:6-7).

What really happened is that Satan got fired. He lost his rank, beauty, power, and–most importantly–his relationship with God. The bitterness from his dismissal is likely what has transformed him into a being of pure evil.

Satan’s removal from office also came with a promise of future punishment. God, at some point, created hell and a lake of fire. The latter had the Devil’s name written on it.

Downfall II – His Fate Is Sealed at Calvary
Having lost his position in heaven, Satan took up residence on earth. Several passages describe him as the god of this world. He and the legion of fellow angels that fell with him are the driving force behind many world empires.

Satan received a temporary boost when he caused Adam and Eve to fall from grace. By polluting the world with sin, the devil thought that he had bought himself some time.

Jesus came into this world to defeat Satan, but it wasn’t clear how He would accomplish this goal. Satan knew that the arrival of the Messiah spelled trouble for him. When Christ was still a child, the devil tried to kill him. Jesus latter validated Satan’s reason for fear when He said, “now shall the prince of this world be cast out” (John 12:31).

The demons who encountered the Lord were scared out of their minds. They thought Jesus was coming to set up His kingdom and imprison them in hell. They were very direct, saying, “Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God” (Luke 4:34). Other demons begged that he would not “torment’ them (Mark 5:7).

Satan and his demonic underlings didn’t know that the cross was God’s chosen method of redemption. One of the reasons Satan hates the cross is that he played an active role in sealing his own fate. When Jesus rose from the grave, the bondage of sin was broken and the countdown to Satan’s doom resumed.

“Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (Cor. 2:8).

Downfall III – Kicked Out of Heaven
Satan will be forcefully removed from heaven at some point during the tribulation. God will decide that the devil is no longer welcome in His presence, and He will order Michael and His angels to show him the door.

Satan’s permanent banishment from heaven does not occur until the latter part of the seven-year tribulation. It is possible that the raptured Christians will witness this eviction battle first hand. Because Satan spends most of his time accusing saints before God, it will be a joyous relief to have such an evil pest removed from heaven.

Satan will not take his eviction from heaven very well. He will go into a fit of rage and focus all his energy on causing as much death and destruction on earth as possible. Satan will know that his time is short, and that will fuel his wrath.

“And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time” (Rev. 12:7-12).

Downfall IV – Locked Up for 1000 Years
At the end of the tribulation, Satan will be captured by an unnamed angel and locked in the bottomless pit for 1000 years. For the first time ever, he will be subjected to personal punishment. If the bottomless pit is the same one described in Revelation 9, Satan will face a millennium of hellish conditions.

“And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season” (Rev. 20:1-3).

Satan’s mind during his 1000 years of imprisonment will be consumed with plans for what he will do to deceive the mortal nations living during the millennial reign of Christ.

Downfall V – Eternal Torment
Satan will be released from the bottomless pit at the end of the 1000-year reign of Christ. He will immediately make his final attempt to attack God. Having already failed four times, and with Bible prophecy predicting he will fall short a fifth time, a sane person would think that Satan would give up. The devil keeps trying because he is totally depraved in his thinking.

“And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom [is] as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them” (Rev. 20:7-9).

Satan will be pitched into the lake of fire once the final rebellion is vanquished. The greatest murderer of all time will be tormented and humiliated for all eternity. The devil, after the Great White Throne Judgment, will be joined by billions of people who followed him in the millennial rebellion. Satan’s final insult will come when he is stripped of all of his glory, and will be left a mere shell of his former self. The difference will be so striking, all those who see Satan will marvel that he is the one who once had the power to rule over kingdoms.

“And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever” (Rev. 20:10).

“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?” (Isa. 14:15-6).

Avoiding Satan’s Doom
The vast majority of people have a negative view of Satan. What they don’t realize is that they are doomed to share his fate unless they turn to Christ. Sin has made us all contaminated with the same corruption that afflicts the evil one.

The blood of Christ is the only cure that will break that bond and make us children of the Living God. Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me” (John 14:6).

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is thegift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Unlike Satan, whose fate is forever sealed, we have the option of choosing Jesus as our Savior. One accomplishes this by repenting and making Christ Lord of his or her life.

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

One of the most profound mysteries of life is what mechanism determines fate. When something bad happens, we wonder why misfortune comes our way. When things turn particularly bad, Christians often reach the point where they question God’s motives.

It’s not just bad luck that makes us reflective. When someone is awarded a large amount of money, we all collectively look at the lucky winner and wonder what caused providence to smile on that person.

An atheist would say that fate is all random chance; we are just the product of luck. Because I believe in a divine creator, I know God has a hand in my daily affairs. To unlock the meaning behind events, His involvement must be taken into consideration.

Who’s in Control?
It is easy to say that God is in control of all events in our life, but it’s hard to determine how involved He actually is in the details. If God were in total control, the decisions we make would not be our own. If God set the universe into motion and then stepped back, the laws of nature and science would be our only guide.

There really are no such things as random events. The term “unpredictable” only means that the cause is not known. If we knew all the factors or combinations of factors involved in events, nothing should take us by surprise. With infinite computational power, and taking infinite measurements, it would be possible to predict the future.

Some of the most common things in life are so complicated that we can’t possibly predict their outcome. For example, we can forecast the general path of a hurricane, but we can’t predict it’s exact movement. Why? Because there are too many factors involved that change from what they were at the time one makes a prediction until they actually influence the path.

The rolling of dice would seem to be a random occurrence, but in truth it is not. Someone throwing dice is in control of all the factors that determine where the numbers will land. We can’t tell what will be rolled because he lacks the ability to do the math once the dice leaves our hand. I’m sure a computer will someday be able to instantly calculate “the dice will rotate 123 times in the air before striking that table, and then flip over 12 times before landing on the number five.”

The plethora of unknown factors in every situation of our lives provides the Lord with an unlimited number of opportunities to supernaturally intercede in our world. The hand of God could move at a thousand different levels in our lives and we would never be any wiser.

Loaded Dice
One of the most basic beliefs of mankind is the idea that everyone should have an equal share of the proverbial pie. In a perfect world, good things would happen to good people and bad things should happen to bad people. We should all have the same status in health, wealth, and social standing.

Unfortunately, there is no such thing as an equal world. Our standing in society is largely dictated by the characteristics and circumstances we are given at birth. If someone born into poverty should desire to achieve a higher education, he would have to first overcome huge financial obstacles to achieve his goal. Someone born into wealth would not have this barrier.

In many situations, there is no opportunity to overcome obstacles. Someone with a low I.Q. will never be able to advance in the academic field. It seems unfair that someone else with an I.Q. in the genius range has a leg up on all his peers.

There would be no controversy if everyone were given a free roll at the dice. The truth is, some folks are given dice with low numbers, while some individuals are given dice with high numbers. One person may have no trouble rolling high numbers when all the faces of the dice have sixes. A person with only ones on his dice would be at a hopeless disadvantage.

There is no need for people to be apologists for God. The Lord is extremely blunt about the issue of fairness. He has said, “Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden” (Rom 9:18). We are told it’s not our business to question God’s motives.

“No, don’t say that. Who are you, a mere human being, to criticize God? Should the thing that was created say to the one who made it, ‘Why have you made me like this?’ When a potter makes jars out of clay, doesn’t he have a right to use the same lump of clay to make one jar for decoration and another to throw garbage into?” (Romans 9:20-21).

Why Do We Have an Unfair World?
It’s important to realize that we live on a planet that is suffering from the effects of sin. All around us, there is disease, death, and sorrow. Some people get cancer and die because their bodies are imperfect. Some may die early in life, but so far, everyone has eventually had a date with death.

When you understand that this world has a corrupt nature, it changes your perspective about life, and things begin to make sense. You realize that our stay here is simply a proving ground that prepares us for life in eternity.

The only hope we have is Christ, “But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:4-7).

If you put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, you don’t need to worry about your lot in this life. God has a wonderful plan to make all the injustices you have experienced in this life right. The Bible records these words about the end of all suffering, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4).

Praying to the Wrong God
When geologists excavate the remains of accent civilizations, they often find signs of idols and deities that prehistoric men worshipped. There are actually millions of these gods that people created to fulfill various needs in their lives. They fashioned rain gods to control the weather, and they worshipped the moon and sun because they thought these bodies were temperamental supernatural beings that demanded special attention.

Of course, all this idolatry was a waste of time. When a prolonged drought came, the rain god should have been fired, and a search for the true God of weather should have commenced. It should have been obvious that the moon and sun didn’t need man’s adoration to guide their path in the sky.

Even today, men turn to idols for help against adversity. Some people think if they only had more money, their plight would change for the better. Others seek after the blessing of luck itself. In the face adversity, they think fortune will for some unknown reason turn in their favor. Proverbs warns, “He who trusts in himself is a fool” (Proverbs 28:26).

There is much adversity in America, but I believe firmly that this nation is blessed because it is predominantly a Christian nation. We have no guarantee that the Lord is going to act like a slot machine that pays off every time we praise Him. The lives of many believers have been filled with grief.

Even the most casual observer can tell that God has a pattern of taking care of His own. “I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread” (Psalm 37:25).

It is discomforting to learn that life is a lottery, but there is consolation in knowing that God is the one running it. We can take comfort in the wise words of King David, “Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you” (1 Chronicles 28:20).