I’ve been seeing a lot of posts and comments online about Satan being the angel in charge of music when he was in heaven (then called Lucifer) before he rebelled and was kicked out.
But, is that actually true? What does the Bible say about Satan’s past role in heaven?
Let’s take a closer look at what the Bible says about the topic, and explore why these claims may be true…
What was Satan like in heaven?
The Bible passage often referred to when talking about what Satan (AKA Lucifer) was like and whether or not he was connected to music is Ezekiel 28…which is a bit of a confusing passage.
The passage doesn’t directly say it’s talking about Lucifer, but is addressed to the King of Tyre, who was an actual person ruling in Lebanon.
Now, there’s some debate about this, but I personally think that the passage DOES refer to Satan – look at what these 4 verses say:
13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; every previous stone adorned you: carnelian, chrysolite and emerald, topaz, onyx and jasper, lapis lazuli, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountains were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared.
14 You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones.
15 You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you.
16 Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones.
Ezekiel 28: 13-16
This is just one example of the language used, and I don’t think that God would compare a man to the powerful cherubim and claim he was in Eden – but Satan was (read Genesis 3)!
We also know that Lucifer was in very high standing among all the angels as a cherubim, and verse 14 here calls the subject of the passage “anointed as a guardian cherub,” indicating that he was in a special position even within the cherubim.
So, Lucifer was obviously in high standing in heaven, and was in the “mount of God” – a very special place indeed! However, the passage describes how the subject referenced was thrown out, which lines up with our theory here.
The passage goes on to describe Lucifer as:
17 Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor.
Ezekiel 28:17
Although he was a beautiful sight in heaven, he let his pride grow, ultimately causing him to covet God’s position and rebel…which didn’t work out, as Ezekiel describes here:
17 …I made a spectacle of you before kings.
18 …I reduced you to ashes on ground in the sight of all who were watching.
19 All the nations who knew you are appalled at you; you have come to a horrible end and will be no more.
Ezekiel 28:17-19, shortened.
While Lucifer may have been great in heaven, he is now reduced to nothing.
Lucifer’s role in music
Some translations (e.g. KJV vs NIV) of these verses mention Lucifer’s “pipes” in verse 14, but it’s obvious that the Hebrew text is difficult to translate when looking at the different versions of the same verses, so we’re not sure if there’s actually a reference to instruments.
By doing some critical thinking, here’s what we know:
- Lucifer had a high standing in heaven amongst the angels.
- Angels worship God constantly.
- Lucifer therefore might have led the worship due to his high standing, but could have had a different role.
It’s not exactly clear, and the Bible doesn’t talk about it directly, so we’re not sure – but it’s obvious he has his hand in a lot of what’s going on in today’s music.
Look closely at the lyrics of some of the biggest artists, and open your eyes to what they’re doing in some of their concerts – it involves chanting, demonic imagery, and rituals.
Final thoughts
The Bible doesn’t explicitly say whether or not Satan was in charge of music in heaven, but we can deduce that he had a big and important role, which may very well have been music.
The takeaway here is that regardless of how important, beautiful, or strong you are, you need to always seek Christ and humble yourself before Him – He loves you and cares for you, and we cannot let our pride get in the way of that.
And, it’s always a safe bet to listen to Christian-inspired music!
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FAQs
Satan was an angel in very high standing when he was in heaven, but he became prideful and jealous, and wanted to be better than God. This rebellion resulted in him being thrown out of heaven forever, leaving him to await his eternal doom.
The Bible doesn’t clearly state what Satan’s role was when he was an angel in heaven, but his high standing suggests that he was the leader of something, which could potentially be music.
Satan’s name was Lucifer when he was an angel in heaven before he rebelled and was thrown out.