Christian Churches of God
No. 223z
Summary:
Lucifer: Light Bearer and Morning Star
(Edition 1.0 19970807-19970907)
Lucifer effectively means "Light Bearer." Because of a common misunderstanding of the terms "Lucifer" and "Morning Star", and their misapplication as personal names, some have even gone to the extent of confusing Christ with Satan.
Christian Churches of God
PO Box 369, WODEN ACT 2606, AUSTRALIA
E-mail:
secretary@ccg.org
(Copyright ã 1997 Wade Cox)
(Summary by Patti Gambier, ed. Wade Cox)
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Lucifer: Light Bearer and Morning Star
"Lucifer" is attributed to Satan as a name, and has taken on a negative sense. "Morning Star" has similarly been used as a name for Jesus Christ. The confusion caused by these misapplications has lead to the claim by some that Christ and Satan are one and the same, as two sides of the one coin.
The Jews do not fully understand as they reject Messiah as Morning Star.
The LXX renders Isaiah 14:12 as, "How has Lucifer that rose in the morning fallen from heaven". Lucifer is the English translation of the Greek word phosphoros for the Hebrew word Shining Star, or Morning Star. (See also the paper The Golden Calf (No. 222)).
In the Greek New Testament, the term rendered Day Star in English is actually phosphoros (in 1Pet. 1:19) in relation to Christ in the KJV but rendered as Morning Star in the RSV. Both versions avoid the real sense, which is Light Bringer as Phosphoros. Lucifer is the Latin translation of this word. So the Light Bearer that dawns in our hearts is a Lucifer (Isa. 14:12). Christ and Satan are each called Lucifer as Light Bearer or Phosphoros.
The Light-bringer and the Morning Star or Day Star are ranks and not names. Therein lies the key to the confusion.
In Revelation 2:28 the rank is extended to the elect. Revelation 22:16 refers explicitly to Jesus Christ as Morning Star.
The names have the same derivation and yet they refer to two distinct beings. Thus we are speaking of a rank and function which is held by Satan, and which is to be assumed by Christ at the Advent.
This is further demonstrated in the Hebrew from Job 38: 4-7. The words are rendered Stars of the Morning or Morning Stars and indicate two or more beings of that rank, which includes Christ, Satan and other members of the Host. These stars represented the princes of the Host.
Linguistically these beings were "blazing as a star of the morning;" referring to the brightest star in the heavens which is Venus. The Babylonians applied this star to their deity, Ishtar.
From Job 38: 4-7 it is seen that "all the sons of God" and "the morning stars" sang together. It is understood the creation of these stars happened after the creation of the sons of God. That is, the ranks were created after the entities and these positions were symbolised by the stars themselves, which formed part of their dominion.
On Christ’s return government of this planet is transferred from Satan to Christ, and from Revelation 2:28 the rank of morning star is extended to the elect of God, who, through the Holy Spirit, share rule of the planet with Christ.
The explanations that seek to make Christ and Satan one, or to deny both are morning stars, strike at the understanding of this transfer of power and the role of the elect at the Advent.
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