Ezekiel Chapter 28, Part 3

VERSE 15 and 16 “You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you. By the abundance of your trading (Merchandise, lies and deceit) 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 will destroy you, O covering cherub, from the midst of the fiery stones.”

“One of the brightest and most beautiful of the angelic hosts was Lucifer. Like all of God’s creatures, he was perfect from the day that he was created, but iniquity began to creep into him

He was “lifted up because of his beauty” (Ezek. 28:17). He became proud and selfishly ambitious, seeking to live like Jehovah himself (Isa. 14:12-14). By this we could understand that he sought the worship of man, which rightly belongs only to God. Thus he became rebellious against God, and planned how he might divert man’s worship to himself. From that time Lucifer became “that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan” (Rev. 20:2).” The Herold of Christ’s Kingdom, Oct 1955, Page 17

“Lucifer was intended to be an angel of blessing, but he corrupted himself and became, instead, “a serpent by the way, a viper by the path, that bites the horse’s heels so that its rider shall fall backward.” (Gen. 49:17)

What induced Lucifer’s fall?

Apparently circumstances coupled with ambition. God had stated: “It is not good that the man shall be alone: I will make a help meet [suitable] for him” (Gen. 2:18).

Upon the woman’s creation, Lucifer likely recognized a pair of propagating and intelligent dependents were in his care. If he could be their master instead of God, then he could, among other things, “be like the Most High” (Isa. 14:14). The conception of such ideas gave birth to the sin of rebellion. Here the rebellion was developed in the mind of Lucifer. Similarly, our Lord during the forty days in the wilderness was presented with terms or conditions whereby he could also rebel. Jesus refuted each of the suggestions as inappropriate, thus incurring no blemish to his perfection. But the seeds of rebellion were conceived in Lucifer’s mind. Their growth was rapid and the stain of iniquity became complete. Lucifer: “son of the morning,” had fallen into sin.” The Herold of Christ’s Kingdom, Sept/Oct 1995, Page 28

“Your rich commerce led you to violence, and you sinned. So I banished you in disgrace from the mountain of God. I expelled you, O mighty guardian, from your place among the stones of fire.” The New Living Translation

Satan having become defiled (corrupt) was cast out of the “mountain of God”, the heavenly kingdom, no longer welcomed in the presence of God or to stand amongst the “stones of fire”, the holy angels. Our Lord witnessed this event: “I saw Satan fall (from high glory, privilege and position to his present attitude of chief adversary of God) like lightning (a “bright one” an “angel of light”) from heaven.” (Luke 10:18) Compare Matt. 28:3; Dan. 10:6; 1 Cor. 15:8

Thence forth Satan has been confined to the earth’s atmosphere or *tartatoo, where he remains until this day, the “prince of this world (age)”, the “prince of the power of the air”, awaiting his final destruction at the end of the millennial age.

*The Greek word “tartatoo” occurs only once and very closely resembles the word “tartarus” from Greek mythology. It was the name for a dark abyss or prison. It seems the word refers more to an act than to a place in that God degraded the angels. “For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved to judgment…” (2 Peter 2:4)

VERSE 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.”

Lucifer became the epitome of pride. His beauty and wisdom went to his head. “Pride goes before destruction and a haughty heart before a fall.” His wisdom became perverted wisdom. “The fear [reverence] of the LORD [Jehovah] is the beginning of [true] wisdom,” and obedience is the end (or completion) of wisdom (Prov. 9:10).

“I cast you to the ground” — The judgment here, is of Jehovah God, which will result in his being cast to the ground, powerless.

“I laid you before kings that they might gaze at you” – It is supposed that at the end of the millennial age during the “little season” (Rev. 20:3) that Satan will materialize in the flesh as he leads the goat class in open rebellion against “the camp of the saints” ( the new earth or established earthly government lead by the ancient worthies), AND “the beloved city”, (the New Jerusalem, the new heavens or spiritual ruler-ship headed by Christ and the Church glorified). Of course they can only physically challenge God’s new government as it is establish through Israel here on earth. The spiritual government invisible to their eyes is beyond their reach.

Satan’s death and destruction will be witnessed by mankind so that it will be known that there shall never be permitted to come into existence another being that would bring again evil and the horrors of the past.

VERSE 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.”

“You defiled your sanctuaries.” “Satan defiled the position or office that he had. Hence he was demoted to earth’s atmosphere where he has been a deceiver ever since, and the other fallen angels are with him. In tartaroo Satan has not manifested any repentance; in fact, he has gotten worse. In Eden he used words to deceive, but as time went on, he got so defiled that cruelty and violence developed as well as sexual aberrations, as manifested in the days of Noah.

Satan became defiled “by the iniquity of his trading”. In other words, what he was doing defiled him. He became more and more corrupt in his ways, yet his powers did not diminish.

Satan was not confined to tartaroo until the Flood. For 1,656 years he was allowed relative liberty in regard to mankind, and during that time he had no desire to return to heaven. His love and interest were here on earth. He and the other fallen angels left their first estate, came down here, materialized in human form, and married women. Apparently, they did not realize, until the Flood, that they could no longer return to heaven. They were enjoying living here, but when the Flood came, they dematerialized and found themselves locked in tartaroo.”

According to the previous verse when Satan meets his final demise it will be made public for the entire world to witness:

“I brought fire from your midst” — Here, the destruction of Satan is pictured. A fire comes from within his being — a spontaneous combustion.

“I turned you to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all who saw you.”– Satan is consumed and reduced to ashes in the sight of mankind who are observing this phenomenon.

“Affliction shall not rise again a second time.”

VERSE 19 “All who knew you among the peoples are astonished at you; you have become a horror, and shall be no more forever.”

Those who “know” Satan at that time will be in a proper heart condition and thus regard him as abhorrent (a horror). In contrast, those who go up against the camp of the saints will regard Satan as a champion of their cause (Rev. 20:9).

Through Satan’s manipulations, Jesus, the righteous One, was made a spectacle when put to death on Calvary. In retribution, Satan will be made a spectacle when he is destroyed. Since this event will probably be filmed, it would be appropriate for Satan to be put to death in a physical form. God will not be seen on film, but to see a materialized physical form of a superior being (Satan) is a different matter. Satan will be destroyed forever—with no possibility of a re-occurrence.

“You have become a horror” — Satan was the original terrorist and interrogator (as in the inquisition) and among heathen religions such as Mohammedanism, where you are not permitted to join Christianity lest you have your limbs chopped off. Here he is made a horror or terror.

“And shall be no more forever” — “The Devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire.” (Rev 20:10) “The Lake of fire is the Second Death.” (Rev 20:14) The fate of Satan is that he will be eternally destroyed obliterated from existence.

We will continue with Verse 20 in regards to the Proclamation against Sidon in our next post.