When Satan originally rebelled against God and was banished from heaven, how many angels chose to follow him? While Scripture doesn’t specifically use the term “angels,” Revelation 12:3-4 heavily implies that one-third of the angels were cast away and destined for hell.
Where Does the One-Third of Angels Idea Come From?
In Revelation 12:3-4 (NLT), the Apostle John says: “Then I witnessed in heaven another significant event. I saw a large red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, with seven crowns on his heads. His tail swept away one-third of the stars in the sky, and he threw them to the earth. He stood in front of the woman as she was about to give birth, ready to devour her baby as soon as it was born.”
Here, scholars believe “one-third of the stars” references the fallen angels, which would confirm the belief that one-third of the angels followed Satan, while two-thirds of the angels, known as the “holy angels” (Revelation 5:11), remained loyal to God.
From the context of verses three and four, we see that these “stars” are evil, as their wicked deeds are paired with the one whom they followed, the “large red dragon,” most widely known as the devil.
Is Revelation 12 Literal or Symbolic?
Scholars generally recognize the Book of Revelation as a symbolic interpretation of literal events. Thus, many believe Revelation 12 is symbolic, with the dragon as Satan, the woman as Israel, and the man-child as Christ.
What Does the Bible Say about the Fall of Satan?
Ezekiel 28:15-18 gives specific insight into Satan’s fall:
“You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So 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. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings. By your many sins and dishonest trade you have desecrated your sanctuaries. So I made a fire come out from you, and it consumed you, and I reduced you to ashes on the ground in the sight of all who were watching.”
Here, Scripture is clear that Satan was created “blameless” but abused his free will and allowed pride, jealousy, and arrogance to take root inside of him. Satan abused his favor as a cherub angel (Ezekiel 28:14) in (false) hope of overthrowing His creator. With this genesis of wickedness, he was able to convince other angels to switch their loyalty to his evil plan.
A biblical timeline suggests the rebellion happened prior to the creation of the earth and human beings, as we see Satan's heart already sold to death and destruction when he disguises himself as a serpent and deceives Eve in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:1-5). Scripture presents a familiar but powerful literary narrative of good versus evil battling throughout the entire plot, with evil ultimately being slain and good declaring eternal victory. Hallelujah!
Are Fallen Angels the Same as Demons?
Fallen angels and demons are in the same category in that they both chose to rebel against God. They chose to exchange God’s gifts of heaven and righteousness for darkness and wickedness. However, Scripture seems to differentiate between the two. Demons are seen throughout Scripture wandering the earth and possessing people’s souls. The Gospels offer many accounts of Jesus casting demons out of people.
However, “fallen angels” are specifically referenced as the evil beings who rebelled against God and introduced demonic activity to humans, notably by reproducing with humans to create Nephilim. The Nephilim indulged in such perverted, evil activity (like witchcraft and child sacrifice) that they brought about God’s wrath, which resulted in the Great Flood.
Genesis 6:1-6 (NIV) says: “When human beings began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. Then the Lord said, 'My Spirit will not contend with humans forever, for they are mortal; their days will be a hundred and twenty years.'
“The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.
“The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled."
We see these details also laid out in the Book of Enoch. (While the Book of Enoch is not canonized as a book of the Bible, it is an ancient Jewish text that many use for historical context and insight into our understanding of angels and demons.)
What Christians Should Know about Spiritual Warfare Today
As much as we would like to believe spiritual warfare only takes place in another realm, it’s an undeniable reality here on earth.
Ephesians 6:12-13 (NLT) says, “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.”
Misery truly loves company, and the devil is the very embodiment of this idea. He knows his torturous end, and he doesn’t want to go it alone. He wants to take as many people with him as possible. That’s why it’s vital that, as believers, we recognize the importance of sharing the gospel with others, warning them of the reality of an eternity separated from God.
This doesn’t mean we use scare tactics, as that rarely compels anyone to truly follow the heart of Jesus, but we should declare Jesus’ goodness, glory, and faithfulness in such a way that rather than centering evangelism on hellfire and brimstone, we center it on the reality that God is so good that who would ever want to spend forever apart from Him?
Meanwhile, as Ephesians 6:12-13 reminds us, as believers, we are to stay alert. This means we are to be so consistently in communion with God that we recognize when the enemy is trying to pull his evil strings and tear apart our faith.
Be both challenged and encouraged by 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (NLT): “Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.”
And remember, Satan, evil, sin, temptation, demons, fallen angels, death, and destruction have an end:
“He will come to a dreadful end and will be found no more forever.” Ezekiel 28:19 (ESV)
What a blessing to know our good God has the victory!
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