The Fall of Lucifer is perhaps one of the most significant events in biblical history. Who is Lucifer - an angel or a demon, why was he expelled from paradise, what are the connections between God and Lucifer? You will find out the answers in today's article.
Lucifer in esotericism
In the works of esotericists of the New Age, Lucifer was interpreted quite traditionally as an initially omnipotent, magnificent and perfect Spirit, who received great strength and power from God, but rebelled against him and was thrown into the underworld for this. The image of Lucifer occupies an important place in the work of the German writer, alchemist and mystic Georg von Welling (1655 - 1727) “Opus Mago-Cabbalisticum et Theosophicum”
(“On the Origin, Nature, Properties and Uses of Salt, Sulfur and Mercury”), published in 1719.
Lucifer was in the most perfect and spiritual Splendor and was following the living God, not spiritually, but majestic and perfect in absolute freedom. And so here he remained in greatness and splendor, and in him the most tender Light of Divine Majesty was endlessly observed, while many powerful angels and countless millions of spirits were completely obedient to his free will. He experienced desire within himself, and as a result of such enormous and terrifying power, he accordingly began to hinder with his own free will the influence of Divine Love-Light (Fig. 54. FB.), which was his essential harmonious Joy-Life. Instead, he sought and loved his own power outside of Divinity, within himself, captivating all his armies with whim and imagination. Because the action of the Divine Light ceased in him with lightning speed, and this magnificent radiance was completely closed and turned over in him, as well as for all the angels, armies and essential creatures of his essence who obeyed him - all this fell with him to the sphere of the Sons of God[1].
Lucifer in various religious and spiritual traditions
“The Luciferians”, illustration by Pierre Mejanel for the book “The Secrets of Freemasonry” by Leo Taxil, 1886.
Some Christian sects, considered heretical by the orthodox church, identified the fallen demon with the Creator God of the Old Testament. In Bogomil
The text known as the Book of John the Divine or the Gospel of the Last Supper tells that Satan was a glorified angel, but fell from heaven to create his own kingdom and become the Demiurge. He created the material world and imprisoned souls from heaven inside matter. Jesus came down to earth to free trapped souls. Unlike Christianity, the cross was condemned as a symbol of Satan and a weapon for the murder of Jesus.
The Swedish mystic Emmanuel Swedenborg (1688 - 1772) denied the existence of Satan and demons. He attributed all power to the True and Good Deity, or Lord, and asserted that there was no devil who commanded hell. He said that although the literal reading of Scripture tells the story of the fall of Lucifer, in fact the words “devil” and “Satan” simply mean hell, the place of evil and lies, chosen by those who follow the path of self-love and lack of mercy. From Swedenborg's point of view, "Lucifer" means "Babylonians."
Mormons
believe that God the Father had two sons born from the Heavenly Mother, whose names were Lucifer and Jesus (aka Jehovah). Jesus was supposed to rule the earth, but a third of the angels, along with Lucifer, rebelled and began to fight against Jesus and the angels who supported him. Lucifer's supporters were defeated and punished by the fact that they would never be able to incarnate into bodies and would forever remain spirits. Lucifer himself became Satan and from now on “walks the earth back and forth, trying to destroy the souls of men.”
Cover of "Lucifer the Lightbringer" by Harman
Who is Lucifer?
The name "Lucifer" is translated from Latin as "giving light" or "son of the morning." According to mythology, he was one of the seraphim (powerful creatures with six wings ). Mention of his name can be found both in the Bible and in cabalistic texts, ancient grimoires (magic books), and theosophical works.
Lucifer was originally created by the Heavenly Lord. He was a disembodied spirit that came to this world before the Almighty created any material world and people.
Lucifer was the most beautiful of angels. Medieval theologians even put forward the theory that all angels were created from the energy of the stars, which was called Lucida . So in many religious texts, ultimately rejected by the church, Lucida was the mother of the disgraced angel.
Lucifer didn't always look like this
Over time, Lucifer's image changed, as did the image of his "mother". It was only during the Renaissance that some minds first tried to animate the image of the devil (Satan) .
Some philosophers imagined Lucida as a heavenly mother, an animated embodiment of the Universe. Thanks to her, the Almighty Father created higher matters.
Lucida is neither good nor evil; she does not have any human qualities or human concepts. Lucida is energy, progress, creativity , vitality.
Be that as it may, the angel cast down from heaven became the patron of evil, the ruler of the Underworld . The attitude of philosophers and sorcerers remained ambiguous towards this character.
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Some were bold in their statements, and therefore were confident that the despicable rebel of all times was not the absolute embodiment of all the vices of the World . Others believe that the rebel is the other side of the Divine.
Lucifer, Satan, demon, devil, fallen angel - synonyms?
The devil is a “slanderer” because he uses lies to achieve his goals and accuses people before God so that they share his terrible fate. Satan is the “adversary.” Despite their different meanings, these titles of the Prince of this world are used as synonyms.
The Fall of Simon the Magus, icon.
A fallen angel can be called either Satan or any demon. However, Satan is not called a demon; he is higher than them in status, since he rules the kingdom of evil spirits. And the word “Lucifer” is actively used in this meaning by Hollywood screenwriters. Columnist for the Thomas magazine, publicist and theologian Sergei Khudiev believes:
Who was Lucifer before Christianity?
Mentions of a certain “evil incarnate” also existed in the pre-Christian era. For example, in ancient Roman mythology, Lucifer was the son of the Titan Astria and the goddess of the dawn Aurora . In the Aeneid it appears to be a kind of epithet for the planet Venus.
Lucifer was still in the Aeneid
In the Middle Ages, simultaneously with Christian teaching, there was an opposition cult of Lucifer (Satanism) . The Luciferists were a secret community, so it is difficult to say exactly what their cult represented even now. All information remained only within the cult and was strictly classified.
Sometimes it turned out that members of the sectarian community were also members of the Masonic lodge. Such a unification was necessary for a more productive search for artifacts that would help lead seekers to God or the devil .
What is Lucifer's real name?
Does he have any other names besides Satan and Lucifer? Of course there is, and this list is not so short. Samael, Lucifer, Satan, Devil, Dragon, ancient serpent, cruel angel, evil angel, evil spirit from God, Tempter, prince of demons, lying spirit, evil one, father of lies, murderer from the beginning. And, one might say, his most ironic nickname is the Prince of This World. It very subtly hints at how deeply humanity is mired in vice and sin.
Satan
(- “enemy”, “slanderer”, “accusation”),
Devil
(obsolete
devil
, Church Slavic devil, ancient Greek διάβολος “slanderer”) means the name devil and Satan are one and the same, and who is Samael this is the name of Satan in occultism and in Judaism - the chief of demons, a destructive force and the angel of death. And this is the real name of the Devil and who is Lucifer, this was an epithet of Jesus Christ. This means that a person was mistakenly taken to Satan. Conclusion Samael is the name of Satan (Devil ) before the fall, do not underestimate his power. Satan is among the 9 strongest demons and the most dangerous, although it is debatable that Satan is a demon, he is most likely the angel of death who will swear all demons are in Judaism. The Devil, Satan, Samael is the most powerful demon of the fiery hyena, the lord of hell concentration of universal evil. He has a huge number of names and appearances. Moreover, in different Abrahamic religions and in different eras there are differences in his description. He is designated as a fallen angel who rebelled against the Lord. Moreover, also in the Middle Ages, the devil was correlated with Beelzebub, although this demon is also an independent creature. He has many names and, of course, is the father of all demons and is considered the most dangerous of them. Once he was close to God, but then he fell out of favor and was expelled. During the call, Satan appears to the sorcerers in the form of a small child. Translated from ancient Greek, the name of this demon means adversary, slanderer.
Who did Lucifer turn into after his exile?
After falling into hell, he lost his wings and ceased to differ in any way from an ordinary person. Many saw him as a dark-haired, handsome young man with searing black eyes. However, in many drawings his image was not at all human.
Classic image of Lucifer - Satan
In addition to the classic image of Satan (a huge horned demon), there are also such interpretations:
Lucifer in the form of the tempting serpent
- giant sea monster ;
- the serpent (aka the Tempter);
- red devil with a pitchfork.
Such a variety of incarnations makes the image of Lucifer even more ambiguous. To some, he still seems to be a man who was devoid of a heavenly essence, to others, a terrible monster who has absorbed all the nightmares of this World and is devoid of any human traits.
The New Testament enshrines the version that Lucifer is able to take on any form at will .
External image of Lucifer
His heavenly face was perfect: he was handsome, had manners that betrayed the heritage of the Lord, his special, majestic status. His bright face illuminated everyone; it was not for nothing that he was given such a name - “bringer of light.” Greatness was added by luxurious wings, which he had larger than the others. After all, he was a six-winged seraphim - the most powerful. He radiated an angelic good nature, which was later lost among selfishness and narcissism.
After being expelled from Paradise, Lucifer's wings were cut off; nothing distinguished him from an ordinary mortal man anymore. He appeared before people in the form of a dark-haired youth with bottomless black eyes. However, in ancient paintings he was always depicted as either a snake, a terrible sea monster, or a red demon with a huge pitchfork in his hands. The New Testament indicates that Lucifer could take on different appearances on earth as he wanted.
Lucifer's expulsion from heaven
How to expel Lucifer
Lucifer is the name of a fallen angel, a cherub, which in Christian theology and demonology is usually identified with the devil. Legendary mythological universal entity, the main opponent of God. God expelled Lucifer from heaven and since then he has been considered an enemy of faith and the entire human race.
Origin of the name "Lucifer"
The name “Lucifer” itself, from Latin origin, is a merger of two words “lūx” (“lūcis”), which means “light” and “fero” - “to carry”, “to carry”. The name thus formed can be translated as “Lightbringer,” which clearly echoes the story of Dennitsa, the son of the Dawn, which is the very first mention of the devil in the Bible. In the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, which was written in Hebrew, the original name for the enemy of God was “Heilel,” which means “morning star.”
However, some experts are not so clear in their conclusions. There are etymological theories that interpret the name of Lucifer as “Lightbreaker” or “Stealing Light.”
Because the word “carry” can be understood in two ways:
- You can “bring” something (donate).
- Or you can “carry away” - take away. Thus, the “bearer of light” can simultaneously become a bearer of darkness, which is what happened after Lucifer was expelled from paradise.
There are even theories comparing Lucifer to the Greek god Prometheus, who was cursed and banished from Olympus by the gods in the same way that God banished Lucifer.
Note. In Judaism, Lucifer was called "Satanael", which means "opposing". Subsequently, the suffix “el”, which denoted belonging to the divine family, was discarded, and Lucifer began to be called Satan.
Why was Lucifer exiled?
Why was Lucifer expelled from heaven?
There are many sources that describe the expulsion of Lucifer from paradise. However, numerous medieval and modern works on theology and demonology have never reached agreement on this issue.
So why was Lucifer exiled?
- The Bible describes that Lucifer was a beautiful and majestic angel, perfect in everything, exuding a much brighter and more beautiful light than other angels. But one day God gathered all the inhabitants of heaven together so that they would give honor and glory to God’s son Jesus Christ.
- God elevated his son to the throne and declared that he would be equal to him in strength and power, and that it was Christ who in the future should fulfill the will of God.
- All the angels of the highest and lowest order bowed to Christ. Lucifer was also among them, but at the same time his heart was filled with jealousy and envy. The high position that he occupied in the heavenly hierarchy no longer satisfied him.
- He wanted to become equal to God himself and become the object of veneration of all angels. Having left the place of God's residence, Lucifer gradually began to inspire his comrades-in-arms that, having exalted his son, God had undeservedly neglected the angels.
- Many angels wondered why Lucifer was expelled and rejected by God, but they made every effort to suppress attempts at rebellion.
- Others recognized him as their leader and helped to raise a rebellion against God, thereby violating the basic law of the harmony of life in heaven - the law of obedience to the creator.
Note. After what Lucifer did, exile became inevitable - defeated by God and his son, Lucifer was cast out of heaven. Unafraid of the wrath of the one who expelled Lucifer, a third of heavenly angels followed him.
It should be noted that the question “why was Lucifer expelled from heaven” is actually not entirely correct. When Lucifer was expelled, heaven did not exist as such. Paradise, or Eden, is the garden in which the first people created by God lived. The rebellion, which resulted in the expulsion of Lucifer from heaven, occurred before the creation of the earth and people.
Lucifer on earth
Lucifer in bodily form, photo, as he was presented
After Lucifer was overthrown, he found himself in the abyss, and his beauty turned into ugliness. According to one of the ancient legends, from a fiery image he turned into a black one and became a thousand-armed monster with a long beak and tail. He has at least 20 fingers on each hand, and a deadly sting on his tail. He is in the underworld, chained to bars, while lower demons fan the flames beneath him.
According to the Christian version, Lucifer was cast down to earth, where he gathered other fallen angels around him and created a hierarchy of demons. Since then, Lucifer, overcome by a thirst for revenge, with the help of his demons, has been trying to turn people away from faith in God, pushing them to commit sins and sending various misfortunes to earth in order to shake the faith of Christians.
Note. Since Lucifer succumbed to one of the seven deadly sins - pride, in demonology and Satanism, his image is interpreted as a symbol of struggle, freedom and rebellion against tyranny. In different eras of human development, he was considered both a rebellious spirit and a bearer of enlightenment, the personification of will, reason and common sense.
The main principle of Satanism is pride, while the main principles of Christianity - humility and worship of God - clearly illustrate why Lucifer was expelled.
Does Lucifer really exist?
Lucifer, is this reality or fiction?
Before the name "Lucifer" was identified with the devil in the writing of the Vulgate, it did not have a negative connotation and was even used during the Roman Empire as a proper name. In the ancient centuries of Christianity, there was a church figure named Saint Lucifer of Calaris.
At the end of last year, the story of a Satanist couple who named their newborn son Lucifer became widely known.
According to Christian doctrine, Lucifer and demons who have become Satan can inhabit people and make them possessed or possessed by demons. In this regard, many believers are concerned with the question of how to expel Lucifer, demons and devils from a person.
In the Christian tradition, this can be done with the help of exorcism, the rite of “reprimand”, which was prohibited by the apostles in the first centuries of the development of Christianity. However, some priests practice this ritual, but this procedure may be unsafe, watch the video.
Why did God banish Lucifer?
Lucifer was endowed with a great gift - personal freedom and the ability to self-determination. He could choose between mutual love for God or selfish feelings for himself. Dennitsa surpassed all angels in dignity and beauty. But his desire to become equal to God and become higher than Him led him to inevitable death.
Pride (arrogance) is a sin that underlies all actions displeasing to God and crimes. This is a feeling of one’s own superiority over everyone else, including the Lord. It was because of pride that the fall of the greatest of all angels began, and it is this sin that is the root cause of other sins.
“There is no other passion that so destroys all virtues, and so exposes and deprives a person of all righteousness and holiness, like this evil pride: it, like some kind of all-encompassing infection, is not content with the relaxation of one member, or one part, but the whole body damages with mortal disorder, and attempts to overthrow those already at the height of virtues with an extremely difficult fall and destroy. Every other passion is content with its limits and its goal, and although it disturbs other virtues, it is mainly directed against one, it is primarily oppressed and attacked” (Rev. John Cassian the Roman, “Epistle to Castor, Bishop of Apt”)
Why was Lucifer driven out of heaven?
, a new version of the story appeared , telling of the fall of Lucifer. Initially, the main qualities of this beautiful angel were wisdom, humility and goodwill . Other angels loved their mentor and revered him .
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The Son of God Jesus Christ , who in those days was still one with his Heavenly Father, in turn, was the mentor of Lucifer . When a poisonous feeling of envy arose in the soul of the rebel, he began to doubt that the Most High Father loved him more than anyone else.
After all, Jesus was closest to him and deserved more trust from the Creator than he, the first and brightest of the angels. And he also could not accept the fact that all the angels were obliged to worship Jesus as God himself.
The seraphim's pride grew and strengthened in its darkness and took precedence over all the virtue that was bestowed on Dennitsa by the Creator. Lucifer plotted to overthrow God and take his place. Wisdom and humility turned into cunning and caution .
The angel hid his ambitious plans from others for a long time; he gradually sowed confusion among the other angels, hinting that they were not receiving due attention from the Heavenly Father, that God’s rule was not at all ideal.
In his speeches, Lucifer complained about the insufficient respect and love of the Creator for his angels, about excessive love and admiration for his son Jesus. He proposed to take control of the Universe ourselves and not ask anyone for permission.
The disgraced speeches of the first of the angels confused many. Other seraphim , who were faithful to God's will, began to persuade Lucifer to come to his senses and abandon his terrible plans. But among them there were also those who decided to join the “son of the dawn.”
There was a rebellion. Many like-minded people of Dennitsa fell from the hand of the Creator, while the rest, together with their leader, were thrown from heaven to hell (which was created specifically for guilty angels).
Later, along with the guilty angels, wicked people began to go to hell.
Lucifer lost his wings
