 ow art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart: "I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God...I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation in the sides of the north, I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High." (Isaiah 14: 12-14) KJV |
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SATAN IN THE BIBLE There are some remarkable passages in the Bible that refer to the one variously called "the adversary, slanderer and tempter." After his ungainly first appearance as the upright, tempting serpent in the Garden of Eden, Satan is officially recognized in the book of Job where he accused the patriarch before God. In 1 Chronicles 21:2, he led David to take a census against the will of God. He again accused the Israelite nation before God in Zechariah 3. Most interesting perhaps, is the commentary on his nature and subsequent fall found in two important scriptural references -- The five infamous "I will's" of Satan quoted above depict clearly the destructive pride of the so-called "adversary." Also -- Ezekiel 28:1-19 -- "Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyre, and say unto him, 'Thus saith the Lord God; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God.Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty.'" The description here is not that of a "Nagid" (earthly king of Tyre) alone. It refers to a special created being who had a special position before the Throne of God. As the "anointed" cherub, he led the worship of the universe at one time. But through pride, he tried to usurp for himself that which properly belonged to God. The New Testament is replete with references to "Lucifer." In fact, every writer in the NT and 19 books in all refer to him. In the Gospels alone: Matthew 4:10 and 12:26, Mark 1:13, 3:23 and 4:15, Luke 11:18 and 22:3, John 13:27, et al. Jesus Himself refers to Satan 25 times -- the ultimate but unfortunate proof of his existence. |