Did God Create
the Devil?
Where did
the "Devil" come from? Where
did he
get the name "Lucifer?" What does "Lucifer" mean?
What is the
true story of this ancient being described
in the Scriptures as the "Adversary"? How did he
gain his reputation?
Here is one of the intriguing
mysteries of the Universe explained!
William
F. Dankenbring
Did Almighty God create the being
called in popular mythology or religious literature "the devil"? Does the "devil" REALLY exist? If so, where did he come from? And what is he really like?
In the Scriptures, there is mention
of a being called the "devil" in many places. He is also called "Satan,"
"the enemy," "that wicked one," the "father of
lies" and even "Beelzebub"!
The Hebrew word translated
"Satan" is satan and literally
means "an opponent," or "adversary." It is derived from a primitive root meaning
"to attack," "accuse," or "withstand" -- to
"fight." Thus, since God names
beings what they are, this ancient being was -- or became, in character -- one
who opposes God, that is, an enemy and opponent of God, God's way, God's Plan,
and God's purpose! He became the
accuser, the attacker of all that is good and right -- of God's people, God's
truth, and the LAWS of God -- the very character of God Himself!
First Mention of the Devil
The being known as the devil makes
his appearance early in the Scriptures.
He tempted and seduced Eve into transgression of the commandment of God
in Genesis 3, bringing Adam and Eve into sin and rebellion against God
(Gen.3:1-24).
The next mention of Satan, the first
place where he is identified by this name, is in the book of I Chronicles,
where we read: "And Satan stood up against
showing a lack of
faith and trust -- leading to punishment from heaven for his sin (I
Chron.21:2-8). This great sin of lack of
faith and trusting in a human army and human power led to a terrible disease
epidemic striking
In the book of Job, the name
"Satan" is used fourteen times -- more than anywhere else in the
Bible. He us shown here to be the
"accuser" of God's people, and a powerful being who brings
affliction, trials, and evil into the lives of God's people -- but only to the
extent that God Himself permits (see Job 1:1-22). He is shown to be a being of great power,
over the nations and bands of men, the weather and atmosphere, causing
tornadoes and cyclones, and even over the outbreak of diseases and sore
personal afflictions (Job 2:1-10).
This same being is mentioned in
Zechariah 3, also, the next to the last book in the Old Testament (according to
the King James order of books, based on the Septuagint version). In this place Satan is standing at the right
hand of "Joshua the high priest" who is "standing before the
angel of the LORD" (Zech.3:1). The
"angel of the LORD" here is evidently the Logos, the One who became
Christ. Notice! "And the LORD [that is, the angel of the
LORD, or the Logos, the "lesser YHVH"] said unto Satan, 'The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen
In this account, it appears that
Satan is attempting to pollute and defile and turn Joshua the high priest aside
from following the ways and commandments of God. Thus Christ, or the Logos, rebukes him
"in the name of the LORD."
Joshua, who is clothed with filthy garments, a type of sin and
transgression (v.3), repents of his sin, and is forgiven, and new clean garments,
symbolizing righteousness, are given to him (v.4). Then the angel of the LORD, the One who
became Christ, tells Joshua that IF he will obey God, and walk in his ways,
then he will judge the house of God and be in charge of the courts of the
In the New Testament, Jesus Christ
is tempted and tested by Satan the devil, after fasting for 40 days and nights
in the wilderness of Judea (Matt.4:1-11).
At one point Satan even offers Him rulership over the entire earth, if
He will fall down and worship him! (v.8-9). But Christ resists the invitation, and
tells Satan, "Get thee hence, Satan, for it is written, Thou shalt
worships the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve" (v.10).
In the book of Revelation, Satan is
once again pictured as the "accuser" of God's people, the
"brethren." This appears to be
his primary function -- as the accuser and adversary of God's people, who fights
against us and tempts us toware sin and rebellion against God! We read:
"And the dragon was cast out, that
old serpent, called the Devil,
and Satan, WHICH DECEIVETH THE WHOLE WORLD . . ."
(Rev.12:9).
In his role as Provocateur, and Opponent, and Adversary, of
God's people, Satan is described as a "roaring lion." The apostle Peter warns us: "Be sober, be vigilant: because your adversary the devil, as a
ROARING LION, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: whom RESIST steadfast in the faith, knowing
that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the
world" (I Pet.5:8-9).
However, make no mistake. Satan is called a "dragon," because
he is like the mighty beast called "leviathan" -- a crooked sea
serpent of immense power and might (see Job 41). He is even called "leviathan" in
Scripture. God says, "In that day
the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the
piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay
the dragon that is in the sea" (Isa.27:1).
Satan is also called the
"devil," Greek diabolos, meaning "traducer" -- that
is, one who "leads across," "exposes unjustly to shame,"
slanderer and defamer -- one who brings into disgrace -- one who leads astray,
villifier, one who draws away from duty, and seduces. Thus he is named that which he is. But make no mistake! He does not appear to people as a
dragon, or a monster -- not at all! He
appears as a beautiful, shining, brilliant virtuosity -- not as the proverbial
devil in a red suit with horns and a pitchfork and slinky long tail! The apostle Paul tells us plainly:
"And no marvel: for SATAN HIMSELF IS TRANSFORMED INTO
AN ANGEL OF LIGHT.
Therefore it
is no great thing if his ministers
also be transformed AS the ministers of righteousness; whose
end shall
be according to their works" (II
Cor.11:14-15).
Where
Did the Devil Come From?
Mystery of mysteries, then!
Where did this being, Satan the devil, come from? From whence did he arise? Did God originally create him just this
way?
It is true that God says, in the
book of Isaiah the prophet,
"I am the LORD, and there is none
else. I form the light, and create
` ` darkness: I make peace, AND CREATE EVIL: I the LORD do all
these things" (Isa.45:6-7).
What does this mean?
Did God create the devil? The
Bible reveals that God created ALL things.
Nothing exists without His divine act of creation. He created the heavens and the earth, and all
their inhabitants (Gen.1). David says of
God:
"Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, thou art very
great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty. Who coverest
thyself with light, as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens
like a curtain . . . WHO MAKETH HIS ANGELS SPIRITS; his
ministers
a FLAME OF FIRE: who laid the foundations of the earth,
that it
should not be removed forever" (Psalm 104:1-5).
Notice! In time sequence, God created the angels, or
angelic beings, before He created the earth.
Job confirms this fact. We read
that when God formed the earth, and laid its foundation, "the morning
stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy" (Job
38:4-7).
Thus all the angels are created
beings. This includes the mighty
seraphim (Isa.6) and cherubim (Ezek.1, 10) with the flaming swords that stood
guard at the entrance of the garden of Eden
(Gen.3:24).
But what about the
devil? God says plainly in Isaiah
45:7 that He is the One who "creates evil." What does this mean? The word "evil" here is the Hebrew
word generally translated "evil" throughout the Old Testament. It is the word used of the "tree of
knowledge of good and evil." It
is the word used to describe man's heart that was "only evil continuously"
(Gen.6:5). God says "for the
imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth" (Gen.8:21). This Hebrew word is #7451 in Strong's
Concordance and is ra and means, "bad, evil, adversity, affliction,
calamity, grief, hurt, mischief, misery, sorrow, trouble, vexation, wickedness,
wretchedness, wrong."
Let's understand! None of these things we call or consider
"evil" could even exist were it not for the will and power and
determination of GOD! But on the
other hand, could there exist such a thing as "good,"
"righteousness," "obedience," unless there were also in
existence the possibility of "bad," "unrighteousness," or
"disobedience"? In order for
"good" to exist, there must also exist the
opposite -- the possibility of "bad."
In order for "obedience" to God's Law to exist, there must
also exist the possibility of "disobedience"
-- law breaking!
This is why God says:
"See, I have set before thee this day
LIFE AND GOOD, AND
DEATH
AND EVIL; in
that I command thee this day to LOVE
THE
LORD THY GOD, to walk in his ways, and to KEEP his
commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou
mayest live and multiply:
and the LORD thy God shall bless
thee . . .
"But if thine heart turn away, so
that thou wilt not hear, but shall
be DRAWN AWAY, and worship other gods, and serve them; I
denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely PERISH . .
.
I
call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that
I have set
before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore CHOOSE
LIFE, that both thou and thy seed may live"
(Deut.30:15-19).
Notice! Good cannot
exist without the possibility of evil.
Righteous, holy character -- the ability to face temptation and reject
it, the ability to choose and select good when evil may appear so alluring and
desirable, the ability to choose and do that which is right, despite threats,
or seduction -- cannot exist without the ability to CHOOSE!
God did not make us as
"robots" or "automatons" that cannot choose. We are not mere "machines" which
can only do that which they are programmed to do. We are ALIVE.
We are FREE MORAL AGENTS! We have
the ability to CHOOSE whether we will do good or evil, right or wrong, life or
death, blessing or cursing!
God gave this same ability of free
moral choice and decision to all the angels, also.
The question arises, then, what
about the devil? Where did he come
from? What happened, that led to his
existence? Did God create him that way?
Not at all. When God beheld His creation, we read,
"And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, IT WAS VERY
GOOD" (Gen.1:31). It was all
perfect -- beautiful -- incredibly good and desirable! So what happened? Now there is a story -- a story of intrigue,
seduction, and mystery. Let us search
out the evidence!
The Mystery of "Lucifer"
We read in the book of Isaiah the prophet a very mysterious
passage:
"How 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
The word "Lucifer" in this
passage comes from the Latin. Jerome
used this Latin word to translate the Hebrew word Heylel. His work in translating the Latin Vulgate
was largely based on the Septuagint, which was the version quoted often by
Christ and the apostles, and later rejected by the Jews because the Christians
were using it to great advantage in arguing that Christ was the Messiah.
The word Heylel in Hebrew
means: "in the sense of brightness,
the morning star" (Strong's Concordance).
It is from the root halal which has several meanings: "clear, to shine, hence to make a show,
to boast, and thus to be foolish, to rave, be mad, glory, shine,
etc." The Gesenius Hebrew
Lexicon has for "Heylel," "according to the LXX, Vulgate,
Targum Rabbin (ancient Jewish source), Luther, stella lucida, bright
star, i.e., Lucifer. Nor is this a
bad rendering, for there is added [in the text of Isaiah] . . . and in the
Chaldee also Lucifer (the morning star) . . . in Arab . . . 'a splendid
star.' According to this opinion
'Heylel' would be derived from the root 'Halal,' 'to shine.'"
The Septuagint translates Isaiah
14:12 as follows: "How has Lucifer, that rose in the morning, fallen from
heaven! . . . But thou saidst in thine heart, I will go up to heaven, I will
set my throne ABOVE the stars of heaven:
I will sit upon a lofty mount, on the lofty mountains toward the north: I will go up above the clouds; I will be
like the Most High. But now thou
shalt go down to hell, even to the foundations of the earth"
(Isa.14:12-15). The Tanakh uses the
expression, "O Shining One, son of Dawn." Either way, Lucifer was a
"shining one," and a 'star' that rises in the morning is a
"day star" or a "morning star."
Clearly, then, "Lucifer"
-- the original name for Satan, the devil -- was at one time a mighty angelic
being. But, dissatisfied with his office
or state or condition, of servitude, he rose up in REBELLION AGAINST THE
THRONE OF HEAVEN! He chose to REBEL
against the Laws and Government of Almighty God! What happened?
The Creation of
Lucifer
But what about this other being,
called "Heylel" or "Lucifer"? He was a "light-bringer," as his
name implies. He was a celestial
being whom the Father created -- "Heylel," or "Lucifer." He was a "son of brightness,"
"son of the morning," and "day star," a brilliant, glorious
creation of God -- superb in wisdom, intellect, and beauty. God tells us about his origin in the book of
Ezekiel:
"Thou sealest up the sum, full of
wisdom, and perfect in beauty.
Thou
hast been in 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" (Ezek.28:12-13).
Lucifer, then, was also
"created." He was a
magnificent, awesome angelic being -- there is no other being in Scripture that
God describe in this spendid fashion.
God says of him, in fact, "Thou art THE ANOINTED CHERUB THAT
COVERETH" (v.14) -- that is, Lucifer was anointed as a special
GUARDIAN of the very Throne of God, a position of the highest trust and
importance! He was the
"captain" of the palace guard, so to speak. He was created as a "son of God," a
"son of the morning," in that original Creation aeons ago. He was present at the Creation of the existing
Universe, when the heavens and earth were created, for we read that at that
time, "the morning stars sang together, and ALL the sons of God shouted
for joy" (Job 38:7).
"The Anointed Cherub that
Covers"
Lucifer was created as a glorious,
resplendent cherub, one of the highest ranking angelic beings surrounding God's
Throne -- he was even appointed as the "anointed cherub that covers"
the throne of God (Ezek.28:14), and was "perfect in [his] ways" until
wickedness was discovered in him (verse 15).
God said of him, that he "sealed up the sum, full of wisdom, perfect
in beauty" (v.12), and "every precious stone was thy
covering" (v.13). He was a
"work of art." A
"masterpiece." But, God
declares, "Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou
hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of THY BRIGHTNESS . . ." (v.17).
The name "Lucifer" as
referring to Satan, on account of his "brightness," fits. The other meanings of the name
"halal" also fit him, of course, since he allowed his
"brightness" to go to his head:
and he became foolish, raving, mad.
Most scholars conclude that 'Heylel'
comes from the root 'Halal' whose basic meaning is "to shine." However, "shining" can have both
positive and negative aspects. To
"shine" can mean "to boast," "self-glory," rave
on, even so far as being "mad" and "foolish." Certainly, Lucifer became such in his
inordinate ambition and pride, as both Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 show. But the basic meaning of the word is "to
shine," and it is connected
in
Isaiah with "son of the morning," meaning the "morning
star." For "Lucifer," my
KJV margin has an alternate reading of "day star." Again, the essential meaning is
"brightness." And that
appellation is correct. For in II
Corinthians, Paul tells us of "Lucifer," that even today he appears
as "an angel of light" (II Cor.11:14). Christ also verified his brightness, saying,
"I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven" (Luke
10:18).
Are
There Two "Day Stars"?
What
is intriguing, however, is that Christ Jesus also is referred to in Scripture
as "the day star." In fact, in
the Latin Vulgate, the Greek word phosphoros is translated in II Peter
1:19 in reference to Christ as "day star" -- but the very same word phosphoros
is used in Isaiah 14:12 where it is translated "Lucifer"! Thus both Satan and Christ are described as phosphoros!
What is the significance of this
fact? Christ is also called a "day
star" (II Pet.1:19). He speaks of
Himself in Revelation 22:16, saying,
"I
Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto these things. I am the root
and
the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star."
In II Peter 1:19 we read: "We have also a more sure word of
prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, AS unto a light that
shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the DAY STAR arise in your
hearts."
Christ is the true "light"
(John 12:35-36, 46) of the world.
Malachi the prophet says of Him, "But unto you that fear my name
shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings" --
a reference to Christ (Malachi 4:2). The
Psalmist declared of God, "For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory"
(Psalm 84:11).
It is certainly interesting that
both Lucifer, the "son of the morning" and whose name also means
"day star," and Christ the Son of God , who is referred to as the
"day star" in II Peter 1:19, both are called "day
star." Obviously, BOTH had and have
incredible "brightness." Both
"shine." Both would have the
same "root" in this sense. The
Englishman's Greek Interlinear translates the Greek in II Peter 1:19 as
"morning star" -- as a reference to Christ. Lucifer, too, was called "the son of the
morning" (Isaiah 14:12), or "son of dawn." The Amplified Bible refers to him as,
"How are you fallen from heaven, O light-bringer and day-star, son of the
morning!" (same verse).
Why
are both Lucifer and Christ or the Logos spoken of as having the SAME TITLES --
in one sense, one could even say THE SAME NAME?
Obviously "Lucifer" merely means
"Light-bringer."
That
is one of Christ's names. Interestingly,
the first thing that God created in Genesis 1 was "light"
(Gen.1:3).
Is it possible that in the original,
FIRST CREATION, that the first thing God the Father created was Light?--
that is, "beings of light" or "light bringers"?
The Mystery Thickens -- The Origin
of the Logos
Let
us look, now, at the origin of the being who became Christ -- the Logos of
God.
Christ Himself admitted that the
Father was greater than He (John 14:28).
He admitted that the Father was (and is) "the only true God"
(John 17:3), who sent Him. He calls
himself "the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the
creation of God" (Rev.3:14).
Did the Logos have a "beginning"? The Greek word translated
"beginning" in this verse means "first in a series," as its
primary meaning. The word is arche and
literally means, according to Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, "a
commencement, chief (in various applications of order, time, place, or rank) --
beginning, corner, first," etc.
Thus this verse literally says Christ was "the first of the
creation of God," as well as "the chief of the creation of
God." Fascinating, isn't
it! Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon says
of this word: "1. beginning,
origin: a. used absolutely, of the beginning of all things . . . b. in a
relative sense, of the beginning of the thing spoken of . . . 2. the person
or thing that commences, the first person or thing in a series, the
leader . . . 3. that by which anything begins to be, the origin . . . 4.
the extremity of a thing, the corner of a sail . . . 5. the first place,
principality, rule, magistracy . . ."
This word most commonly refers to
the first person or thing in a series -- whether in rank or in time order. Thus Christ is saying here that He is the
"beginning" -- the first person or object, in rank and in order of
time -- that was created by God the
Father!
The same truth is indicated in
Colossians, chapter one, where we read of Christ's pre-existence: "Who is the image of the
invisible God" (Col.1:14). Now an
"image" is a copy, or a "likeness" -- a REPLICA -- not the original! No other creature mentioned in the Bible
was made in the very spiritual IMAGE OF GOD THE FATHER! Continuing this verse, the apostle Paul
writes: "Who is the image of the
invisible God, the FIRSTBORN OF EVERY CREATURE" (Col.1:15).
Notice! The One who became Christ Himself was an
image of the True God -- a reproduction, or "copy." He was the "FIRSTBORN of every
creature." Literally, this means
that Christ was "born" OR "created" FIRST -- before
anyone or anything else! He was the
original "firstborn of EVERY creature! That expression would have to include
all created beings, then, including angels!
"Every creature" leaves out none! He was or became God the Father's
"FIRSTBORN" -- from the moment of His Creation!
As
such, He was created as the very "IMAGE" of the Creator God, whom we
call "the Father." We read in
the book of Hebrews, He was made "the brightness of his glory, and the
EXPRESS IMAGE OF HIS PERSON" -- or very character image and
likeness (Heb.1:1-3).
There is much evidence to support
the conclusion that Christ, as the Logos of God, was originally
"created" -- or "pro-created" -- from the essenee of God
the Father, from His very own Spirit. The
very name or title of Christ before His human birth, in actual fact, implies
this conclusion, for John says in his gospel, "In the beginning was the
Word [Greek, Logos]" (John 1:1).
The word Logos literally means "something said (including
the thought): by implication, a topic, also reasoning (the mental faculty) or
motive; by extension, a computation; specifically, (with the article in John)
the Divine Expression (i.e., Christ)." This word is translated variously as
"utterance, word, work, speaker, speech, talk, thing, tidings,
treatise," etc.
Let's understand this, then. The "Logos" is something that had
to come forth from another -- as an "utterance, word, work, thing,"
etc. The other, in this case, had to be
God the Father, who "spoke," and His "Word" became the Logos
or the pre-existent Christ! Thus
the "LOGOS" was the "Word" of the Father, belonging to Him
-- His very own utterance brought into living reality and being, as the very
"image" of God the Father! The
"Word" which is "spoken" must have an "origin" --
that "origin" is obviously in the Father! The Father "spoke," originally, and
Christ -- the Logos -- was brought into being!
Who
Is Greatest in the Kingdom?
The fact that the Logos was created,
and did not exist at the side of the Father for all eternity, as His
"equal," as a "second" member of the Godhead, is verified
in many Scriptures. In many places,
Christ admitted that the Father "sent" Him -- and the Sender is
always more important than the one sent!
(John 5:30). Christ admitted that
all His power came from the Father (John 5:19), and that He could do nothing of
himself. He plainly said, "my
Father is greater than I" (John 14:28). He declared in plain words, that He came to
do "the will of him that sent me" (John 6:38). Further, He admitted that it is the Father
who determines who will be called and chosen, not Christ Himself -- He said,
"All that the Father giveth me shall come unto me" (John
6:37). Jesus Himself acknowledged,
"I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of
myself, but he sent me" (John 8:42). Plainly, He and the Father are not and were
not "equal" -- which they would be if they both
"co-existed" from ALL eternity, as two beings, both always having
been "God"!
How remarkable! Jesus also verified that the Father is not
only greater than He Himself is, but that the Father is His God whom He
worships as His very own Father! Christ
said in His final prayer before being captured by His enemies, "Father,
the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son may also glorify
thee: As THOU hast GIVEN him power over
all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given
him. And this is eternal life, that
they might know thee, THE ONLY TRUE GOD, and Jesus Christ, whom thou
hast sent. I have glorified thee
on the earth: I have finished the
work which THOU GAVEST ME to do. And
now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory
which I had with thee before the world was" (John 17:1-5).
Isn't this clear? Christ, the Logos, made flesh, worshipped God
as HIS own Father! He called Him
"the ONLY TRUE GOD," in the ultimate sense! These verses plainly show that the Logos or
Jesus Christ was not originally part of some divine "Trinity"! He had a beginning! He had a source! He came out and proceeded forth as the
"Word" of God the Father, FROM THE FATHER!
Paul
also alludes plainly to this "order" in Creation. He wrote, "But to us there is BUT ONE
GOD, THE FATHER, of whom are all things [including the "Word" or
Christ in His pre-human form!], and we in him; and ONE LORD Jesus
Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him" (I Cor.8:6).
The Mystery of "the Angel of
the Lord"
The early New Testament church
writers, apostles, and evangelists knew this sublime truth! Stephen very plainly spoke of Christ as the
Logos, referring to Him as "the angel of the Lord" who spoke
to Moses in the burning bush (Acts 7:30).
He referred to Him as "the angel which appeared to him
[Moses] in the bush" (v.35), and "the ANGEL which spake to him
in the mount Sinai" (v.38). The Greek
word for "angel" is aggelos and means, by definition,
"(to bring tidings, a messenger, esp. an angel -- angel,
messenger."
In Old Testament times, the One who
became "Christ," that is, the "Logos," was generally
referred to as "the Angel of the LORD." He was the "Messenger" of the LORD
God -- the One who represented the Father in His dealings with all
mankind! He was the "Angel"
who wrestled with Jacob (Gen.32:24-30).
After wrestling with Him, Jacob exclaimed, "I have seen God face
to face" (v.30). He was the
"image" of the Father! He was
"the angel of the LORD [that] appeared unto him[Moses] in a flame of fire
out of the midst of a bush" (Exo.3:2).
He was "the angel of God, which went before the camp of
Israel" (Exo.14:19). He was the
"Angel" that God the Father sent before Israel, of whom God the
Father said, "For mine Angel shall go before thee"
(Exo.23:20-23). He was created in God's
own "image," His "spitting image" as the expression goes,
God's own true likeness, and His messenger, sent by the Father, as His personal
representative! He is the One whom Moses
saw, yet did not die (Exo.33:18-23). He
is the One whom the seventy elders of Israel saw -- "and they saw the
God of Israel" (see Exo.24:9-11).
This Personage was indeed
"God." But He was not God
the Father! He was the created (or,
"pro-created") Son of God, the Logos! It could not have been the Father, for
Jesus plainly said, of the Father, "No man hath seen God [the Father]
at any time" (John 1:18). Jesus
said further of the Father, "Ye have neither heard his voice at any time,
nor seen his shape" (John 5:37).
Thus the Person whose
"shape" Moses saw, when he looked upon God's backside (Exo.33:20-23),
was not the Father at all, but the One who became Christ!
The Origin of the Logos -- the Second
Member of the Godhead
Thus Christ or the Logos was the
"firstborn of EVERY creature."
He was the firstborn of God -- the first to "qualify"
to become a very "Son of God" and a member of the Godhead, aeons ago,
when He proved Himself and His loyalty to the Father -- the Father proclaimed
Him to be His "Firstborn."
This was not automatic. Character
is never "automatic." It is
based on choices, decisions, and actions.
Thus the One who became Christ, aeons ago, was created out of the
Father's own essence, of His own Spirit, to be His companion -- a "Mighty
One." When He proved Himself, He
was granted powers from God the Father to sit with Him in His Throne -- He
became a Co-Regent with the Father.
He became "very God," as
the Father is "God," because the Father proclaimed Him to be His
"Son," and gave Him authority over all things, and imparted to Him
authority as Co-Creator!
Therefore we read of the Logos, that
it was by him "also he [the Father] made the worlds," and who now
"upholds all things by the word of his power" (Heb.1;2-3), who has
also "purged our sins," and "sat down on the right hand of the
Majesty on high" (v.3); "Being made so much better than the
angels, as he hath BY INHERITANCE obtained a more excellent NAME than
they" (Heb.1:4).
At some distant point, before the
PRESENT Creation as we know it, God the Father created -- or
"pro-created," from His own essence -- the "Logos." The Logos, or "Word," grew up,
matured, and became the "Son of God," and eventually God shared His
very own authority as "God" with Him.
Therefore, we read in the book of John that in "a" beginning,
as the Greek should read, there was the Word (Logos), and the Word was with God,
and the Word was [i.e., had become] God (see John 1:1-3).
The Logos, the One who became
Christ, at this earlier time -- after proving Himself and qualifying through
developing perfect, righteous CHARACTER, which cannot be created
instantaneously -- became the second member of the
"Elohim," or "Godhead" and participated in the creation of
this present Universe (Heb.1:1-3).
Through tests and trials of which we have no direct knowledge, and
through "much tribulation" (Acts 14:22), He qualified at that ancient
epoch to become "Elohim" together with the Father! Therefore, we read in Genesis, chapter one,
"In [a] beginning, GOD [Elohim, meaning "The mighty Ones"]
created the [present] heavens and the earth" (Gen.1:1). We read, further, that God said, "Let US
make man [mankind] in OUR IMAGE, after our likeness" (Gen.1:26). By this time, then, the Logos had qualified
and become a Co-Creator with the Father!
Together they made the Universe, and later mankind, as is depicted in
Genesis, chapter one.
The Logos had become "the
brightness" of the glory of God the Father, and His "express
image" in character (v.3).
Therefore He has become "so much better than the angels," and
"by inheritance obtained [qualified for] a more excellent name than
they" (Heb.1:4). He became God's
true Son by creation, so that the Father said of Him, "Thou art my son,
this day have I begotten thee," and "I will be to him a Father, and
he shall be to me a Son" (v.5).
Paul alludes to the origin of the
One who became Christ, the Logos of God, when he wrote that Christ or the Logos
"is the image of the invisible God," and "the firstborn
of EVERY CREATURE: for by him were
all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and
invisible . . . And he is before all things, and by him all things
consist. And he is the head of the body,
the church: who IS the BEGINNING . .
." (Colossians 1:15-18).
Thus the Logos, who later became our
Saviour and Messiah, assisted the Father in creation of this present
Universe. As we read in John: "In [a] beginning was the Word [Logos],
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him [the present
Universe]; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In his was life; and the life was the light
of men" (John 1:1-4).
Two
Specially Anointed Beings
But what about this being called
"Lucifer"? Where did he come
from?
As we read in the book of Ezekiel,
the great cherubim called "Lucifer" was a created being, glorious and
beautiful in every respect! God says of
him, "Thou sealest up the sum, FULL OF WISDOM, AND PERFECT IN
BEAUTY" (Ezek.28:12).
Notice! These words were never said of any other
created being -- not the cherubim, nor the seraphim, nor any of the living
creatures described around God's Throne in the book of Revelation! This created being was unique. He was one of only two beings -- two
"cherubim" or super-mighty angels -- that actually covered the
mercy seat -- the very Throne of God the Father! He was one of only TWO beings God the Father
created and "anointed" in a special way with His Holy Spirit!
Notice! God says of Lucifer, "Thou art the ANOINTED
CHERUB that covereth" (Ezek.28:14).
Of the Logos, also, His very own Son
by creation, God the Father says:
"But unto the Son he saith, Thy
throne, O God, is for ever and ever;
a
sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast
loved
righteousness, and hated iniquity; THEREFORE GOD, EVEN
THY
GOD, HATH ANOINTED THEE WITH THE OIL of gladness
ABOVE THY FELLO