Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael The Disciple
Or we could simply believe what Jesus Christ said in the verse. He saw satan FALL FROM HEAVEN.
Many times in scripture there is no need to try to find another meaning besides the obvious.
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Luke 10:18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.
I believe exactly what He said, He saw Satan like lightning fall from heaven. Notice, He did not see Lucifer like lightning fall from heaven and become satan. The Hebrew word satan means "enemy, adversary". He saw the enemy like lightning fall from heaven. You have seen lightning, correct? You have seen it drop out of heaven to the ground, correct?
So He saw the enemy, just like a bolt of lightning fall from the sky (heaven means the sky, unless you think there are standard issue birds flitting around the throne room of God).
Let's look at the context:
Luke 10:17-20 And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. (18) And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. (19) Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. (20) Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.
So the disciples are able to cast out demons, and they are happy about it. And Jesus says "I saw the enemy like lightning fall from heaven. I give you power to walk on serpents and scorpions
(is this literal?), and on ALL the power of the enemy, nothing can hurt you. But don't be happy about this. Instead, be happy your names are in the book of life."
So what is He saying? That an archangel named Lucifer fell out of the sky? Or that the enemy has fallen, suddenly and unexpectedly, and has no power to harm the Lord's disciples?
(Wait, what happened to the disciples being capable of being possessed or oppressed or whatever by the demons?) The satan being referenced here is no heavenly archangel who got carried away with himself, but is the demons that were afflicting people. See here:
Matthew 12:24-28 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils. (25) And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: (26) And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? (27) And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges. (28) But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.
Jesus clearly equated the demons with satan. Cast out demons, cast out satan. Accused of casting out demons by the power of a demon, calls it satan casting out satan. Satan, then, in these contexts, is clearly the demons. NOT A FALLEN ANGEL, or a "prince of demons" (since that title was given by the superstitious Pharisees to Beelzebub, formerly the baal-god of Ekron:
2 Kings 1:2 And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria, and was sick: and he sent messengers, and said unto them, Go, enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron whether I shall recover of this disease.
A previous Canaanite god of Ekron had become by the first century a "prince of the demons" according to Jewish folklore and fable.
But notice that Jesus equates the demons with satan. Casting out demons is casting out satan. Is satan omnipresent? does satan actually possess individual people? Can he possess more than one person at the same time? Apparently, ALL cases of demon possession are cases of satan possession, and ALL cases of casting out demons are cases of casting out SATAN.
Which clearly demonstrates that "satan" is a GENERIC TERM FOR A WHOLE CATEGORY OF THINGS, in this case, demons.
All demons are collectively known as SATAN.
Ah, but who or what ELSE is known as satan?
Well, I'm not doing anyone's homework for them, so get busy.