When Did Lucifer's Fall Take Place?

People frequently ask me questions about the Bible and theology.  I tend to write long answers to questions (considering they usually ask via Facebook message), and it occurred to me that I could convert these already written responses into blog posts.

I'm not a seminary professor and I don't have doctorate.  I'm just a pastor sharing my answers to questions which people have asked.  I'm open to feedback or alternative perspectives.

TODAY'S QUESTION | When did Lucifer's Fall Take Place?

It’s a very interesting question that's a little bit tricky to answer.

First off the word “When” relates to how we in the physical world measure the passing of time IN the physical world.  However, Lucifer’s fall took place in the spiritual realm.   So, in a sense, asking the question “when” forces us to cram the spiritual world into the limitations of the physical world.  Likewise, the question assumes that the spiritual world’s timeline runs parallel to our own.   In reality, we actually have no idea how exactly the spiritual world works.

Second, The Bible says far less about Satan/Lucifer/The Devil than most pastors will acknowledge.  While there are multiple full books in the New Testament intricately explaining sin and salvation, Lucifer is more like a character that appears from time to time, and you get a little bit of clear statements in the New Testament.  But, there’s no clear chapter which walks us through exactly how all of that works; only when you put the pieces together do you get an understanding of Satan.

What Do We Clearly Know About Satan?

• The angels who rebelled with Satan are prisoners of Hell (2 Peter 2:4)
• Satan and the other rebelling angels were trying to abuse their authority (Jude 6)
• The name Lucifer comes from the Latin Vulgate’s translation of Isaiah 14:12.  The literal meaning is “Light Bringer.”  Since the early church days, Isaiah 14 has been believed to describe the devil.

What Are Some Common Beliefs About Satan’s Fall That Aren’t as Clear in Scripture?

•  Lucifer was the Music Leader in Heaven – Ezekiel 28 is believed by some to be a prophecy about Satan.  Verse 13 mentions some instruments.  Somewhere along the line, people interpreted this as he was the music leader in Heaven.
•  Lucifer took a 1/3 of the Angels With Him – This comes from Revelation 12:4, but the context doesn’t seem to be explicitly speaking about Satan’s fall.

So, when did Lucifer’s fall take place?

TWO OPTIONS

The Bible doesn’t really give us a clear answer as to when exactly his fall occurred, but there are really only two options.  We know that by Genesis 3, when Adam and Eve fell to temptation, he had already fallen.  So the question is whether he fell before or after the earth was created.

Given what scripture teaches, either option seems possible, but both options also have some theological implications.

Lucifer Fell Before Our World Was Created (Genesis 1:1)

Genesis 1

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

In this theory, God created Heaven before our universe.  Job 38:4-7 seem to indicate that the angels were observing our universe being created.  There’s no way to determine how much time passed between the creation of Heaven and the creation of Earth, and I’m not sure if those terms have any meaning in this context.

During a period when there was no universe as we know it, a group of angels rebelled against God. Therefore, they were exiled from Heaven.

Lucifer Fell After our World Was Created (Genesis 1:31 and Genesis 3:1)

The alternative theory has his fall taking place after the Earth was created.  The big push for this theory come from the verse Genesis 1:31

Genesis 1

31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

When God evaluated ALL that He created, it was “very good.”  At this point, that would include Satan and the rebelling angels. 

Since there was no sin in the world, we have no idea how long Adam and Eve lived in the garden.  There was no death in the world at the time (Romans 5:12).  It’s possible that Adam and Eve lived 1,000s of years in the Garden on a perfect version of the earth which would be totally foreign to us.  During that time, Satan and his angels rebelled.

Conclusion 

I’m not aware of any reasons why either theory is significantly stronger or more biblical than the other.  Obviously your view on the age of the earth can affect your answer.  Choosing either dogmatically requires you to hold a belief more strictly than scripture gives us reason to do.