We have recently been reintroduced to Satan and to the part he played in the fall of man. That is extremely important theology, because it tells us how you and I became sinners. We are not sinners because we sin. We inherited sin from our first parents. I know that it is cliche, but “we sin because we are sinners.” Romans 5:19 summarizes our journey into sin by saying – “For as by one man’s disobedience many (meaning all of us) were made sinners.” Also, Satan’s temptation of Eve is quite practical in that it shows us one of the ways in which Satan plies his temptations. Genesis 3 somewhat parallels the Devil’s attack upon the Lord Jesus at the beginning of His ministry. So we may assume – we should EXPECT – Satan to come to us with this same: “Yea, hath God said?”
With that in mind, I thought of something that might be a helpful lesson for us this afternoon. In Luke 22:31 – “The Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: BUT I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not…” Christ Jesus told Simon Peter that Satan wanted to sift him; to separate and then steal away the wheat of his faith. And that was what Satan did to Adam and Eve – he robbed them of their spiritual wheat. He succeeded in that first of all temptations – when their adherence to God’s Word failed. But in Peter’s case the Lord Jesus intervened – “But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not…” I thought we might explore questions like: Was Peter’s case different from Eve’s? If so how? And why did the Lord intervene in the one temptation but not in the other? Can we assume that the Lord Jesus is also interceding when it comes to our temptations?
We may yet come to that message, but it occurred to me that we need to start closer to the beginning. Who is this Satan, Peter’s tempter? Is there more we should know about the tempter of Eve? There is a lot about Satan’s early existence about which we know nothing. For example, at exactly what point was he created? Was it before Genesis 1:1, between verses 1 and 2, or later? We can’t know for sure, but we can make our guesses. And yet, what is the point? If the Lord wanted us to know – if we needed to know – He’d tell us. Another question might be why the Lord permitted Satan to exist – and to sin – in the first place? There are probably a dozen other questions about the Devil, for which we don’t have answers. But again, they really aren’t important.
I am calling this message: “Lucifer’s Luster, Lunacy and Legacy,” because I can see all of these in our text. I can see all of these, except that the name “Lucifer” cannot be found in here in Ezekiel. It is mentioned in only one Biblical reference. So why did I use it? Because Isaiah 14 appears to me to be a parallel scripture to Ezekiel and about the being we call “Satan. Isaiah 14:12 says – “How art thou fallen from Heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning.” The name “Lucifer” is the Hebrew word which speaks of “brightness” – extraordinary brilliance. It ties in to the “Seraphim” praising God before His throne, of which we spoke a couple weeks ago. As they were beings of extraordinary brightness, so was Lucifer. I believe they are closely related. After introducing his original name, Isaiah goes on speaking of things which Ezekiel also describes. I will come back to Isaiah in a few minutes.
Our scripture in Ezekiel gives us the description of a MIGHTY and GLORIOUS angelic CREATURE.
Ezekiel 28 is part of eight chapters of prophetic judgment on various Israelite enemy nations, beginning with Ammon, Moab, Seir and Philistia, before getting to Egypt and Assyria. In the midst of them all, God gives a special revelation to Ezekiel about Tyrus – or Tyre. All of those were actual nations and city-states; all are well-documented in secular history. You might remember that Austin, a year or so ago, shared some really interesting information about the destruction of Tyre by the Macedonian leader, Alexander the Great.
We don’t have time to read about the judgment on those other nations. But we do need to consider Tyre and her king, because the language which the Spirit gives to Ezekiel lifts that king above the kings of Ammon, Moab and Assyria. For example, notice that Ezekiel 28:2 begins a long sentence which ends verse 7. “Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, thus saith the Lord God; because thine heart is lifted up, and thou has said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the mist of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God.” There is varying kinds of wickedness in the world, but few people actually claim to be God. This king did. Now skip down to verse 7 – “Behold, therefore I will bring strangers upon thee, the terrible of the nations; and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of thy wisdom, and they shall defile thy brightness.” Notice the word “brightness” which takes our minds back to Lucifer and the seraphim. The Holy Spirit never used this kind of language in regard to any of the other nations in this context. God is setting us up to look at this unnamed king, as someone higher than Pharaoh or the king of Seir. Did the city-state of Tyre actually fall under the judgment of Jehovah? Absolutely; history proves it. But the Lord wants us to look at something much higher – and at the same time, something much lower.
Verse 12 – “Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.” Notice the word “lamentation.” It speaks about intense anguish, like the weeping and wailing of mourners. But in this case, it is speaking about lamentations coming from the heart of the holy God. This is strange language to put into the mouth of God’s prophet, but there is a point to it. Furthermore, this would be out of place, if it referred only to the king of one smallish human community. No, the context lifts this lamentation from the physical earth into the realm of spirit creatures. The king to whom God was speaking is described as the epitome – “the sum” – of beauty and knowledge. To most Bible scholars this doesn’t sound like a reference to any human king. I agree.
And then we come to verse 13 – “Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.” Never was any king of Tyrus in Eden, the garden of God. In fact, as far as we know, only two human beings ever visited or lived in that place – Adam and Eve. However, we know that at least one other being was there: Satan – in the form of a serpent. And what a glorious serpent it was. It was beautiful, covered with the very finest natural splendor. Apparently, Eve was bedazzled by the appearance and demeanor of that creature.
“Tabrets” and “pipes” refer to musical instruments, which were often used in the worship of God. But notice that these instruments were not made BY this king, but were prepared IN him on the day he was created. It appears that he was created in order to worship Jehovah. But let me ask: how many human beings did God directly create? Did God “create” the king of Tyre? The statement that this king was “created” by God adds more to the argument that he was not a mere man. The temptation placed on Eve by this superior creature was probably very intense.
Now, does verse 14 sound like a description of any human being you have met – or studied in school? “Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.” Probably only grandmothers ever call human beings “cherubs,” and they don’t call their grandchildren “cherubs” very long. That somewhat angelic term is not applicable to sinners like us. I won’t try to explain things that I don’t understand, but to call this creature a “covering cherub,” saying that he was upon the “holy mountain,” doesn’t sound like any human king. I don’t know what the “stones of fire” were, but this sounds to me like something unworldly.
“Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.” I know that the word “perfect” can be used in a variety of ways. For example Job was said to be “perfect.” But if we were still talking about the wicked king of Tyre, then “perfect” just doesn’t apply. This is not a description of any human being. And we are told that he was “CREATED perfect,” but then he fell – “iniquity was found in him.” This makes sense if we were talking about some angelic creature, created by God in perfection, but who later chose to rebel against his Creator.
Now, skip down to verse 17 – “Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness.” In both the name and the description we have here – Lucifer is made out to be absolutely glorious. We see here Lucifer’s LUSTER, which may have played a roll in the beguiling and bedazzling of Eve.
But before the temptation in the garden, there was Lucifer’s LUNACY – his rebellion against God.
When did Lucifer’s rebellion and fall take place? Some say it was before Genesis 1:2 and was the reason the earth was without form and void. I don’t believe Lucifer caused any voiding of God’s original creation. When did the devil fall? All I know for sure is that it was some time before Genesis 3.
Now notice Ezekiel 28:16 – “By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.” The word “merchandise” speaks of “trafficking” in the same sense as a drug trafficker. The person of this paragraph began to slander his Creator, trying to fill heaven with lies about God and about his own importance, drawing away other angels in the process. And he wasn’t content to traffic his sins in only the angelic barracks, he chose to attack God by spreading his lies among the pinnacle of God’s earthly creation. He is still peddling his pride-filled, idolatrous spiritual drugs among us today. God says He deserves to be destroyed for this rebellion and violence, and in a sense he will be when he is cast into the lake of fire. “Cast as profane out of the mountain of God,” sounds much like Revelation 12:9 – “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”
Verse 17 – “Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.” These verses suggest that this “prince of Tyrus” was filled with pride – one the most hated of all sins. He looked at the beauty God created in him, thinking that it rivaled the very shekinah glory of the Lord. But he was wrong. And he shall be judged with fire from the presence of the Lord.
And in that judgment we see the LEGACY of Lucifer.
“And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” – Revelation 20:10. Those that heed Satan’s deadly lies shall hear the words, “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.” The world needs to know, and Christians need to understand Lucifer’s luster, lunacy and legacy, because their unrepentant neighbors shall have a part in that legacy of Satan.
I promised a few minutes ago that we’d return to Isaiah 14, so please turn to that chapter now. This comes in the middle of a context very similar to that of Ezekiel 28. The Holy Spirit was pronouncing judgment on another enemy nation – Babylon. Again He speaks of the king of that country but without mentioning his name, because the revelation deals with the satanic being who motivated him – much like the situation with the serpent in the garden.
In Isaiah 14:12 we read – “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!” Again, the name “Lucifer” speaks of “brightness,” taking us back to the beauty of which we read earlier. At first, this Lucifer was in heaven, but he was cut down to the ground, because of his weakening of the nations – his attack upon humanity and God’s creation. “For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.” Look again at his pride and his attempt to usurp Jehovah’s position and authority. “Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, thus saith the Lord God; because thine heart is lifted up, and thou has said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the mist of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God.”
Despite his beauty and luster, it is lunacy to attack the omnipotent God and the commands of the Lord. Adam what were you thinking? Did the pride of Lucifer seep into your heart? “Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the side of the pit.”
Going back to the king of Babylon, Isaiah’s language enhances our vision of the legacy and legacy of Satan. “They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms… (This is the devil that made the earth to tremble.) That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners? All the kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, every one in his own house. But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcase trodden under feet. Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, and slain thy people: the seed of evildoers shall never be renowned. Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquity of their fathers; that they do not rise, nor possess the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities.” Isaiah says, “the seed of evildoers shall never be renowned.” Who is the seed of Satan? Do you remember Jesus’ words – “ye are of your father the devil….” The seed of Satan will be thrust through with the sword of God’s judgment, and they shall go down to the stones of the pit. “Prepare slaughter for his children, for the iniquity of their father” the devil.
What did God tell Adam about eating the fruit of the forbidden tree? “In the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt die.” And die he did, because he accepted the spiritual and intellectual merchandise trafficked by Satan.
But thankfully, by the inexplicable mercy of God, a Saviour was provided, and those first two sinners were spared the legacy of the wicked one. And so may you be spared as well. Just as Adam is the father of us all, making us human beings, he also made us all sinners. But Christ Jesus, the Son of God, became one of us for the purpose of redeeming people from the judgment that Satan and his children deserve. All that is required of us to believe God, humbly trusting the sacrifice Christ made on the cross.
Satan is still trafficking the idea, “Yea, hath God said?” The believing heart replies, “Yea, God HATH said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.”