Lucifer

History of Lucifer

Lucifer, also known as Luzbel or Satan, is the fallen angel who, according to Christian tradition, was the original enemy and tempter of God. His name comes from Latin and means “bearer of light”, and in Ancient Greece it was used to refer to a morning star. Later, the Christian tradition adopted the name to represent the fallen angel, who, endowed with great beauty and intelligence, ultimately rebelled against God. His pride led him to be exiled along with the third part of the celestial court, resulting in one of the greatest cosmic dramas ever to happen. After being exiled, he adopted the name Satan and became the great adversary and embodiment of evil on Earth.

 

Luzbel, the most beautiful angel of creation

According to history, Luzbel was the most beautiful angel created by God. He was endowed with great beauty and intelligence, making him God’s favorite and the most suitable to organize and lead the rest of the angels. He had the complete trust of God, but this was not enough. Seduced by his pride, vanity, and feeling of superiority over God, he dragged a large part of the celestial court into rebellion, whose final consequences were the existence of evil, pain, and death in the world.

“How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn!” (Is 14.12)

Lucifer was then the cause of one of the greatest cosmic dramas ever to happen. Exiled for his rebellion, he became the first fallen angel, the ideologue of evil, and the first tempter. From then on he would be Satan, the instigator of the dark side, and the adversary of God. However, after being exiled, Lucifer could still enter heaven, according to Job:

“And the Lord said to Satan: ‘Where have you come from?’ Then Satan answered the Lord, and said: ‘I have been traveling the earth and walking on it. (Job 1:7; 2:2)'”

 

Thrown to Earth

The entrance to heaven was forbidden to him centuries later, during the time of Jesus. According to the Apocalypse, the sacrifice of Christ was essential in confining him to Earth. In Apocalypse 12 (The woman, the dragon, and the child), it is said that Satan was defeated by the blood of the Lamb and then thrown to Earth, along with his army, by the Archangel Michael. From then on, neither he nor his followers would have a place in heaven.

Despite the magnitude and importance of his history, Lucifer is little mentioned in the Bible, although there are numerous references to the demon, the Devil, and Satan, which for the Christian tradition is almost the same. It is known that he was mentioned in ancient Bibles, but over time he disappeared. His history is also full of contradictions and is little developed in Sacred Scripture. Some experts have mentioned that his myth comes from a misunderstanding or translation error, since his name, which in Latin means “bearer of light”, has been taken as a proper name.

 

Is Lucifer, the Devil and Satan the same thing?

In Christian tradition, Lucifer, the Devil, and Satan are the same entity, although their descriptions may vary in some aspects. In the Old Testament, Satan is mentioned as the enemy or adversary, with no relation to fallen angels or demons. Later, he became the representation of evil and the enemy of divine power.

In the New Testament, Satan appears as the Devil, although he is also known by other nicknames: Father of Lies, Evil One, Dragon, Ancient Serpent, Seducer of the Whole World, Prince of Demons, Beelzebub, among others. Lucifer, on the other hand, is not mentioned directly in the Old Testament, but appears as the “bearer of light” or “beautiful light”.

It is important to note that for Christianity, Lucifer is the name of the angel before his fall and Satan is the name he adopted after his fall.

 

The first and other fallen angels.

The fallen angels are those who have turned away from God after questioning him. As a result, they were banished from heaven and, in many cases, sent to hell. Depending on the source, there are two versions of the fall of angels: the biblical version in which Satan (or Lucifer) is the leader, and the version in the Book of Enoch, where 200 angels fall in total, led mainly by Semyazza.

 

The Watchers and the Book of Enoch.

In the version of the Book of Enoch, the fallen angels, known as “Vigilantes” or “Grigori”, were sent to Earth to care for humanity. However, they fell in love with the daughters of man and married them, knowing that this would condemn them. Their children, the Nephilim, are mentioned in the Bible as giant semi-gods.

“And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.” Genesis 6

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The fall of the angels was not primarily due to lust, but to the revelation of secrets and the estrangement from God caused by doubts and insults. Among humans, the Watchers began to teach the art of war and the creation of weapons, which caused an imbalance among the first human beings. Finally, tired of the abuses, God expelled them from Paradise with the help of the archangel Michael.

One of the first fallen angels was Lucifer, who, seduced by his vanity, competed against God and was banished along with a third of the heavenly court that had joined him. In the Book of Enoch, it was Semyazza who led the Watchers (Grigori) to take human wives and teach humans different arts and knowledge. Semyazza was the leader of the 200 fallen angels and one of the 20 Watcher leaders, to whom all had pledged loyalty.

 

Lucifer in film and television

In cinema and television, there have been many representations of the fallen angel. Examples include the television series “Lucifer” (2016-2021) based on the DC Comics character created by Neil Gaiman and the films “Constantine” (2005), “Pact with the Devil” (1997), “Rosemary’s Baby” (1968), and “Prince of Darkness” (1987).