RETELLING TALES
The Biblical Story of Satan
What happened in heaven? Foe or friend?
Today’s pop culture portrays Satan¹ as the victim of God’s fragile ego and wrath, without a chance for his redemption. Upon questioning God’s authority, God kicked Satan from heaven because of Satan’s pride, or so the popular version of the story goes. Although the story is split across different books of the Bible, the authors of the Bible narrate a more compelling tale about the origin of Satan².
To better understand the story, it’s important to know about the origins of heavenly creatures and their roles.
The God of the Bible created Cherubim (singular form — cherub), Angels, and the Divine council in heaven. According to the Biblical authors, God doesn’t need any help to reign the universe. But God likes to share his love and authority³. The Cherubim are hybrid creatures with wings. They have faces of different animals, and like the Earth, they are a symbol to represent their creator’s glory. Cherubim are high-ranking heavenly creatures. They are very intimidating and strong⁴.
Angels in the Bible don’t have any wings or a halo. They are often mistaken for people in the Bible⁵. As humans can’t directly go to God’s throne, God reaches out to us through angels. Sometimes angels rescue people from danger.
