Version 1 Lucifer, the Anointed Cherub? Have you ever heard that satan was a fallen angel, one so exalted that he used to sit at the right hand of God? As the story goes, satan had raised himself up in pride and been cast down from heaven. That what most of Christianity teaches, but where is it in the bible? Few have ever questioned this doctrine. It is taken from Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28, yet if you read these chapters you will find that both of them specifically address who is being spoken of, and neither of them say satan. The fact of the matter is the bible very seldom talks about a satan, devil, etc. Very little is actually known on the topic. But in a desperate attempt to try to explain such a great mystery that prods our curiosity so much, they have reinterpreted and improperly translated many sections of scripture to try to answer the unknown. This article will be focusing on Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28, and seeing what these sections actually say and what the rest of the bible as well as other histories can tell us about the topic. We will see if what we find really lines up with what much of Christendom says it is about. Isaiah 14:3-23 We'll start with Isaiah 14. Generally people quote Isaiah 14:9-17 and say it describes satan. The full context starts in Isaiah 13:1 with "The burden against Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw." And continues until Isaiah 14:23. The whole section is, as 13:1 states, about the judgment of Babylon. 14:3-14:23 is specifically aimed not at the nation of Babylon, but the king. For sake of brevity we will not be examining chapter 13, but I would highly recommend reading it for a complete context. The area in question is in chapter 14. We will start at verse 3: The Babylonian empire at its height of power. 1 of 8
3 It shall come to pass in the day the Lord gives you rest from your sorrow, and from your fear and the hard bondage in which you were made to serve, 4 that you will take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say: How the oppressor has ceased, The golden city ceased Right away we see that the context is a proverb (or more probable: a poem) against the king of Babylon. Therefore whatever follows is addressed to him. Isaiah spoke this word roughly 100 years before Babylon even rose to power. Because the destruction of Babylon followed in stages, over a lengthy period of time, starting long after Isaiah's prophecy, it is somewhat difficult to pin down the fulfillment of every detail. It seems likely that the king spoken of was Belshazzar because he was immediately followed by Darius, a Mede, (Daniel 5:30-31) which Isaiah prophesied Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them..." (Isaiah 13:17a). However it's clear in context that it's speaking of a military opposition, which did not occur when Darius took over Babylon, but actually happened some time after, when some Babylonians rebels tried to rebel against Darius. It's also worth noting that according to the Babylonian kings list, technically Belshazzar was not a king, he was a steward of his father the king Nabonidus, who was usually absent from the city, spending his time in the battlefield. The bible alludes to this when it mentions Daniel being the "third ruler in the kingdom" (Daniel 5:16), or a little clearer, the third in command. 5 The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked, The scepter of the rulers; 6 He who struck the people in wrath with a continual stroke, He who ruled the nations in anger, Is persecuted and no one hinders. Babylon was the superpower in that part of the world at one point. The king had conquered by the sword many different nations, including Judah. This is why he is described as "He who struck the people in wrath with a continual stroke, He who ruled the nations in anger," 7 The whole earth is at rest and quiet; They break forth into singing. 8 Indeed the cypress trees rejoice over you, And the cedars of Lebanon, Saying, Since you were cut down, No woodsman has come up against us. These were precious woods in this region. They would have been used for many different construction projects, including building ships and siege engines for war. With babylon out of the way, there would be no one left to harvest these trees. From this point on is usually where people begin ascribing it to satan, but we must keep in mind that when Isaiah spoke this message that there was no break in thought between verse 8 and 9, and they both are still addressing the king of Babylon. 2 of 8
Before beginning this section, I would like to let you know that I have removed translator bias and returned the translation on some key words back to what they actually say. Specifically, I have removed the English "Hell" and transliterated Hebrew "Sheol" that appear a few times throughout this section, which may be translated differently depending on bible versions, and replaced them with the actual meaning of the original word, which is "grave". It may also be translated as "underworld" or as "place of the dead". I have also removed the word "Lucifer" and put in "shining one", again, as the Hebrew actually says. (The Hebrew is "heylel",(ה יל ל) the word "Lucifer" is Latin.) 9 "The grave from beneath is excited about you, To meet you at your coming; It stirs up the dead for you, All the chief ones of the earth; It has raised up from their thrones All the kings of the nations. 10 They all shall speak and say to you: Have you also become as weak as we? Have you become like us? 11 Your pomp is brought down to the grave, And the sound of your stringed instruments; The maggot is spread under you, And worms cover you. Thus far, it is evident that whomever is being spoken of is a mortal man, seeing that it speaks of death and decay, obvious signs of mortality. Verse 10 makes it clear that it is a great man who was brought low, to be equal with those that, at one point, he had conquered. 12 How you are fallen from heaven, O shining one, son of the dawn How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations This is probably the main verse where most people draw the idea of this being about satan. It says How you are fallen from heaven, O light bearer, (Latin: Lucifer) son of the morning". Scripture does say in other places that satan has fallen from heaven, so it's an easy conclusion to draw, but we must remember the full context. This is addressed specifically to the king of Babylon, so it absolutely must fit him. Some would argue that it is talking about satan working through the king of Babylon, and you could believe that, but there's little, if anything, in the text to support the notion. For now, we will just stick with the plain literal interpretation. "How you are fallen from heaven O shining one, son of the dawn" Which is to say in plain English "how are you fallen from your exalted place o glorious one, son of the dawning light" It is important to understand that the bible uses "son of" in more ways than genealogically. One of these ways is used here, and it depicts the characteristics of a person, in this case it describes the king of Babylon as light. A clearer example of this phrase can be found in 1 Samuel 2:12 (YLT) : "and the sons of Eli are sons of worthlessness, they have not known Jehovah." 3 of 8
And again it says "You who weakened the nations" Because of the fact that the king had overthrown and subjugated many nations. Though one could say that satan has done likewise, this cannot rightly be used as a proof text for it because of context. 13 For you have said in your heart: I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of meeting On the farthest sides of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High. This speaks of the kings self exaltation, even above God. Even from the beginning of the kingdom of Babylon (Babel) it had desired to ascend into the heavens (Genesis 11:4). The "stars of God" may be a reference to the kings God set in place, based on Numbers 24:17. The "mount of meeting" would more accurately be rendered as the "mount of appointed meeting". (Hebrew: mo'ed) and is the same word used for the appointed feast days, therefore this would be a reference to mount Zion, because it was where all Israel met together and met with God three times a year. (See Exodus 23:14-17). It is also interesting that the word used here is "Most High" (Hebrew: elyon) which is how the Babylonian kings throughout the book of Daniel frequently referred to Yehowah. 15 Yet you shall be brought down to the grave, To the lowest depths of the Pit. 16 Those who see you will gaze at you, And consider you, saying: Is this the man who made the earth tremble, Who shook kingdoms, 17 Who made the world as a wilderness And destroyed its cities, Who did not open the house of his prisoners? Again, people often ascribe this section to satan, and then therefore get the idea of an little evil man that somehow destroyed the world. This is still speaking of the king of Babylon, who made entire nations tremble and kingdoms shake in fear, who devastated cities and made them like the wilderness. He, now, has been crushed, and those whom he oppressed will look on him with contempt. 18 All the kings of the nations, All of them, sleep in glory, Everyone in his own house; 19 But you are cast out of your grave Like an abominable branch, Like the garment of those who are slain, Thrust through with a sword, Who go down to the stones of the pit, Like a corpse trodden underfoot. 20 You will not be joined with them in burial, Because you have destroyed your land 4 of 8
And slain your people. The brood of evildoers shall never be named. In ancient days, and especially for kings, where ones body was placed after death was very important. It signified how that person was seen, whether honorably or dishonorably. This can be seen throughout the books of Kings and Chronicles, when each king died it usually describes in what manner they were buried. Verse 18 says that all the kings of the nations sleep (sleep is in this case a euphemism for being dead) in glory, but, in contrast, this king of Babylon will be throw out of his grave, not joined with the former kings in burial because he has destroyed his own land and killed his own people. 21 Prepare slaughter for his children Because of the iniquity of their fathers, Lest they rise up and possess the land, And fill the face of the world with cities. 22 For I will rise up against them, says Yehowah of hosts, And cut off from Babylon the name and remnant, And offspring and posterity, says Yehowah. Yehowah even makes a point to destroy not only the king, but all his family, lest his descendants take the land back and begin to expand the wicked kingdom of Babylon even further. 23 I will also make it a possession for the porcupine, And marshes of muddy water; I will sweep it with the broom of destruction, says Yehowah of hosts. To conclude, the king and nation of Babylon has been lifted up with pride, even to think of themselves as above the God of heaven (which is another common title of Yehowah to the Babylonians throughout the book of Daniel). For this reason the God of heaven, Yehowah, has brought them low. As it is written, A man s pride will bring him low, but the humble in spirit will retain honor. (Proverbs 29:23) and Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall. (Proverbs 16:18). Ezekiel 28:1-19 Ezekiel 28 is the other famous section that is generally throughout Christianity ascribed to satan. It also is another section, much like Isaiah, where the context makes it abundantly clear who is being spoken to. Ezekiel is speaking to the king of Tyre (Ezekiel 28:2,12). In fact from chapter 26:1 to 28:19 is all about Tyre. Again, for the sake of brevity, we will not be examining the entire context, but only the section in question, namely 28:1-19. 5 of 8
Historically, Ithobaal (or Ethbaal) III was the specific king being addressed, who is not mentioned by name anywhere is scripture. It was the king of Tyre alive while Ezekiel wrote this and also the one who swiftly received the judgement. 1 The word of Yehowah came to me again, saying, 2 Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre, Thus says the Lord Yehowah: Because your heart is lifted up, And you say, I am a god, I sit in the seat of gods, In the midst of the seas, Yet you are a man, and not a god, Though you set your heart as the heart of a god Right away the problem becomes very clear, the king of Tyre has exalted himself to the position of a god. This was not uncommon in the ancient world. 3 Behold, you are wiser than Daniel There is no secret that can be hidden from you 4 With your wisdom and your understanding You have gained riches for yourself, And gathered gold and silver into your treasuries; 5 By your great wisdom in trade you have increased your riches, And your heart is lifted up because of your riches, Because Tyre was located on the Mediterranean Sea, and was known for its trading, that it had indeed become very wealthy. 6 Therefore thus says the Lord Yehowah: Because you have set your heart as the heart of a god, 7 Behold, therefore, I will bring strangers against you, The most terrible of the nations; And they shall draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom, And defile your splendor. 8 They shall throw you down into the Pit, And you shall die the death of the slain In the midst of the seas. 9 Will you still say before him who slays you, I am a god? But you shall be a man, and not a god, In the hand of him who slays you. 10 You shall die the death of the uncircumcised By the hand of foregners; For I have spoken, says the Lord Yehowah. " 6 of 8
Yehowah renders judgement of this wicked king, that he will be shown to be a man and not a god when he is slain and his body thrown into a pit. In Ezekiel 26:7 and 29:18 we find that the foreigners being spoken of are the Babylonians armies, under Nebuchadnezzar. Tyre was just one stop in Nebuchadnezzar's conquest to take over the entire region, much like Judah was. Jeremiah 27:1-7 makes it very clear that God had given many nations into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, namely Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, Sidon, and Judah. Other nations were also devastated by Nebuchadnezzar that were not listed in this verse, for example, Egypt (Ezekiel 29:19-20). 11 Moreover the word of the Yehowah 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 Yehowah: It is from this point onward that people usually will start associating this section to satan, skipping over the preceding verse that sets the context for the whole section. You were the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. 13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; This is not the Eden from Genesis. Eden was a nickname for the forest of Lebanon which Tyre was located near, (see above map). This parallel can be seen in Ezekiel 31:16 and 18. Lebanon was known for its tall cedar trees that were valued in many different countries. David lived in a house of Lebanese cedar, and Solomon used Lebanese cedar to build the temple of God as well as his own house. 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. As mentioned before, Tyre was a center of trade, and therefore very wealthy, so such a description would be fitting. 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. This is figurative language. A few centuries earlier, when the temple was being built, Solomon employed Hiram, the king of Tyre, to supply cedars, stone, and workers, for the construction of the temple (1 Kings 5). It had not been forgotten how large a role Tyre played in building the temple, (especially by Ezekiel who was a priest (Ezekiel 1:3)). Part of the temple were the two large cherubim that covered the ark of the covenant in the holy of holies (1 Kings 6:23-28), hence the reference to the Tyrian king as the anointed cherub who covers. It also mentions that the king was on the holy mountain of God, this is a reference to the Temple Mount, mount Moriah. 7 of 8
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. Summing up the whole section of Ezekiel 28:1-19, Tyre was a beautiful and wealthy place, but the king had been lifted up in pride to calling himself a god, therefore Yehowah had used Nebuchadnezzar to bring judgement on Tyre, much like He did in the exile of Judah. It's basically the same reason for the judgement of Babylon and it's king in Isaiah 14, pride. To conclude: After closely examining both of these texts, it is clear that neither of them mention any type of satan. Both of these sections make it abundantly clear what is being said, and history has confirmed them. It is always important to understand what scripture says in every matter without adding to it. 8 of 8