Is Lucifer Really Satan as Many Christians Have Been Taught?

Ministering as an apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor or teacher is not only about praying and fasting. It also involves preaching and teaching. These require that ministers commit themselves to frequent reading, researching or studying.

These point to the fact that Christian ministry is not for a lazy mind. People with lazy mindset refuse to read, research or study so they accept every teaching because of the ignorance that is in them.

But those who study acquire deep or deeper knowledge and understanding which help them to show themselves approved as they rightly divide the word of truth, explain gospel truths. This helps them to serve with excellence and as a result make the necessary impact in the lives of other people.

For instance, when we study, we will get to know whether Lucifer is really Satan or not. Over the years, the majority of believers have been taught that Lucifer is Satan.

In fact, most dictionaries define Lucifer as the devil, Satan or serpent. Understand that these descriptions of Lucifer in dictionaries could be influenced by wrongful teaching in the Church. But what does the Bible say about this?

In 2014, Apostle Kwabena Arhinful who was then a columnist in the DAILY GUIDE newspaper wrote that Lucifer was Satan. In that same year, a reader, Sampson Eghan, wrote another article to refute Apostle Arhinful’s doctrine.

I wish to, at this juncture, present a piece of Eghan’s rebuttal for us to learn. He wrote, “The Bible was written in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, so between AD 384 and AD 405 a Bible scholar called Jerome translated it into Latin. He translated DAY STAR in Isaiah 14:12 into Latin as “Lucifer” meaning light bearer.

The Hebrew is HELEL- the bright one. Now here comes the problem. The translators of the early English Bibles instead of translating helel as “the bright one”, ‘day-star” or “morning star” rather imported Lucifer, as well as other Latin words like Calvary, Centurion etc. wholesale and put it into the English Bibles confusing readers. Current English versions had corrected this defect in Isaiah 14:12.

The Latin name Lucifer does not appear in the New Testament because it was written in Greek whose equivalent is PHOSPHOROUS as in 2 Peter 1:19 where is it said “until the day dawn and the morning star rises in your hearts.”

If phosphorus (Lucifer) is Satan, how can he rise in the hearts of Christians since God had confirmed His prophetic word for them?

Unbelievable! In Revelation 22:16 Jesus said, “I am the Root and Offspring of David, the bright morning star.” How is Arhinful going to interpret these texts for us, seeing the quagmire he has put himself in?

All the titles and names of Satan are mentioned in Revelation 12:9 as follows: the great dragon, that old serpent, Devil and Satan.” Why was Lucifer not mentioned, even if in its Greek form? I know the answer: Lucifer is not part of his names.”

So, now, what is your understanding? Is Lucifer scripturally another word for Satan? Is Satan referred to as morning star just as Christ Jesus, our Saviour, described Himself or is described in 2 Peter 1:19?

Remember that the Hebrew word “helel” translated Lucifer in Isaiah 14:12 is wrong because helel means the bright one, day-star or morning star while Lucifer in Latin means bearer. These mean something different altogether.

I have always disagreed that Isaiah chapter 14 and Ezekiel chapter 28 talk about Satan. Clearly, they talk about mortal men (princes or kings) who died despite their authority, power, splendor and greatness. They were subdued, fell from glory and died because of pride.

By James Quansah

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