Lucifer and Jesus: Both Gods Sons - Essay Example

Lucifer and Jesus: Both God's Sons The concept of God is that of the highest good and highest virtue where the good and evil are treated equally. The Christian religion gives acknowledgement to the two sons of God, Jesus and Lucifer. Jesus embodied higher qualities such as love, compassion, and sacrifice, and advocated people to love and worship God. Lucifer personified selfish qualities like pride, jealousy and deceit, and even as God's son, he challenged the power from which he had originated. The role of an angel is very significant in the pronouncement of Bible, "we must believe that the angels are always there - the righteous angels doing what God tells them to do; the fallen angels working under the direction of Satan" (Stover). From the beginning, all angels were created equal and holy, but a third of them rebelled against God and fell from their pure state. They were led by the Satan, a liar, murderer and thief. "He hates God and passionately hates God's people" (Stover). It is important to remember that Satan and all the demons are very powerful and brilliant, disguising themselves as an angel of light. Lucifer is the angel of light. God's good angels on the other hand work quietly and work for God. He will always speak of God's glory and their purpose is to redeem us from our sin and help us return back to God. They do not accept worship, but direct you to worship God. They are not bound by mantras or command anyone by their word. Holy angels like Jesus are compassionate, loving and forgiving. They live to serve God, and God's people (Stover). The image of God as the ultimate commander is quite impressive and magnificent. It is important to know that God uses his "messengers" which are aptly described to us by the Greek word: angels. The Biblical image of the universe as described in the Genesis, Mathews, says Revelation is that of universe which is vibrating with life everywhere. The cosmos is heavily inhabited by wide range of angelic beings of various ranks and species. "Angels are very closely associated with the astronomical phenomena throughout Bible" (Dolphin). The weather is also greatly a result of such activity where wind, storm and lightning are considered as the actions of God, carried out by his messengers. Angels play an important role in acting as blessing as well a curse depending upon their bent of inclination. Since angels are the powers of God, they never rest; everything in this universe is sustained by the animated energy of the angels, working faithfully at the command of God. Martin Luther very aptly makes the comment regarding a natural calamity, in which he bases his interpretation in harmony with the message in the Psalm stating that winds have wings. "The devil provokes such storms, but good winds are produced by good angels. Winds are nothing but spirits, either good or evil. The devil sits there and snorts, and so do the angels when the winds are salubrious"(Dolphin)."The Biblical worldview is uncompromising: God is running the world. Every atom in the universe is under His command. His Word created and sustains in Him. That is why He can assert His power and authority in such absolute terms." "I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity, I, the LORD, do all these things"(Isaiah 45:7) (Dolphin). The creation of angels is the most speculated in the Biblical analysis; it has been referred to that angels were created during creation week after Genesis. "An Angel is a spiritual being subordinate to God, who serves at Gods command and pleasure to deliver his messages, help his people and punish his enemies" (Achtemeier). They did not exist before that, they were also the observers of the work of creation. There is deep connection between angels and stars, which further reveals that angels were created one by one, and named as all stars are named. "He determines the number of the stars, he gives to all of them their names" (Psalm 147:4) (Dolphin). Though angels belong to particular rank and order, they are not connected as a race. One fact needs to be considered that angels cannot attain salvation; salvation is reserved for the human family, for the descendants of Adam. Jesus was made a little lower than the angels, and "was crowned with glory and honor because of his suffering of death" (Hebrews 2:9). The purpose is to bring salvation for him and for the masses through suffering. "Lucifer is the Hebrew word meaning 'light Bearer' or 'shining one' sometimes designated as the morning's star that is Venus" (Achtemeier ). Jesus said in Luke 10:18 "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven" (Achtemeier). Thus, the connection is made between Lucifer and Satan. He is the embodiment of evil or Satan or fallen angel, has been mentioned as the angel of light or the shinning one who uses his power to tempt the individual soul away from God. The first tempter appears in Genesis as a serpent in the Garden of Eden, to tempt the eve to fall from heaven. Satan becomes fully personified in the "man of sin". The attribute of Satan can be seen in Lucifer as an angel, the powerful and evil human rulers as the King of Babylon, the King of Tyre, the Ceasars, Hitler, Stalin and others. Lucifer has been the most talked about fallen angel, who becomes Satan, taking to evil ways under the spell of his ego and pride. Lucifer is referred to as the "light bearer" as he was a very high angel in the kingdom of God who had control over light, energy and power. He has great power to influence over the entire angelic congregation. He is also associated with the darkness, and is also deceptive enough to come disguised as an angel of light to seduce the person to commit evil or wrong. Lucifer has been the protector of the forces of nature, for example, the physical phenomena of the propagation of light. The Satan has the power to attract, which led to one third of the angels turning against God and joining the league of Satan. It is believed that Satan is responsible for the fall of the humans in their mortal state as children of Adam. The universe in which we live has been damaged and is old and dying with degenerative principle known in physics as the "Second Law of Thermodynamics". The redemption is possible for those who love God by ticket to entry in another whole new world which has been created especially for those who love him and are willing to serve him and seek salvation through suffering and wisdom (Dolphin). Lucifer is characterized as a mighty rebel, who does not want to be the servant of God; he does not want to do what he is created to do. He wants to be served, and he is successful in achieving millions of followers who are willing to serve him. They have been tempted and spellbound by his lies and chosen to follow him. Eve fell for the same temptation, and fell from the divine Garden of Eden (Story of Lucifer). "Paradise Lost" by John Milton has been studied at length by many scholars, and interpreted in different ways as an epic. There have been diversely varied interpretations of this great epic. Milton's objective in writing the epic was to tell the biblical story of Adam and Eve. The Milton's version of the story differs on many characterization and structural areas from that of the version of the Bible. In Book II of "Paradise Lost" Milton describes the Satan as the rebel who has certain heroic qualities, but is not a hero. Satan plays a very important role in "Paradise Lost". He emphasizes on the heroic qualities of the Satan to lure many followers, who are tainted by the evil designs of the Satan, showing the thin line between good and evil. Lucifer, the Satan was one of the highest angels of in Heaven. Satan was once a good angel, who had good influence on other host of angels in the Kingdom of heaven, but he could not obey the commands of god and serve in his shadow. It was his pride which led to his banishment from heaven. He chose to lead in hell, rather than serve in heaven. He had a strong desire to be above everyone else, including God, his creator. Satan was very close to God before he fell from heaven. He was the second in command after God, the divine ruler. He was wise and powerful and beautiful. It was his powerful and influential trait as the hero that helped him gather a great number of angels in rebellion against God. Milton greatly emphasizes the heroic War of the Heaven giving this scene the most coverage in "Paradise Lost", the focus of the scene is the heroic qualities of the Satan to lead, give eloquent speech, and impress his audience with great visions. Besides his eloquence and persuasive skills, the real heroic characteristic trait in the Satan is his distinction in battle. He plays the role of a skillful leader in the eyes of the other fallen angels who join him in the rebellion. Though Satan reveals many heroic qualities and is charged with fervor and energy to fight against Gods. He boldly agrees to face the Gods alone, he is not reliable and consistent, as he shrewdly and cunningly, changes his mind to face the Gods and take on a solitary path to Hell. Though he has many heroic qualities, he is not a hero. He is a hypocrite and has fallen from the heights of heaven to the dungeons of hell. There he suffers, is frightened but suffers not alone, he has dragged many for his followers to hell as well, and until the end gives them false hope and promises. Milton raises the Satan in the beginning as a rebellious hero, who has a great following, but later his own followers begin to doubt him, he is reduced in the end to no hero at all as a result of his pride and cowardice. (Cooper) The interpretation of "Paradise Lost" by H.W. Peck is that it is a theological and historical epic that deals with human and super-human facts, the actions begin with creation, moves to struggle and ultimately ends with dissolution. The role of the Satan, as banished from heaven and the connection made to the cause of the man to be removed from the paradise on account of the fruit taken from the forbidden tree, revolves around historical facts and the core idea of disobedience as the price for banishment from heaven and separation from God. Milton has a wide range of vision, he projects in his work "Paradise Lost" the essential characteristics of the Satan and while in his work, "On the Morning of Christ's Nativity," he captures the beauty of the arrival of Gods son Jesus on the early Christmas morning. In his poems he covers the whole experience of the Lucifer, the Satan, to Jesus, the son of God, from evil to good and from fall to redemption. In the first four stanzas of the poem "On the Morning of Christ's Nativity" he paints a stunning picture of man's redemption in Christ. He further talks about peace, death and resurrection. He gives the description of the "glorious form" and "insufferable light" of God. There is also a reference to the doctrine of Trinity. Later he converses with the Muse, and asks him to arrange for a chariot and bring in special gifts for Christ, and enquires if he can see the angels gathered around the manger. The glorious incarnation of Christ's arrival into this world where he is surrounded by angels, is full of admiration. His birth is celebrated by the world human's and angels alike. He is the special child who is born as the savior of the humanity. "Jesus is the central figure whose life, death and resurrection represents, in Christians, God's saving act for sinful humanity. The name Jesus is derived from the Hebrew word that means 'savior' (Math.1:21) and the Christ means (Heb. Messiah) 'anointed' and refers to one commissioned by God for a special task" (Achtemeier). Jesus came into this world, and his coming was witnessed by angels and had been foreseen from all eternity. His Nativity was prepared from the beginning of the history of salvation. The manger, in which he came into this world, is symbolic of his arrival for a special mission that is the redemption of the mankind. He was born in the darkness of the manger, in a stable and not in the midst of gold and riches. The nativity of His flesh reveals his human nature and virgin birth is an indication of his divine nature. He has arrived as the savior of the masses to spread the light of wisdom and to uplift the poor. Jesus, the most beloved son of God and the chosen savior of humanity, walked on this earth about two thousand years ago, and is one of the most talked about and influential people ever lived. "Jesus was born to a virgin and lived a sinless life". (Who is Jesus) He had a miraculous birth, an extraordinary life and a very painful death; and supernatural resurrection after three days of his death. He traveled a lot, suffered a great deal, forgave even his enemies, showed compassion, healed the sick, and was one with God. He was the true son of God, whose birth symbolized his complete surrender to the service of God performed in utter humility. Jesus was a great and a humble healer. People gathered around him to just listen to him. Large crowds would gather from all over the country to hear what he had to say. He talked about wide range of topics like the Kingdom of God, prayers, wise and foolish lifestyles, love, forgiveness and compassion. He was not liked by everyone else. He was very forthright and outspoken against religious leaders who were hypocrites. He was considered as a threat with his revolutionary ideas which strongly influenced the masses. This was the reason for his death on the cross. He touched the hearts and souls of innumerable people with his suffering, which was done for their redemption. The twelve apostles selected by Jesus, were the witnesses to his faith, knowledge and humility, even in the face of arrest, persecution, ridicule and finally resurrection. There is account of Life of Jesus in 'The King James Version of the Bible' which is an English translation of the Christian Bible, first published in 1611. The King James Version has had a profound impact on the English literature. The works of the famous authors such as John Milton, Herman Melville, John Dryden, and William Wordsworth were deeply inspired by it. King James translation of the Bible observes that the text had been translated out of the original tongues, with the former translations diligently compared and revised. The scripture has given a very detailed account of the guidelines which would test if an angel is good son of God who willing to serve or evil son of God that rebels. According to Bible there are two levels of creation: the physical ruled mainly by demons, Lucifer and the spiritual ruled by the Son of God, Jesus made in light, having virtue. There is a close connection between Lucifer and Jesus. Even though they may seem like two different characters they exist together and have a close bond. Satan is there to challenge the goodness and virtue within Jesus and Jesus needs this challenge to show the world and the humanity why his chosen path of spiritual redemption is more needed for the betterment of the humanity and the goodness of the society. God loves the two Lucifer and Jesus. This is very complex relationship where the drama of life is played in the shadow of the influences by these two aspects of evil and good "The cultures of society, human traditions, habit patterns, and lifestyles are actually controlled to a large degree by angelic forces operating behind the scenes of the world-system" (Dolphin). It has been mentioned that visions which are placed with great importance trace back their origin from the angelic forces acting on the mind, with the power to suggest signs, perform wonders and miracles. These are the outcomes of the angel of light, giving our mind imaginations which take us away from the source of our attunement with our creator. Genuine visions are different as seen by Ezekiel, Daniel, and Apostle John as experiences when the seer could briefly look behind the veil of the material world, into the invisible world, and could see a more permanent world of Spirit, beyond verbal description. This experience has to be confirmed by the scripture in order to authenticate it. "One of the most intriguing Scripture reference to angels from a human perspective is the one that says, "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." (Hebrews 13:2)."For He will give His angels charge of you, to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone." (Psalm 91:11-12) (Stover) It is true that there are angels' among us. They are angels around us; we sometimes see them and do not even realize their presence. "We just know that they are helping us, guiding us and watching over us" (Stover). They are present, where they need to be present, and are controlled by forces unknown and unseen. As we also know that there are times when we want them to be with us, but they are somewhere else. Sometimes we desperately search for them and cannot reach them. Bible says that we must believe in the presence of the angels always supporting us and taking care of us. They are controlled by those teeming vibrations which fill the universe in the form of atom and dance to the tunes of the almighty, God. They rise from Him and they return back to Him. He is reason for the existence o the universe and began the journey of the Humans with his creation of Genesis. The angels are both good and bad, and they co-exist we should attune ourselves with the good angels and ignore the temptations of the evil- "the righteous angels doing what God tells them to do; the fallen angels working under the direction of Satan" (Stover). Works Cited Stover, Linda. "Angels - A Bible Study." 2000-2007. Casey Charmical. 24 Apr 2007 . Dolphin, Lambert . "GOD AND THE ANGELS." Dolphin.org. 24 Apr 2007 . "Story of Lucifer." All About God. 2002-2007. 24 Apr 2007 . "Paradise Lost." March 30,2006. 24 Apr 2007 . tcooper1374, "Paradise Lost John Milton Satan A hero or Not." 2006. PlanetPapers.com. 24 Apr 2007 . "Who is Jesus." 2006. Global Media Outreach.. 24 Apr 2007 . Achtemeier, Paul J. Harpers Bible Dictionary. first. San Francisco: Harper, 1946. Conner, Fredrick W. "Lucifer and the Last Puritan." American Literature Vol.33,No.1(March,1961): 1-19. (Conner 1-19) Daube, David. "Three Note on Paradise Regained." The Review of English Studies Vol.19,No.74(Apr.,1943): 205-213. (Daube 205-213) Hansen, Maurice G. "The Name of Lucifer." The Old Testament Student Vol.4,No.2(Oct. 1884): 71-73. (Hansen 71-73) Kelly, Henry Ansgar. "Satan the Old Enemy:ACosmic J.Edgar Hoover." The Journal of American Folklore Vol.103,No.407(Jan,1990): 77-84. (kelly 77-84) Jeffers, Honoree Fannone. "My Dream Jesus, Wilderness, Satan's Sweet." Callaloo 27, No.4(2004): 991. (Jeffers 991) Revard, Stella.p. "Satan's envy of Kinship of the son of God:A consideration of the "Paradise Lost" and it Teological backgroung." Modern Philosophy . Vol.70, No.3(Feb,1973): pp 190-198. (Revard 190-198) Annotated Bibliography Emerson, Everett H. "Milton's War in Heaven: Some Problems." Modern Language Notes. Vol. 69 No. 6. (June 1954), pp. 399-402. This essay studies why the war in Heaven would have even been allowed to have happened. Emerson asks why the Father sends the Son to handle the problem. Milton, John. "On the Morning of Christ's Nativity." John Milton: Complete Poems and Major Prose. Ed. Merritt Y. Hughes. Indianapolis: Hackett, 2003. pp. 42-50. Paradise Lost. Nyquist, Mary. "The Father's Word/Satan's Wrath." PMLA. Vol. 100, No. 2. (March 1985), pp. 187-202. Nyquist studies the relationship between Satan and God in both Paradise Lost and Paradise Regain'd. Peck, H.W. "The Theme of Paradise Lost." PMLA. Vol. 29, No. 2. (1914), pp. 256 -269. Peck compares the critical views on Milton's Paradise Lost and also asserts his views on the major theme of this work. Steadman, John M. "Milton's 'Giant Angels': An Additional Parallel." Modern Language Notes, Vol. 75, No. 7. (Nov. 1960), pp. 551-553. Steadman studies the biblical account of "Nephilim" as a source of Milton's "Giant Angels" in Paradise Lost. He also accounts it from Milton's classical learning. Webber, Joan. "The Son of God and the Power of Life in Three Poems by Milton." ELH. Vol. 37, No. 2. (June 1970), pp. 175-194. Webber compares Christ in "On the Morning of Christ's Nativity," Paradise Lost, and Paradise Regain'd and compares the purpose of his appearance in each. The relationship between Satan and Jesus is also studied. Read More