It is interesting that the apostolic and prophetic ministries begin to disappear about 130 A.D. and by the 3rd century A.D.. The Roman Catholic Church had gained a foothold in its evolvement. Darkness is a result of the lack of prophetic ministry.

Could it be that 2 Cor. 11:12-15 comments on the hoax of the ages?

"And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about. For such men are false apostles, deceitful workman, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan, himself, masquerades as an angel (messenger) of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerades as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve."

Satan has transformed himself into an angel or a messenger of light (the gospel) the name of Lucifer, as some translate it, means Light Bringer! The Greek word for transformed (3345) is "meta-schematizo", which means to transfigure or to disguise, to change the figure of and to assume the appearance of anyone.

Note also in Isaiah 14:15-17:

"Those who see you stare at you, they ponder your fate: Is this the man who shook the earth and made the earth tremble, the man who made the world a desert, who overthrew its cities and would not let his captives go home?"

The Hebrew word for man is "iysh" (eesh) (376) and means a notable man of high degree, a noble man. If we compare Ezekiel 28:13 which says, "You were in Eden, the garden of God...", we see that there were only three in the garden of Eden; Adam (the only man or iysh), Eve (a women) and the serpent (Satan). Satan is a spirit and had to possess the serpent in order to manifest himself in the natural, therefore, the Light Bringer" has to be Adam!

In Isaiah 14:4, 11-12 it says,

"You will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon; "How the oppressor has come to an end! How his fury has ended! ....All your pomp has been brought down to the grave along with the noise of your harps; maggots are spread out beneath you and worms cover you. How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star (KJV says, O, Lucifer), son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations."

Who is Lucifer? Is he Satan or Adam? I believe he is Adam, but that doesn't mean that he is. You must weigh the evidence for yourself and draw your own conclusion.

The `Gap' theory of Genesis 1 & 2 and the pre-gap Adamite teaching demands a devil who fell. One of the scriptures they use is Luke 10:18 which says:

"Jesus said, `I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven."

They say that Jesus was talking about a time passed when Satan was cast out of heaven and tie this to Rev 12. Could it be that He was talking about a future time when the saints of God take authority over Satan and cast him out of heaven?

The bottom line is that in this passage the seventy disciples had just returned from the mission Jesus had sent them on and were rejoicing because when they invoked the Name of Jesus demons would come out of people. Jesus was simply saying that every time we, in His Name, cast out demons, we are destroying Satan's authority.

It is true that Rev. 12 speaks of war breaking out in heaven and Michael and his angels waring against Satan and casting him down to the earth. But angels are the ministering servants of those who are saved. (Heb. 1:14)

Rev. 12:10-12 says:

"Now have come the salvation and the power and the Kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night has been hurled down. They (our brothers) overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.

Therefore, rejoice, you heavens, and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and to the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short."

You must become aware from this scripture that it is through the Church that Jesus will cast Satan out of the heavenly realms of authority and ultimately out of the existence of mankind.

Rev. 12:1-6 is used by those who support the traditional Luciferian theory. This passage says:

"A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads.

His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child the moment it was born. She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne."

The woman spoken of here is the Church. It is not Mary and it is not Israel. The man child is a company of sons known as overcomers. A first fruits company.

They also use 2 Peter 2:4 and Jude 6 to attempt to prove their theory. 2 Peter 2:4 says:

"For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment..."

Jude 6 says:

"And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home- These He has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great day."

The Greek word "aggelos", translated angel, can also mean messenger and can speak of men as well as angels. The question is this, "Is the King of Confusion (Babylon) Satan or Adam?

2 Thessalonians 2:1-8 is a definite key passage to the answer of this question.

"Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to Him, we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come.

Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for, that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness (sin) is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He opposes and exalts himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped and even sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God."

Don't you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things?And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of His mouth and destroy by the splendor of His coming."

The Greek word translated as "temple" in verse 4 is "Naos" (3485) and means the spiritual dwelling of God. (Study my teaching on The Mark of The Beast and God's Two Greatest Mysteries)

I Cor. 6:19 says:

"Know ye not that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit...?"

The man of lawlessness (sin) is the carnal mind. Anti-christ is every thought that raises itself above the knowledge of God and opposes the rule of Christ in our lives. Humanism is the total fulfillment of this anti-christ spirit. This kind of mind exalts sin and Satan and brings down the glory of Jesus and the creation He died for. This kind of mind will hinder the person from discovering the truth in Jesus Christ. However, when the Day Star, Christ, the Son of Man arises from within, the man of sin will be swallowed up by the truth. Or cast out.

Jesus, not the devil, is the "Shining One".

Rev. 22:16 says:

"I, Jesus, have sent My angel to give you this testimony for the Churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the Bright and Morning Star."

Jesus is the Bright and Morning Star. Adam was born of God in His image and likeness, therefore, Adam is the shinning one and the son of the dawn in Isaiah 14:12.

Most translations translate this verse,

"O morning star, son of the dawn."

"Son of the Morning" is a Hebrewism and signifies that the Bright Star or Morning Star is, as it were, the production or the offspring of the morning and that it belongs to the morning.

A quote from Young says, "Tartulian, Gregory the Great and others have referenced this twelfth verse to the fall of Satan, described in Luke 10:18, but Isaiah 14 is picturing the end of tyrannical reign."

Skinner said, "Satan wasn't defeated until the cross. The Hebrew word "heyllllel" (hay-lale) (1966), which is wrongly regarded by some as a proper name, comes from a verb meaning to shine, to wail, to lament and is strictly tendered- The shinning one or light bearer. By some of the fathers, the passage was applied to the fall of Satan, hence, the current use of Lucifer as the name of the devil.

Keland Dealish said, "Lucifer is the name given to the devil. It was derived from this passage which the fathers interpret without any warrant whatever as relating to the apostasy and punishment of the angelic leaders.

J. Preston Ebe wrote a book called, "Where Did The Devil Come From" and is available from:

Bill Britton's Ministry

Springfield, Missouri 65801

Brother Bill Britton says,

"Why did God make the devil? This scripture (Exekiel 28) does not talk about the devil, but orthodox traditionalists have used this chapter to say things about the devil and his origin. But did God create the devil? Did God want a devil on the earth?

Everybody has an opinion on this according to the depth of their understanding of the nature of God and the nature of His purposes. Some say, "If God had the power He would get rid of the devil." Was He powerless to prevent there being a devil or was he just careless and not watching His business and the devil slipped in?

Bill askes, "Is this the kind of God you are serving?" If it is, you are in trouble! If you are serving a God who is not in control and who is not sovereign and who is not responsible for everything that takes place on earth, in the major sense; if He is not responsible for what happens in the history of this world - then we are in trouble.

Because, things might take place that God did not want, did not intend and did not know what to do about; and we would not know how it was all going to end. You must settle once and for all the question, "Is God sovereign?"

Now, first of all, the basic premise that we must start from is that the scriptures teach us through out the entire Bible that God is sovereign. He is in control. Nothing ever happens outside of His will. If God wanted a devil - and we have established that He must have - why did He want one? Right? There is a basic principle that strength comes from opposition. If there is no resistor, then there is no way to gain strength. When God created light He also created darkness. When God created the positive He also created the negative. Why is it that God put opposition and resistance in the world? He wants a company of people, He wants a nation, He wants a many membered son that is stong. The basic purpose of God in creation to begin with, was that He was going to create someone to be like Him."

God intended for there to be a devil in the earth. It was not an accident, and it was not the intent and purpose of some holy angel to make himself a devil or to fall. It was not the sovereignty of some other decision. It was God's decision to have a devil. Now don't fall out with God about that because you don't understand the overall picture of what He is doing."

Roman translators put the name "Lucifer" in the Latin Volgate to replace the Hebrew word "heylel" which means " the Shinning One or Light Bearer." This is not some weird idea......!

I believe when God gets through building His Church, His House, He is going to prove by His Church, His wisdom in everything He has done and everything He has put on the earth. (Including the devil)

What kind of devil was he? Who was the anointed cherub that coverith? Bill said, "When we start talking about cherubs, sometimes we get a mental picture of an angel with wings, a little baby with little tiny wings." He said, "Totally unscriptural!"

Ezekiel 28 talks about a man who walks among the stones of fire within the garden of God, and it says he was the covering cherub for the earth. Many say that has to the devil before he fell. THAT IS WHAT HAS BEEN TOLD THEM!

Now, lets look at the other side.

You say, "I still believe this passage is talking about the devil." OK, for the moment I will take your side. The first ten verses deal with the Prince of Tyre. And it is in that context he is called a man or an Adam. Verses 11-19 deal with the King of Tyre. Could there be a difference? You say, "You are really messing with my mind now!"

No, I am just trying to tell you that there is another side to this. In other words, they would say that the first ten verses, where it mentions the Prince of Tyre, he is a man, Adam. That was figurative or symbolic to which he points to the King of Tyre in verses 11-19 is Satan. Or is the Prince of Tyre and the King of Tyre the same???

That didn't help you a bit, did it? I am not doing this to confuse you. I am doing it so that you will not go out with a wrong attitude and a bad spirit and hurt a brother or sister in Christ and offend them, because their relationship to you is more important to you than a doctrine.

The following is a verse by verse analysis of Ezekiel 28:11-15 by Kelley Varner and David Johnson from the New International Version.

"Son of man, take up a lament concerning the king of Tyre and say to him: `This is what the Sovereign Lord says: "You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty."

Let me stop here and say that I don't believe we can fully comprehend that the crowning point of God's creation was man. Adam (man) was created in God's own image. The model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. We must understand what is at work here. The beast nature in you and me is disgusted and appalled at the thought that we could become the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. This is obnoxious to the religious nature of the beast. It tries to keep you in the natural realm riveted to the earth and away from what you know is the plan of God for your life, which is to conform you to the image of Jesus Christ. (Rom. 12:1-2; Eph. 4:9-16)

"You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty."

What words could better describe our Lord? Or, if you will, a new creation man made in His image. Or, if you can handle it, the corporate man with Jesus Christ as the head that Ezekiel saw in chapter one.

Once the religious beast in us is destroyed by the revelation of the way, the truth and the life (the Word of God), then in Christ Jesus we can become the new creation full of wisdom and the perfection of beauty. Doesn't the scripture say that out of Zion the perfection and beauty of God has shined?

Now, if you want to give this passage of scripture to the devil, have fun. I am going to take back from him everything that he has plundered and everything that he has presumed. Jesus has bound the strong man and I am going to strip him and spoil his house (the captivity of men's minds). I refuse to allow him to have this passage because it is talking about Jesus Christ and His Church. It is talking about the first Adam who was a figure of Him who is to come in a new creation formed in His image.

Verse 13 says:

"You were in Eden, the Garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz and emerald, chrysolite, onyx and jaspar, sapphire, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared."

There were only three that were in the Garden of Eden. Adam, Eve, and satan. Notice that Adam was the only Man in the Garden of Eden!

The statement that every precious stone adorned you is talking about all the attributes of God. Nine of the 12 stones that were on the high priest's breastplate are mentioned here. The third row is missing, however, the Septuagint (the Greek Old Testament) list all twelve stones.

The precious stones are attributes of God's divine nature. (See our notes on the twelve stones in "The Twelve Gates of the City")

"Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared."

The King James version says, "The workmanship of the tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day thou wast created."

Tabrets is the Hebrew word "tofe" (8596) and the literal meaning as used here is the bezel or hollow in which a gem is set. However, it also means a drum or timbrel (tambourine) beaten in the East by women when dancing. This is significant when we compare this meaning with Jermiah 3:4 which says:

"I will build you up again and you will be rebuilt, O Virgin Israel. Again you will take up your tambourines and go out to dance with the joyful."

The tabrets (tambourines) and pipes (organs) were indicative of festivity and triumph in the Orient. The tabrets give us the rhythm. When God created man He put rhythm in him and not only that but the pipes also. We can see then that Adam was musically talented.

Verse 14 says:

"You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you."

Adam was God's covering (authority) for the earth and in like manner the new man should be given to the nations and set up in Zion.

"You were on the Holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you."

You must understand that iniquity was found in Adam. Romans 5:12-14 says: (NIV)

"Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned-for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law. Never-the-less, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command as did Adam who was a pattern of the one to come."

Ephesians 2:1-3 says:

"As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this would and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath."

Ezekiel 28:16-19 refers to the fall of Adam and not Satan. Adam was cast out of the garden and brought down to the curse of the dust. Adam defiled his sanctuary himself, and his walk with God. The fire here could allude to the flaming word, according to some.

Whatever, Adam made it hot for all of us, and it is obvious sin was and will be dealt with.