Lucifer llyh   הילל

We can infer from scripture that the light within the Light Bearer faded after the judgment, but that may not have been the case. Nonetheless, support for the narrative’s dark interpretation is found in the spelling of the name; for by etymology, “Lucifer” can be read as “the h weeping, the howling lly.” By that standard, the name speaks of remorse, but not because of guilt; for the ground was accursed, not the angel.

Lucifer was given a way of escape; for it is true that he would die, but he would also live after the manner of men: he would share their joys and sorrows, their expectations and disappointments. Numerous scriptural precepts argue that the fallen angel would also share in man’s promise; among them, the many scriptures assuring us that HaShem’s mercy is without end and therefore cannot forever be lost to any.

When faced with judgment bringing loss, some souls are distressed; and they become despondent because of lowered energies. Not liking what an ordeal shows them of themselves, they lapse into depression and become haunted by fleeting impressions of consequences that may not actually arise.

Human instincts are peremptory, and reversals often trigger downward spirals fueled by regret. When the human spirit is over-matched, men often seek comfort in dalliance. What they might do differently is of no great concern, so long as diversion affords a moment of respite.

With depression, even hitting bottom brings no lasting relief; for its victims are smothered by paranoid perceptions. What was first perceived as a worst possible outcome becomes the platform for deeper dives as depression wears on.

Imploding under the pressures of anxiety, depressed individuals can panic at the edge of calamity, becoming preoccupied with minute details of their danger in order to shield themselves from its peril. In frantic hope of relief by this or by that offside influence, flailing men cling to sanity by repeatedly tabulating the data points of their dismay, as in a fog.

If they survive and their lives move on, they’re left stranded with poor footing in sandy marshes, whimpering in the depths of their souls because they’re marooned and alone. In despair, they tuck their minds into shallow thoughts, as into a shell, burying their potentials in idleness. And because reality is too difficult, they steel themselves with the resolve to just get by, living a parody of real life.

A realm in which all are brothers is far beyond the considerations of those who are enslaved by depression. Incapable of seeing what is obvious to those able to pursue a rewarding focus on essence, they are strangers, even to themselves; for they are lost in defeat. Incapable of considering fresh ideas free of contamination by negative bias, they have no way of escaping quarantine. Blinded— imprisoned by their conjectures, they wear the self-indulgent mask of the narcissist, even when acknowledging their disgust.

Closed systems, they think of themselves as aliens; and because they face the torment of isolation, their tenuous affiliations offer them little sympathy. Bitter to their cores, they struggle with hostility, fearing that they will forever be just one concept short of a mindset that can bring them resolution and acceptance; but if pressed about what that thing might be, they would not be capable of answering.

Because they face dead ends at every turn in every context, they engage in all manner of twisted, tunnel-vision reasoning, hoping to discover some hidden door that just might let them achieve the stop-gap goal of escape.

To their dismay, nothing they try works to their advantage. Unable to find a way out, therefore, they wallow within the whiplash-tyranny of guilt for falling short, and they do fall short; for they have yet to discover that regret is not repentance.

A record of Lucifer’s reaction to the judgment against him isn’t given, but his fall was great, indeed. He had been perfect in everything—spectacular! approved! He satisfied all required of him until that single detail surfaced and the judgment came.

However, the stain of iniquity, if stain it was, could not have been the result of some flaw intrinsic to his character. He had been positioned and approved as the covering cherub! The sacred light of hla had been his to bear unto all in heaven and upon the earth. He had enjoyed knowledge of perfection by every consideration in all his ways; and now, it was gone!

The mystery of iniquity had been unknown to him until it was discovered within him; and when it was discovered, his fall was immediate and imperative because, as bearer of God’s light, he exerted compelling influence over everything and every being in all realms.

Oversight was among the duties of the covering cherub; and he therefore could infect everything gathered beneath his wings. Every being in heaven or on earth would be exposed to iniquity because he had fallen short of the perfection that had once been his.

He would have understood that, if iniquity had been the result of a shortcoming. On that point scripture is vague, and the reader’s bias accuses or excuses under the umbrella of the father’s mercy. Scripture does not report a clear and corroborated accusation. For his part, like a sheep before the shearer, Lucifer opened not his mouth.

He was perfect until he was not. Are we to understand, then, that the favored angel had made some kind of mistake? Had he secretly harbored a core wickedness that festered within him until it finally came to a head, drawing God’s attention and his ire?

Had he rebelled? Was rebellion even possible, considering that the father had affirmed his faultless performance in all his ways until the instant iniquity was discovered?

If Lucifer had hidden a measure of iniquity from the father for a short time, it wouldn’t speak well of la. Even after its discovery, Lucifer was praised for perfection in all his ways. Had he, then, served HaShem with masterful duplicity?

If the father had not been fooled, was the blanket praise of the Light Bearer’s previous perfection just glad-handing, a way of patting the unfortunate fellow on the back before shoving him the door? I think not. If any of that were true, it would paint hla with a very black brush.