I grew up with the notion that God and his angels started off all happy up in heaven, and then one day one angel decided he was as good as God and ruined everything. He chose to go against God and evil was born. He was banished to hell, along with anyone who followed him. From then on there were the Trinity and the good angels in heaven, and Lucifer became "the devil," or Satan, and had all his fallen angels, also known as demons, with him in hell.
Hmm. I'm thinking that's not really how it all went down, but the more I study the more confused I get.
It seems that the name "Lucifer" is the Latin translation of "Morning Star" or "Day star" referenced in Isaiah 14:12 which is a taunt directed to the king of Babylon. (Read Isaiah 14.)
But then this same term is used in 2 Peter 1:19: "And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts."
And again in Revelation 22:16 : "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star."
So Jesus claims to be the Morning Star, which in Latin is Lucifer? That's confusing.
Also, I always blamed evil on Satan (Lucifer). He was the one who became evil and now taunts humans and causes all kinds of evil in the world, right? But John 1:1-3 says: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made."
So, nothing that has ever been made was made apart from God, including sin and evil?
Maybe someone who has more knowledge can shed more light on this for me.
And what about Beelzebub (aka Ba'al Zebûb, Lord of Things That Fly, Lord of the Flies), the deity that was being worshiped and was called "the prince of demons" by the Pharisees in Matthew 12:24: "But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, "It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons."
Why do we assume these are all the same-- the serpant, Satan, the Morning Star or Day Star or Lucifer, Beelzebub?
I know so little. Maybe none of it matters. Maybe it matters a lot. I don't know. But can I blame the origins of evil on "the enemy" or was it just God's plan all along that it would exist? I'm not sure. But it does exist. I believe that God is the victor and in Him I will be too. I believe that God loves us all very much and we are to love like Him. But it's all very confusing to me right now...
5 comments:
I hope the title of your post is hyperbole, but if not i can empathize.
i'm in my 2nd year studying theology formally, and we haven't tackled this issue yet. it does perplex me (to put it lightly) as well. when you try to fit this within a deterministic framework it gets even scarier. i'm always comforted by the fact that you and i are in a long line of theologians who have asked these questions for centuries and yet still believed The Story. epistemological humility is my Rx in this case. keep studying and searching and, most of all, praying. don't stop praying!
When I was in seminary the whole idea of the first year was to tear down everything you once believed. I think this was done so that in the second year you could be taught new ideas. Then the third year you begin to piece your personal theology together. I think you are not in a meltdown so much as a tear down. It really isn't a bad thing to be confused and know it. It is worse to be confused and not know it!
Evil is an issue that has perplexed the greatest minds over the centuries, so you are in excellent company. I think, though the term Lucifer can simply mean "light" or "bright light." Perhaps it was also used to describe the evening star, etc. Now, just because a word is used in different contexts does not mean that it is the same thing. It would make more sense this way.
I look forward to reading more about your struggle with this. I would be happy to discuss it with you further, if you would like! You really sound like you are on a good path... so don't let it disturb you too much.
Many Blessings, Jim
Now you've done it. You have opened up a big can of worms here. I seem to go to; "if God is omniscient"(and He is) then He knew how this would all turn out before He ever got started.And knowing that, He made Lucifer, and all the fallen angels, and then He loved them, even though He knew they had one foot out the door. I wonder what God was thinking when one of these "destined to fall" beings entered the throne room and praised Him.Even though He knew they were going to tempt, corrupt, vandalize, contaminate, weaken, and destroy man, He still let it all happen. Even though He knew Adam was going to sin, and we were all going to follow, He didn't say."I don't need this." and scrap the whole idea.
The simple fact that knowing what He knew, to continue on, and not scrap the whole thing, this is where my head starts to get all dizzy inside.
It then also follows that God knew from the get go how He was going to redeem the world. That's amazing.
Kim, You might want to get a hold of the book by Fowler on stages of faith developement. Jim is on the right track. Seminary hasn't done this to you (yet) but your own pursuit of the knowledge of God and combining what you know with the experiences that you have had. As we grow in our faith development the first thing that must happen is our discontent with where we are. You're fine. Keep pushing forward, keep asking questions. I have finally come to understand the verse that says, "work out your salvation with fear and trembling". I use to think, "What is there to work out? I've been told what to think, what to believe, how to act." I now know that each new question and discovery brings me to my knees trusting I am growing in my knowledge of that Mysterious One.
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