How did Lucifer disobey God?

Answer 1

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If by Lucifer, we mean Satan, various stories have arisen over the centuries, about his disobedience.

Christians believe that Isaiah chapter 14 describes Lucifer's fall from grace, but the passage is actually about the king of Babylon. It talks of his pomp and splendour, how he had ruled the nations in anger, and his fate after his overthrow by the king of Persia. He had compared himself to the Morning Star (and was thus derisorily called 'Lucifer' - lucem ferre, which mean "light-bearer", a name for the dawn appearance of the planet Venus) and had thought that he would ascend into heaven and sit among the stars, but was now himself persecuted. Christian scholars misunderstood this text and assumed that it referred to Satan or the devil, a view that mainstream Judaism has never agreed with. However, a minority view among some Jewish scholars during the apocalyptic period did equate this passage with the evil one.

The apocalyptic Book of Jubilees talks of the sin of the Watcher angels who lusted after female humans, although Satan himself may not have been intended to be one of the Watchers. Another book of the apocalyptic period, 2 Enoch talks about one of the order of angels wanting to sit on a throne and place himself equal to any power above.

The apocalyptic Books of Adam and Eve says that Satan refused God's command to bow down to Adam. This is the explanation that has been adopted in Islam.

Jeffrey B. Russell (The Prince of Darkness) explains that the ultimate role of Satan, whether as the assistant of God tasked with testing the righteousness of the faithful (Book of Job) or as the evil adversary of God, is to exonerate God and provide an explanation for evil in the world.

Answer 2

Lucifer disobeyed God by rebelling against His authority and desiring to be equal to God. Lucifer's pride led him to challenge God's sovereignty, resulting in his expulsion from Heaven.