The Great War Behind All Wars:
Satan’s Hatred Against Allah (part 2)
This mysterious war actually began in
heaven, for it was there that Satan’s hatred against Allah was first
brought out in the open. We find the story of the rebellion of Satan in
this inspired vision:
And there was war in heaven.
Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and
his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost
their place in heaven. 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.
Then I heard a loud voice in heaven
say:
"Now have come the salvation
and the power and the kingdom of our God. …
For the accuser of our brothers,
who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.7
The name Michael means "Who is
like God?"8 This raises a question: Why does the Sacred
Record not simply say that Satan fought against God? Can anyone be like
God? There is only one God! Here we face a profound mystery
of the divine revelation. The one true Allah is greater and more
glorious than our poor, finite, mortal minds can grasp. The holy,
invisible Allah, disclosed himself in a manifestation of himself that
Satan warred against.
Satan actually staged an attempted coup
against God’s government, and although he was not strong enough to
overthrow him and usurp his place, Satan did succeed in getting
one-third of the angels to join him.9 The holy prophet Ezekiel (Shul-Kifl)
was given a view of Satan’s history under the symbol of the "king
of Tyre," a man who tried to copy Satan:
You were the model of perfection,
full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
You were in Eden,
the garden of God, …
You were anointed as a guardian
cherub,
for so I ordained you.
You were on the holy mount of God;
you walked among the fiery stones.
You were blameless in your ways
from the day you were created
till wickedness was found in you. …
You sinned. …
Your heart became proud
on account of your beauty,
And you corrupted your wisdom
because of your splendor.
So I threw you to the earth.10
Allah is too good to create someone
like Satan as an enemy for us. He created a pure and holy angel whose
name was Lucifer, or "Morning Star," and who was
"blameless" until he himself invented the idea of rebellion
against God:
How you have fallen from heaven,
O morning star, son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth. …
You said in your heart,
"I will ascend to heaven;
I will raise my throne
above the stars of God; …
I will
make myself like the Most High."11
Many have had the idea that Iblis will
never die. |
