Is there any Biblical evidence that Lucifer was the choir director in heaven, or is that just a myth purported by Dante or something?
Oh maybe people got that from Isaiah 14:11, but isn't that talking about Nebuchadnezzar? Thank you for the question! One of the things that constantly amazed me during my studies at Fuller Theological Seminary was how many ideas and concepts embraced by the populace continue to be nothing more than theological "urban legends." The topic of Satan, perhaps to the chagrin of many readers here, is no exception. Of course it must be noted that the Bible tells us plainly in the New Testament that the devil is a real personage bent on destroying the works of God and His people. Paul, under no uncertain terms, warns us of these "principalities and powers" from which we must hold our guard against (Eph. 6:12). But our concern here is the devil's origin, not his mere existence (which I firmly embrace). The origins of Satan are speculative in terms of the famous Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 passages commonly cited as descriptions of the pre-fallen state of the devil. You are correct to suggest that Isaiah 14 is not about the devil as such. These passages refer to the Kings of Babylon and Tyre. They describe these "Lucifer" rulers as possessing a privileged status before God and yet being absorbed with power, pride, and a willingness to deceive their followers: 14:12 "How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, [some translations , thanks to the Latin Vulgate, show Lucifer here which means "light-bearer"] son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! 14:13 You said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far north; 14:14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will make myself like the Most High.' 14:15 But you are brought down to Sheol, to the depths of the Pit. 28:13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, carnelian, topaz, and jasper, chrysolite, beryl, and onyx, sapphire, carbuncle, and emerald; and wrought in gold were your settings and your engravings. On the day that you were created they were prepared. 28:14 With an anointed guardian cherub I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God; in the midst of the stones of fire you walked. 28:15 You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you. 28:16 In the abundance of your trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned; so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God, and the guardian cherub drove you out from the midst of the stones of fire. Thanks to Dante's Inferno and Milton's Paradise Lost, we have successfully embraced this urban legend. But the addressee of each of these cursings is clear: 14:4 you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon: "How the oppressor has ceased, the insolent fury ceased! and 28:12 "Son of man, raise a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say to him, Thus says the Lord GOD: "You were the signet of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. So the question that naturally arises is: From whence do we derive these passages as referring to Satan? I think there are three reasons why some of the Church Fathers and many today regard these as indirect descriptions of the devil: (i) The kings are said to be "cast down" from God/heaven. Luke 10:18 and Revelation 12:7-10 attach the "casting down" to Satan. (ii) Satan is referred to as an "angel of light" which flirt with the notions of being a "cherub" and a "light-bearer/Lucifer" (2 Corinthians 11:14). (iii) Rev. 12:8 suggests that the devil once had his residence in heaven, which seems to be the point of departure for the two kings cursed in Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28. Whether there is any deeper significance to the Isaiah and Ezekiel passages in their condemnation of those two kings is beyond our ability to confidently grasp. But one thing is for sure, there are similarities in the kings' condemnations as with Satan in Rev. 12 and Luke 10. But we have to be careful not to make too much out of what little we know. As a local Vegas pastor said recently, "Though we shouldn't underestimate the power of Satan, neither should we overestimate it either!" |
Follow this blog
