Many people who read the Bible or the Quran and go to temples, mosques, churches, and the Catholic Church all know that Lucifer is Satan. I grew up hearing it and I still hear it today. I have read the entire Bible (from Genesis to Revelation) more than 20 times. So let me ask you all: where did you find out that Lucifer is Satan?
Everyone who replied to me referred to nothing other than Isaiah 14:12 which says:
“How you have fallen from heaven,O shining one, son of the dawn!How you have been cut down to the earth,You who vanquished nations! –Isaiah 14:12New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures
“How hast thou fallen from heaven, O Shining One—Son of the Dawn! Hewn down to the earth, O crusher of nations! –Isaiah 14:12The Emphasized Bible
You see that in many English versions, these verses do not mention this name at all. But if you read this verse in the King James Version of the Bible, The Shining One—Son of the Dawn! is called Lucifer. It reads:
“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!–Isaiah 14:12King James version
Through these verses, Lucifer became a being and a name, so that it spread throughout the world that he was Satan while he was still in heaven. What does Lucifer mean? This name means “The Shining One” or “Light Bearer”!
Lucifer: “The Shining one” or The “Light Bearer”! !
Lucifer: Who is he?
To return to where this word or saying comes from in Isaiah 14:12, it has absolutely nothing to do with Satan. It mentions (if you read the entire passage) the king of a great country called Babylon. This name was like his nickname!
So why is the king of Babylon called “Lucifer” or “Light Bearer”? When you read Isaiah 14:2, you see that he was also given this name after his fall, falling to the earth! King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon’s pride made him so proud that he felt as if he were in the clouds, even above the stars of God, far above the clouds! (Read Isaiah 14:13, 14.)
You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to the heavens.Above the stars of God I will lift up my throne,And I will sit down on the mountain of meeting,In the remotest parts of the north.I will go up above the tops of the clouds;I will make myself resemble the Most High.’Instead, you will be brought down to the Grave,To the remotest parts of the pit.– Isaiah 14:13-15.
In prophetic terms, the “stars of God” were the kingdom that descended from David (Numbers 24:17) and ruled over Zion. This Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar, felt himself a brighter star than these stars of God, and even considered himself the “light-bearer” of the whole world, thus elevating himself above God! In his fall, in his downfall, the prophets spoke of him, saying, “The bright and blazing star that bears the light of the world” has gone out!!
I will see him, but not now;I will behold him, but not soon.A star will come out of Jacob,And a scepter will rise out of Israel.And he will certainly break apart the forehead of Moʹab.And the skull of all the sons of tumult.-Numbers 24:17
Isn’t this what people used to compare Nebuchadnezzar‘s behavior to that of an angel who once lived in heaven but then exalted himself and became “Satan“? Perhaps because he too placed himself above the supreme God—the Lord, the Eternal, Jehovah—and wanted to replace him and take power for himself! This Satan, too, eventually fell to the ground.
So does this mean that Satan is Lucifer?
Well, not at all, if that was his name the Bible would have made it clear. For example, the Bible only gives us the names of two angels. The angel Gabriel (Daniel 8:16, Luke 1:19) and the archangel Michael (Revelation 12:7). Of course, each angel has his own name, just like we humans. Even this angel who became an enemy, fighting against God, also has a name, like the other bad angels who followed him (the demons)!
Why are their names (Satan and his demons) unknown?
It is not really important to know them. There are many angels whose names are unknown, how much less important are those of God’s enemy, Satan, and his angels! Someone asked an angel his name, and he replied, “No, why do you ask my name, since it is a wonderful name?” (Judges 13:18)! They do not like to mention their names because they work on behalf of God who sent them.
Conclusion
Satan is not a name; it’s a description of who he is. Satan means “Resister” or “Adversary and Enemy.” He was called that because of what he did. It is not his own name given by God while he was with Him in heaven. Lucifer is not his name!
So we don’t know what Satan was called while he was in heaven, just as we don’t know the names of God’s other angels in heaven, who number in the millions: we only know two! Studying the Bible helps us avoid attributing to it what it didn’t say, adding to it, or subtracting from it.
