Lucifer = Satan ?

The Devil has many names. Satan & Lucifer are just 2....

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Wow there are A LOT of incredibly incorrect responses on here. If people would just read the Bible they would know exactly who Satan is. I didn't read all of the pages because some of these responses are just ridiculous, so there might be someone who has actually answered correctly, but just in case I'll explain. Ok after having said that. Lucifer, an angel, means "bringer of light." From what I learned at school (I go to a Christian college) he was God's chief musician and leader of worship in Heaven. However due to his pride, he desired to exalt himself higher than God, he was cast out of Heaven. Lucifer is also called "son of the morning" or "Morning Star" (Isaiah 14:12). The name Lucifer actually comes from the Latin translation of the Hewbrew "heilel" which is something that shows brightness. The name Lucifer is from the King James Version of the Bible; many newer translations do not use this name but light bringer, morning star, etc. The name Lucifer is only mentioned once in the English translation of the Bible (Isaiah 14:12); however the name of Satan or Devil is used many times throughout the Old and New Testaments to describe the one who is a thorn in the side of humanity(2 Corinthians 12:7). It was after he was cast out of Heaven that he became the Adversary to us (1 Peter 5:8). Genesis 3:15 makes a reference to both Satan's place as humanity's adversary and also the coming of Christ in human form to crush Satan. Lucifer is Satan; but no longer can be called Lucifer (light-bearer) due to his fall from Heaven. Many people seem to think that Lucifer is the Devil's "name," however it WAS his name. Lucifer means light bringer, but obviously that is no longer the Satan's area of expertise. Do not be fooled by the media portraying the Devil as someone "cool" or "misunderstood"; he is set out to kill and destroy (John 10:10). I hope that this was helpful. Have a wonderful blessed day!

In some circles of angelolgy Lucifer and Satan are different beings. Lucifer being a Fallen Angel, Satan a being created by God to spread evil on earth.
The word lucifer itself appears a few times in different versions of the Bible (all in the translation). It appears in the KJV once in reference to a king. Go with whatever mythos you want.

There is nothing in the the bible or the torah that states this. Modern christian mythology says that the angel was created Lucifer (morning star) but that after losing the war was called satan. But that is just a modern take on Lucifer/Satan. Added to it are the changes made by the catholics who created the "trinity" out of whole cloth and the evangelists who created "the rapture" out of whole cloth.
Theres nothing to back either of those up, or revelations for that matter, other than the decisions of a few people in power in various churchs deciding it long after christs death.

there's really no right or wrong answer, it sort of depends on how you interpret the information known; objectively, as a Christian, Jew or even Muslim.


the first mention of Satan by name is in the book of Job. There he is called "Ha-Satan". "Ha" means "the" and "Satan" means either Accuser or Adversary. So "Satan" is a title and in Yahweh's heavenly court he functions like a Prosecuting Attorney that uses police entrapment...and that's pretty much how the Jews originally envisioned The Satan as an Angel that goes around tempting humans and then brings them before God.. "Satan" was translated in Greek to "diablos" which also means adversary/accuser which is where we get the English word for "devil".

The term Lucifer really isn't used in the Bible. In fact it's not used at all in the new testament and once in the old testament. From Isaiah 14:20

When the Lord has given you rest from your pain and turmoil and the hard service with which you were made to serve, you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon: How the oppressor has ceased! How his insolence has ceased! … How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! You said in your heart, "I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit on the mount of congregation on the heights of Zaphon; I will ascend to the tops of the clouds, I will make myself like the Most High." But you are brought down to Sheol, to the depths of the Pit. Those who see you will stare at you, and ponder over you: "Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms, who made the world like a desert and overthrew its cities, who would not let his prisoners go home?

Which is basically a rant against the King of Babylon who is later thought to be another term for Satan and not for an earthly bad king. "O Day Star" = Lucifer in Latin. This verse may also be the source for the idea of a fallen Angel from heaven. But in reality it refers to an ancient Canaanite myth of how the god that represented Venus tried to outshine the sun (which it does right before dawn) but is cast off the mountain of the gods.

So then we have the War in Heaven. The primary literature comes from the Apocrypha(not included in the Bible) book of Enoch about The Watchers. An Angel named Shamaza (or Shamazyl or something like that) leads 199 other Angels to Earth to take wives and teach man. An angel called Sataniel may have been among them. The angel Azael taught them metal working (and for some reason make up and jewelry for the women) others taught man about the weather, constellations.... Their offspring are called the giant Nephelim (whom the Greeks just lazily translated as giants). So God sends Michael, Raphael, Gabriel and Uriel to squash the rebellion and clean things up. Raphael binds Azazel and throws him in a pit and heal the earth. Gabriel is sent to destroy the Nephilim. Michael is sent to bind Shmazaja and the rest of the angels and throw them in a pit until the day of judgement (or 70 generations...it's not clear to me).

The Jewish tradition holds that there are fallen angels that still serve god. Angels such as Samael who is the Angel of Death (in some stories Azrael is the Angel of Death) but Samael still rules one of the heavens. He is the patron of the Roman Empire the arch enemy of the early Christians. He is role is often mixed up with other Angels; he is said to have been the Angel that stopped Abraham from killing the infant Issac but also attributed to Metetron. He is also said to have been the seducer of Eve (and may have been the serpent) and got Cain to impregnate her. So sometime's he's a good angel and sometime's he's not.

Another possible reference to the War in Heaven is in the book of Daniel which mentions Michael and Gabriel representing Israel against the Princes/Angels of Persia and Greece. I think this may have had to do with Israel's issues with Greek/Assyrian (Alexander/Secculid) empire and the traditional Jews fight against Greek Hellenization.

The concept of the all evil and powerful devil/Satan probably comes from the Jew's time during the Exile. There they were exposed to Zoroastrianism the religion of the Persian empire. The idea of opposing cosmic dualities is introduced to them as Ahura Mazda (the uncreated creator...good) and Angra Mainyu (evil and chaos). So concept of Satan being a tempter and servant of god begins to transform into the big bad usurper of god. So while the devil isn't the evil equal to god (like in Zoroastrian)he is now thought of one of the most powerful of Angels that is set out to oppose god as instead of his previous role as a just an angel with a crappy job of tempting humans to sin against god.

lucifer and satan are but 2 of the 4 crown princes of hell :)

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