Story by Randy Grathen
Satan Loves a Good Fight! I was reading about Cain and Able when I received, what I think, was an amazing revelation.
The “First Separation”
The bible talks about the first ever “Original Sin” being committed by Adam and Eve. But there was an even earlier transgression committed against God. It was not the sin of Disobedience, but the sin of Pride.
“The LORD detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.” Proverbs 16:5
The “First Separation” happened between God and the angel Lucifer. Because of Lucifer’s pride thinking he could become a God himself, he was banished from heaven along with his followers. Imagine, the ‘created being’ thinking he could become greater than the Creator who made him?!?
The Fall of Lucifer
12 “How you are fallen from heaven, O’ Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground. You who weakened the nations! 13 For you have said in your heart:
‘I will ascend into Heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation. On the farthest sides of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’ Isaiah 14:12-14
The angel Lucifer became Satan. https://davidjeremiah.blog/who-is-lucifer/
Satan “HATES” us. Do you understand?
He “HATES” us to death! He does not what us to enjoy the rewards of heaven that we are graciously and undeservingly entitled to through Jesus Christ.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; but I have come that you may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8
“Looking or Seeking someone to devour” means he won’t indiscriminately attack us. Like any predator he will attack the lone or weakest prey, not the strong.
The “Second Separation”
God provided Adam and Eve with EVERYTHING they could ever possibly need or want including immortality.
They were living in Paradise after all. God gave them just two commandments. DO NOT eat the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and, to be fruitful, and multiply. It didn’t take them long to break the first commandment while in the garden.
And God blessed them, and God said unto them, be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. Genesis 1:28
Now that Lucifer had been evicted from heaven, he did not want any of us to enjoy what was rightly taken away from him. So, he goes after Adam and Eve. If he could take them down, he can prevent all humanity from ever seeing heaven. It didn’t take long to implement his plan. In Genesis 2:7 God creates Adam. In 2:21-22 God creates Eve. In Genesis 3:1-3 they disobey God, ate the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, and by the end of Genesis 3:24 they’ve already been kicked out of Paradise!
Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat.” Genesis 3:1-3 And they did.
So the LORD God banished him (Adam) from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.
After he drove the man (and Eve) out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life. Genesis 3:23-24.
Because Adam and Eve had eaten the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, the Lord sent them out of the Garden and into the world. Their physical condition changed as a result of their eating the forbidden fruit. As God had promised, they became mortal, and they would surely die as God warned.
The “Third Separation”
Cain, the firstborn, became a farmer, and his brother Abel, a shepherd. At the appointed time Abel brought offering to the Lord – “the best portions of the firstborn lambs from his flock.” Abel’s offering was an animal (blood) sacrifice. A symbol of Christ’s death on the Cross to be fulfilled centuries later. Able understood he had done nothing to produce the lambs. All he could do was to watch over them and care for & protect them. He knew God was responsible for all that he had, so with humility and gratitude he offered back to God a portion of what was rightfully God’s to begin with. Abel’s offering was acceptable to the lord.
Cain was a farmer, and his offering was “some of his crops.” It was a (bloodless) sacrifice. Cain could have traded some of his harvest for a lamb, but did not. When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, God killed animals to clothe them. God shed the blood of animals to cover Adam and Eve’s sin.
Cain toiled in the field to produce his crops, although without the rain God provided, he would have had nothing. But in his pride and by the “sweat of his brow,” Cain brought some of his ordinary crops.
“… For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, the Lord looks on the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7
6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” Genesis 4:6-7
The “sin” crouching at Cain’s door was Satan. Cain went from Pride, to Rejection, to Jealousy, Anger, Hatred and finally to murdering his brother.
The “Forth Separation”
And that is where we find ourselves today. Satan has provoked men against each other since the days of Cain and Able. From kings conquering their neighbors in bloody battles, men dueling in the streets at high noon, and World Wars, men have been killing each other without end.
When dueling in the streets and conquering other nations was frowned upon, men switched to “One Upmanship.” The bigger house, bigger office, bigger boat, most expensive car, bigger paycheck, trophy wife (sorry ladies), anything to put themselves above or ahead of their peers. It’s all about Pride. The oldest sin in the books. Satan has never changed tactics.
He has provoked us and turned us against each other on every level. Satan loves a good fight. If we are fighting each other, our attention is diverted from the real enemy, so he can go after our wives and children. And he’s had plenty of help in today’s world.
Satan succeeded in driving a wedge between man and God and between man and man. But God repaired the rift with the perfect blood sacrifice through Jesus’ birth, death on the cross, and resurrection. Satan’s goal of separation and alienation from God has been defeated. The separation has been repaired if we choose to swallow our pride and accept God’s peace offering.
Until we understand who the real enemy is, Satan will have his way with humanity. However, if we stop fighting each other, turn our hearts and families over to God’s care and mount a counterattack against Satan, we can once again make our families and our country One Nation Under God.
The “First Separation” Lucifer is separated from God because of his sin of pride.
The “Second Separation” Lucifer gets mankind separated from God because of their sin. Adam & Eve are evicted from the garden.
The “Third Separation” Lucifer turns brother against brother. Cain went from Pride, to Rejection, to Jealousy then Hatred and finally Anger. Angry enough to murder his own brother.
The “Forth Separation” Lucifer drives a wedge between men throughout the ages pitting them against each other while he picks off our families.
Leave a Reply