When God created the angels, one in particular was superbly beautifully unique, but ultimately his beauty would be his ruin.
Ezekiel describes his magnificence in the following verse, “You had the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and beauty. You were in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering: the ruby, the topaz, and the diamond; the beryl, the onyx, the jasper; the lapis lazuli, the turquoise and the emerald; and the gold, the workmanship of your settings and sockets, was in you. On the day you were created they were prepared. You were the anointed cherub who covers, and I placed you there. You were on the holy mountain of God; you walked in the midst of stones of fire. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, until unrighteousness was found in you. By the abundance of your trade you were internally filled with violence, and you sinned; therefore I have cast you as profane from the mountain of God. And I have destroyed you O covering cherub from the midst of the stones of fire. Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty. You corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor. (Ezekiel 28:12-17)
Isaiah speaks of the pride of this angel being his downfall. “How you have fallen from Heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! (The name Lucifer is from the Latin translation) You have been cut down to the earth, you have weakened the nations. But you said in your heart, ‘ I will ascend to Heaven, I will raise my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit in the assembly in the recesses of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High’”
This angel Lucifer was originally positioned in the highest Heavenly realms but through his unholy ambition he desired the glory that only belongs to God. His five “I wills” outline his proud self-will and self-deification ultimately resulting in being exited from Heaven.
He became the serpent of old, the devil, the accuser, the adversary, the father of lies, the evil one, the ruler of demons, Satan.
In his conversion to ugliness he needed a disguise, so in Genesis chapter 3 we meet up with him as he begins his first act on earth as the opposer of God. Satan, the tempter, indwells a serpent which translates as “the shining one” a light bearer, apparently an upright creature and most cunning and beautiful of the animal creation. (Not a writhing reptile, that was the result of the divine curse!) (Gen3:14)
Eve succumbs to the fatal attraction of his beauty. In his subtle way he questions God’s Word, he denies God’s Word, and he questions God’s motives. ( surely God wouldn’t deny you something wonderful)
Nothing has changed in this day and age. The destroyer still comes ingeniously disguised attractively, otherwise we would recognize his manipulation. He still questions, denies and perverts God’s Word, subtly.
The situation is imminently dangerous as the evil one becomes an imposter, pretender, imitator as he suits up in his masquerade finery, his costume to appear as an angel of light! “…for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light” (2Cor.11:14)
We don’t respond with attraction to the loathsome, the hideous, the repulsive, but we can be taken in by an attractive “costume of light”.
The apostle Paul writing to the Corinthians warns regarding false prophets and deceitful workers disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. (2Cor.11:13)
Again, obviously we wouldn’t be taken in by these workers of iniquity who inhabit the church if dressed in apostasy and immortality. Satan is more clever than that!
The apostle Peter warns that false prophets will secretly introduce destructive heresies and in their greed they will exploit us with false words. (2Peter2:1-3) They mix in just enough truth to make the false palatable so the false can counterfeit as truth!
Those who can recognize counterfeit money do so by studying intensely and becoming completely familiar with the authentic genuine printed money. The counterfeit doesn’t stand a chance! In like manner, becoming well informed, well acquainted with the Word of God allows us to recognize, discern and “red flag” the counterfeit false doctrines. Then the counterfeit doesn’t stand a chance!
Beware, be on the alert for trickery and deception. The Word is our authority and will easily identify and disrobe the inauthentic cleverly disguised in an angel of light costume!
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Dr. Dodd,
I really appreciate the knowledge and wisdom you communicated in this post. I had never paid that much attention to the verses in Ezekiel describing Lucifer, nor the “five I wills,” in Isaiah. Thank God for giving us discernment of false teachers, false churches, and for the subtle twisting of the truth common in many “christian” songs and venues.