Satans access to Heaven

Andy C

Well-Known Member
We are currently studying Revelation in my Bible study group. Today was chapter 12. We know satan was kicked out of Heaven at some point before Adam and Eve. We know from the book of Job, that satan still had access to Heaven because he was summoned to talk with God in Heaven. And lastly, we know from Revelation 12, that satan was cast out forever from Heaven at the mid point of the 7 year tribulations

Revelation 12:7 And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, 8 but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them[a] in heaven any longer. 9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

We also know God is Holy, and can't be in the presence of sin. So, can someone point me to the answer of a question that came up in class today. "Why has God allowed satan to have access to Heaven from the time he was cast out of Heaven, right up to the moment he was finally kicked out for good in Revelation 12?" We certainly can't know the mind of God, but any thoughts on why He allowed this would really help me to understand.
 
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paidinfull

Well-Known Member

Question: "Does Satan still have access to Heaven? Why does God allow Satan to enter Heaven, as recorded in the Bible?"

Answer:
Satan was originally one of God’s holy angels, but he rebelled against God and was cast out of heaven (Luke 10:18). That was only the first stage of his judgment. Satan’s kingdom was vanquished at the cross (John 12:31-32). Later, he will be bound in the abyss for one thousand years (Revelation 20:1-3) and then will be cast into the lake of fire for eternity (Revelation 20:10).

Until his final judgment, Satan is “the prince of this world” (John 14:30), but it seems that he still has restricted access to the heavenly realms. In Job 1:6, Satan stands in the presence of God. (See 2 Chronicles 18:18-21 for a similar situation involving a “lying spirit.”)

Since God is holy and absolutely without sin (Isaiah 6:3), and since He will not even look on evil (Habakkuk 1:13), how can Satan be in heaven? The answer involves God’s sovereign restraint of sin. In Job 1, Satan stood before God to give an account of himself. God initiated the meeting, led the proceedings, and remained in absolute control (verse 7). The result was that Satan’s power was limited (verse 12) and God was glorified.

Here are some other facts to note: 1) Satan does not have open access to God’s presence. He is summoned by God. 2) The visits are temporary. His time before God’s throne is limited. 3) In no way is the purity of heaven tainted by the brief, God-ordained presence of a sinful being, “quarantined,” as it were, by God’s regulatory power. And, 4) Satan’s access is only granted prior to the final judgment. After the judgment, God creates a new heaven and new earth (Revelation 21:1), wipes away all tears from our eyes (verse 4), reveals the New Jerusalem (verse 10), and promises the complete absence of sin (verse 27).

When we say, “God cannot allow sin into heaven,” we simply mean that God cannot allow human beings who are still in their sin to live in His presence. But it is possible for God to command a sinful being to stand (temporarily) in His presence in order to commission him (Isaiah 6), to exact an account from him (Job 1-2), or to judge him (Revelation 20:11-15) without compromising His holiness.

God’s holiness will eventually consume all sin. Until that day, His holiness regulates sin, and that means that Satan, on certain occasions, is briefly summoned before his Creator to give an account of his actions.
Recommended Resources: The Serpent of Paradise by Erwin Lutzer and Logos Bible Software.

http://www.gotquestions.org/Satan-access.html
 

Andy C

Well-Known Member

Question: "Does Satan still have access to Heaven? Why does God allow Satan to enter Heaven, as recorded in the Bible?"

Answer:
Satan was originally one of God’s holy angels, but he rebelled against God and was cast out of heaven (Luke 10:18). That was only the first stage of his judgment. Satan’s kingdom was vanquished at the cross (John 12:31-32). Later, he will be bound in the abyss for one thousand years (Revelation 20:1-3) and then will be cast into the lake of fire for eternity (Revelation 20:10).

Until his final judgment, Satan is “the prince of this world” (John 14:30), but it seems that he still has restricted access to the heavenly realms. In Job 1:6, Satan stands in the presence of God. (See 2 Chronicles 18:18-21 for a similar situation involving a “lying spirit.”)

Since God is holy and absolutely without sin (Isaiah 6:3), and since He will not even look on evil (Habakkuk 1:13), how can Satan be in heaven? The answer involves God’s sovereign restraint of sin. In Job 1, Satan stood before God to give an account of himself. God initiated the meeting, led the proceedings, and remained in absolute control (verse 7). The result was that Satan’s power was limited (verse 12) and God was glorified.

Here are some other facts to note: 1) Satan does not have open access to God’s presence. He is summoned by God. 2) The visits are temporary. His time before God’s throne is limited. 3) In no way is the purity of heaven tainted by the brief, God-ordained presence of a sinful being, “quarantined,” as it were, by God’s regulatory power. And, 4) Satan’s access is only granted prior to the final judgment. After the judgment, God creates a new heaven and new earth (Revelation 21:1), wipes away all tears from our eyes (verse 4), reveals the New Jerusalem (verse 10), and promises the complete absence of sin (verse 27).

When we say, “God cannot allow sin into heaven,” we simply mean that God cannot allow human beings who are still in their sin to live in His presence. But it is possible for God to command a sinful being to stand (temporarily) in His presence in order to commission him (Isaiah 6), to exact an account from him (Job 1-2), or to judge him (Revelation 20:11-15) without compromising His holiness.

God’s holiness will eventually consume all sin. Until that day, His holiness regulates sin, and that means that Satan, on certain occasions, is briefly summoned before his Creator to give an account of his actions.
Recommended Resources: The Serpent of Paradise by Erwin Lutzer and Logos Bible Software.

http://www.gotquestions.org/Satan-access.html

Thanks, I did read that last night before I posted. Lots of good information but I still feel like a few pieces of the puzzle are missing. Maybe this is a case of information that is not needed to be known, because His thinking is not our thinking, nor are His ways our ways. This is another in a long list of questions I know will be answered through my eternity with Him.
 
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clouds

Well-Known Member

Question: "Does Satan still have access to Heaven? Why does God allow Satan to enter Heaven, as recorded in the Bible?"


Since God is holy and absolutely without sin (Isaiah 6:3), and since He will not even look on evil (Habakkuk 1:13), how can Satan be in heaven? The answer involves God’s sovereign restraint of sin. In Job 1, Satan stood before God to give an account of himself. God initiated the meeting, led the proceedings, and remained in absolute control (verse 7). The result was that Satan’s power was limited (verse 12) and God was glorified.

Here are some other facts to note: 1) Satan does not have open access to God’s presence. He is summoned by God. 2) The visits are temporary. His time before God’s throne is limited. 3) In no way is the purity of heaven tainted by the brief, God-ordained presence of a sinful being, “quarantined,” as it were, by God’s regulatory power. And, 4) Satan’s access is only granted prior to the final judgment. After the judgment, God creates a new heaven and new earth (Revelation 21:1), wipes away all tears from our eyes (verse 4), reveals the New Jerusalem (verse 10), and promises the complete absence of sin (verse 27).
l

(Revelation 12:10) seems to portray Satan as accusing the saints "before God day and night" during this period of time, so it must be that Satan is still there before God until (Revelation 12:7-9) takes place.
 
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Carl

Well-Known Member
Thanks Mary. That might clear things up somewhat. satan has lost the earth, but has not been evicted yet either. We who are in Christ are going to judge the fallen angels

2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?
1 Cor 6:2-3 (KJV)

The fact is that we sinners gave possession of the earth to satan.
9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.
Rev 6:9-11 (KJV)
 

paidinfull

Well-Known Member
Thanks Mary. That might clear things up somewhat. satan has lost the earth, but has not been evicted yet either. We who are in Christ are going to judge the fallen angels
The fact is that we sinners gave possession of the earth to satan.

I know what you mean but just to avoid WOF & NAR teaching, we never possessed the earth and could never give it to Satan. We were supposed to look after the place as God's stewards but everything from the silver and gold to the cattle on a thousand hills belongs to God and He doesn't need anyone's permission to do whatever He pleases. I am not meaning you implied anything like this but someone may start with the thought and end up where we don't want them.

Satan has rule over the earth by God's permission and God has limited what Satan is able to do. In the GT Satan is cast down and given much more scope in what he is allowed to do but he is still limited.

WOF & NAR teaching is we owned the earth and by sin somehow passed some kind of title deed over the earth to Satan and now we have to take it back by declaring and demanding Satan give it back. When we are strong enough to force it out of his hand then Jesus will return - but not until we do this job because, and this is the crux of the matter, in that teaching God is limited by us and can't repossess the earth from Satan until we take it back.

Satan doesn't posses the earth - in fact he owns nothing.
 
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Hol

Worships Him
I know what you mean but just to avoid WOF & NAR teaching, we never possessed the earth and could never give it to Satan. We were supposed to look after the place as God's stewards but everything from the silver and gold to the cattle on a thousand hills belongs to God and He doesn't need anyone's permission from anyone to do what He pleases. I am not meaning you implied anything like this but someone may start with the thought and end up where we don't want them.

Satan has rule over the earth by God's permission and God has limited what Satan is able to do. In the GT Satan is cast down and given much more scope in what he is allowed to do but he is still limited.

WOF & NAR teaching is we owned the earth and by sin somehow passed some kind of title deed over the earth to Satan and now we have to take it back by declaring and demanding Satan give it back. When we are strong enough to force it out of his hand then Jesus will return - but not until we do this job because, and this is the crux of the matter, in that teaching God is limited by us and can't repossess the earth from Satan until we take it back.

Satan doesn't posses the earth - in fact he owns nothing.
Thanks paidinfull, until I read your post I hadn't realized how unclear I was on various teachings about Satan's getting some title deed to earth.

Shortly after I got saved and was simply overjoyed in Christ, I could not figure out what reason would keep me on earth. It seemed to me that nothing would ever matter more than Christ's plan of salvation in my life, so why was I still here? (The odd questions I had my first year make me blush! One day I may learn how I tried even the Lord's patience ❤️) A friend sternly told me that we are still here because there is work to do.

My first question to the Lord was why is there any evil & suffering in the world at all? He showed me how choices we make have allowed sin & death, ouch.

There are reasons why Satan was (is) allowed to tempt mankind, and angels even. Christ was tempted and in avoiding sin has triumphed over darkness. Col. 2:15 "having stripped the principalities and the authorities, he made a show of them publicly, triumphing over them in it."

I still get tripped up by sin, so Satan can act like a prosecuting attorney who rightfully points out my error before our Heavenly Father's throne. Again Christ's work makes a show of His power in me, in that unspeakable excellence of grace that sanctifies us through suffering delivers me over & again to cling to Him and He is able to save to the least.
 

paidinfull

Well-Known Member
When Satan tells me about God, he lies, when Satan tells God about me, he tells the truth.

Again I know what you mean brother but in all respects Satan is a liar. It's like me accusing you of eating in a restaurant and leaving without paying the bill and while that may be true, the whole truth is someone asked for the bill to be put on their account and paid it in full on your behalf.

When we sin Satan accuses us before the Father and it's true, we sinned... except it's not the whole truth. The problem for Satan is that the Law was put to death on the cross so how can we be guilty? Moreover the sin was written down to the account of the old man whereas the new man is created in holiness and righteousness and hidden in Christ. Therefore there is no condemnation for those in Christ for there is no law against them and their righteousness comes as a free gift outside of the law.

So what does Satan have to say about me before God? Nothing of any consequence! My sin is paid in full already so the debate is ended before it ever starts. When Satan opens up the book of the law to accuse me, the handwriting of the ordinances against me is blotted out. When you come before a judge to accuse someone and your evidence is a messy non existence, the judge won't take kindly to his time being wasted. That's what kind of environment Satan is entering into when he comes to accuse me before God.
 
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