The Bright Morning Star

I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you of these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star. – Revelation 22:16

The bright morning star. What emotions does this week’s name evoke in you? Wonder? Hope? Gratitude for the grandeur of creation?

Me too.

Or maybe confusion and a tiny bit of unease?

Me too.

Why?

I don’t know about you, but every time Jesus declares, “I AM,” it gives me the shivers, like the sound waves caused a ripple in the fabric of the cosmos.

But this name, as beautiful as it is, has given me pause. Does “morning star” ring a bell? How about “star of the morning?”

How you have fallen from heaven,

You star of the morning, son of the dawn!

You have been cut down to the earth,

You who defeated the nations! – Isaiah 14:12

That ain’t Jesus. This is from Isaiah 14, and it illustrates Satan’s downfall.

Quick rabbit trail. Satan’s name isn’t satan. Nor is it the devil, Lucifer, the accuser, the enemy, the adversary, the anointed cherub who covers, the serpent, the great dragon, star of the morning, son of the dawn. They’re all either titles or descriptions. But this blog isn’t about his name. It’s about Jesus’s names.

But wait, you say, what about Lucifer? That’s the KJV translation of Star of the Morning, from the Latin for Light Bringer, Light Bearer. Once again, it’s a title, a description.

How can Jesus and the enemy both be called morning star? For once, the original languages don’t offer much help. Isaiah was written in Hebrew, and Revelation was written in Greek. We’ll rely on Hermeneutics Principle # 1: using scripture to interpret scripture. This isn’t the only time the adversary has mimicked Jesus.

Jesus is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. The adversary is a roaring lion seeking to devour.

Got questions has a good article on this.

Lucifer, star of the morning, is another example of the enemy’s distortion. Remember the Prometheus myth? Prometheus, a Titan, steals fire from the gods and gives it to man. He’s punished for giving man something that will elevate him, help him, advance him. Sound familiar? It’s a distortion of the serpent’s encounter with Eve in the garden. He offered her Light – the knowledge of good and evil.

He has always tried to distort and mimic the I AM. Filled with jealousy, he wants to be like God.

Yahweh said, “I AM.”

Satan said, “I will.”

I will ascend to heaven
I will raise my throne above the stars of God
I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds

I will make myself like the Most High – Isaiah 14:13-14

Fat chance.

But enough about the cheap imitation: saccharin vs honey, CZ vs diamonds, naugahyde vs leather. Satan is fool’s gold. Jesus is gold. He is the true Bright Morning Star.

Now that we know who the real morning star is, we’ll look at the hope we have in our Bright Morning Star in the next post.