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| Volume 22 Number 12 December 2020 | Page 10 |
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| Volume 22 Number 12 December 2020 | Page 10 |
Mark McWhorter
Many religious people around the world are familiar with the name Lucifer. Most believe it is a name for Satan. It appears in the King James Bible [and some other translations] in 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!”
Isaiah 14:4 identifies the person of verse twelve. This condemnation was toward the king of Babylon. The king of Babylon was a haughty and an arrogant man. Isaiah told him that even though the king thought himself to be the greatest man in the world, he would be brought low by God.
The Hebrew word used in verse twelve is the word for morning star. This star was the last star on the horizon just before the sun came over the horizon. It was extremely brilliant in its shining just before the sun came up. Yet, as soon as the sun came over the horizon, the morning star could no longer be seen.
Just as the morning star was bright for a brief time, so would the king of Babylon be. He would shine brightly among men but disappear quickly when God, the ultimate light, decided to destroy him. Leaders of countries today should learn a lesson from this. They should desire to serve God and be the best leaders they can be. They should realize that they should lead their people in proper ethics and morals. They should be good examples. While they may be powerful, it is only for a brief time.
All people should desire to be the best they can be. All of us are only on earth for a brief time. During that time, we should desire to serve God.
Do not be like Lucifer, the Babylonian king. Do not be arrogant. Do not think more of yourself than you should. Desire to serve God. Be good to all men.
Study your Bible. Learn how to obey God. If any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help you.
More about Lucifer
Mark McWhorter
Many religious people in the world believe that the name Lucifer was given in the Bible for Satan. However, the name Lucifer is actually used in Isaiah 14:12 for the king of Babylon.
The word Lucifer is a Latin word used to translate the Hebrew word for morning star. The word was first used for Satan by Tertullian and Origen, but it did not become common as a name for Satan until Milton used it in his Paradise Lost. After Paradise Lost became popular, many people started believing that Lucifer was actually a name given in the Bible for Satan.
The king of Babylon was compared to the morning star. All of those hearing Isaiah’s prophecy would understand this comparison. There was an ancient Canaanite story regarding the morning star. According to the story, the morning star desired to become king of the mountain of the gods in the north. The morning star wanted the highest place of the highest god and wanted to be ruler of the world. He was defeated in his attempt and was thrown down to the underworld.
This is what Isaiah was saying would happen to the king of Babylon. He desired to be the greatest of all kings on earth. He even considered himself as high as God, but he discovered that God is more powerful.
Do not be like the king of Babylon. Do not think too highly of yourself. Be humble no matter how important you may become in this world.
Study your Bible. Learn to serve God, and if any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help you.