Who is Lucifer? Is Lucifer, the Devil?

By Mark Farquharson

Who is Lucifer? Is Lucifer, the Devil?…. Nearly all Christians have heard of the story of how Lucifer was an Archangel who was cast out of Heaven, because of his pride.

But there are some problems with the story…

Lets have a look:

First of all in the King James Version of the Bible, the word Lucifer only turns up once. That’s right the word is only in the bible one time, and one time only…. This should raise some red flags….

Isaiah 14:12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! KJV

Now if you did not know, bible translations have errors, so we are putting a lot of stock in this word which could be miss translated…

And in other translations the word Lucifer does not even show up at all….

Isaiah 14:12 How hast thou fallen from the heavens, O shining one, son of the dawn! Thou hast been cut down to earth, O weakener of nations. YLT

Here it is translated, shining one….

How can we apply this passage to Lucifer?, he is not even mentioned….

The word Lucifer comes from a Latin translation. The King James does not translate the word… It is a Latin word meaning light, or Shining…

Other translations do translate the word…. But why use the Latin Translation, why not translate the Hebrew text????

A study of the Hebrew text shows that the word should not be rendered “Lucifer”. In Zechariah 11:2 the exact same word is translated “howl” It occurs in the feminine again in the same chapter, verse 31. It is find in Isaiah ten times in slightly different forms and each time it is translated “howl” {13:6; 15:2,3; 16:7,7; 23:1,6,14; 52:5; 65:14}. In Isaiah 14:12 it should also be translate “howl”. No compelling reason exists for rendering the word “Lucifer”. This human invention should not be in the scriptures.

In the CLV it is render correctly as “Howl”

Isaiah 14:12 How you have fallen from the heavens! Howl, son of the dawn! You are hacked down to the earth, defeater of all nations!" CLV

But is Isaiah describing Satan’s fall in the past in Isaiah 14:3-20? No Isaiah is not describing Satan’s past fall. Isaiah is describing a future event, to do with the King of Babylon (Isa.14:3-20). There is no mention of Satan here at all. If Isaiah as some suggest had change subjects from the King to Satan, then one of Satan’s names would have been used, but there is no name there for Satan.

Note it states that the King said "To the heavens will I ascend!”. However Satan would have already been in the Heavens before his fall, he would not have had to ascend to them {Isaiah 14:13}. Many Kings in the past have thought of themselves as gods, and even had there subjects think of them as gods.

Satan was cast out of heaven when Christ went to heaven, but you can not compare the two different events. Here we see the truth there is no Lucifer……

So is Satan a fallen Angel? There is actually no evidence in the bible to say that he was an angel that fell. Some say while there is no evidence to support him being a fallen Angel, that does not mean that he is not. Of course it does not mean he is ether. If there is no evidence, then you should not go round saying that Satan is a fallen angel.

Is he a unique created being? There is much debate, some say that there are passages that support, him being evil from the beginning, others say that these passages do not mean he was created evil, but was evil from the beginning of the world… That he could have become evil.

Here are two of the three passages:

1 John 3:8 Yet he who is doing sin is of the Adversary, for from the beginning is the Adversary sinning. CLV

John 8:44 You are of your father, the Adversary, and the desires of your father you are wanting to do. He was a man-killer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, for truth is not in him. Whenever he may be speaking a lie, he is speaking of his own, for he is a liar, and the father of it." CLV

There is nothing in these passages that state that he became evil.

Here is the last passage in three different translations:

Job 26:13

(KJV) By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent.

(Rotherham) By his spirit, hath he arched the heavens, His hand hath pierced the fleeing serpent.

(CLV) By His spirit the heavens were made seemly; His hand travailed with the fugitive serpent.

You can see in the KJV that it states that God formed the crooked serpent, meaning that when God made Satan, he made him crooked. However fleeing serpent or fugitive serpent is more correct, and travailed or pierced is more correct than formed. Satan is fugitively like a serpent.

châlal according to Strong’s means: properly to bore, that is, (by implication) to wound, to dissolve;

While He garnished the heavens {more correct in this case}, he pierced or wounded Satan. This seems to imply that God in the making of Satan, wounded him. God can make vessel for honor or dishonor. Thus God made Satan for dishonor, as part of his overall plan. Ultimately Satan will be healed, and reconciled back to God.

Copyright © M J Farquharson 2006 Revised 2009

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