LUCIFER, AS THE ANGEL OF LIGHT

Angels are the heavenly hosts created by God. There are several  references to the angels in the Bible right from the Book of Genesis to Revelation which substantiate their existence before the creation of man. The Hebrew word for angel is “malak” which simply means “messenger”. The Greek word is “angelos” or “aggelos” both of which means a messenger. Angels are the supernatural spiritual beings created by God often depicted in human form. The main roles of angels include protecting and guiding human beings and carrying out God’s tasks as messengers,

The angel who redeemed……    Gen 48:16

An angel strengthening him,…… Luke 22:43

The angel ministered,…..              Mtt 4:11; Mk 1:13

Angel of the Lord open the prison door,….. Acts 5:19

In this article I will primarily focus on once a mighty angel in heaven named Lucifer. It is a real mystery how God describes Lucifer in all his splendors before his fall. The word “Lucifer”- Lew-sifar means “son of the morning” or “Day Star” or “Light bearer” or “the Son of the Dawn” (Is 14:12-14; Eze 28:11-17).

“hele” or “heylel” in Hebrew language means – shinning one, the morning star. The morning star refers to the planet Venus- the real bright morning star in the east, the bringer of dawn. The modern translations do not use the word “Lucifer”, instead use “Morning Star” (Isaiah 14:12). The phrase bears the meaning that he was created as the angel of light to bring light to the whole universe. ( Ref. 2Cor11:14)

Interestingly, Jesus Christ  also calls Himself  the Bright Morning Star in the Book of Revelation (Rev 22:16). Question often arises, why are both Jesus and Lucifer referred to as the Morning Star?  

It is really amazing to think how God describes Lucifer; the words, the phrases , the imageries He uses for him are really impeccable beyond any human capability of understanding. He was created fully grown along with the zillions of other angelic beings. He was created indescribably and exceptionally beautiful among all the angels.

“Thus saith the Lord God; (Ezekiel28:12-15, KJV)

Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.

¹³ Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.

¹⁴ Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.

¹⁵ Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.”

The meaning of “Thou sealest up the sum”-

A seal functions as an insignia of authority and authenticity. The Hebrew root for “Sum” is to measure out. Therefore, the “Sum” implies the full measure of beauty. According to the Wesly’s Explanatory note, this phrase refers to the consummation of all beauty and wisdom, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. Here in this we have found the most graphic and illuminating portrayal of this angel when he was with God, his original greatness, his beauty  and his exalted position.

The above text describes that every precious stone was his covering, not only the covering of his head but his whole body. His crown was decked with all the jewels and the precious stones found on earth.

The ten precious stones as mentioned in Ezekiel28-

1.Sardius- Sardius is a red color stone which is generally known as cornelian and also been called “a blood colored stone”. The color is a symbol of God’s wrath or the divine anger of God as of the color of the fire. This particular stone represents one of the twelve tribes of Israel inscribed in the breastplate of the High Priest. This precious stone is brought from Sardis.

2.Topaz- Topaz is the second precious stone used by God  to embellish Lucifer. The NLT calls it “a pale green peridot”. This stone is  hard and transparent which usually illuminates a beautiful yellow-green or gold color like chrysolite. The meaning is perhaps to bring goodwill. The stone is found in Ethopia.

3.Diamond- The diamond has always been regarded the most precious of all stones, the first in rank, value, hardness and luster. This gemstone has been regarded to be a symbol of clarity, purity and abilities. The Greek word for diamond is  “adamas” which means unconquerable and indestructible.

4.Beryl- The NIV translation calls it “a chrysolite” and the NCV, “ a yellow quartz”. The stone is a mineral of great hardness and transparent producing a color of a light green or bluish green. This precious gem signifies cheerfulness upon the wearer and also referred to as the “sweet tempered stone”. This stone was brought from Tarnish.

5.Onyx- The stone is referred to as the “sardonyx”- which is supposed to be a compound of “sardian” and “onyx”. Onyx is first mentioned in Genesis 2:12. The stone was brought from the land of Havilah.

6.Jasper- The stone is among the most precious stones, brilliant and transparent like crystal the color of which is of red, yellow, brown and green. Jasper is marked for its splendor, brightness, magnificence and beauty and has become the symbol of God’s glory. The stone is also a sign of royalty, prosperity, prestige and valiance.

7.Sapphire- The stone is of an azure color or sky blue, exceedingly hard and transparent probably the lapis lazuli a crystalline variety of corundum brought from Babylon. Interestingly, the throne of God is described as of the color of the Sapphire. Ezekiel 1:26; Exodus24:10

8.Emerald- The emerald is an exceeding pure lively green colored gem-very bright and clear and delightful to the eye. The Hebrew word for emerald is “nophek” (Ex28:18) which means a “glowing stone”. In the N.T., the word is “smaragdos” meaning “live coal”. This emerald green stone like jasper and sardius exclusively describes the majesty of God’s glory in heaven (Rev4:21).

9.The Carbuncle- The stone is of a red glittering flame color – a magical stone which is capable of illuminating any dark interior. The Hebrew word for carbuncle is “barkhath” which means to “glitter”, “lighten” or “flash”. This gem shines like a dark-red glowing coal and therefore is called carbuncle, meaning a little coal. It describes the glory and beauty of the wearer.

10.Gold-  Gold is intrinsically valuable and beautiful an element created by God. It is  a kind of soft yellow element having strong corrosion resistant, perhaps the most malleable metal. The word “gold” might have been derived from the  Anglo-saxon word, “geolo”, meaning “yellow” where  the Latin origin is “aurum” meaning- “shining dawn”. The Bible says in Haggai 2:8, “The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the Lord of hosts”. Gold is very significantly used and treated in the Bible.

Interestingly, the breastplate that Aaron had worn while entering the tabernacle bears a special meaning. The breastplate was woven of blue, purple scarlet and fine linen yarn, embroidered with figure of Gold. This multicolored breastplate carried twelve precious stones arranged in rows (Exodus 28:17). They are the “stones of memorial unto the children of Israel, His peculiar treasure.” Psalm 135:4. The precious stones mentioned in Ezekiel 28:13 are the same with those in the breastplate of the High Priest (Exodus 39:10) except the third row which has been omitted here.  The two precious stones not mentioned here are, the “Urim” and ‘Thumim” which signified the light and righteousness of God.

It is very important to observe that all the nine precious stones were set in gold, as the Targum paraphrases it,

“these are the nine of the stones which were in the breastplate of the Jewish High Priest—whom the King of Tyre might have knowledge of and imitate-“

(From “The New John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible.”)

This particular reference in the book of Ezekiel 28 to the  King of Babylon or Tyre establishes the historicity of the Phoenician king known as Hiram who reigned from 980 to 947 B.C. Though the context speaks about a historical king and all the prophecies regarding him found being fulfilled, the particular prophecy transcends beyond the King of Tyre. The description itself is super- terrestrial and  referring to the Angel Lucifer, now the Satan after his fall, the “Prince of this world” (Ezekiel 28:, Rev. 17). The doom of the angel (Lucifer) is partially fulfilled historically in Tyre. The “Prince of Tyre”,  was only a type to Lucifer and  dominated with the spirit of this angel.

Let us also concentrate on the following hyperbole words or phrases that Ezekiel has used for this angel while describing his position in heaven.

1.He lived in Eden(V13)- The garden of Eden in the text also refers to far more earlier time that God had created on earth. It refers to a place where God Himself resides. It means that the Angel Lucifer dwelled with God in heaven. The description resembles more to the New Jerusalem than the Garden of Eden on earth.

2.The Anointed Cherub(V14)- The Cherubim is the plural form of Cherub. Cherubim are referred to as the angelic spiritual beings created by God. The duties of Cherubim are described as serving the will of God and performing  the divine duties in the earthly realms. As recorded in the book of Genesis they are seen taking their initial responsibility to protect the Garden of Eden. The “Anointed Cherub” refers to the one among the Cherubim who was put in the highest position or rank of all heavenly beings- perhaps a position next to the presence of God. Who was this personage highest in rank and so close to God? He was the Angel Lucifer, the anointed Cherub of God.

3.He was in God’s Holy Mountain(V14)- God’s Holy Mountain refers to the very dwelling place of God, i.e.,  the Heaven itself.

4.He walked in the Midst of Stones of Fire(V14)-  It means that he walked up and down in the midst of precious stones that glittered and sparkled like fire. The stones of fire might also refer to the holy mountain of God where the throne of God is, surrounded by the flames of fire, i.e., the holiness of God.

5.He was perfect in all his ways from the day he was created(V15).

He was created perfect in wisdom, in beauty and in all his ways. There was no defect found in him until he chose to sin.

6.He was the Leader of “A Heavenly Orchestra”-

Lucifer is seen here as the archangel associated with the throne of God and as the leader of worship among the angelic hosts.

…”thy tabrets and of thy pipes” v13 establishes the fact that he was a true musician perfect in display. Imagine , how he led the angels in choir-  the Heavenly Orchestra! The music has a special place in the bible, both in the earthly  and heavenly worship before the throne of God. The universe was created using the tools of music, harmony, and balance with all the pervading vibration of God. The symphony of celestial music often heard in the spiritual realms from a celestial choir of angels is transcendental, unearthly, sublimely beautiful and heavenly.

Question for the day-

Why did God cast this Angel down  from heaven despite being created perfect in wisdom, in beauty and in all his ways ?

To be continued-

PART-2 “Lucifer, as the Angel of Darkness”

Name of the Author of this article: Dr. Surya Kumar Daimari, MA,M.Ed, PGDTE,D.Min.(Doctor of Ministry)
The author is a freelance writer.
Book published: The Names of the Believers in the Bible in Types and Symbols .
https://outskirtspress.com/thenamesofthebelieversinthebible