Lucifer is the implied name of Satan before he became full of pride. Before getting into the subject of the title of this article, I need to provide clarity on Lucifer and Satan.
Lucifer isn’t truly the name of Satan before he fell. Lucifer is the Latin name for the planet Venus. When the Bible was translated by Jermone in the early church years, he elected to use this word to translate the Hebrew word hêlēl which means light bearer, or bright star, or shining one, or day star. See Isaiah 14:12 below.
Satan needs a little explanation as well. In the Bible, in both testaments, the word satan, which means adversary, is preceded by the article the. So this means that this is a position, not a proper name. Bible translators have unfortunately adapted this as a proper name, Satan.
Regardless of his name, read about this “anointed cherub’s” splendor and subsequent fall in Ezekiel 28. Specifically, God says:
Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you have corrupted your wisdom by reason of your brightness.
Ezekiel 28:17
This cherub became prideful in his own beauty and brightness, or splendor as some translations have it.
Paul states Satan’s deception through light:
Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.
2 Corinthians 11:14
In similar contrast, Jesus says in the very last verses of the Bible that He is the bright and morning star:
I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.
Revelation 22:16
This may seem confusing. Can they both be the bright/morning star?
No, they can’t. The explanation can be found in Isaiah:
How you are fallen from heaven, O shining star (Lucifer), son of the morning!
Isaiah 14:12
The key is son of the morning.
The bright and morning star is Jesus, as he said of himself at the end of Revelation. The anointed cherub was son of the morning, as all believers/angels are today. We are sons and daughters of God (Romans 8:14 and 1 John 3:1). This created being, before becoming prideful, was no different.
The “morning” reference Jesus makes of Himself is an indication of being the first light, the breaking dawn of man to God… Jesus is the “firstfruit” of man to God.
Jesus is our bright and morning star. Satan is only a corrupt and deceiving imitation. I’ve heard it said that Satan is like Venus, being the brightest object in the very earliest dawn, struggling mightily to remain the brightest object in the sky. And he does, until the Sun comes up and its brightness overwhelms Venus. In this analogy Jesus is the Sun, and Jesus overwhelms Satan with true brightness, holiness and righteousness.
The “star” reference Jesus coins is that of righteous splendor, pure and bright. Daniel says this of the Godly wise:
Those who are wise will shine as bright as the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever.
Daniel 12:3
Believers will shine brightly in eternity, like the stars of heaven… like Jesus!