Bible Question: "I have heard the saying, 'Lucifer made a devil of himself.' What does that mean?"--T.M.

Bible Answer: I've never heard that particular saying, but it has its basis in what the Bible tells us about Lucifer's beginning.

The fall of Lucifer, or Satan, is told by Isaiah 14:12-15.

"How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.' Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit."

Most Bible scholars believe Lucifer's title given here, "son of the morning," indicates he was once the chief angel, second in command only to God, but decided he would overthrow God.

Jesus is apparently referring to Satan's attempted overthrow of God when he mentions Lucifer's downfall in Luke 10:18.

In Luke 10:1, Jesus sent out 70 of His followers to preach the good news of His coming and gave them power over demons.

Luke 10:17 says, "Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, 'Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.'"

Jesus answers He is not surprised in Luke 10:18, "And He said to them, 'I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.'"

Another detail on this failed overthrow is given in Revelation 12:3-4, "And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth."

Most Bible scholars think this means when Lucifer lost his bid to overthrow God, a third of the angels chose his side of the conflict. These may be the evil spirits or demons which are referred to throughout the Bible, but experts are divided on that.

There is no doubt that angels were created by God with a free will, just like humans, and Lucifer certainly chose to go the way of evil rather than good, and became chief of the forces of evil.

So in that sense, Lucifer made himself to be a devil. And since the days of Adam, men and women have been faced with the same choice, go the way of God and good, or Satan and evil.

Submit Bible questions by email to writeme@johnwmyers.com

(John Myers has been a Christian lay speaker, Sunday School adult teacher and newspaper Bible study columnist for more than 20 years.)