Imagine you were born in such a way that your first thought was one of happiness. You didn't come into the world cold and wet and covered with blood, crying for the traumatic way in which you were made. That was what the creation of angels was like. The first one made knew nothing but the joy of self-awareness, and gratitude for the One who made it. And this creative force wasn't shy either, in the details of this first being. To him He gave a great amount of beauty and strength and intelligence, and love, which is the force from which the One was made, and which would hold all things together (after they were formed, of course).

Afterwards, many others were made. Each had varying strengths and areas of expertise (singing, wisdom, reflection of the character of the One, etc.), but even with this great variety, none could compare to this first creature, a bearer of the Light of creation, whose name reflected his high station and responsibility. His name, which was once held in such high esteem, is now a lowly title, ground into the earth, and often not even taken seriously. Such are the denotations now attached to the name "Lucifer." Even he, however, is pleased that this situation stands as it is; but more on that later.

To this mighty angel was committed the leadership of all the others. To them he revealed the character and workings of their Father, which he was best equipped to understand. He was a "covering cherub," the highest order of archangel, and his delight was to perform the tasks to which he was set. Then arose a mystery. Into this perfect, harmonious society, in which sadness, pain, doubt and worry were unknown, something new was added.

Angels were created a little higher than man. These days they are a LOT higher than man's current state, and so it is difficult to try and grasp some of the concepts involved, but as best it can be understood, Lucifer began to question if this was the ONLY way to exist. There was nothing wrong with this, for angels are brilliant beings, and their thoughts are God's delight. However, and for reasons I don't get, Lucifer kept this question to himself, and rather than discussing it with his Father as was his perfect right to do, he began to draw away from the Presence he had always known, to see if he could figure it out for himself.

Rather than going to the source of all knowledge, he began to convey his questions and doubts to others around him, not so much as to find an answer, but to get others to share these new feelings that he had. In all this, though, his communication with God was not broken, and some deception must have been used to keep the archangel's doubts from coming to light. Gradually, you can see things were getting worse. From questions, to doubts to lies... at what point did it become rebellion? It happened so gradually that Lucifer didn't even understand it himself, just how far from his joy and peace he had descended.

With growing apprehension, the other angels watched the changes in their firstborn brother, and wondered what would become of this all. There was still hope, for a God who is love never wastes an opportunity to restore happiness. He sent another representative to plead with Lucifer, to get him to try to understand what was happening. The archangel Michael didn't seem to be a created being at all. It is with the shout of this angel that the Prince of Heaven will come to earth (1 Thess 4:16), yet in the book of Daniel (21:1), he himself is described as the Prince.

Long did God try to make Lucifer see where he was heading. Michael tried to explain the very simple concept that if the universe is created out of love, then any being which is driven by a force other than love is of necessity out of harmony with all things, and how can such a being continue to exist? Every mercy, every pitying request for an intelligent discussion was seen by Lucifer as an invitation to return to slavery. His doubts had caused him to forget all the joy and happiness he had felt while doing the very job he was created for. He began to think himself worthy of deciding for himself what he would do with the rest of his existence, and a sense of pride was added to the growing horrors.

With every rejection of his Father's love, Lucifer's pride grew. How could Michael's statement be true? He was in opposition to God, yet he lived. Was he stronger then, than love? He rejected the force that God supposedly created him out of, yet here he still stood, stronger than ever, in his own mind. Little did he realize that even then, his Father was holding his very essence together against the forces that were even then able to rip him out of existence. For Yah so loved His firstborn angel that He suffered Himself to bear the weight of this new "anti-love" for just a chance that He could restore the happiness of His most perfect child.

It was a mercy that Lucifer was not allowed to feel the pressure exerted on him by his rebellion, yet the explanation of what was truly going on only led him to a deeper and deeper conviction that Michael was lying. This sentiment was echoed later on to man by this very same being, in the words, "Ye shall not surely die," when he was tempting Eve away from her obedience to God and Adam. Now, instead of merely lying himself, he was in fact accusing the Father of the very crime of which HE was guilty! For what, indeed, was this "death?" The archangel could not even conceive of such a thing. A fable, perhaps, to scare him into submission; but his pride would not let him have any of it. How often do we do this even today? If we examined ourselves, we might see in many with whom we are angry the very traits which we find so objectionable firmly cherished in our own hearts.

So subtle the fall was, but there came a point when he knew he was standing against the Throne. He had not been silent among the other angels either, and was ever willing to encourage their doubts and fears. More than this, though, he was looking for sympathy from the others, trying to get them to see him as being oppressed by Yah, lied to by Michael, and misunderstood and undervalued by the other, still-loyal angels. Some of these hearers made the same mistake Lucifer did. Instead of exercising their freedom of access to the Father, they let themselves be convinced, controlled, and ultimately enslaved by their former leader.

The rebel's pride grew ever stronger, each gracious gesture by his Father and brothers was seen as an insult. Eventually, he no longer hid his contempt for his Creator, and desired to prove to all of Heaven that His was not the only way to be happy. Many who had allowed their minds to be controlled by Lucifer joined him in his disdain for their former ways, and united with him under a new banner of transgression, a force we now call Sin.

Hatred is not the opposite of love. It is only one of the faces of its true opposite, that of sin. Its other faces are anger, uncaring, worry, fear, meanness, pride, lying... all things that show rejection of the basic force of creation. All of these were made manifest in Lucifer, "And there was war in Heaven," when it did. "Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was there place found anymore in Heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil and Satan, which decieveth the whole world: he was cast out onto the earth, and his angels were cast out with him." (Rev 12:7-9)

Even his name was changed on that day. No more was Lucifer a fitting title for this one, for God created the angels with names that meant something. Nothing is an accident in Heaven, nor is it on earth, if His will is followed. Even the prophets had names which were significant, such as Elijah (Yah is God), his successor Elisha (Yah is salvation), Jeremiah (Yah has upheld). Even Jesus' name was significant. The archangel Gabriel,who took Lucifer's place as covering cherub, told his mother to name him Yahshua (Yah saves), "for He shall save His people from their sins." (Mat 1:21) This is the true translation of His name.

Lucifer became Satan, a name which means "adversary," and it was rightly so. One who had once "sealed up the sum of wisdom and beauty" would now be "brought down to the pit" for his pride, so spoke the prophet Ezekiel. The story can be read in the 28th chapter of his book. Yet, perhaps Lucifer as a name should not be wholly cast off either, for even in his rebellion, even in his fall and continued battle against Yah, he cannot help but reveal the character of the One who first created him. In that sense, he is still a "bearer of light." All of heaven was brought into a clearer understanding of love and sin, to be illuminated even on earth in the light of his great fall.

This is only the beginning of the story, for the war has continued all through human history, and even unto this day, when the final act has just begun. I'm aware that even though the story has been told often before, it's a lot to read, so I'll break off here for now, but if you have any interest at all in hearing how this all continued to unfold on earth, please do let me know, and I will be happy to continue. Also, if you have any questions or doubts, take warning from above and bring it to light :) I won't tell you anything outside of what the Bible says, and which most claim to accept as truth. You see, I don't even know where you stand on THAT issue, which is why I asked about your past encounters with it. As it is, let me know if any of what I have said above strikes you as true (or even "likely,") and I will resume where I left off. At the very least, it is an interesting story, which is what you were seeking when you contacted me, isn't it?

Sincerely,
David.

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