LUCIFER: THE FALLEN ANGEL. IS HE EVIL?

Prior to the creation of the world by the biblical God, the heavens were created, and within the heavens, the cherubs, angels, and archangels were created. The Archangels were the highest-ranked of the angels and were the chief messengers of God himself. Among these Archangels was the being known as Lucifer, the highest Archangel of old, described as the most beautiful creature that God had ever created, a splendid being that was perfect in every way. Ezekiel 2015 described Lucifer as "that was perfect in thy ways from the day that thou was created." However, Lucifer's superior qualities to God's other creations caused him to become prideful, and pretty soon, he believed that it was he who should be in God's place. He wanted to be God himself, given that he was deemed worthy to be in the presence of God more than any other and arguably understood God better than any other. Lucifer could think of no one better than himself to be the one to overthrow his Lord, as noted in Isaiah 14:12-14, where the prophet Isaiah quotes what some suggest is Lucifer saying, "I will ascend to heaven, I will raise my throne above the stars of God." It can even be argued that Lucifer's ambition is greater than God's, that not only does he want to take God's place but wants a place even higher than where God sits. Pride would spur on Lucifer to act on his thoughts that he was indeed more powerful than God. It was pride that blinded him, pride that led him down a path of haughtiness, and pride that saw him begin to manipulate the other angels into serving him. While some remained loyal to God, many of the angels who, like Lucifer, would become known as fallen angels, began to recognize him as the superior being. All Ezekiel 28:15 notes is that Lucifer has been perfect in every way, but he also notes that iniquity was found in him, thus diminishing his perfection. With a third of the angels on his side, Lucifer launched an attack on God, and a mighty war for the heavens took place. However, Lucifer was not counting on the strong resistance put up by another Archangel, the one known as Michael. Unable to defeat Michael in his current form, Lucifer began to doubt his own perfection. At this point, Lucifer transforms into a dragon, as noted in Revelation 12:7-8, "And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the Dragon, and the dragon and his angels prevailed not, neither was their place found any more in heaven." Lucifer's defeat is absolute, and Revelation 12:9 goes on to state, "And the Great Dragon was cast out, that old serpent called the devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him." Lucifer's defeat is more than just a loss of pride; he loses everything. He is not only shunned by God, but he is cast out from heaven along with all the other angels who had sided with him. Lucifer's ultimate fate is detailed in Revelation 20:10, where it is understood that "the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever." Lucifer's banishment serves to show us that like Lucifer, if we are too confident and believe ourselves to be more powerful than we actually are, we could risk setting ourselves up for our own failure. The tale also seeks to teach us to be modest and to be thankful for what we have, and while we should aspire, we should not rush into things and be impulsive in our desires. It also echoes the idea that we should respect our elders, our parents, and those that paved the way before us, as they hold wisdom that we may not be able to conceive at the time. Lucifer, for example, believed he was stronger than God, and even though God had made him what he was, Lucifer threw it back in his face and against him because he believed he was better. The consequences for such disrespect to those who came before us can and should be severe.