Two Roman Catholic Bishops Named Lucifer

The Hebrew phrase helel ben saar in Isaiah 14:12 was translated in the King James Version of the Bible as “Lucifer, son of the morning.” The traditional Jewish interpretation is that this is a reference to Nebuchadnezzar II. This is also the understanding of the Christian preterist interpretation of the Bible.

The Latin word for “morning star” is Lucifer. In later Christian tradition the name came to be seen as referring to the beautiful being Satan before his fall. The idea expressed in the name is “the morning star,” the “shining one.”or “the light bringer.” There seems to be no real Biblical indication that the personal name of the Devil is Lucifer. In fact, the three personal names the Devil is given are all actually insults: Abbadon (destruction), Apollyon (destroyer), and Beelzebub (Lord of the Flies). The Bible calls the Devil many names including liar, deceiver, accuser, adversary, lord of this world, lord of the flies, tempter, and evil one.

The Bible is quite clear that the Devil is a real person who is the embodiment of everything which is vile, evil, and opposed to God. He is not merely a force, or an idea, or a myth. We just do not know his name nor do we need to. It is finished. He is defeated.

In the Middle Ages, Lucifer (“shining one”) was used as a personal name as seen in the names of two Roman Catholic bishops: Saint Lucifer of Cagliari and Lucifer of Sienna.

Lucifer of Cagliari, who died in 371, was a Sardinian and held the office of Bishop of Cagliari in Italy. He was a determined opponent of the Arian heresy and a fierce defender of Bishop Atanasius. In 363, he led a schismatic sect called the Luciferians who opposed the return of Arian bishops into Roman Catholic orthodoxy.

Little is known of Lucifer of Siena other than that he was appointed in 306 as the the first bishop of Siena in Italy.

Was Bill O'Reilly Divinely Inspired to Write Killing Jesus?

The Fox News Channel political commentator Bill O’Reilly was a high school history teacher before he embarked on his television career. He has written numerous books such as Killing Kennedy, Killing Lincoln, The Last Days of Hitler, and Killing Patton.   He is a Roman Catholic believer and has said that he thinks he was inspired by the Holy Spirit to write his excellent Killing Jesus. This set off a firestorm of criticism with some people saying that they think he is insane or blasphemous. I think he is probably correct that he was inspired.

I know the implications of what I am saying. I also think that this blog is inspired by God. Of course, it is not inspired on the same authoritative level as Scripture. That idea is the core heresy which led to modern Mormonism. The canon of scripture and doctrinal interpretation is closed. 

The Bible clearly states that each of the Saints (us, not a special class of extra-holy people) is divinely inspired. We  have the Mind of Christ. We have a direct link to the Holy Spirit who indwells, leads, instructs, and counsels individual believers.

Of course He leads us. Of course He inspires us. If He does not, then the problem is with us. We are not listening.

If you do not feel the Holy Spirit moving in your life, now is the time, today. If you are a Christian, ask Him, then listen.

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A general caution: books may give you wonderful new insights and explanations of subjects, but you should never base your Christian beliefs on any one book or the teachings of one person, no matter who they are. All teachings must be consistent with scripture. Read as the Bereans did, with discernment. “… for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.” Acts 17:11 NASB

Any doctrines must be consistent with the historical full body of Christian thought. Doctrines or teachings inconsistent with scripture in any way must be rejected. You would not eat cheese which had a fuzzy fungus growing on it.

Dog is Good

Modern culture seems to have absolutely lost the understanding that words and concepts have meaning.  I believe that this is a result of the relativism which is rapidly becoming the prevalent world view.

I recently saw a bumper sticker on a car.  The bumper sticker had a cartoon of a dog wearing a halo and the caption “Dog is Good.”  While I definitely agree with the sentiment, something about this bothered me greatly.

The halo is an almost universally recognized symbol for sainthood.  The phrase “Dog is Good” is an English language play (*) on the words “God is Good.”  The sainthood reference made me itchy.  The “good” reference concerned me greatly.  While I am absolutely convinced that there is no intent here to do so, the “good” reference could be viewed as sacrilegious.  This is a word that people, in their obsession to not offend anyone, shy away from now, but it is still pertinent.  People in the modern Church seem to have lost their understanding of the Holiness of God.

Jesus responded very quickly when He was called “good” by a loving follower.

“And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.”  Mark 10:17-18

“Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:16 (This references Leviticus 11:44)

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(*) :  For non-English speaking readers of this blog:  In English, the words G_O_D and D_O_G contain the same letters and at a quick glance, can appear to be the same word.

Messsianic Prophecies: His Body Will Not Decay

“For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.” Psalm 16:10

David is speaking here in the Psalm and many then and now believed that the “holy one” of whom he speaks is David himself.  Holy as in the sense of holiness and being a saint, set apart from the world and dedicated to God.

Hell can be interpreted as separation from God.

Peter, in Acts 2:27, reinterprets the passage as a reference to Jesus’ resurrection.  Most conservative Christians now see this verse as a messianic prophecy.

“Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.” Acts 2:27

Paul also used the verse in the same way.

“Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.”  Acts 13:35

It Is All About Me

There will be untold millions, possibly billions of saints with the Lord throughout eternity (Hebrews 12:1 says that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses), but Luke 15:10 tells us that “there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner” that repents. I believe that means that Jesus died for each one of us individually and would have willingly done so even if we were the only one.

Read the following verses aloud.  I have made one change to several of the verses.

“For I have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” Romans 3:23

“ … the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for ME.” Matthew 20:28

“ … the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for ME.” Mark 10:45

“I am crucified with Christ: neverthless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that if I believe in him I will not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16.

Brothers, Sisters, and Saints

If you have read this blog for very long, you are aware that I do not refer to biblical persons as "Saint Paul" or "Saint Andrew" or "Saint Lydia."  I call them by their personal names.  I have to admit that this is partly due to my Protestant beliefs but I believe that there is strong biblical warrant for it.

The believers in the Bible called each other by their personal names and referred to one another as brothers and sisters.  Paul referred to the believers in the churches as ἁγίοις, "saints," "set apart ones."  This is the meaning of the word, set apart or separated for God.  We are all saints.

A few examples of this from scripture:

"Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:" Philippians 1:1

  

"Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both their's and our's:" 1 Corinthians 1:2

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God which is at Corinth with all the saints who are throughout Achaia: 2 Corinthians 1:1

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus: Ephesians 1:1

To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. Colossians 1:2

All the saints salute you. 2 Corinthians 13:13

Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality. Romans 12:13

Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Today is the Roman Catholic Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, an important celebration in Mexico. It commemorates an event which occurred on 12 December 1531.  On the 9th of December, a peasant named Juan Diego was walking from his village (Tepeyac) to Mexico City, when he saw a young woman who spoke to him in Nahuatl.  She said she was the virgin Mary and asked for a church to be built in her honor at Tepeyac.  When Juan told his bishop, Fray Juan de Zumarraga (1468-1548). about the visitation the bishop insisted on proof.  On the 12th, Juan returned with an image of the Virgin Mary on his cloak.  The cloak is maintained in the Basilica of Guadalupe and the shrine has become the most visited Roman Catholic pilgrimage site in the world.

Book Comment: The Born Again Skeptic's Guide to the Bible

Ruth Hurmence Green (1915 - 1981) is apparently something of a "saint" (atheists please excuse me) to the Freedom From Religion Foundation who published her books, The Born Again Skeptic's Guide to the Bible (1979) and The Book of Ruth (1981). The 1999 cover of her book looks like a brown Bible; it even has "Holy Bible" centered, in large letters, on the front. The Foundation says she "debunked the Bible as no one has done since Thomas Paine."

Ruth read her BIble cover to cover, verse by verse, and she really hated Christianity. She picks out every seeming inconsistency, every hard passage, and every major Christian doctrine and tries to grind them up into sausage.

The only thing about which I almost agree with her is one statement she makes about the Trinity. She believed that the doctrine of the Trinity was cooked up to maintain Christianity's monotheism. I don't believe that it was "cooked up." It was a hard fought controversy for many years as Christians tried to come to a consensus on what they actually thought about the three divine Persons they knew and the monotheistic God of their Jewish heritage. I believe that the doctrine of the Trinity is the only explanation which can account for all the statements made about God and by God in the BIble.

I am presently collecting materials for a book I intend to write about some of the more profound, and even shocking, implications of the doctrine of the Trinity. The doctrine resolves many seeming contradictions and problems in the Bible.

Separation

I am a firm believer that Christians should clearly be "different" from other people. We are a separated, called-out, people, still citizens of our home countries but owing our ultimate allegiance to the Kingdom of God. Any conflict between the two should be easy to resolve: our duty is with the Kingdom.

Any activity which detracts from one's allegiance to the Kingdom should be modified or dropped altogether. This could include political associations, social activities, sports, or hobbies; none of which are, by themselves, wrong or forbidden.

The Bible recognizes the validity of the State and acknowledges that it has important functions. The State has been placed in power by God. The caveat is that the State also has its limitations. The State establishes censuses, registrations, laws, fees, taxes, and even calls for legitimate civil and military service. The State can not, however, demand unquestioning obedience or the right to dictate belief. For the Christian, there can be no ,"My country, right or wrong."

Unhindered

κηρύσσων τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ διδάσκων τὰ περὶ τοῦ Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ μετὰ πάσης παρρησίας ἀκωλύτως.
"Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him." Acts 28:31
ἀκωλύτως actually means “without hindrance” or “unhindered.” Hence the name of my blog, Saints on the Loose!

Book Comment: Profiles of Protestant Saints

In my 17 November 2009 comments on Butler's Lives of the Saints I briefly discussed the Protestant understanding of "saint." Cardinal Richard Cushing, the Catholic Archbishop of Boston, admitted in 1968 that the idea of Protestant saints may seem to be "novel." In his preface to Profiles of Protestant Saints, he acknowledged that Paul declared all believers to be saints and also that God raises up whomever He pleases to perform whatever tasks He wishes.

Profiles of protestant saints was written by a Roman Catholic for a Roman Catholic audience and details the stories of nineteen individuals who were raised up by God for service in times which called for that service. It was as if just the right person were placed in just the right situation at just the right time. Exactly.

Those profiled include Martin Luther (1483-1546), a disgruntled Roman Catholic priest; Adoniram Judson (1788-1850), who evangelized Burma; Alexander Campbell (1788-1866), the founder of the Disciples of Christ; Richard Allen (1760-1831), a highly educated Eighteenth Century African-American theologian and church founder; and Samuel Schereschewsky (1831-1906), a Lithuanian rabbinical student whose last words were, "I thank thee, Lord, for the scholarship, and for the time - and for the finger." You'll have to read the book.

Book Comment: Butler's Lives of the Saints

     Make no mistake, this is a very Roman Catholic book.  The Catholic idea of sainthood seems to Protestants to be at odds with the Bible, especially on two points.

     The eremitical saints renounced the world and went to live alone in caves, in the woods, or up on the tops of tall poles.  Many of the Roman Catholic saints slept with stones as pillows, wore very little clothing regardless of the weather, some wore harsh clothing which irritated their skin, and some physically punished their bodies.  Many practiced extreme asceticism and "mortification of the flesh."  

     Protestants would point out that most of the the saints of the Bible were actively involved in the world, not withdrawn to a cave.   There were a few exceptions such as John the Baptist.

     The other point concerns the Intercession of the Saints.  Protestants believe in the priesthood of the Believer; that each believer may approach Jesus with no need for an intermediary.

     The Bible describes all believers as saints set apart from the world and holy in the eyes of God (Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 2 Corinthians 1:1; Ephesians 1:1: Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:1-2; Hebrews 3:1. )

     No matter what your religious persuasion is, you might be surprised to find out how much you would enjoy reading Butler's Lives of the Saints,  which is still in active print after first being published in 1756.  The saints include kings, empresses, hermits, widows, virgins, nurses, scholars, and soldiers from all over the world across the centuries.  They all have one thing in common: their love for God and their willingness to live and often, to die, for Him.

New Name for This Blog

     I have renamed this blog Saints on the Loose! to be a better reflection of the stated theme: that Christians should be, and are, present in every nook and cranny and that Christians should, and do, excel in every field.  http://saintsontheloose.blogspot.com

"... to all the saints in Christ Jesus ..." Philippians 1:1

"Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him." Acts 28:31

     "Ακωλυτωσ," (akoletos) the final word of the Greek book Πραξεισ (Acts), means literally "unhindered."