When Satan Was Cast Down to This Earth (2024)

In the last 10 or 15 years, we have seen terrifying changes in America and in this world. Almost nobody can explain what is happening. But if you know your Bible and God, you can know exactly what is happening and the solution. Only your Bible will reveal that mystery to you.

“Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time” (Revelation 12:12). Satan knows that he has only a short time left. That’s the best news you could possibly hear. The return of Jesus Christ is near! The god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4) is about to be replaced.

I can show you the very day that Satan was cast down to this Earth. Millions of demons have been cast down and confined here!

Keep in mind the good news—that Christ returns very soon. The devil’s time is almost up, so he is more wrathful than ever. Christ is about to kick him off his throne over Earth and into the outer abyss forever. Christ will take over that throne and rule the Earth and universe for all eternity.

“And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven” (Revelation 12:7-8). Things are improving in heaven—but not here on Earth.

“And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him” (verse 9). This is mind-shattering truth! Do you suppose that the devil and millions of demons being stuck on Earth might be why such terrible violence is rampant? Some people scoff at us for talking about the devil, but he is mentioned throughout the Bible! Prophecy is being fulfilled before our eyes, and God will hold us accountable for what we know and for our attitude.

Notice verse 12 again: “Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.” There is rejoicing in heaven because Satan and the demons are no longer there. But on Earth, it is woe, woe, woe! The fact that their time is short should provide us spectacular joy, though.

The First Target

“And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child” (Revelation 12:13). The woman here is a symbol of God’s own Church. Satan’s first target after being cast down to Earth was God’s Church! He attacked the Church immediately, knowing how vulnerable the brethren were. This verse dates the prophecy because I can point to a specific time when the Church was forcibly attacked by Satan in this end time.

Revelation 12 links directly to 2 Thessalonians 2, which foretells of a man in God’s Church single-handedly restraining the rebellion until God allowed him to die (verse 7). Satan and the demons were cast down at the same time this man was “taken out of the way”! This man used godly authority to hold back the “synagogue of Satan” within the Church (Revelation 3:9).

God removed him on Jan. 16, 1986, to test His people and discover their true character. Immediately, Satan and the demons invaded the Church and cast the truth to the ground (Daniel 8:12).

God’s leader restrained the evil works of some people in God’s own Church, but God took him out of the way. Evil spirit beings have been cast down to Earth and are causing the worst suffering we have ever seen, both in God’s Church and in the world. What a dangerous world we live in now, with all the nuclear bombs and other weapons of mass destruction. The malevolent influence of the devil is to blame.

The Laodicean era of God’s Church began on Jan. 16, 1986. This seventh and final era is characterized by spiritual lukewarmness. The brethren are not excited about God’s Work, so God spews them out (Revelation 3:16). The death of Herbert W. Armstrong ended the Philadelphia era and marked the exact date that Satan was cast down from heaven and confined to Earth.

On the Sabbath just two days after Mr. Armstrong died, traitors within the Worldwide Church of God changed the main commission of God’s Church away from delivering the true gospel message to the whole world as a warning witness (Matthew 24:14) to a focus on increasing Church membership (Matthew 28:19-20). Certainly, such a betrayal began before January 16 but couldn’t be out in the open until then. Had Mr. Armstrong been alive, his successor would have been fired for trying to implement such a change! (Request my son’s free book Raising the Ruins to learn the shocking history of God’s Church after Mr. Armstrong died.)

The destruction of God’s Church after Jan. 16, 1986, is dramatic proof that Satan and millions of demons were cast down to Earth on that very day.

Satan and the demons have awesome power. We have no chance against them unless God intervenes for us. He wins every war against those rebels.

Man of Sin

2 Thessalonians 2 gives us an unmistakable sign of Christ’s Second Coming. “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God” (verses 1-4).

This rebellion against God’s truth shows that Christ’s return is right around the corner! This man within God’s Church did a lot of damage to the brethren, acting like he was God.

Here is how to endure through the rebellion: “And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. … Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle” (verses 10, 15). Hold on to past “traditions,” or instructions. God delivered His truth to the Church through Mr. Armstrong. We are expected to cling to it! Otherwise, we will have serious trouble with the devil and the man of sin.

“It [the Day of the Lord and Christ’s return] will not come till the Rebellion takes place first of all, with the revealing of the Lawless One …” (verse 3; Moffatt). This man is lawless. All the ministers could see it, yet where are they today? The Church rebellion is a sign to the whole world that the Great Tribulation is imminent!

One translation and several commentaries call this Church crisis a great falling away. Ninety-five percent of God’s people just fell away from Him when Mr. Armstrong died. It is also called a “great revolt.” What a sad time in the Church.

The man of sin is called “the son of perdition” (verse 3), the same label given to Judas Iscariot. Judas rebelled and betrayed Christ, turning Him over to the authorities to be savagely beaten and crucified. The end-time son of perdition, or destruction, is the same level of traitor as Judas. He is betraying Christ Himself, who is the Head of God’s Church.

“Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth [Greek katecho, meaning ‘holds back’] that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth [restrains] will let [restrain], until he be taken out of the way” (verses 5-7). The death of Mr. Armstrong revealed the man of sin. The synagogue of Satan then manifested openly inside God’s Church. These rebels followed the devil!

“Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders” (verse 9). Satan has tremendous power, and he gave that power to the man of sin.

“Then that lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will eliminate with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming” (verse 8; New American Standard Bible).

Verse 11 shows the full force of evil delusion at work in God’s Church. God allowed an evil man to take control. God sent strong delusion to find out whether His people loved the truth and would stand by it. But they cast it down and buried it.

“And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish [are perishing]; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved” (verse 10). How much do we love God’s truth? How much will we fight for it? If necessary, would we die for it? Many heroes of the past did.

We must work hard to make sure no man can steal God’s truth from us. We must let no man take our crown. We should love the truth more than our own lives—by far!