Seventh-day Adventists believe that moral evil originated in heaven prior to the creation of our world, when Lucifer, most exalted of the angels, became jealous of the Son of God and rebelled against divine authority; that evil is thus defiance of God and a revolt against His righteous authority and goodness. They hold that although the Bible makes no propositional, definitive statement concerning the origin of evil, two OT passages allude to the event in highly figurative language. Under the figure of the king of Tyre, Eze. 28:12–19 portrays Lucifer, as Satan is known prior to his rebellion, as a covering cherub who, though “full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty,” became “corrupted” and was cast “out of the mountain of God.” Isa. 14:12–14 describes Lucifer under the figure of the king of Babylon. He was determined to establish his throne “above the stars of God,” but has instead “fallen from heaven.” Ultimately he is to “be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit” ( v. 15 ), or, in the words of Ezekiel, to be reduced to “ashes upon the earth.”
The NT makes occasional reference to Satan as being the originator of evil ( see John 8:44 ; 1 John 3:8 ). It suggests also that in his rebellion against God, Satan won the sympathy of a large number of the angels who shared his fate in being cast out of heaven, and who will be destroyed with him at the day of judgment ( 2 Peter 2:4 ; Jude 6 ). In a passage usually considered as describing the original conflict in heaven as well as a secondary clash at the time of Christ’s crucifixion, John the revelator says that “there was war in heaven,” in which “Michael and his angels” were victorious. Satan “was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”
The writings of Ellen White provide additional details on the origin of evil that are in accord with the brief statements of Scripture. For instance, she declares that God was in no way responsible for evil, but that “sin began with Satan” ( Review and Herald 63:145, Mar. 9, 1886). She enumerates three main causes of Lucifer’s rebellion: (1) pride in his own glory, (2) jealousy of Christ’s position and authority, and (3) resentment toward God’s authority. In her various works she traces the origin of evil thus: “Little by little, Lucifer came to indulge a desire for self-exaltation. . . . Instead of seeking to make God supreme in the affections and allegiance of His creatures, it was Lucifer’s endeavor to win their service and homage to himself. And coveting the honor which the infinite Father had bestowed upon His Son, this prince of angels aspired to power which it was the prerogative of Christ alone to wield. . . . Pride in his own glory nourished the desire for supremacy. . . . He gloried in his brightness and exaltation, and aspired to be equal with God” ( GC 494, 495).
“When God said to His Son, ‘Let us make man in our image,’ Satan was jealous of Jesus. He wished to be consulted concerning the formation of man, and because he was not, he was filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred” ( EW 145).
“Satan grew bold in his rebellion, and expressed his contempt of the Creator’s law. . . . He claimed that angels needed no law but should be left free to follow their own will, which would ever guide them right; that law was a restriction of their liberty; and that to abolish law was one great object of his standing as he did” ( SR 18, 19).
“God, in His great mercy, bore long with Lucifer. He was not immediately degraded from his exalted station when he first indulged the spirit of discontent, nor even when he began to present his false claims before the loyal angels. Long was he retained in heaven” ( GC 495, 496).
“The heavenly councils pleaded with Lucifer. The Son of God presented before him the greatness, the goodness, and the justice of the Creator, and the sacred, unchanging nature of His law” ( ibid. 494).
“Again and again he [Lucifer] was offered pardon, on condition of repentance and submission. . . . But pride forbade him to submit. He persistently defended his own course, maintained that he had no need of repentance, and fully committed himself, in the great controversy, against his Maker” ( ibid. 496).
When the spirit of discontent and disaffection had ripened into open revolt, “all the heavenly host were summoned to appear before the Father” ( SR 18).
“Satan unblushingly made known his dissatisfaction that Christ should be preferred before him. He stood up proudly and urged that he should be equal with God and should be taken into conference with the Father and understand His purposes. God informed Satan that to His Son alone He would reveal His secret purposes, and He required all the family in heaven, even Satan, to yield Him implicit, unquestioned obedience; but that he (Satan) had proved himself unworthy of a place in heaven. Then Satan exultingly pointed to his sympathizers, comprising nearly one half of all the angels, and exclaimed, ‘These are with me! Will you expel these also, and make such a void in heaven?’ He then declared that he was prepared to resist the authority of Christ and to defend his place in heaven by force of might, strength against strength. . . . Then there was war in heaven. The Son of God, the Prince of heaven, and His loyal angels engaged in conflict with the archrebel and those who united with him. The Son of God and true, loyal angels prevailed; and Satan and his sympathizers were expelled from heaven. All the heavenly host acknowledged and adored the God of justice. Not a taint of rebellion was left in heaven. All was again peaceful and harmonious as before” ( ibid. . 18, 19).
SDA belief concerning the origin of evil is essentially the same as that traditionally held by most other Christian churches. See Fall, The ; Satan and His Angels .