Lucifer in the New Testament

Lord, we thank you for your Word and that it is true. May this Bible study be a blessing to those who read. May this study continue to deepen our understanding of who you are and in turn teach us how to live in a way that glorifies you.

Last week, we had the opportunity of looking at Old Testament passages that connected with the subject of Lucifer, a Latin word that we stumbled upon in Isaiah 14:12. The goal of this study is to properly understand this passage of Isaiah and gain a better understanding of Satan in Scripture.We found that the Old Testament writers had not developed a theology on a being that embodies the work of a satan or devil, but rather Satan as we know him from the New Testament has to be viewed in the background of these Old Testament passages. So this “Lucifer” in Isaiah 14 is really referencing the king of Babylon. Though we understand that Satan may be working the strings behind the curtain, the name “Lucifer” should not be attributed to Satan of the New Testament. As we turn to the New Testament, it is important to know that there were many other Jewish writings that did not make the cut into the Bible. These writings are attributed as intertestimental writings. In them can be traced an interesting movement in the theology of evil, especially it’s embodiment coming into view using different character names, yet displaying the characteristics often associated with the devil.

The New Testament is where we really get to see Satan as the church views him. There are several different pictures of him presented by different authors. In the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), the authors present Satan as one who presents himself as opposition to the Gospel preached by the Christ. It is theorized in multiple fashions why this Satan figure enters from the background. One is that as a created being, Satan is progressing in his opposition to the Lord and therefore begins getting a name for himself first in the period between the Old and New Testament. The second is that Satan comes out from the shadows because the Light has entered the scene on Earth. Because the Gospel is being preached, the leader of the opposition to that Gospel also appears in an attempt to destroy it. The Synoptics certainly show Satan as one who is a being in opposition to the Gospel. This can be seen in the telling of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness (Mt. 4:1-11, Mk. 1:12-13, Lk. 4:1-13) and the Parable of the Sower (Mt. 13:1-9, Mk. 4:1-9, Lk. 8:4-8). Luke especially continues in the development of Satan, giving this being the attributes of being a schemer (Lk. 4:13), one who has the ability to interact with and even bind humans (13:16), and as a sifter/tester (22:31).

The rest of the New Testament will also speak on Satan, though sometimes in a different light. For example John will more often speak of Satan or the devil as one who works through humans. An obvious example is the testing of Jesus seen through the stories written in John 6-7:5. These humans though are prompted by a being, the devil, seen in John 8:44 where Jesus gives Satan the attribute as a murderer from the beginning. Satans ability to accomplish his work as anti-Christ through people is seen in other places in the New Testament, including Acts (ex. 5:3, 26:18). Paul also writes on Satan, saying he is able to impinge difficulties on humans; Paul’s difficulties being both physical (2 Cor. 12:7) and travel plans (1 Thess. 2:18). Paul also gives Satan credit for the ability to hinder truth (Gal. 5:7). And people can act like satans (Titus 2:3, 2 Tim. 3:3, 11)!

But Revelation is where modern Christianity has really blown up and given the devil too much screen time in the story of Christ’s Gospel. The main passages I decided to highlight for the sake of our study is the repeated descriptions in Revelation 12:9 and 20:2. This is where the evil being opposed to God is described as the devil, Satan, a great dragon, ancient serpent, and deceiver of the whole world. This is where we start to look back in Scripture and see Satan everywhere and begin to see him even in places that may distract us from the deeper purpose of the passage. The last reference of the devil we see is in Revelation 20:10 where we read, “and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” I want to point out that Satan has been given a lot of sway in our culture today, but when we talk about Satan, let’s remember where his story ends! His story is present for God’s glory and our victory through Christ.

We have studied Satan not for vain reasons but rather because we felt like by studying this character it would help us better interpret Scripture, keying in on Isaiah 14. I believe that the information learned by studying the New Testament only confirms that, though Satan may be in the background of Isaiah 14, the passage should be interpreted with Lucifer speaking of an earthly king, not an alternate name for Satan of description of him. 

By properly interpreting Isaiah 14, we are in turn able to properly understand the passages in Matthew 11:20-24, Luke 10:13-16 and Luke 10:18. In Luke 10:18, Jesus say to the disciples who are rejoicing as they return from mission, “I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning.” The interpretation of this verse splits in four directions. The first is that Jesus is reflecting on something that happened in the past. The second is that Jesus witnessed Satan being cast out at the moment the disciples went out. The third is that Jesus is prophesying what is to come. But the fourth comes from the context of Isaiah 14:12 and the Synoptic Gospels theology discussed earlier. Isaiah 14:12 comes in a section called “Oracles Against the Nations”. This section preaches condemnation on nations who are to be judged by God. We see a serious “Oracle Against the Nations” in both Matthew 11 and Luke 10, with the most condemnation coming against Capernum. So we must meld an understanding that these oracles spoke of the fall of the kingdom and that the Gospels saw Satan as the opposition to the Gospel message. The fourth interpretation is that this fall from heaven was not a specific event, but the proclamation of Jesus that when the Gospel is preached the kingdom of the Devil falls! And we are bearers of the message that tramples him and what he deems a kingdom. 

My prayer is that this study has been entertaining and enlightening. I am sure that I did not meet the desires of all listening to/reading this study. But I have presented what I have felt the message God wanted me to present. That we ought to faithfully look to the Scriptures and to prayerfully consider how it impacts our journey.