Liberal Agenda Regarding Satan

Dr. Couch, I've heard that some Bible versions have changed the name Lucifer to "the morning star." Is this not a liberal ploy to tamper with the Bible and remove one of the names of Satan? ANSWER:  While I don't agree with the use of Inclusive Language in some of the modern versions, the issue of this name of Satan is not a liberal move. I happen to know almost all of the translators of our newer Bible versions, and most of these men came from conservative, Evangelical seminaries. Here's how the new translations came about: 1. Each translator came up with a new translation from the Hebrew text of the OT. 2. Then a committee of strong conservative, Evangelical, reliable scholars, came together and worked through the material. 3. No one was telling them (from a liberal perspective) what to write. There were checks and balances going on in the final version. The name Lucifer in the older versions is actually a Latin word that comes from the Hebrew of the passage of Isaiah 14:12. The NASB reads "O star of the morning, son of the dawn!" The older versions used Lucifer which means "the light bearer." The old, reliable and conservative Hebrew scholar (one of my Hebrew teachers), Dr. Merrill F. Unger, says: "Lucifer ("helel") "daystar, shining one", and "son of the morning" (shahar). Lucifer is a Latin word meaning "lightbearer." The title truly belongs to Christ in Rev. 22:16, "the bright and morning star," by virtue of His being the Creator. But the sinless angels of light, His first creatures—including the greatest of them, who later became Satan—were also called "morning stars" (Job 38:7), because they were resplendent, unfallen creatures of light." Unger adds: "How Lucifer (the daystar or the shining one) became Satan (the opposer of God) and how he fell and was cut down to the ground are revealed in verses 13-14. The five "I wills" follow ..."    Words can have several expressions and meanings, and to use them, is not about liberalism. It is the translators attempting to give us the clearest meanings of the words.    Thanks for asking.    Dr. Mal Couch (Jan., 10)