Most Christians believe the answer to that question is obvious: “God created Satan.” But that is not really true. God created Lucifer. That may seem like a small distinction at first glance, but once you understand who really made Satan, it will change your perspective of him forever.
You will never again doubt your authority over the devil. You will realize that he is an inferior being, unable to do anything without the cooperation of a human being. And any fear you have of him will disappear as you realize he is nothing but a big zero with the rim knocked off.
I believe that God created everything, including Lucifer. He created Lucifer as a powerful anointed angel. However, Lucifer wasn’t satisfied with that, and he didn’t remain the anointed cherub that God created him to be.
Ezekiel 28:13-14 describe him as he originally was in the Garden of Eden:
“Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.”
Most people believe that Lucifer took one-third of the angels and rebelled against God in heaven, where he was defeated and then cast to earth. This is all taken from one scripture, in Revelation 12:4, and was popularized by Finis Dake in the Dake’s Bible commentary. I don’t believe that is what actually happened.
I believe that Satan was originally on this earth in the Garden of Eden as Lucifer. He was God’s number one angel sent to earth to be a blessing to Adam and Eve.
Hebrews 1:14 says this about angels:
“Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?”
Lucifer wasn’t sent to the earth to tempt Adam and Eve but to bless them. He was an angelic being sent to be their protector, to minister to them, and to serve them. He was there on a divine mission, still in his perfect state. It was in the Garden that his transgression against God was conceived and carried out.
Ezekiel 28:15 goes on to say,
“Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.”
I have never been able to follow the logic that God sent Satan to earth to tempt man and see how he would respond. As a father, would you take your two-year-old child and put him or her in a cage with a lion just to see how he or she would respond? That would obviously be irresponsible; the child would be no match for the lion. God wouldn’t do that to us, and he didn’t do that to Adam and Eve.
So, what made Lucifer turn against God? Lucifer watched as God did something for man that He had never done with any other of His creation. When God created man, not only was he made in the very image of God, but he was then given unconditional authority over this earth.
Genesis 1:26 says,
“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.”
He didn’t say to them, “Now as long as you follow my leading and as long as you do what I want you to do, I will let you have dominion over the earth.” There was zero qualification for this power and authority. God spoke it and that was it.
God says in Psalm 89:34,
“My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.”
In Hebrews 1:3 it says,
“Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high” (emphasis mine).
What this is saying is that God cannot lie; it’s the integrity of His Word that holds the entire universe together. Unlike human beings who reserve the right to change their minds, God will not violate His Word. When He told Adam and Eve they had dominion, authority, and power to subdue and rule, it was done.
Lucifer understood the integrity of God’s words, and when he heard this, I believe his antenna went up. He saw that Adam and Eve had something he wanted but didn’t have: They had unconditional authority. In a way, they had been made the gods of this world; it was theirs to rule and subdue.
We read in Psalm 115:16,
“The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD’S: but the earth hath he given to the children of men.”
Even though Lucifer may have been God’s number one angel, he still wanted more. He was jealous and envious; he actually wanted to take God’s place.
In Isaiah 14:13 it says,
“For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north.”
The next verse says,
“I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.”
Lucifer understood that if he could deceive Adam and Eve into willingly relinquishing their authority to him that he could become the god of this world. He could take the authority that was given to mankind, use it to thwart the kingdom of God, and receive the praise and adoration and glory he wanted.
Romans 6:16 says this,
“Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?”
So, who made Satan? We did! The moment Adam and Eve yielded to Lucifer, he became Satan, the god of this world. You might be thinking, But Satan deceived them. Shouldn’t God have stopped him?
Read 1 Timothy 2:14:
“And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.”
Adam knew what he was doing.
I believe the moment Lucifer transgressed against God, he lost his angelic power. Satan now has no power or authority of his own; he only has what he has been able to deceive people into giving him. Now, that is a powerful statement.
Think about what that means to you as a believer. When we are resisting the devil and fighting against him, Satan does not have a superior power or authority. He is absolutely dependent upon the cooperation of a human being who will empower him with the authority God gave them.
Satan is going about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. He is looking for people who will open the door through things like lust, rebellion, strife, unforgiveness, fear, and more. When we yield to those things, we are empowering him to destroy us, and I guarantee you, given the opportunity, he will eat your lunch and pop the bag.
In this article, I am only scratching the surface on my teaching “Who Made Satan?” and it is only one teaching in my six-part series called The Believer’s Authority. Until you understand the power and authority that God has given you, you will never be able to defeat the devil, receive healing, prosper, and live in victory. Knowing your authority is the key! This teaching is an absolute necessity for every believer.
