Are Jesus and Satan brothers?

from the old testament

• The belief that Satan and Jesus are brothers is based on how Mormonism incorrectly connects an Old Testament statement that may refer to Satan and a New Testament one that does refer to Jesus. In the Old Testament, the passage in question is Isaiah 14:12. It reads, “How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low!” The phrase “O Day Star” sounds similar to the New Testament’s reference to Jesus as the “morning star” and is the source of the confusion
• Additionally, while the immediate context of the larger passage (Isaiah 14:3–20) clearly refers to the king of Babylon (Isaiah 14:4), some of its statements, such as his saying, “I will ascend to heaven (Isaiah 14:13), have led many to believe that Satan’s pride is in the background of these descriptions. That is why some connect Isaiah 14:12 with Satan, though not all agree.
• Finally, the phrase “Day Star” was directly transposed into the first English translations from Latin as “Lucifer.” For example, the KJV reads, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!” Lucifer as a popular name for Satan comes only from the KJV translation of a passage that may or may not refer to Satan, and at best is a translation of a title, not a name.
• Thus, making Isaiah 14:12 about Satan is speculative and weak. Connecting this one statement to the statement about Jesus in Revelation is poor theological ground for claiming a relationship between Jesus and Satan.
• Additionally, Satan is a created being, as are all angels. While he was placed in the position of the highest angel (Ezekiel 28:12–15), he was still just a creature. He is not eternal, nor does he have any other divine qualities.

from the new testament

• In contrast to Satan as a creature, Jesus is called the “Word.” Of Him we learn, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God” (John 1:1–2). While the Son of God took on human flesh (John 1:14), He is not a created being, but the eternal Son of God. This makes Him completely different than Satan.
• Additionally, not only is Jesus God, but “All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:3). Because Jesus made all things, and because Satan is a creature, Jesus created him. They are not of the same nature or pedigree; they are completely unrelated.
• Those who call Him Satan’s brother point to Revelation 22:16, where Jesus says, “I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” They connect “morning star” here to “Day Star” in Isaiah 14:12. However, as the Old Testament section explained, positing a familial relationship between them based on a single passage with a similar-sounding title is very weak and doesn’t negate the clear evidence of their ontological differences.
• In fact, what Jesus was referring to was not the Isaiah 14 passage but other passages, such as Numbers 24:17, which say of the Messiah, “a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel.” Elsewhere in the New Testament, Jesus said that He is “the light of the world” (John 8:12). Of Him we learn, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5).
• Therefore, Jesus, being the “bright morning star,” emphasizes that He is the Messiah who came and brought light to the world. There was no intended connection to the “Day Star” phrase in Isaiah 14:12, and even if there are similarities in the phrase, they don’t imply a relationship.

implications for today

There are so many theological errors and lies out there, but those that damage the uniqueness and credibility of Jesus are by far the most perverse because some of those errors bring damnation to all who believe and teach them.

Jesus is the uncreated, eternal Son of God. Satan is a finite creature and was created by Jesus. While he was created to be good, he rebelled against God and is thoroughly wicked. They aren’t ontologically the same—they are of completely different natures—and thus they aren’t related.

Thus, the cosmos is not that of two brothers fighting for dominance. It’s of a rebellious creature rebelling against his Creator. Because humanity is also rebelling against God, they are sometimes referred to as the children of the devil (e.g., John 8:44). That is because they act wickedly just like Satan acts. Because we are all born sinful (Psalm 51:5) and enemies of God (Romans 5:10), we are more related to Satan than Jesus is!

But Jesus came to destroy the works of Satan (1 John 3:8). He did this by entering humanity and taking the punishment sinful men and women deserve, and will one day complete that goal by casting Satan into the lake of fire to be eternally tormented for his rebellion (Revelation 20:10).

Just as Satan’s fate is sealed, so is the fate of all who reject Him: He will cast them into hell (Matthew 25:41). Repent of your sin and trust in Jesus while there is still time!