What Are "Lucifer," the "Antichrist," "Satan," and the "Beast of Babylon"?

(Revised 10-8-2009)

I have discussed these issues on the page titled The Fall of Babylon, but I need to get into more details here because many different sects of Christianity have different ideas about the meaning of the "Antichrist" mentioned in the gospels, and they also have different ideas about the meaning of "the beast of Babylon," the "number 666," and the "dragon" referred to in John’s book of Revelation.

In fact, you would be amazed at some of the absurd ideas and interpretations of Christian scriptures that are floating around and being presented as "the truth." So, let me share my view of the truth as I see it.

I agree with the most common interpretation of the most educated and sane scholars, that the dragon is the symbol for "Satan," and the beast from the sea is the symbol for the Roman Caesar-Emperor and his military imperialist forces, incited by the dragon to persecute the early Christians. After all, that is what the Christ Jesus predicted would happen, and that is what certainly did happen — particularly during the first century after the death of Jesus, and for a few hundred thereafter until Christianity was adopted as the official religion of the Roman Empire in the fourth century.

There are, of course, many other, different interpretations, as I will discuss below. However, I think most of them are misguided, and some of them merely label and condemn scapegoats. Of course, there is some justification for surmising that the "dragon" or "Satan" symbolizes the motivating mentality of certain proud, self-righteous, divisive, militant, harmful leaders today, and, in a sense, it does. But, the dragon John was talking about was the Roman Caesar-Emperor at the time. There is, however, a question about which one that was.

Some scholars say that the Emperor Domitian ruled during the time John was exiled on the Isle of Patmos when he wrote the book of Revelation. They say that Domitian had forced Christians to choose between the Christ Jesus or the Roman Caesar as Lord, and that Domitian killed or persecuted those that didn't choose him, the Caesar, as Lord.

However, some other scholars say that in cabbalistic gematria, numbers are assigned to letters, and 666 is the sum of the numbers of the name Nero Caesar in Hebrew, and some scholars suggest that is also the case in the language John was conversant in. Therefore, that may have been why John wrote that we must "have understanding" of the meaning of the number of the beast, as John put it.

In any case, the reason John used a number and symbolic code words was because in those days it was extremely dangerous to criticize the Roman Emperor-Caesar, whichever one John was referring to. And whichever it was, we should understand that the "beast" was represented by any warlord-emperor who feigned divinity and played god, but sat on a worldly throne and lived by the sword to rule by force of arms, which is totally opposite to what the Christ Jesus did.

That is why the Christ Jesus said: "the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, is now already in the world." (1 John 4:1) Jesus was talking about the Roman Caesar-Emperor-Warlord who regarded himself as the Lord of Divinity but was actually an Antichrist-Beast of the "Babylon" of his day. And that’s who John was talking about in the book of Revelation. (Regarding what "Babylon" was and is, see the page on The Fall of Babylon.)

But, in fact, there were "many antichrists" in those times, as there are now. For John wrote in an earlier gospel: "Children, it is the last time, and as you have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time." (I John 2:18) That also indicates that at that time John erroneously believed that the "end" was soon and imminent, just as Paul did, as I will discuss below.

But, that also indicates that an Antichrist is not merely a warlord who kills to rule and gain more personal power, wealth and domain.

"Who is a liar but he that denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist." (I John 2:22) "And every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist that you have heard should come; and even now is already in the world." (I John 4:3) "For many deceivers are in the world, who claim that Jesus Christ has not come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist." (II John 1:7)

Those words speak of those who refused to believe or denied that Jesus was anointed by God’s Holy Spirit and was thus a Christus, a Mashiach or Messiah, a son of man, called and chosen as a servant of God. For even though multitudes of people accepted Jesus as a Christus or Mashiach, including many Jews and Greeks, there were some religious Jewish authorities, chief priests and scribes, as well as most occupying Romans and Roman sympathizers or collaborators, who did not accept Jesus as a Christ or Mashiach/Messiah. They were the "many antichrists."

So, the "Antichrist" is not a specific person. It’s the lowly and base spirit which Jesus said was "already in the world" two thousand years ago. It drove and was epitomized by the Roman Caesar-Emperors who exalted themselves as the Divine Lord, but it also drove and has driven many other power-hungry, self-centered leaders who have ruled by the sword (gun and bomb) and killed people in order to gain or maintain power, wealth and domain at the expense of others.

Today the spirit of the Antichrist and "Beast of Babylon" is the mentality or spirit that drives egocentric, ethnocentric, bigoted, greedy men who fight for the material power, wealth and domain they lust for. The most hypocritical of them claim to be good and even "religious," even though they ignore or deny the wisdom of the Christ Jesus, who criticized and rebuked religious hypocrites, "money changers" and the rich, advised us to love one another and even our enemies, and advocated for the poor and the least of our brethren.

Today, right-wing "fundamentalist" and/or "evangelical Christians" interpret the scriptures to claim that the spirit of the Antichrist is served by anyone who does not believe that the Christ Jesus is the "Lord and Savior who came in the flesh as God Himself." They ignore the fact that such a claim is contrary to the true meaning of the Judaic (Old Testament) scriptures, and they erroneously claim that you must believe and profess that Jesus was and is God, or you cannot receive "salvation" and will go to hell for eternity. They believe that they, having "accepted" Jesus as God, are "saved," and that everyone else is doomed.

That’s very convenient, for them, their leaders, and the right-wing politicians they support. But they are not merely misguided. In fact, they belong to a cult built around the erroneous doctrine of preeminence and superiority, established by men who were ignorant of God and driven by the desire to build a theocratic empire. They cling to erroneous, man-made doctrine, and they ignore or deny what the Christ Jesus actually stood for. They worship an idol and serve Mammon, not God, because a son of man is not God, but a servant of God.

The truth is that Jesus was a son of man, a Christ, which is a title meaning an "anointed one," as does the title Mashiach or Messiah. It does not mean "God Himself," because God is not a man, nor a son of man, as Moses wrote. And, as Isaiah and other authors of the books in the Old Testament wrote, a son of man is a servant of God, and only God is the Holy One and Savior.

Obviously the man named Jesus came in the flesh as a mortal son of man, a spiritually anointed, enlightened Christ, and a Sacrificial Lamb of God, who realized, as we all can, that we are one with God and one with all humanity. After all, Jesus said to his disciples: "You have not seen God’s shape at any time," and "Why call me good? There is but one who is good, and that is God." But, Jesus identified with, was spiritually in tune with, and represented and spoke as the Ancient One who was "before Abraham," and he realized that he was one with God and one with all humanity. He also knew that we are all joint heirs to that knowledge. That’s why he said: "When the Spirit of truth comes to you, you shall know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you." (See the page on The Highest State of Consciousness.)

Now, it could be said that the "second beast" mentioned in the book of Revelation has been represented by the monarchs of all the military empires that have their roots in the Roman Empire (which broke "in pieces," as the prophet Daniel envisioned), who lived by the sword (gun and bomb). That includes not only the European military empires that tried to rule the world during the last sixteen centuries. It also includes the U.S.A. under the reign of certain right-wing presidents who had world imperial designs, and particularly under the reign of Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush, when they wielded power as Commander in Chief of U.S. Military Forces, as I explained above and on the page titled The Fall of Babylon.

Of course, some people believe that the "second beast" is a particular false prophet. They believe the "mark of the beast" will be placed on the followers of an antichrist, a literal beast of Babylon. They believe that the false prophet will be a spokesperson for the antichrist, and that the false prophet will cause people to take a mark which will literally be placed in their hand or forehead, and the mark of the beast will be an end times "mark" required by the antichrist to buy or sell and will be given only to those who worship the antichrist. They also believe that a seal will be placed on the foreheads of the servants of our God. And, not surprisingly, most of the people who believe that also believe that then the Christ Jesus himself will come again, this time from out of the clouds in the sky, magically, as "God Himself."

Still others believe that any man who is accepted as the Jewish Mashiach-King or the Christian Messiah-King, would actually be the Antichrist. And many others have different beliefs and expectations. It’s a chaotic, confused situation, because so many egocentric people think they know the truth, and that all others are wrong. In fact, they are all wrong, and there is a very good reason why all real prophecies state that there will be one son of man who serves as the messenger for the Spirit of truth, to issue judgment, guide you unto truth, and show you things to come.

You see, many Christians just don’t understand the symbolism in scriptures, and they misinterpret scriptures and do not recognize the errors in scriptures. For example, they base their belief about an "Antichrist," and their belief that he will come to power and then be "revealed," on a section in Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians (II Thessalonians 2:3-9). But, what many Christians do not understand is that Paul believed the so-called "return" of the Christ and the so-called "end" was soon to come, in his lifetime. Paul was trying to prepare them for it, even though he was wrong.

But, that’s not the only reason many Christians do not understand the truth. After all, Paul states that the Thessalonians should not allow themselves to be deceived, but that the Christ’s "second coming" shall not come unless there be a "falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped." Paul states that the "man of sin" will "sit in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God."

That, along with what is written in John’s book of Revelation, is why many Christians believe there will be an "Antichrist" who will rule the world prior to the "second coming" of the Christ Jesus.

However, they ignore that Paul also states in that section that "the mystery of iniquity already works: only he who now lets will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming. Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders."

The truth is that Paul was referring to the Roman Emperor or Caesar, just as John was, because the Emperor held himself up as a "divine" ruler and had much material power and could do "wonders" with all the financial and material resources and forces at his command. But Paul did not realize that the "end" was not coming. He thought it was imminent. Nor did Paul understand that the Christ Jesus himself would not return. And most of the disciples and apostles of Jesus did not understand that Judeo-Christian prophecy would not be fulfilled until the end of the age Jesus ushered in, more than two thousand years later!

Now there are many, even thousands of different interpretations of the Torah and the Bible, and especially of John’s Book of Revelation. But the truth is, as the Christ Jesus predicted, that there have been and are now MANY false prophets who are dividing people and leading their blind flocks astray.

I should tell you that some of them, namely right-wing neo-conservative "Christian" critics, have accused me of serving "Satan" because I state that God is the Divine Light-Energy-Source of our existence. But I tell you the truth, and their false accusation is based on misinterpretation of two phrases, one in Luke and one in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians.

They claim that Paul refers to "Satan" as an "angel of light." However, if we examine the context in which Paul wrote that phrase, we can see that it is not about some entity called "Satan" becoming an entity of light. To put it in context, Paul was talking about deceitful hypocrites. He wrote: "For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness." (2 Corinthians 11:13-15) In other words, deceitful hypocrites who actually serve Mammon while claiming to serve the Lord are false apostles, false prophets, false shepherds and wolves in sheep’s clothing, and they are an "abomination," which is what Jesus said. And even now they divide, alienate and lead their blind flocks astray.

Of course, my superstitious "Christian" critics also base their beliefs on the idea that Satan is the same entity who is called Lucifer, which means "light bringer" in Latin. They believe Lucifer is an archangel who fell from grace and was thrown out of heaven because of his sinful pride in regarding himself as equal to God. They believe that fallen angel is either similar to or the same as "Satan" or the "Devil," and that "he" can tempt us to do evil. They even believe "he" is an actual entity that tempts us to think that we are God, which is why they are so vehemently against all those who tell us we all can realize we are all one with God.

Ironically, those misguided "Christians" don’t realize that "Satan," like the "beguiling serpent" in the book of Genesis, is merely a metaphor and symbol for the ego, which tempts us with the "forbidden fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." The forbidden "fruit" of the ego is the idea that we are a wise judge of good and evil and right and wrong, that we can play god, rise above and be better than others, and be "righteous." But, True Wisdom brings Temperance to the ego, and realization that our judgment and "understanding" may not be true, as the wise Solomon wrote. And that is why Jesus said: "Judge not, lest you be judged," and "when your eye is single you shall be filled with Light."

Moreover, my critics who think they are Christians forget or ignore the fact that the Christ Jesus realized he was one with God, as so many other enlightened ones have (see the page on the Highest State of Consciousness). They also forget or ignore that Jesus said: "When the Spirit of truth comes to you, you shall know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you." In other words, when you receive the gift of true self-realization and spiritual rebirth, you will realize that we are all One in the Spirit, and One with God, because the eternal, primordial "Word" of God is made flesh in all of us.

By the way, I think I should mention that the word Lucifer is found in only one place in the King James and later versions of the Christian Bible, in Isaiah 14:12. However, the original book of Isaiah in Hebrew does not use the word Lucifer. It says: "morning star, son of the dawn, how far you have fallen." The word Lucifer is from the Roman Latin translation of the Hebrew word for bright or brilliant one, and that is another one of the reasons many Christians regard "Lucifer" as the bright one or light bearer, that also came to be regarded as Satan, Lord of Darkness. That’s ironic, because it’s contradictory and makes no sense. And, after all, in Isaiah 14 the prophet actually rebukes the king of Babylon for having fallen into error, not an archangel or angel. But, unfortunately, the misunderstanding has misled many Christians since the beginning of organized Christianity.

Traditional Christian interpretation is that Isaiah 14:12 is also connected with Luke 10:18, which states: "He said to them, I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning." But, that too has been misunderstood. Once again, they conveniently forget or ignore that Jesus also said: "The time will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. Some people will tell you, He is there, or He is here. But do not go after them, nor follow them. For the Son of Man, when his day comes, will be like the lightning that flashes and lights up one part under heaven, also lights up other parts under heaven. But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected by his generation." (Luke 17:22-25)

There are many other reasons certain Christians have been and still are wrong to believe that the Light, or the morning star, day star, or Venus, is connected with the Devil. It is not, for 2 Peter 1:19 states: "And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts." Revelation 2:27-28 states: " ... just as I have received authority from my Father, I will also give he who overcomes the morning star." And Revelation 22:16 states: "It is I, Jesus, who have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star."

Furthermore, misguided Christians ignore the fact that it is written throughout the Bible, that "God lives in light," that "God is Light," and that those who have really witnessed God are "children of light." (Exodus 24:10, Psalm 104:2, I Timothy 6:16, Isaiah 2:5, Isaiah 9:2, Isaiah 60:19, I John 1:5, etc.) The Bible is full of references to God being the Divine Light. It is even written that a genuine servant of God is "sent to bear witness of that Light ... the true Light which lights every man [and woman] that comes into the world." (John 1:8-9) And again, that is how we are "made in God’s image," because "God is Light" and we are "children of light," just as the Bible says.

Therefore, considering all that, it is quite clear that Lucifer and Satan are not the same entity or personality or mentality. Lucifer does not represent an angel or archangel, but a person of power who simply does not realize how far he has fallen, or from whence he has fallen, due to his egotism. And Satan does not represent an angel or archangel or entity either. Satan represents the corrupted ego which is deluded with arrogant pride, self-importance, self-righteousness and greed, in the person who lusts for worldly power, wealth and domain for himself and his loyal, wealthy supporters, at the expense of all others, all while claiming to serve God and Country.

It should further be understood that one of the traditional meanings of Satan in the Old Testament Judaic scriptures is merely the "opponent," which fits the above description, since people with inflated egos are the opponents of good, conscientious, fair people. But the other traditional meanings of Satan in the Old Testament are "adversary" and "accuser." The word accuser appears in 1 Chronicles, Job, Psalms, and in Zechariah. In Psalms "Satan" is used both in the plural and singular sense, as accusers and an accuser. In Chronicles and Zechariah its usage is vague, but in Job "Satan" is the Accuser. And that makes sense, considering that many arrogantly proud, self-importance, self-righteousness and greedy people accuse "bleeding-heart liberals" of all manner of evil, disloyalty, treason, etc., as George W. Bush and all his neo-conservative cohorts did while they were in power, and as they are doing now accusing Barack Obama. Not that they are "evil," of course. They are simply misguided, and unwittingly serve the spirit of the Antichrist and Satan, and they serve Mammon, not God.

Nevertheless, there is much more proof that "Satan" is not a real person or even an actual entity, because it is merely a symbol of the spirit or mentality of greedy, selfish, self-centered, self-important, self-righteous, materialistic man, because of his corrupted ego which has tempted him and convinced him that he is a wiser, better, superior, and righteous judge, and deserving of having much more material wealth than others. After all, when Jesus "rebuked Peter, saying, Get behind me, Satan," he was merely admonishing Peter for focusing on "the things that be of men" rather than on "the things that be of God." (Mark 8:33 and Matthew 16:23) (And while it may seem ironic that Peter became "the rock" upon which the church was built, and that the original Pope of the fourth century Roman Church was supposed to serve in the line of Peter, I don’t think it’s ironic. I think it’s about the passing age, prior to this judgment and the coming new reformation.)

Now, I think I should add something to what I said near the top of this page, that the dragon in John’s book of Revelation symbolizes the Roman Caesar at the time, because in a sense, it also symbolizes self-righteous, self-important, power-hungry, divisive, destructive leadership today as well. The trouble is, many "Christian Authorities" think they know exactly what the "red dragon with seven heads" symbolizes. In fact, they have all sorts of ideas about it, most conflicting with each other, and most of them are quite ready to judge and condemn certain individuals as "serving the dragon Satan."

However, I think you should know that the "creature" with a seven-fold power of destruction came to be symbolized by a dragon with seven heads in ancient times. That symbolism is not just in John’s book of Revelation. There a many myths about a seven-headed dragon – Egyptian, Babylonian, Persian, Japanese, Celtic, Scottish, Cambodian, Indian, West Asian, East African, and Mediterranean. But the Babylonians not only adopted the Egyptian conception of the power of evil as being seven demons, but they also seemed to have fused the seven into one and given the dragon seven-fold attributes, just as John later did.

The ancient times many different peoples regarded these seven forces either as natural forces of destruction, or as "devils, demons, and evil spirits" with evil powers waiting to tempt and possess human beings. They were supposedly the "adversaries" of humanity and can supposedly expel God, or common sense, and even occupy or possess the human body and mind. That’s why religious clergy have always had, and still have, rituals of atonement and requirements for redemption, and claim that they can eject the demons and devils from "possessed" victims and restore the Holy Spirit of the Divine Protector, or God.

The truth, however, is that no one is "possessed" by anything from without. The truth, as I’ve said, is that the human ego can be tempted and deluded with the forbidden "fruit" of the ego, from within, which can cause one to think of one’s self as "wise" and become judgmental, self-righteous, self-important, greedy, selfish, hateful, and destructive. And if enough people are of like mind, as a brutal military imperialist nation that causes great harm, loss and suffering upon large numbers of other people, its impact affects the whole earth. During the last hundred years the planet’s eco-system has been negatively affected by it. Natural disasters consequently occurred more often, which have been called vengeful "Acts of God" or "Acts or Satan." But they are neither. They are signs of a world out of harmony, out of balance, and plagued with the consequences of Man’s vain folly. We reap what we sow.

The truth is clear to all who have a "single eye" to see. The truth is that God is One. The truth is that the son of man who now fulfills prophecy is not the Christ, but bears the testimony of the Christ and bears witness to the Divine Light of God. In fact, I am a prodigal son of man who fully realizes how fallible I am, and how infallible God is, and I glorify God and the Ancient One (aka the Christ-Avatar-Buddha-Mahdi-Saoshyant-Sage) who is in heaven with God.

Those, my fellow human beings, are the real facts of the matter.

May the reformation and God’s new kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven.