(NOTE: Some of the themes of these articles may not be appropriate for young readers. Please keep that in mind when sharing this information).
It is written:
“Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 12 “Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “You were the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. 13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The sardius, topaz, and diamond, Beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes Was prepared for you on the day you were created. 14 “You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. 15 You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in you. 16 “By the abundance of your trading You became filled with violence within, And you sinned; Therefore I cast you as a profane thing Out of the mountain of God; And I destroyed you, O covering cherub, From the midst of the fiery stones. 17 “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; I cast you to the ground, I laid you before kings, That they might gaze at you. 18 “You defiled your sanctuaries By the multitude of your iniquities, By the iniquity of your trading; Therefore I brought fire from your midst; It devoured you, And I turned you to ashes upon the earth In the sight of all who saw you. 19 All who knew you among the peoples are astonished at you; You have become a horror, And shall be no more forever.” ‘ “
This passage is written about the wicked king of the nation of Tyre, Ithobaal III. However, as with the passage in Isaiah, there are clues that the king is being compared to another being who rebelled against God and fell from grace (i.e., Satan). Myers has well written:
“Two passages of Scripture often referred to regarding Satan’s early history are Ezekiel 28:11-19 and Isaiah 14:12-14. A closer look at these passages will assist us in drawing some conclusions regarding Satan’s origin. From the Ezekiel passage it is clear that the prophecy is addressed to the king of Tyre. However, the language seems to indicate that the application must go beyond the earthly ruler to a supernatural being of some kind. Ezekiel speaks concerning contemporary events, but seems to go beyond them from the king of Tyre to Satan, using them as a type. Rex Turner writes, Ezekiel, when delivering a burden against Tyre and the king of Tyre, also represented the king of Tyre as being a personification of Satan. Ezekiel’s personification of Satan is seen in his charge: “Because thy heart is lifted up” (Ezek. 28:2, KJV). “Thou hast said, I am a god, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas” (vs. 2); “Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty” (vs. 12); “Thou wast in Eden, the garden of God” (vs. 13); “Thou wast the anointed cherub that covereth” (vs. 14); “Thou wast upon the holy mountain of God” (vs. 14); “Thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire” (vs. 14); “Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created till wickedness was found in you” (vs. 15); “Thy heart was lifted up because of thy beauty” (vs. 17); “Thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness” (vs. 17). Now all these statements could not have been true of the king of Tyre. He, therefore, apparently personified the spirit of Satan.1…Although in their original settings these passages have reference to the kings of Tyre and Babylon, there are many who believe that too much is said to have reference only to these kings. These passages, then, are taken as a personification of Satan himself. In these passages we have an account of Satan’s past career as Lucifer in his pre-fall splendor. For example, Victor Knowles writes, It is hard to understand how some can rule out any reference to Satan at all in this passage, Ezekiel 28:12-19. The passage fairly reeks with Satanic overtones. True, not everything that is said about the wicked king of Tyre can be paralleled with Satan. But enough is said to lead us to believe that the many accusations God made against the king of Tyre are also made against Satan. This man was so evil in his deeds that Scripture uses him as a personification of evil, or, more properly, the evil one—Satan. The wicked king of Tyre helps us to understand how evil this once-holy angel, Satan, really is.2. And again, writing of the passage in Isaiah, “This portion of Scripture, like the Ezekiel passage, was directed against a human king who was so evil that God compared him to the devil himself. Both kings exhibited attitudes, ambitions, and actions that are characteristic of Satan. Hence we are able to learn more about the evil nature of the once-holy angel, Satan.”3”. (Edward P. Myers, A Study of Angels, 54-56 (Kindle Edition); New York, NY: Howard Books)
There are several things worthy of notice.
First, the Bible here teaches us about the original state of Satan. He was, indeed, a being created pure and free of sin, just as human beings are born into the world without sin (Ezekiel 28:15; cf. Romans 7:9).
Second, there are indications here about the manifestation of and techniques of Satan that are worthy of consideration. One author has written:
“The word translated “sanctuaries,” miqdash, is the same word used to describe the tabernacle built by Moses per God’s instructions. This verse, then, identifies Eden on God’s holy mountain as sacred space, unique and set apart from all other places on earth—the place where Yahweh walked and talked with man. Human history from the moment Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s command to refrain from eating the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil has been a chronicle of His plan of redemption—to bring humanity back to His mountain—and the Enemy’s attempts to thwart it. Eden was also where the Enemy first employed a PSYOP that’s used repeatedly: “You will be as gods.” Many false religions (and false teachings within the body of Christ) can be boiled down to that lie. The Enemy keeps using it because it keeps working. The apostles contended with it in the first century, and this PSYOP is alive and well in the twenty-first. Doctrines from movements as diverse as speculative Freemasonry and the New Age movement are built around the idea that we’re all divine if we’d just recognize the spark within. Of course, that’s a lie. Instead of godhood, Adam and Eve lost immortality, got kicked out of the garden, out of the divine council, and off the holy mountain. Modern seekers looking for the path to enlightenment will fare even worse. So who was the serpent in the garden? Most of us assume it was Satan, but maybe not. The serpent isn’t named in the book of Genesis. In fact, Satan wasn’t even a personal name in the Old Testament. Satan means “accuser,” and it’s written ha-shaitan in the OT. It’s a title—the satan, so it actually means “the accuser.” Think of it as a job title, like prosecuting attorney. The adversary in the garden is the nachash, which is the word translated into English as “serpent.” It’s based on an adjective that means “bright or brazen, like shiny brass.” The noun nachash can mean “snake,” but it also means “one who practices divination.” In Hebrew, it’s not uncommon for an adjective to be converted into a noun—the term is “substantivized.” If that’s the case here, nachash could mean “shining one.” And that’s consistent with other descriptions of the satan figure in the Old Testament.” (Derek Gilbert, The Great Inception: Satan’s Psyops From Eden To Armageddon, 62-285 (Kindle Edition); Defender Publishing)
Satan is “the father of lies” Jesus said (John 8:44). He appears as an angel of light in order to deceive mankind (Galatians 1:6-9). The text makes it clear that what led to his rebellion was that he fell in love with himself (Ezekiel 28:17). His radiance blinds people even today, and this is the root of his lies. Indeed, it is by means of his lies that Satan has deceived one third of the angels into following him in his rebellion against God! (But more on that in a future article).
Third, the text makes it clear that Satan was originally in a position of intimacy with God. Notice the reference to the “fiery stones” that Satan walked upon (Ezekiel 28:14). In the book of Enoch (a book that is “recommended reading” by the Bible), the closest sanctuary of God is said to be adorned with fiery stones (1 Enoch 18:1-9; 24-25).
Finally, notice that this being was cast to the “earth.” The word used here is very interesting.
“The “ground” to which this haughty divine being is cast and where he is disgraced is also of interest. The Hebrew word translated “ground” is ’erets . It is a common term for the earth under our feet. But it is also a word that is used to refer to the underworld, the realm of the dead (e.g., Jonah 2:6 ), where ancient warrior- kings await their comrades in death ( Ezek 32:21 , 24–30 , 32 ; Isa 14:9 ). Adam, of course, was already on earth, so he couldn’t be sentenced there. And he didn’t wind up in the underworld. Yet this is the sort of language we would expect if the point was the expulsion of a heavenly being from the divine council.”. (Michael S. Heiser, The Unseen Realm: Recovering The Supernatural Worldview Of The Bible,1424-1433 (Kindle Edition); Bellingham, WA; Lexham Press)
Satan is a fallen angel who was created good by the Lord, and who chose to rebel against Him. He fell in love with his own beauty, and blinded by his own lies, led many angels and mankind to rebel against God. Even though he was in an intimate relationship with God, he has traded his birthright for Hell at the Second Coming of Christ.
Next, we will notice the many angels who rebelled with him and how they have taken the place of the gods and goddesses of the various nations of the world. Indeed, they are the very gods that are worshipped by the pagans!
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