16. Lucifer, an angel, corrupted himself through self-seeking.

I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. {Ezekiel 28:16-17}

Believe it or not, sin didn’t originate on this planet. It began in heaven with an angel named Lucifer. And Lucifer wasn’t just any angel; he was the guardian cherub, the highest-ranking angel in the heavenly courts, the one who spent much of his time in the very presence of God.

But in the course of time, Lucifer became dissatisfied with his position. Although the Bible doesn’t give us all the details, it says that Lucifer’s heart became proud, that he fostered a self-centered obsession, and that this rebellion eventually corrupted him. Though created in perfection, Lucifer slowly became intent on becoming greater than God and raising his throne above God’s, so that he could ascend to the very highest place in the universe.

At some point, Lucifer had gone too far in his rebellion to turn back. He was cast out of the heavenly courts, and Jesus Himself said that He had witnessed Lucifer’s selfish downfall. And although he still masquerades as an angel of light, Lucifer knows that, far from ascending to the highest place in the universe, he has been brought down “to the depths of the pit,” as the Bible puts it. He now focuses all of his evil energies on hurting God as much as possible by damaging the rest of His creation.

If you want to dig deeper—
Isaiah 14:12-15
Ezekiel 28:11-19
Luke 10:17-20
1 Peter 5:8
Revelation 12:12