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I have heard an interview where a Jesuit exorcist once who said that Lucifer and Satan were different beings. I'd always thought that they were the same.

  • Are both Lucifer and Satan mentioned by name in the Bible?
  • Are they considered the same being or is this just an assumption made by modern Christians?
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You then agreed with the exorcist? (The way you've phrased that makes me think you might have messed something up there... just want to make sure.) – Nathan Wheeler Aug 24 '11 at 2:03
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No not necessarily, I'd just always assumed that they were referring to the same person. However, I realized it was in fact an assumption, I'd never found biblical evidence this is the fact, so that is why I ask the question. – aceinthehole Aug 24 '11 at 2:10
^ you said you thought they were different, check your question. – Nathan Wheeler Aug 24 '11 at 2:13
They are different. There are 7 Princes of hell Satan is 1 and Lucifer is another. Look up the 7 princes of hell (Wikipedia) and read about it. – user1824 Jul 3 '12 at 14:34

3 Answers

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The name "Lucifer" appears only once in the Bible, in Isaiah (KJV), where he alludes to the tale (which we can assume is already known to his Jewish audience at that time) of the great Lucifer having fallen from heaven, being cast down and looked upon with contempt, in order to draw a parallel to the king of Babylon and his kingdom's impending fall.

Lucifer means "morning star", which is used various times and in various ways in the Bible, including by Christ to refer to himself at one point in Revelation. But see Job 38, where it says that when the foundations of the world were laid, "the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy." I think this is the closest we have in the Bible to a passage equating Lucifer with an angel.

It's important to note that both of these passages are highly poetic in nature, as is the third, the story of the Dragon in Revelation, who is cast out of heaven and makes war with the Church, who is equated to Satan. If the dragon cast out of heaven is the same as Lucifer the Morning Star cast out of heaven, then he is Satan. But it's difficult to say anything for certain, going only on Biblical authority.

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Can you provide specific references to Luciver in Isaiah, and the dragon in revelation? – Flimzy Sep 17 '11 at 21:00
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Lucifer is a transliteration of the name Morningstar used in the Latin Vulgate. Satan was referred to the Morningstar several times in the Bible. Wikipedia has a good explanation of where the these terms are used in the Bible and what the various contexts are.

We know that the being who is Satan was one of the chief angels who decided he'd rather have the glory for himself that God had reserved as His own.

While the exorcist may have met demons with various names, we know demons are primarily invested in lying, and so I'd take what the exorcist claimed with a grain of salt.

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Lucifer was the name of Satan before he was banished from heaven. That was when he was still an angel, and the Morningstar, as Mason mentioned.

This explains it well

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Welcome to the site! I don't disagree, but this answer would be better were you to cite external supporting doctrinal statements to show that this is an official doctrine, and not personal interpretation. For more inf on why I'm suggesting this, see the FAQ. – David Stratton Oct 13 '12 at 17:24
Ok, I added a link – Nick Oct 13 '12 at 18:06
@Nick mind summarizing what the article says in a paragraph or two? – wax eagle♦ Oct 15 '12 at 20:50

protected by David Stratton Oct 13 '12 at 17:21

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