365 Days of the Great Names of God, Day 13: Morning Star

Morning Star

"'I, Jesus, 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.'" (Revelation 22:16 NIV)

I'm learning so much from this series. That doesn't surprise me, because there is always something new to learn about God and from God. What's surprising me is how much I'm learning about names of God I thought I was pretty well familiar with. Take today's name, for instance. I always thought the morning star was the first light of morning that heralded a new day and that Jesus alone is called Morning Star because He came to announce a new day and a new way.

But as I was researching, I learned that the morning star refers to a very bright planet (commonly Venus) when it is visible before sunrise. And Jesus is not alone in being referred to in the Bible as "morning star." Lucifer, or Satan, is also referenced in that way in Isaiah 14:12. Clearly, I had some lessons to learn about this name. I'll take the second one first, because it's extremely crucial. 

For one thing, the original word used to refer to the fallen angel Satan is more along the lines of "shining one"...and his "shining" was temporary. Furthermore, the references to both Lucifer (or Satan) and Jesus in Scripture as "morning star" are an example of where a simple article is crucial. When Satan is referred to as "morning star," it is without the article "the," whereas Jesus is called THE Morning Star. This is only one example of how Jesus is so often the "THE": THE Light of the world, THE One and Only, THE I AM. And on and on.

As for what the morning star is from an astronomical standpoint, I still think the connection works. Just as the morning star in scientific terms refers to a bright planet that shines its light before any other in the day, so Jesus shines His light ahead of any other and more brightly than any other. He is THE Morning Star, and He still comes to bring a new day.