Don't Forget It Was Pride That Kicked Satan Out of Heaven

When it comes to pride, it always comes before the fall. But do we forget the biggest example of pride coming before the fall in the Bible? No, it wasn't the arrogant Haman who wanted the Jews murdered all because Mordecai refused to bow to him. We forget that it was Satan who is the biggest example of pride coming before the fall. The fall of Satan should be a fair warning that there is no place for arrogance in the Kingdom of God.
Isaiah 14:12-14 
How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 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: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

Try to notice the number of times I is said in reference to Lucifer. The King of Babylon is compared to Lucifer in that same chapter. Notice how many times Satan says "I" in verses 13-14:
  1. I will ascend into Heaven
  2. I will exalt my throne above the stars of God
  3. I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation in the sides of the north
  4. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds
  5. I will be like the most High

It's clear as day that Satan himself is filled with his pride. The middle of pride is I and I don't think it's a mere coincidence that some negative words have i as a middle such as sin and swine. The issue of Satan is his arrogance. He wants to go beyond what God has given him. He wanted to be like God and his pride is what kicked him out of Heaven to begin with. He sure has a big head not to consider the fact he was only a created being. 

So how does Satan enslave people? It's very easy to say that he enslaves people through the obvious sinful habits like stealing and cheating. I don't deny that Satan enslaves people through sin but what may be overlooked is he also enslaves people through their pride. Pride kicked him out of Heaven, pride will lead him to Hell and he wants to make sure many people will spend eternity with him in the Lake of Fire. One of his deadliest weapons is pride.

Humility hasn't been embraced ever since the fall of man. What caused Cain to kill Abel? Pride. What caused the world to laugh at Noah's warning? Pride. What caused Nimrod to lead the rebellion at Babel? Pride. What caused the Pharaoh of the Exodus to harden his heart as God allowed it to happen? Pride. What caused the sin cycles in Judges? Pride. What caused Saul to hate David and never repent of his degeneracy? Pride. What caused the wicked kings such as Jeroboam and Ahab to die in their idolatry? Pride. What caused Jezebel and Athaliah to do their wicked deeds? Pride. What caused the Jews to be in exile for 70 years? Pride. What caused Haman to think of genocide against the Jews? Pride. What caused the Pharisees to want Jesus dead? Pride. What caused Pontius Pilate to give in to peer pressure? Pride. What causes majority of the Jews to still keep rejecting Jesus and hate their fellow Jews who are Christians? Pride. What causes people to love their sin and self-righteousness to the point they refuse to receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior? Pride. Just as Satan fell out of Heaven because of pride then man has been in rebellion against God thanks to pride. Pride has been very dominant ever since the fall of man. Satan knows it and he will do anything to keep people in their pride one way or another. If anything is deadlier than Satan for anyone it's their own personal pride that keeps them from getting saved. 

Many heresies that abound today are pride-centered. Some people join the prosperity gospel because they want to brag of how much money they can achieve. The doctrine of works salvation is so embraced because it appeals to pride that they can please God in their own flesh or maintain their salvation by their own effect. The doctrine of Antinomianism appeals to the pride of people who are proud of their wickedness. Atheism appeals to the pride of life where people think they are too intelligent to believe in a God they really know who exists. Whenever there's a heresy it's very easy for me to think that people believe certain heresies prosper because of the pride of life. Many people will end up with Satan for all eternity no thanks to their pride.

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