Why Are Both Jesus and Satan Referred to as the "Morning Star"?

In the Bible, the phrase Morningstar is used to describe both Jesus and Satan.

What does that mean? That's just one of the questions we'll be answering on today's edition of Core Christianity. Hi, this is Bill Meyer, along with Pastor Adriel Sanchez, and this is the radio program where we answer your questions about the Bible and the Christian life every day.

It's Friday, and we would love to hear from you. You can call us in the next 25 minutes with your question. Here's the phone number. It's 833-THE-CORE.

That's 1-833-843-2673. You can also post your question on one of our social media outlets, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. You can watch us on YouTube either live or later on, and you can email us your question at questions at corechristianity.com. First up today, let's go to Joe in Knoxville, Tennessee. Joe, welcome to the program.

Thank you so much for taking my question. I'm doing a study on the Beatitudes that I'm using in Warren Wiersby's book, and I got down to number seven, blessed of the pure in heart, for they shall see God. In that, he contrasts Saul and David, who were both chosen by God. Saul is given a new heart and God's spirit, and David already had a heart after God's own heart, and he was also given God's spirit. But Saul disobeyed God's commands with an unlawful sacrifice, and he spared King Agag. And David disobeyed God's commands also, because he committed adultery, and he numbered the Israelites. But Saul was removed, however David was not removed. And so I did not understand the difference in God giving the spirit and a new heart to Saul, and he did the same thing with David, and I couldn't understand the difference in those two.

Yeah, Joe, thank you for that question. I mean, when you're reading through First and Second Samuel, you're reading about the story of Saul, and it really is such a tragic story, because Saul was, as you know, Israel's first king, called to lead and shepherd the people, and yet throughout his life, he was repeatedly disobedient. He turned away from the command of the Lord, all the way to the end of his life, really.

I mean, his final act was essentially consulting a witch to try to get answers. I mean, something that he knew was outlawed, something that he himself had outlawed, and yet he goes back on the word of the Lord. And there, when he does that in First Samuel chapter 28, Samuel the prophet speaks to him and basically says, hey, the Lord has rejected you because of your continual disobedience. Why did God reject Saul and not David? Well, I think that the simple answer that we would have to give, Joe, is that Saul did not repent. He never turned to the Lord. He continued in this sort of trajectory of disobedience, turning away from the word of the Lord, whereas David, when confronted by the prophet Nathan, in particular after he committed adultery with Bathsheba and murdered her husband, he was convicted of his sin, and he turned from his sin, and that's outlined in Psalm chapter 51, where you have David's prayer of repentance.

Repentance. You know, when God uses people, he uses sinners because each and every one of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and so David isn't used because he's perfect or sinless. Saul wasn't chosen because he was perfect or sinless, but the fact of the matter is God calls us to follow him, to obey him, and especially for the kings in Israel, this was key.

This was really important because they were examples for the rest of the people, and Saul continually put forward a horrible example, just turning from the Lord and disobeying his commandments, whereas David, you know, was a man after God's own heart that was, you know, sort of contrasted with Saul and 1 and 2 Samuel. We know that he wasn't perfect and that he too sinned in grievous ways, but he repented, and right there, I think, Joe, there's hope for each and every one of us because none of us are perfect, but there's the hope that when we turn to the Lord, when we cry out to him and ask for forgiveness for our sins, he extends us his mercy and his grace, and certainly he did that for King David, and so thank you. Continue studying the word of God. I'm glad to hear you're digging into this Bible study and enjoying it. May the Lord bless you, Joe. Thanks, Joe. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez.

Let's go to Suzy calling in from Kansas City, Kansas. Suzy, what's your question for Pastor Adriel? Yes, this may sound simple to other people, but I am so confused about it, and I've asked my pastor, and I can't get an answer that I understand, and my question is, it says, you know, that on the cross, Jesus said, Father, forgive them, you know, they don't know what they're doing, and then like when you got on the radio, you said, God gave his son. Well, is it, what I don't understand, is it one entity or three entities? The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost? Because God talks about, Jesus talks about his Father, and God's talking about his Son, and then the Holy Ghost.

Yeah, how do we make sense of this very important doctrine? Suzy, one time, you know, we were on the dinner table with my kids, and in the middle of dinner, one of my children said, okay, Dad, how can God be one, but you say he lives in my heart, and in mom's heart, and in my brother's heart? You know, how can God be one if he's in each of our hearts?

Isn't he divided? That kind of a thing, because we do confess that there is one God. We believe in one God.

We're monotheists. The Hebrews, Deuteronomy chapter 6, verse 4, I mean, this was their creed, hero Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one, and so when we think about the doctrine of the Trinity, we're saying that God is one, in particular, one in essence, and three distinct persons. Now, this is really important, because sometimes people think, well, this is sort of a contradiction, one and three, but it really isn't a contradiction. We're not saying that God is one essence and three essences. We're saying God is one in essence that is equal in power and in glory, and yet three distinct three distinct persons, and so there's no contradiction there, but it is a great mystery. This is how God has revealed himself to us in his word, and that's why we embrace this crucial doctrine, the doctrine of the Trinity. God is one, Deuteronomy chapter 6, verse 4, but the Holy Spirit is very clearly referred to as God. We're told that our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit. Well, who lives in the temple?

God lives in the temple. We're told that Jesus himself is God. He claimed to be God even in John chapter 8, verse 58, when the religious leaders were going back and forth with him.

They asked him this question, who do you make yourself out to be? Jesus said to them, before Abraham was, I am. He identified himself as God, the very beginning of John's gospel. In the beginning was the word, speaking of Jesus, the second person of the eternal Trinity. In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. What we're trying to do with this doctrine, Susie, is make sense of how God has revealed himself to us. Throughout the history of the church, what Christians have said is God is one, but three distinct persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, equal in power and in glory, and all the objects of our worship, the one God, the Holy Trinity. It is a mystery, and sometimes people will try to say, well, the Trinity is like an egg.

There's the shell, the egg white, and the yolk, that kind of thing. The thing is, all of those analogies just sort of fall apart at the end of the day, because we're talking about the God who is incomprehensible. He's totally transcendent.

We can't wrap our minds around him. What we do is we receive what he said about himself. We embrace it, and we don't speculate about the Trinity, per se. We worship the Holy Trinity as he's revealed himself to us in Scripture.

I think that's the best approach. In terms of the language, one in essence, three distinct but undivided persons. Thank you, Susie, for that question.

You're listening to Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez. We have people who join us from all over the world through our different media sources. Actually, someone's streaming right now from India on our Facebook Live. We want to say hi to you, and thank you so much for joining us.

That's pretty exciting. Let's go to Austin calling in from Georgetown, Kentucky. Austin, what's your question for Pastor Adriel? Hey, my question is, I'm planning a vacation for my girlfriend and I. I didn't know if it was okay for us to share a hotel, even if it's like a double bed, or if we should get separate rooms, separate rooms, or how we should do that. Hey, Austin, thank you for that question, a very practical question, a question that involves, I think, just wisdom. I've done a lot of premarital counseling for couples that are getting married, that I have the privilege of marrying, and in situations like this, I would encourage getting separate rooms, just because there's the reality of temptation. Two people who are planning on getting married and want to be together, we're physical creatures.

Not setting yourself up or putting yourself in a position where you know it's going to be difficult. We're called to honor each other, we're called to respect. The author of the Hebrews talks about this in the book of Hebrews, Chapter 13, the marriage bed, to keep it undefiled. I would say, just exercise wisdom here, and don't put yourself in a position, in a situation where you're going to open yourself up to temptation, in particular.

I also think it's one of the ways that, for your girlfriend or your fiance, that you respect her, that you show her, hey, I want to lead in this area, and I want to honor you, and ultimately, more than anything, I want to honor the Lord in the decisions that we make. Yeah, this might be a little bit more difficult, it might cost a little bit more money, but ultimately, I think it's the best bet. It's a wisdom thing, but that's what I would say. Thanks for reaching out to us with that question. Good counsel, Adriel. You're listening to Pastor Adriel Sanchez on Core Christianity, and we'd love to hear from you if you have a question about the Bible or the Christian life. Here's the phone number. It's 833-THE-CORE. That's 1-833-843-2673. By the way, you can also leave a voicemail at that number 24 hours a day, and you can also record your question on our website at CoreChristianity.com.

Just look for the little microphone icon, click on that, and you can leave your message, leave your question from anywhere in the world. Let's go to David in Farmington, Connecticut. David, what's your question for Pastor Adriel?

Oh, hi, Pastor. I'd love your take on this question. I firmly believe in the inerrancy of the Bible, and I've always been taught, I guess, that with the Proviso, as the translation ties back to the original. So the question really is, how do we handle Scripture in the New Testament that is not in the original? Do we just skip over it?

Examples would be like at the end of Mark. A lot of verses are apparently not in the original, or maybe the passage in John 8 with the woman found in adultery, and I've even heard sermons preached on it. So I'd love your take on that, please. Yeah, David, thank you for that question. Love that you have such a high view of Scripture. It's something that we desperately need in the Church today.

God speaks to us through His Word. Of course, Paul said in 2 Timothy 3, verse 16, all Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. And so we need to embrace what you just referred to, the inerrancy of Scripture, the inspiration of Holy Scripture. But then what do we do when we come across those passages in the Bible that, according to textual critics and scholars, were probably not a part of the original? And you mentioned two of really the most popular ones, the longer ending of Mark's Gospel, and then also that passage with the woman caught in adultery in the Gospel of John.

Now, look, there are differences of opinion on this. There are some people who say, yeah, I teach on it because there really is no contradiction. Both of those passages don't contain anything that call any doctrine into question or contradict something that Jesus had said elsewhere or that we read elsewhere in places like the Book of Acts. I'm thinking in particular of the end of Mark's Gospel. But personally, my approach is not to teach on them, not to preach on them as holy and inspired Scripture because, as you say, they probably weren't a part of the original manuscripts that were handed down. And so these are probably later additions. Some people think that the longer ending of Mark, that that was an addition just to sort of clean things up a little bit because the original manuscript sort of ends abruptly. And so I think we want to be sensitive to this because we're getting into the realm of textual criticism.

And a lot of people have questions about, well, how do you deal with these kinds of things? And I think you just say, look, these probably weren't in the originals, but the fact of the matter is they also don't contradict anything that is in the original or call any major doctrine into question. So we can be really confident in the Word of God as inspired for us today, and we should be. And so, but personally, as a pastor, when I approach those passages, I don't preach on them.

So thanks, David, for that question. You're listening to Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez, Easter coming up a little more than a week away. And to help you really get your mind and your spirit in the mood for Easter, we have a wonderful devotional that we would love to send you.

And Adriel, can you tell us a little bit about that? Yeah, I love this devotional because it's going to get you meditating on the words of our Lord Jesus. It's called The Sang from the Cross. And it really, I mean, it's a week-long devotional. It'd be great to start actually this upcoming Monday leading up to Easter. And boy, as we prepare to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus this Easter, it's wonderful to think about what Jesus said leading up to that great event. You know, sayings like, Father, forgive them, they don't know what they're doing.

We heard that a little bit earlier. You know, Jesus' grace, his mercy. We need to understand that and meditate upon it as we celebrate the Lord's resurrection, not just this upcoming or couple Sundays from now, but really every week as we rejoice that Jesus Christ is risen from the dead. And so get a hold of this resource. It's going to help you dig into the Scriptures.

It's absolutely free. We'd love to send it to you. Just go to corechristianity.com forward slash Easter. Again, corechristianity.com forward slash Easter, and we'll send that off to you.

You can also call us at 833-843-2673 for help getting that offer or any one of our offers. Well, let's go to a voicemail that we received here at Core Christianity yesterday. This is Paul from Chanu, Kansas. I'm a rural mail carrier and I listen to your show while I deliver the mail. It's truly a blessing. Thank you.

You're my favorite show on radio. My question is in Revelation chapter two, Jesus is talking about giving you the authority over the nations if you do his will to the end, but he goes on to say, I will give you the morning star. And I know that Jesus was described as the morning star, and Lucifer was also described as the morning star, but what does it mean for Jesus to give us the morning star?

Thank you. Yeah, well, yeah, Lucifer in Isaiah chapter 14 verse 12, there it's referring to the arrogant king of Babylon and how he was this sort of the day star, the morning star, but he fell. Isaiah 14 verse 12, how you are fallen from heaven, O day star, son of the dawn.

The idea of the day star was just the brightest star that was shining, sort of heralding the rising of the sun, this star with preeminence, if you will, in the night sky. And in one sense, I think that's what Jesus is getting at when he talks about giving us the morning star. There in Revelation chapter two, speaking to the church of Thyatira, remember in the book of Revelation, Jesus is writing to persecuted believers. They're not in a position of prominence or power. They're not shining as it were. They're being trampled on by the nations, by people.

They're suffering intensely. And so Jesus is bringing this comfort to the church. He's saying, look, the world may not put you in the position of prominence, but I am for my people. And to you who overcome, you see that word throughout these verses of scripture in Revelation chapters two and three, to you who overcome, I will give you the morning star. That is, I will give you the light as it were, place you in that position of prominence, not because you're great or glorious, but because I love you. And you are my people. The world may reject you, but I do not reject you.

And so it really is this wonderful comfort that is given to the church, to the people of God, especially in the midst of their suffering. Thanks for that question. You're listening to Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez. Let's go to Zach from Wichita, Kansas. Zach, what's your question? Hello? Hey, Zach, are you there?

Yeah. Hey, what's your question, brother? Hey, so in light of, you're catching me, I was in the store, but in light of messianic Judaism and people coming from a Jewish just lineage, and then they believe in Messiah and they come to that realization, more of my question is centered around, like, without having a contradicting answer, like, is the Torah only for the Jews? And so they would still have to do it, or do we have a new covenant?

Yeah, we definitely have a new covenant. And when we think about the Torah, I mean, the Torah refers to the first five books of the Old Testament, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. And that Torah is for us as believers in the sense that it points us to Jesus Christ.

We're not called to keep the ceremonial law or rituals or the civil law that is described in those books of the Bible, because those associated in particular with Israel under the old covenant and as a political body at that time. But that doesn't mean that we reject the Torah, we see it as ultimately fulfilled in Jesus. And this is precisely what Jesus himself said, Luke 24, verse 44, he said to them, these are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses, that is the Torah, and the prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled. This is why Jesus told the religious leaders, you know, Moses wrote about me, John chapter five, you search the scriptures trying to get eternal life from them. These scriptures testify of me. The Torah points us to Jesus with all of the ceremonies even, you know, you think of the sacrificial system, these laws, these regulations, they point us to Jesus. The apostle Paul talked about this in Galatians chapter three. And so Christ is the fulfillment of Torah, and we are in Christ. We're no longer under the law as this sort of works-based covenant. Now we're free, you know, participants in the new covenant through the shed blood of Jesus.

And so we obey the law, not the ceremonial law, you know, the sacrifices and the religious rituals, but ultimately, you know, the law of liberty to love God and love our neighbor by the grace of the Holy Spirit. And so thank you so much for that question. Thanks, Zach. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez. Let's go to Laura from Southern Springs, Arkansas. Laura, what's your question? Hi, thank you so much for taking my call.

I love listening to you guys. And I pray that God blesses you richly. My question is, when Jesus was on the cross, and the thief was next to him, he forgave the thief and mentioned that he would be with him today in paradise.

And I know that there's some religions that place emphasis on the grammatically correct position of today. And I also know that scripture says that Jesus' spirit departed. So I'm wondering, where did Jesus' spirit go? Did it actually go to paradise that day? Did the thief join him that day? Or will the thief be raised on the new earth in the future?

Yeah, great question, and so practical. And really, you know, at the heart of it is what happens to us when we die. And Jesus made it clear right there when he spoke to the thief on the cross, you know, today, you're going to be with me in paradise. Now, the resurrection had not yet happened.

So this is what we refer to as the intermediate state. And what we say is that the souls of believers are at their death, immediately made perfect in holiness. That is, in one sense, we're perfected. There's no more sin made perfect in holiness. I get that from the book of Hebrews. In Hebrews chapter 12, you know, the author of the Hebrews has this picture of heaven and the throne of God in heaven and surrounding the throne of God in heaven are the souls of the righteous, the spirits of the righteous made perfect. In other words, they're there worshiping the Lord in quote unquote, paradise. Paul said in 2 Corinthians chapter 5, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. He talked about this in the book of Philippians. In Philippians chapter 1, I believe it's verse 23, he talked about how he knew that when he died, he was going to go and be in the presence of Jesus, which is far better than anything we could ever experience here on earth. It's what we all have to look forward to, Laura. I mean, it really is this great hope.

But there's more than that. And you mentioned the resurrection. You know, when we die, we're immediately brought into the presence of the Lord. We're worshiping him. We're made perfect in holiness.

It's just absolute joy. And we don't know entirely what that's going to be like. I mean, we can't even fully wrap our minds around it, but that's what the Bible says. But we're also looking forward to the resurrection of the body.

See, God loves all of us. Jesus didn't just come to save our spirits, but not our bodies. Even our bodies are going to be redeemed.

How do we know? Well, because Jesus himself rose from the dead. He conquered the grave. And in his resurrection, we have the hope of the resurrection as well. And so I think we can take Jesus's words there at face value. They were in paradise, in heaven.

Now, there's more that could be said about that. But I think we just need to take that and say, that's what happens to us when we die. When we die, we're in the presence of the Lord.

And what a great hope that is. And that's why we compel people, we encourage people, we call people, turn to Jesus. We're in the presence of turn to Jesus.

Know him. Trust in him. Receive the forgiveness that he gives because in Christ, there is forgiveness in the hope of eternal life and the hope of the resurrection of the dead. Thanks for listening to Core Christianity. To request your copy of today's special offer, visit us at corechristianity.com and click on offers in the menu bar, or call us at 1-833-843-2673. That's 833-The-Core. When you contact us, please let us know how you've been encouraged by this program. And be sure to join us next time as we explore the truth of God's word together.