Lucifer, Who Me?

There is a wide-spread teaching in Christianity that Satan is a fallen angel.  That he was beautiful beyond description and I have even heard it said that when the wind blew threw him, glorious music would play.  He has gone by the name Lucifer and Morning Star.

Many of us have heard this teaching and may take it for granted that it is scripturally sound.  I know I did for many years. 

Let’s take an objective look at what the scriptures say specifically about Lucifer, The Morning Star and Satan. 

LUCIFER

We will start with Isaiah Chapter 14.  God has instructed His servant Isaiah to speak His word to the King of Babylon.  

^3" It shall come to pass in the day the Lord gives you rest from your sorrow, and from your fear and the hard bondage in which you were made to serve, ⁴ that you will take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say:...."

The word Lucifer (Hebrew word that means LIGHT BEARER) is mentioned in verses 12-15 in this prophesy:

“How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!  How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north;  I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’ Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the pit."

The entire chapter in Isaiah is relevant.  I would suggest reading at least chapter 14 (if not 13 and 14).  There is a lot going on here.   Almost the entire chapter is the Lord's word to the King of Babylon.  Another theme in these chapters is God’s warning to Israel that continued rebellion against him will most definitely lead them into captivity.

The Old Testament is historical, telling us stories about God and God's people, but we also know that typology plays a big role in scripture.  So the question is, is this prophesy from God to the King of Babylon an analogy about Satan?   

Reading Isaiah 14:12-15 I immediately think of the Adam and Eve in the Garden, before the fall of man, and I also think of the story of The Tower of Babel.  Take Adam and Eve for example.  God instructed that they should eat of the Tree of Life (a type of Jesus Christ), but that they should not partake of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.  Satan deceived Eve in Genesis 3 and said that they would not die if they ate of it, but that they would become like God. In the end, Adam and Eve thought this sounded like a good idea and chowed down.  In Genesis 11 you have the Tower of Babel, all men coming together, glorying in their wisdom and achievements, saying let us build ourselves a tower that reaches high into the heavens.  They had no need of God or His wisdom and they were ready to exalt themselves into the heavens.  We all know how that ended for them.

Let’s read this objectively and ask ourselves if Isaiah 14 mentions an angel  (and don’t worry, we will get to this specific word, Lucifer – Light Bearer, more in detail later):  

“How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!  How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God….I will be like the Most High.’ 

The word Lucifer means Light Bearer in the Hebrew text, but this chapter does not mention an angel.

Repeatedly in scripture man tries to exalt himself, to become like God, and Satan continuously deceives people.  Adam and Eve were a beautiful, glorious creation that fell away from God into sin.  If this prophesy is typology, couldn't it be speaking about man's nature and not Satan's?  

THE MORNING STAR

Okay, this one is easy. 

Revelations 2:25-28 (Jesus speaking)

But hold fast what you have till I come.  And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations ‘He shall rule them with a rod of iron; They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’ as I also have received from My Father; and I will give him the morning star.

Revelations 22:12-16 (Jesus speaking again)

“And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to everyone according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.”

Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.

“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.”

SATAN

If you skim through the first few chapters of Job it is clear that Satan has no authority outside of what God gives him.  But let’s specifically take a look at who Jesus says Satan is and was.

John 8:44 (Jesus speaking)

You are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

1 John 3:8

He that commits sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

Read on if you really want a brain cramp!

Isaiah 45:7

I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

Romans 9:20-24

But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?” Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?

What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory, even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?

I understand I’m giving a limited amount of scriptural verses to make my point, but clearly God created evil.  God created the devil and he was evil from the beginning.  How can something be evil from the very beginning of itself and at the same time be the most beautiful angel of heaven (something not evil)?  In the above scripture (John 8:44) Jesus said the devil was not only evil from the beginning, but never lived in truth.  If Satan was a good angel that fell, wouldn’t he have been living in truth?  On the contrary, man was something beautiful and good that fell from God.  Where in the scriptures does it say that Satan was something good and then fell to evil?  I can’t think of one verse.  Can you?

EZEKIEL 28

We will address this chapter because it is very important.  Aside from the Lucifer reference in Isaiah, this is the specific chapter in the bible where the teaching that Satan was a glorious angel comes from.

Ezekiel 28:1-2: “The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying, Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God” 

Ezekiel 28:11-17: “Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. 

Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. 

Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. 

Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.”

Let’s get the obvious out of the way.  In Ezekiel 28 the Lord commands His servant to say these words to King Tyrus.  Some say this story is also typology and yes, I would agree.  But what is it teaching?  The argument is that this has to be talking about Satan, something that was full of wisdom and perfect in beauty, something that was in Eden, the garden of God.  Something covered with precious stones and was perfect in all its ways until iniquity was found.  Those who teach that Satan was this beautiful cherub/angel say this HAS to be talking about Satan because King Tyrus was not in Eden.  It has to be Satan, he was the only one in the garden.  But wasn’t man in the garden too?

Let’s look at a couple of these verses in Ezekiel 28 more in depth.

• “Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle,  gold…”     

Does the list of these precious stones sound familiar?  Check out Revelations 21:19, 20.  It’s talking about the Temple of God, the New Jerusalem, the actual bride of Christ and the foundation being made up of these precious stones.  

• “Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God;” 

Here it talks about an anointed cherub or angel that covers.  Did you know the book of Revelation compares men to angels?

Revelation 21:17  Then he measured its wall, one hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel.


There is another topic that is important regarding Ezekiel 28, and that has to do with man being a temple for the Holy Spirit.  In the book of Exodus you have the people of God leaving Egypt and traveling to the promised land.  The Israelites were instructed on their journey to build the Tabernacle of Moses that housed the very presence of God.  In the Holy of Holies sat the Ark of the Covenant and it was topped with two angels that spread their wings over the Mercy Seat.  This is where the presence of God rested after the sacrifices were made.  When Christ, our sacrifice, died the curtain that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies (that housed the actual presence of God, even the face of God) ripped in two, signifying that through Jesus we now have full access to the Lord God, to speak with Him face to face.  We can now be His living temple through Christ, filled with His glorious presence.  

In this chapter of Ezekiel, when it speaks of the anointed cherub that covers, it is talking about something that housed the presence of God.  It is talking about the temple of God.  Satan was never meant to be filled with God's presence and His Spirit, but man was.  We will look at what the scriptures say about man being filled with the light of Christ and being filled with Holy Spirit of God in more detail shortly.

• “Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.”  

Man was perfect in God’s sight until he fell into sin and was cast out of the presence of God, the Garden of God, Eden.  This is in direct contrast to what we read above in John 8 and 1 John 3 speaking of the devil being evil from the beginning.  Man was perfect in the beginning and then fell into sin.  Satan was evil from the beginning.

 

STATISTICS AND ETYMOLOGY

Now you'd think with Lucifer being referenced in movies and television shows and preachers expounding on Satan's beauty of times past, the word Lucifer would be all over the bible.  Right?

There are 39 books in the Old Testament made up of 1189 chapters, containing approximately 31,103 verses. 


The word Lucifer is mentioned one time.    

The Old Testament was written in Hebrew and the word Lucifer in Hebrew is heylel.  It is used only once in Isaiah 14:12.  It is a noun that means LIGHT BEARER, MORNING STAR, SPLENDID STAR.  It comes from the root halal (a verb) meaning TO SHINE, TO PRAISE, TO BOAST, TO COMMEND, etc.  This verb halal is used 165 times in the OT and is never used in conjunction with Satan. Not one time. 

On the other hand Satan is mentioned about 20 times in the Old Testament, in 5 different books (if you count the serpent in Genesis, which most people would agree on).  The actual word Satan is used 19 times and is also pronounced "satan" in Hebrew and is a noun that means ADVERSARY and ONE WHO WITHSTANDS.  It comes from the root word sä·tan' which is a verb that simply means to ACT AS AN ADVERSARY.

I will quickly point out that the New Testament (we're talking Greek now, not Hebrew) uses Satan & "the devil" or in Greek diablos (coming from the root diaballō) which means FALSE ACCUSER, TO SLANDER .

Looking  at the Hebrew words LUCIFER and its primitive root, heylel and halal (meaning light-bearer, to shine), SATAN (meaning adversary) and if we want to stretch it to a completely different language THE DEVIL, diablos (meaning false accuser and slanderer) in the Greek, we can see that these words, from a purely etymological standpoint, have zero relation to each other. You could make the argument that in Hebrew, Satan (adversary) and in Greek, diablos (false accuser/slanderer) are somewhat similar in meaning.  

Isaiah has 66 chapters, 1292 verses and is one of the largest books of the Old Testament.  Ezekiel has 48 chapters and 1273 verses.  Isaiah & Ezekiel are NOT included in the 5 books of the OT that the serpent, the devil, Satan is mentioned in.  He is mentioned in Genesis, 1st Chronicles, Job, Psalms & Zachariah. 

Just to be thorough, the Hebrew word for serpent in Genesis is nachash and the root and meaning is...  Okay, I'm not going to give you this one for free.  You will have to research it yourself.  I will tell you that it has absolutely nothing to do with the Hebrew word heylel (lucifer - light bearer), but it is very interesting none the less, bringing up an entirely different topic. 

SPLITTING HAIRS

Are we splitting hairs?  Why is this important?  If you are asking that I will take the unfair advantage, since we are not in the same room with each other, and answer your question with a question.  Are we being deceived?  The scriptures also point out that Satan is a deceiver.  By believing something about our adversary, that has no basis in scripture, are we missing out on something else?  Something about ourselves?  Does this teaching interfere with our mind's ability to see ourselves as beautifully as God sees us?

Genesis says that God created man and woman in the image of Himself.  We were made in the image of the Lord God, the light of the world.  Whether you believe the story of the fall of man from the image of God into sin is a fact by fact account or an allegory, it tells us that we were meant for something more and Christ provided a way back to that.  What does Jesus say about us?

John 1:1-5 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.  In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

John 8:12

Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

Matthew 5:14-16

“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

James 1:17-18

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of Lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.  Of his own will He begat us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

 

Christ said that He is the light of life and whoever follows Him shall have the light of life and be the light of world.  Because He lives in us, we are to let our light shine before men.  Wouldn't that make us His light-bearers?

  

Did you know the New Testament actually gives us a warning that Satan would try to present himself to us as an angel of light? 

In 2 Corinthians Paul is writing to the church in Corinth, telling them how he sacrificed much to minister to them, but that they should be wary of false apostles.  When you read the verses below keep in mind the Greek word for transforming/transforms means to change the outward appearance.  Like a wolf in sheep's clothing you are deceiving someone into thinking you are something that you are not.


2 Corinthians 11:13-14

For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ.  And no wonder!  For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. 

CONCLUSION

If after all this you still believe the devil was created as a beautiful angel of light, that the one time Lucifer reference in Isaiah 14 is speaking of Satan, and that as a holy angel he fell from heaven, this leaves you with two dilemmas.   

You have believe two things about Satan that are not based in scripture.

1. You have to believe Satan, after falling from heaven as an angel, went back as an evil being (negating God's power to permanently cast someone out of heaven).
2. You have to believe Satan fell from heaven twice.

The first couple chapters of Job give some great insight into the relationship between God and Satan.  What we are looking at here is that Satan is in heaven speaking with God and he is evil.  He is there with other beings and he is something completely different.



Job 1:6-12

Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them.  And the Lord said to Satan, “From where do you come?”

So Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.”

Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?"

So Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing?  Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.  But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!"

And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person.”

So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

Job 2:1-7

Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the Lord.  And the Lord said to Satan, “From where do you come?”

Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.”

Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil? And still he holds fast to his integrity, although you incited Me against him, to destroy him without cause."

So Satan answered the Lord and said, “Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life.  But stretch out Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will surely curse You to Your face!" 

And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his life." 

So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord, and struck Job with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.

These two chapters in Job are very interesting.  Satan roamed the earth and was also allowed in heaven.  He was antagonistic towards God and towards His people. He was most definitely walking in his role as an adversary.  He was not yet cast out of heaven.



In Luke 10 Jesus sends out over 70 men in His name.  They are sent to heal the sick and do mighty works to show people the hope and freedom of the gospel.  It is only through the power of Christ that Satan lost his place in heaven.       



Luke10:17-19
 

Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name."

And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.   

Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.  


Satan, the adversary who was evil from the beginning, had always been allowed in heaven as we see in Job.  He was completely defeated at the cross through the death and resurrection of Jesus.  It wasn't until Christ defeated Satan that his place in heaven was abolished.   



If as Christians we are God's light bearers, what does that mean?  The simplest answer is that we are the living temple of God.  The scriptures say those who believe and are baptized (baptized is another word for immersed) will be saved.  When we believe in Jesus and are baptized in water, baptized in the Holy Spirit and filled with Him, we literally become God's living temple that bear His light and through Christ we have full access to God.  A union, if you will, with no abandonment. 

Let's conclude with four beautiful scriptures about being His temple and the ones who bear His light.

1 Corinthians 3:16

Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

1 Corinthians 6:19

 

Or know ye not that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which ye have from God? and ye are not your own;

2 Corinthians 6:16

And what agreement has the temple of God with idols?  For you are the temple of the living God; as God has said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Revelations 21: 9-27

Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.”  And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,  having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.  Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west.

Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.  And he who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates, and its wall.  The city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal.  Then he measured its wall: one hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel.  The construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass.  The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald,  the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.

But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.  The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it,  for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it.  Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there).  And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it.  But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

I will ask you one last question.  If no one ever told you Lucifer was Satan, would you come to that conclusion reading the scriptures?  Would you come to the conclusion that Satan was a wonderful being of light, falling from God's goodness and grace or was MAN filled with God's light, living in His presence until he fell into darkness?  

Is Satan God's light bearer or are you?

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