Son of the Morning – Isaiah 14
Satan, the personification of evil, was once one of God’s most beautiful angels in Heaven. This evil angel was originally called Lucifer, which means son of the morning (Isaiah 14:12). He was the prince of angels, the bearer of light. God created him to be perfect in wisdom and beauty, a spectacle of flawlessness. But this was not enough for him. For He wanted to sit on the mount of God and be like God. The prophet Isaiah described his proud heart in the following passage which also referred secondarily to the King of Babylon :
“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’”
Isaiah 14:12-14
Isaiah had been permitted to see beyond the literal king of Babylon (ch. 14:4) to Satan, whose character and policies the king of Babylon carried out (verses 12–16). In fact, it would appear that Satan designed to make Babylon the center and agency of his great plan to have full control of the human race, even as God purposed to work through Jerusalem.
Satan – Ezekiel 28
Also, the prophet Ezekiel wrote the following passage about this dark angel: “Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God:
“You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering…You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; you were on the holy mountain of God… You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you…“Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; I cast you to the ground’ ” (Ezekiel 28:12-19).
Without a doubt these verses transcends the king of Tyre in its application. Therefore, we can conclude that Ezekiel was allowed to see the invisible yet powerful being whom the king of Tyre served. This passage describes how perfect and beautiful this evil angel was. This is significant in that it explains that God did not create evil, He created beauty and perfection.
(See just Bible verses on Origin, History, and Destiny of Satan)
The Fallen Angel
Lucifer as an angel wanted the glory that should only go to the Creator. He wanted it so badly that he was even willing to fight against God for it. He struggled as God’s rival and opposed all that the Creator stands for. So, he and the angels that followed him rebelled against God in heaven. Revelation 12:7-9 reveals the fact that there was an actual war in heaven (read full passage of Revelation 12):
“… Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”
As a result of that war, this evil angel was cast cast out of heaven and cut down to the ground. Pride caused his fall and also the fall of those that chose to listen to him. In His own words, Jesus described the scene as “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven” (Luke 10:18). Some may ask how many angels chose to follow this evil angel? The Bible does not say, however, in Revelation 12:4 we read:
“His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth.”
The devil deceived a third of the heavenly angels. It was after his revolt, that he was kicked out of heaven and his name was changed to Satan (Job 1:6-9; Matthew 4:10).
The Final Outcome
God didn’t destroy the evil angels immediately but had to allow sin to run its course, so that the whole universe can see the fruits of evil and never question God’s justice and love again. Had God destroyed the evil angels, His other creatures would have served Him out of fear.
Afterwards, the devil, fallen from heaven, found a stronghold on earth. And he successfully deceived Adam and Eve by lies and tempted them to break God’s command and eat of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3). The devil and his angels want to hurt God by hurting His children. But God loves humans and offered His life to save them (Genesis 3:15; John 3:16).
Now the evil angel, along with all of the fallen angels who are known as demons (Revelation 20:2), are trying their best to make sure that they deceive as many humans as they can. And the best way they can do that is to continue the rebellion against Him here on earth and take as many as they can down with them because they know their time is short.
This wicked angel is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44). He deceives people by making himself appear as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). In fact, he will perform miracles and use “all power and signs and lying wonders” to lead the world astray (2 Thessalonians 2:9). He will perform great “wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect” (Matthew 24:24).
That is why the apostle Peter warns us to, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Daily study of the Scriptures and a life of prayer give the believer wisdom, faith and strength to overcome the evil temptations (John 15:4).
Ultimately, this evil angel and his demons will be overcome eternally (Matthew 25:41). The destiny of this evil angel is already set. These wicked beings “which kept not their first estate” are destined to be destroyed in the hell fire of the last day. And sin then, will be eradicated from the Universe.
Today, Lucifer is depicted as a misunderstood creature – a victim in Hollywood’s movies and TV-shows. However, the reality is that he is out there to get and deceive people from seeing God as a Loving Creator, who just wants to save all. For thousands of years, he has been in his darkest domain coming up with strategy after strategy to capture the weak.
The good new is that Jesus overcame this evil angel. And He has offered the believers all the power that they need to overcome their weaknesses too. God is infinitely stronger than this dark angel. If Christians unite with Him, they can overcome and their sins and all their weaknesses (Philippians 4:13; Romans 8:37).
When the divine commands are truly kept, the Lord makes Himself responsible for the success of the work done by the believer. In Christ, there is strength to fulfill duty, power to resist all temptations and stamina for service. “Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57).
In His service,
BibleAsk Team
