When Did Satan Fall?

Q

I was just wondering what evidence there is to point to the timing of Satan’s fall. Particularly as it pertains to it being before or after the creation of man.

A

Satan’s first appearance in the Bible (Genesis 3) shows him already in opposition to God and working to foil His plan. Ezekiel 28:15 says he wasn’t created this way which would indicate his fall took place before the 6 day creation account began in Genesis 1:3. I think it happened in the gap of time between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2 and was perhaps the cause of the Earth becoming formless and void (literally an uninhabitable ruin). For two reasons Genesis 1:2 should probably read “But the Earth became …” rather than “And the earth was …”. First because the Hebrew language of Genesis 1:2 favors it, and second because in Hebrew Isaiah 45:18 says God didn’t create it the way it’s described in our version of Genesis 1:2.