LUCIFER.
Writen byLamulaniBNgwenya
When God created the first people, there were grave expectations, the intelligence exhibited in name the animals shows the nature of God’s creation. Man was an exhibition of Divine superiority. God did not create an imbecile. Adam a representation of God’s ideal, was created alone without a helper to suit his needs. Rather he was created alone. The animal kingdom could not satisfy Adam’s social needs. Eve, the woman, showed herself capable of understanding Adam. She was also intelligent. The fact that she is called a helper meet for her husband, qualifies her to be of the same intelligence like Adam. The theory of evolution has relegated man to a lower state. Origins matter and lower life form origins as propounded by the Evolutionary theory makes life and existence meaningless. A theory that gives life an origin that is supernatural, implies that there is more to life than just metabolic functions of the cells, with terminal implications. Instead we are told in the bible that we are to cling to qualities like “...faith, hope, charity...1”
How does the theory of evolution explain qualities like as love? Love becomes a an effect caused by hormonal interactions. According to Fisher, love is “...a discrete constellation of emotions, motivations and behaviors...2” This approach to love is known as “Neural mechanism” where love is a compounding effect of neurons and psychological issues tagging along to cause an effect that we call love. In this perspective love is nothing more than just biological and metabolic systems. Love is said to be the driving force “...covereth all sins...”3
Love competes with narcissistic philosophy. These man centered philosophies have dethroned love, and they have made the theology of love stink with the science of selfishness. The church should not succumb to philanthropic ideologies, that seek to usurp Love and substitute it with works of good deeds and man made maxims. Scripture states that God himself is “...Love...” Making love a more than just “...neural mechanisms...” People tend to have their own definitons of love, which upon scrutiny they fail to properly match up to the Divine Standard.
Storge is the Latin for love, this type of love is parental love. It is the type of love that is manifested by a parent towards an offspring. This love according to the bible is shallow compared to the divine love.
(Isa 49:15 [KJV]) Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.
Phileo is the love we find between friends and family members. This kind of love has its share of complications. The very first homicidal issues involved brothers.
And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. (Gen 4:8 KJV)
Eros is another class of love, this is the type that centers around conjugally meted favors. The usual effect maybe issues like cohabitation and extra marital affairs. Small houses and adulterious affairs.
2Sa 11:2-4 KJV
(2) And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon.
(3) And David sent and enquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?
(4) And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she returned unto her house.
Agape is commonly refeerd to as the kind of love that God is commonly known for. This is the unconditional love, undeserved love, the kind of love that we may refer to as sacrificial love.
(John 15:13 [KJV]) Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
(Rom 5:8 [KJV]) But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
In Romans, Paul looks back on the death of Jesus as a fait accompli4. Something that has already happened or been done and that you cannot change...5. The death of Christ sealed and signed the fact that He is Love incarnate. The religions of this world sell to us gods that are untouchable. The gods are so holy that they can not be touched by our human frailty. Allah is so high and exalted that he requires stringency in observance of religious issues. Sharia for example has little room to non-negotiation with regards to legality of observing the law. Any divergence will result in severe penalties depending on the gravity of the crime. Yet Paul clearly shows that the Love of God is commended to us ward while we were sinners.
However wonderful though it may sound but that love has been challenged. The exists today as we know it an enemy of Love, this enemy is known to only those who believe in him, those who believe that he exists. The devil first appears in the Book as a personality. In the book of chronicles he is the one who caused Davis to sin. Satan as he is sometimes known, he is not, in a biblical sense, a mythological creature. Medieval paintings make the Satan mythological. More of a genetic combination of a reptile with Bat wings.
Scripture doesn’t doubt the existence of Satan. As Much as scripture points out that even the Devils do believe in God and they tremble.
(Jas 2:19 [KJV])... the devils also believe, and tremble.
(1Chr 21:1 [KJV]) And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.6
(Job 1:6 [KJV]) Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.
The bible also uses the imagery of a serpent to illustrate to us the insidiousness of Satan.
Gen 3:1 KJV (1) Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
Satan’s characteristics.
Gen 3:1 KJV (1) Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
1. Subtil7 (O.E) Orphiomophic.
This type of approach is refered to in theology as the “...orphiomophosis...” this is a figurative language representational in nature attributing snake qualities to a non-snake entity. The snake quality that the authour wants us to be aware of is the subtlity. Notice that Satan doesn’t come to Even in his natural form but he hides behind a figure. This particular covert style is known as “...possession...” Satan possesses his victims in order to deface the image of God from man. He makes God’s character seem evil due to his seclusive and secret operations.
2. Accuser.
Satan is also called the accuser of the believers. This New Testament nomenclature is a derivative of a scriptural reference in Zechariah.
(Zech 3:1 [KJV]) And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him.
(Rev 12:10 [KJV]) And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
(Job 1:8-10 [KJV]) 8 And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?
9 Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?
10 Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land
Other appalations include term like Advesary...the book of Nahum states that the Lord will “...God is jealous, and the LORD revengeth; the LORD revengeth, and is furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies. (Nah 1:2 [KJV])
(1Sam 2:10 [KJV]) The adversaries8 of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the LORD shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed.
God is intolarable to any mindset that is similar to that one of the devil. the mindset that is potrayed by the advesary is that of being querallesome, contentious, defensive and militant9. Korah and Dathan exhibited the same qualities….
(Num 16:1 [KJV]) Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men:
(Num 16:2 [KJV]) And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown:
(Num 16:3 [KJV]) And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?
God’s reaction towards these dissenters is evidence to show how much God hates a Jealousy.
(Num 16:27 [KJV]) So they gat up from the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, on every side: and Dathan and Abiram came out, and stood in the door of their tents, and their wives, and their sons, and their little children. (Num 16:32 [KJV]) And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods.
Eze 28:16 KJV (16) 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.
3. Anthropomorphic.
The bible dipicts the devil as a personality. Never has the bible ever hinted at any time that the devil may be a force or energy. But rather he is seen talking, walking and engaged in intellictually stimulated conversation. We find again in other places were he is equated to people. For example the bible use the kings of bothe Tyre and Babylone as types of the Satan….
Eze 28:12 KJV (12) Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD;
Isa 14:4 KJV (4) That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased!
Isa 14:12 KJV (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!
In these verses the Devil appears as a Personage. He is addressed as a king. Paul qualifies some of these qualities when he states in (Eph 6:12 [KJV]) that “...we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness10 of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Dan 10:13 KJV (13) But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael,11 one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia…
(Zech 3:2 [KJV]) And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?
(Jude 1:9 [KJV]) Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.
(Rev 12:7 [KJV]) And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels...
Why the Name Lucifer?
There are major theological problems with the name Lucifer. The name itself is found only once in the bible. Words which are found once in the Bible are called “Hapax legomena” , the name Lucifer is such a proper noun. The extant to which this word offers problems facinates equally as much as to the solution. The noun Lucifer is a latin which has interesting connotations in Roman religions…
Why Lucifer? In Roman astronomy, Lucifer was the name given to the morning star (the star we now know by another Roman name, Venus). The morning star appears in the heavens just before dawn, heralding the rising sun. The name derives from the Latin term lucem ferre, bringer, or bearer, of light."12.
So what is a Latin term doing in a Hebrew bible? Some Bibles do not translate this term as Lucifer but rather they give a litteral translation:
Isa 14:12 (GNT) King of Babylon, bright morning star, you have fallen from heaven! In the past you conquered nations, but now you have been thrown to the ground.
Isa 14:12 How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn!, NASU, NIV, WEB, CJB, NLT, ESV- O Day Star, E son of Dawn!, AMP O n light-bringer and daystar,
What a comedown this, O Babylon! Daystar! Son of Dawn!13 Shining morning star,14
It seems most of the Common English bibles and their new common theology do not use the proper noun of Lucifer. One of the common arguments used against using the term Lucifer is...
“...St. Jerome in the fourth century...had mistranslated the Hebraic metaphor, "Day star, son of the Dawn," as "Lucifer," and over the centuries a metamorphosis took place. Lucifer the morning star became a disobedient angel, cast out of heaven to rule eternally in hell. Theologians, writers, and poets interwove the myth with the doctrine of the Fall, and in Christian tradition Lucifer is now the same as Satan, the Devil, and ironically --- the Prince of Darkness...15”
it is quite interesting to note that it is the Jesuit bible and the king James bilbe that maintain the appalation Lucifer. This may seem odd to those who think the King James superior over the other translations, yet it is little nuances like these that vindicate the providencial conception of the the AV. If Jerome had translated the term הֵילֵל as Lucifer, then this vindicates some of the claims brought upon the KJB that is used a few corrupt manuscripts in the translation. Yet this usage of the term Lucifer is found also in the King James....
To be continued......