Greetings to you SMA. I hope your day is blessed.
Satan deceived Eve before she transgressed and ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Let's lay it out so we are on the same page. You essentially established...
1. Satan's outward act of rebellion (deception) occurred first.
2. Then Eve's outward act of rebellion occurred.
If we consider the story of the fall in Genesis 3, then the above is the chronological order. If we only consider the story and don't infer anything, then it would seem that the act of deception and the act of eating the apple were considered at the same time (its the same story). Yes, logically and chronologically Satan's was first. But the story makes no distinction, or emphasis on Satan's over Eve's but casts the story as a 'one whole' event. The interaction with Eve, one whole event. The cursing of the serpent and Adam and Eve at the same time, one whole event.
Now, you asked at the beginning of our conversation something like, what difference does it make that we have the exact moment in which Satan fell? The answer to that, imo, depends on the degree in which one is wrong. Let's look at two different degrees of thinking that "Satan fell prior to Eve". One that is simply moments before (strict reading) and the other millennia before (Gap-Theory).
A. One view might be that Satan's first act of rebellion was just prior to Eve's and then Adam's. Further, that Satan's internal corruption just preceded that act moments before. In this view, Revelation 12:4 happens possibly immediately after the curse of Genesis 3:14-15 (for Revelation 12:4 isn't any sooner than after Genesis 3:15 due to the reference in Rev 12:4 about throwing the stars to stand before the
woman and devour
her child).
In this view, assertion (A) and the story depicting the fall of Satan and Adam and Eve as essentially one event, holds to the way the biblical text (the story of Gen 3) presents the matter. The fact that logically Satan's act was first, doesn't really matter. For the story presents it as at-the-same-time event.
B. Another view might be that Satan fell significantly before the Genesis 3 account (Gap-Theory). This fall, according to the theory, devastated the physical world and caused widespread devastation. That devastation, according to the theory, was of the physical world. In other words, Satan's sin and rebellion (and his fallen angels) had brought sin into the physical world and devastated it.
In this view, assertion (B), Satan falls significantly earlier than the Eden account. Thereby not taking the Genesis story as one-whole-event fall. This significantly alters what would seem to be the natural narrative of the Bible that Adam brought sin into the cosmos...because it would have been Satan instead.
I have found, not true all the time though, that those who believe the Gap-theory have more of an external locus of control as apposed to those that think Adam, mankind, was the reason for the fall of our world. This latter group, having a more internal locus of control, focus more on personal responsibility and less on "the devil made me do it". (although clearly there is a spiritual warfare going on). I only bring this up to demonstrate a more practical influence rather than just theological.
In summery, if one is off a little bit...possibly not much matters. But if one is off a lot, well, things start to matter, imo.
Peace to you brother in Christ
