Luke 10:18 When & In What Sense
Luke 10:18 proposes a variety of interesting questions with significant ramifications. In this article, I will deal with the primary positions pertaining to when Satan fell and in what sense he has fallen.
3 Primary Positions
There are three main positions that are taken regarding when Satan fell: before, during, or after Jesus’ life on earth. I will argue that those who believe that Satan’s fall took place before or during Jesus’ life lack biblical warrant, and the only way to make sense of the biblical data is to understand that Christ's statement ought to be understood as a future event. I also propose that this event is not eschatological but is confined to Jesus' ministry, namely his death on the cross.
The 1st Position: Primordial Fall
The first position asserts that Satan’s fall from heaven is primordial and is referenced in Isa 14:12. A proponent of this position, J.C Ryle, interprets this text as “There was a time when I saw Satan, great and mighty as he was, fall suddenly from his high position, and become a lost spirit.”1
A critique of Position 1
While this position is able to make sense of the idea that the word “fall” seems to be used in the past tense, it is incoherent with the context of the passage in question and also finds no basis in Ancient Jewish thought. Nolland notes,
“Despite the long history of linking this verse with Isa 14:12 as applied to the fall of Satan (cf. Miyoshi, Anfang, 100), there is finally no adequate basis for such a connection, or for any early Jewish interpretation of the text from Isaiah as referring to the primordial fall of Satan from heaven. The closest parallel to the imagery here is provided by T. Sol. 20:16–17: “we [demons] ... fall ... like flashes of lightning to the earth.”2
The 2nd Position: During Jesus Ministry on Earth
The second position holds that a distinctive victory over Satan’s power happened sometime during Christ's life. Grudem evaluates Jesus’ statement in Luke as an indication of some kind of triumph, which “was probably at the time of Jesus’ victory in the temptation in the wilderness, (but Scripture does not explicitly specify that time).”3 Edwards claims, “The catastrophic defeat of Satan is not the result of the mission of the seventy(-two) but rather of the inbreaking of the kingdom of God that they proclaim in Jesus’ name (10:9, 11).4 He goes on to claim that Satan’s fall, while not directly linked to their particular mission, is decisively caused by the kingdom of God “breaking in” and that the Kingdom, “has become a present reality in Jesus, and one of the signs of its presence is the overthrow of Satan.”5
A Critique of Position 2
This position is flawed on two accounts. First, Edwards redefines what the word “kingdom” means and fails to provide a sufficient definition other than the only definition that is used throughout the entire Old Testament. Secondly, this position fails to make sense of the biblical data. If the defeat of Satan happens during Jesus’ life, then why does Jesus pronounce judgment in John 12:31? Why don’t the epistles testify that the “kingdom breaking in” was through miracles, demons being cast out, or some other event in Jesus’ life? Instead, the scriptures are clear that all things were subjected to God’s Christ after the crucifixion. (Phil 2:9- 11) (1 Peter 3:22) (Eph 1:20-22). Yet, Edwards is not alone in his interpretation, but one thing should be noted: the manifestation of Jesus’ authority and the Kingdom of God's arrival must not be conflated. It is clear in Mt 28:18 that Christ received all the authority in heaven and on earth, but that doesn’t mean that Christ has chosen to exercise that authority through the establishment of God's physical kingdom on earth. When these two ideas are conflated, the “establishment of God’s Kingdom” becomes the focal point of Jesus’ vision of Satan falling, when, in fact, it was not a symbol of the kingdom's arrival on earth but a representation of Satan's initial defeat and the subsequent spiritual dominion which Christ will make available to all through his redemptive work on the cross. (Jn 12:31) (Phil 2:9-11) (1 Peter 3:22) (Eph 1:20-22).
The 3rd Position: The fall happens at the Cross
The third position regards Jesus’ statement on Satan falling from heaven as a prophetic foretaste of a future event. A momentary judgment by which the ruler of this world would be cast out. (Jn 12:31) Although the disciples were celebrating a (kind of) victory over their spiritual foe, it is clear that this is only a taste of a future (partial) victory over Satan. (Which pertains to spiritual authority over God’s creation.) Jesus using the phrase “I saw” will almost immediately make individuals believe that Jesus must be referring to a past event, yet this is not the case.
Heiser notes that “The wording used by Luke (“I saw”) was quite common in the Old Testament for introducing prophetic visions, especially in the book of Daniel (Dan 4:10; 7:2, 4, 6–7, 9, 11, 13, 21).6
Nolland, in support of this understanding, states that,
“Jesus reports a vision identifying the content of his own mission. In vision he has seen the coming triumph of the kingdom of God over the rule of Satan and has identified this triumph as his own task. He sees this as what God intends to achieve through him. This vision is becoming reality in his own ministry of exorcism, healing, and proclaiming of the kingdom of God7.
Satans Power is broken
Furthermore, the manifestation of Christ's mission on earth clearly demonstrates a gradual cosmic conflict that culminates in the defeat of Satan's power (broken partially at the
cross and completely at the end).8 This cosmic battle in the context of Christ’s life begins with his birth (Mt 1:25), (Rev 12:1-2, 7), continues with his escape from Herod (Mt 2:13-14) (Rev 12:4-5), gradually escalates throughout Jesus’ ministry, and culminates at the cross. Prior to the crucifixion, Christ stated, “Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.” (Jn 12:31) As the Lord cried out, “It is finished” (Jn 19:31), “the veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook, and the rocks were split.” (Mt 27:51) Yet the vision that had been seen and the judgment that had been pronounced had now come to fruition (Ps 82; Lk 10:18 Jn 12:31 Rev 12:9) and the hosts of heaven rejoiced exclaiming, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night.” (Rev 12:10).
Notably, the kingdom has come, and Satan has fallen, in the sense that Christ would begin exercising the spiritual authority he has over the nations through the great commission, as God disinherits the nations from the corrupt Elohim who were apportioned the nations at Babel (Dt 4:19, 32:8 Ps 82). While “rescu[ing] [people] from the authority of darkness and transfer [people] to the kingdom of the son of His love” (Col 1:13).
A future Earthly kingdom is Yet to come
It must be understood that the physical earthly kingdom is yet to come and it is only at its arrival that Satan will be bound, (Rev 20:3) believers will reign with Jesus on earth, (Rev 20:4) and after the millennium Christ will make everything subject to himself in heaven and on earth. (1 Cor 15:24-28)
Conclusion
In conclusion, when examining the statement Jesus made in Luke 10:18 against the context of authoritative demon expulsion from his disciples, the prophetic use of the phrase “I saw” and the overarching narrative of the New Testament. It is clear that Jesus’s statement was a
prophetic utterance that was fulfilled at the cross and is illustrated through John’s revelation in Revelation 12. The events of Luke 10:18, Jn 12:31, Ps 82, and Rev 12:7-9 are in concert with one another and can be understood as either descriptors, precursors, or depictions of Satan being judged and cast out of heaven.
Refrences:
1 J. C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on Luke (vol. 1; New York: Robert Carter & Brothers, 1879), 362.
2 John Nolland, Luke 9:21–18:34 (vol. 35B; Word Biblical Commentary; Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1993), 563.
3 Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Second Edition.; Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, 2020), 540.
4 James R. Edwards, The Gospel according to Luke (ed. D. A. Carson; The Pillar New Testament Commentary; Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; Apollos, 2015), 312.
5 Ibid., 312
6 Michael S. Heiser, I Dare You Not to Bore Me with the Bible (ed. John D. Barry and Rebecca Van Noord; Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press; Bible Study Magazine, 2014), 128–129.
7 Nolland, 564. (emphasis added)
8 Heiser, 128–129.
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