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Chapter
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510.000.000 Torrey: p520
SATAN - THE PRINCE
AND KING OF TYRE
Ezekiel
28:1-10 [1] The word of
the LORD came to me: [2] "Son of man, say to the ruler [most translations:
prince] of Tyre, `This is what the Sovereign LORD says: "`In the pride
of your heart you say, "I am a god; I sit on the throne of a god in the
heart of the seas." But you are a man and not a god, though you think you
are as wise as a god. [3] Are you wiser than Daniel? Is no secret hidden from
you? [4] By your wisdom and understanding you have gained wealth for yourself
and amassed gold and silver in your treasuries. [5] By your great skill in trading
you have increased your wealth, and because of your wealth your heart has grown
proud. [6] "`Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: "`Because
you think you are wise, as wise as a god, [7] I am going to bring foreigners
against you, the most ruthless of nations; they will draw their swords against
your beauty and wisdom and pierce your shining splendor. [8] They will bring
you down to the pit, and you will die a violent death in the heart of the seas.
[9] Will you then say, "I am a god," in the presence of those who
kill you? You will be but a man, not a god, in the hands of those who slay you.
[10] You will die the death of the uncircumcised at the hands of foreigners.
I have spoken, declares the Sovereign LORD.'"
(Note that these excerpts are actually consecutive.)
Ezekiel
28:11-19 [11] The word
of the LORD came to me: [12] "Son of man, take up a lament concerning the
king of Tyre and say to him: `This is what the Sovereign LORD says: "`You
were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
[13] You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone
adorned you: ruby, topaz and emerald, chrysolite, onyx and jasper, sapphire,
turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day
you were created they were prepared. [14] You were anointed as a guardian
cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God;
you walked among the fiery stones. [15] You were blameless in your ways
from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. [16] Through
your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove
you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub,
from among the fiery stones. [17] Your heart became proud on account of your
beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you
to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings. [18] By your many sins
and dishonest trade you have desecrated your sanctuaries. So I made a fire come
out from you, and it consumed you, and I reduced you to ashes on the ground
in the sight of all who were watching. [19] All the nations who knew you are
appalled at you; you have come to a horrible end and will be no more.'"
To whom do these remarkable passages refer?
Verses 1-10 refer at least primarily to the
prince of Tyre then reigning, Ittiobalus by name, according to Josephus. They
were fulfilled in the siege of Tyre by Nebuchadnezzar.
Tyre was a great seafaring, naval, and financial
power, the Wall Street of its time. Its core was on a highly fortified island,
which made it practically impervious to attack. Ultimately, Alexander the Great
completed the conquest of Tyre by taking rubble from the ruins of the mainland
construction and using it to build a road to the island so his armies could
mount a sustained assault on the fortifications.
Verses 11-19 have expressions which it is
difficult, if not impossible, to refer to any mere man, e.g., verses 12-14.
There are however, other verses that seem to indicate an earthly kingdom, e.g.,
16 and 18.
What is the explanation of this enigma?
We frequently find in prophecy that the prophet
is borne on from speaking of a contemporaneous event to some event of the last
times, of which the contemporaneous event is in some respects a type.
For instance, in Matthew
24:15-21 Christ speaks of the destruction of Jerusalem, which was
in a very true sense a Day of the Lord:
Matthew
24:15-21 [15] "So
when you see standing in the holy place `the abomination that causes desolation,'
spoken of through the prophet Daniel -- let the reader understand -- [16] then
let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. [17] Let no one on the roof
of his house go down to take anything out of the house. [18] Let no one in the
field go back to get his cloak. [19] How dreadful it will be in those days for
pregnant women and nursing mothers! [20] Pray that your flight will not take
place in winter or on the Sabbath. [21] For then there will be great distress,
unequaled from the beginning of the world until now -- and never to be equaled
again.
From this, he passes on to speak of the great
Day of the Lord yet to come:
Matthew
24:22-31 [22] If those
days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect
those days will be shortened. [23] At that time if anyone says to you, `Look,
here is the Christ!' or, `There he is!' do not believe it. [24] For false Christs
and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive
even the elect -- if that were possible. [25] See, I have told you ahead of
time. [26] "So if anyone tells you, `There he is, out in the desert,' do
not go out; or, `Here he is, in the inner rooms,' do not believe it. [27] For
as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be
the coming of the Son of Man. [28] Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures
will gather. [29] "Immediately after the distress of those days "
`the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will
fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.' [30] "At that
time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations
of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of
the sky, with power and great glory. [31] And he will send his angels with a
loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from
one end of the heavens to the other.
So swift is the transition from the one to
the other that it is difficult to mark exactly where it takes place. It is the
same in Ezekiel's prophecy. Ittiobalus was in important respects an archetype
of "the man of lawlessness."
Ezekiel
28:2 Son of man, say to
the ruler [most translations: prince] of Tyre, `This is what the
Sovereign LORD says: `"In the pride of your heart you say, "I
am a god; I sit on the throne of a god in the heart of the seas."
But you are a man and not a god, though you think you are as wise as a god."'
2
Thessalonians 2:3-4 [3]
Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the
rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man
doomed to destruction. [4] He will oppose and will exalt himself over
everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in
God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.
Daniel
11:41-45 [41] He will also
invade the Beautiful Land. Many countries will fall, but Edom, Moab and the
leaders of Ammon will be delivered from his hand. [42] He will extend his power
over many countries; Egypt will not escape. [43] He will gain control of the
treasures of gold and silver and all the riches of Egypt, with the Libyans and
Nubians in submission. [44] But reports from the east and the north will alarm
him, and he will set out in a great rage to destroy and annihilate many. [45]
He will pitch his royal tents between the seas at the beautiful holy mountain.
Yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him.
Turning our focus again to Ezekiel
28:11-19 dealing with the king of Tyre, there are some things that
seem to apply to a supernatural and some to an earthly king. This earthly king
is to have control over enormous commerce. Compare the great development of
commerce in the last days.
Revelation
13:16-17 [16] He also forced
everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark
on his right hand or on his forehead, [17] so that no one could buy or sell
unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his
name.
Revelation
18:3, 9-19 [3] For all
the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the
earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich
from her excessive luxuries. [9] When the kings of the earth who committed adultery
with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep
and mourn over her. [10] Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and
cry: "Woe! Woe, O great city, O Babylon, city of power! In one hour your
doom has come!" [11] The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over
her because no one buys their cargoes any more -- [12] cargoes of gold, silver,
precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every
sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood,
bronze, iron and marble; [13] cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh
and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and
sheep; horses and carriages; and bodies and souls of men. [14] They will say,
"The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your riches and splendor
have vanished, never to be recovered." [15] The merchants who sold these
things and gained their wealth from her will stand far off, terrified at her
torment. They will weep and mourn [16] and cry out: "Woe! Woe, O great
city, dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold, precious
stones and pearls! [17] In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!"
Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who earn
their living from the sea, will stand far off. [18] When they see the smoke
of her burning, they will exclaim, "Was there ever a city like this great
city?" [19] They will throw dust on their heads, and with weeping and mourning
cry out: "Woe! Woe, O great city, where all who had ships on the sea became
rich through her wealth! In one hour she has been brought to ruin!"
The simplest explanation of all this is that
the King of Tyre represents the Anti-Christ (as the Prince of Tyre was the archetype
of the Anti-Christ and that he is to be an incarnation of Satan as the true
Christ was an incarnation of God.)
2
Thessalonians 2:8-9 [8]
And then the lawless one will be revealed, .... [9] The coming of the lawless
one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit
miracles, signs and wonders,
If this is the true interpretation, Ezekiel 28:1-19 teach us much about Satan.
510.010.000
Torrey: p522, T:I
Topic 10:
510.010.010
Torrey: p522, T:I, P:1
POINT 10: Satan
was full of wisdom and perfect in beauty, the model of perfection.
Ezekiel
28:12 "Son of man,
take up a lament concerning the king of Tyre and say to him: `This is what the
Sovereign LORD says: "`You were the model of perfection, full of
wisdom and perfect in beauty.
510.010.020
Torrey: p522, T:I, P:2
POINT 20: Satan
was in Eden, the garden of God.
Ezekiel
28:13 You were in Eden,
the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz and emerald,
chrysolite, onyx and jasper, sapphire, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and
mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared.
This does not appear to have been the Adamic
Eden, but an earlier one. The Adamic Eden was remarkable for its vegetable glory.
(Genesis 2:9) This early Eden was remarkable
for its mineral glory. Compare the New Jerusalem which is to be:
Revelation
21:19 10-21 [10] And he
carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the
Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. [11] It shone with
the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel,
like a jasper, clear as crystal. [12] It had a great, high wall with twelve
gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names
of the twelve tribes of Israel. [13] There were three gates on the east, three
on the north, three on the south and three on the west. [14] The wall of the
city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles
of the Lamb. [15] The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to
measure the city, its gates and its walls. [16] The city was laid out like a
square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found
it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long. [17] He
measured its wall and it was 144 cubits thick, by man's measurement, which the
angel was using. [18] The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold,
as pure as glass. [19] The foundations of the city walls were decorated with
every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire,
the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, [20] the fifth sardonyx, the sixth
carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth
chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. [21] The twelve
gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street
of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass.
In the Adamic Eden Satan was present not
as here, as a minister of God, but as an apostate spirit and a tempter. The
glory of this early Eden seems to have been specially prepared for Satan. There
was also the pomp of royalty, tabrets and pipes.
Ezekiel
28:13 ... Your settings
and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared.
510.010.030
Torrey: p522, T:I, P:3
POINT 30: Satan
was chosen as a guardian cherub.
Ezekiel
28:14a (King James Version) Thou
art the anointed cherub that covereth;
Reviser's Note: The Hebrew here is
uncertain. Many translations indicate 'I placed you with a cherub',
e.g., "With an anointed guardian cherub I placed you;" (Revised Standard
Version).
Ezekiel
28:14a (New International Version) You
were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you.
The rest of this Point is based on Torrey's
interpretation, based on the King James Version. "Covereth" refers
to the Mercy Seat -- the Father's throne. In other words, the King James Version
says that Lucifer was specially chosen to guard God's throne.
Satan was anointed and set apart as the priest
of God.
Compare Leviticus 8:12 He poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron's head and anointed
him to consecrate him.
A cherub is a high, perhaps the highest,
rank in the angelic world. Compare this to the living creatures leading the
worship of the universe in Revelation:
Revelation
4:9-10a [9] Whenever the
living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne
and who lives for ever and ever, [10] the twenty-four elders fall down before
him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever.
He was not a cherub but the
cherub.
He was the cherub "that covers",
i.e., that guards. There may be an allusion to this in the covering cherubim.
Exodus
37:9 The cherubim had their
wings spread upward, overshadowing the cover with them. The cherubim faced each
other, looking toward the cover.
It seems to be hinted that Satan was the
one who led the worship of the universe. If so, he tried to direct to himself
what properly belonged to God. This is a danger with all priests and ministers.
510.010.040
Torrey: p524, T:I, P:4
POINT 40: The Devil
was "upon the holy mountain of God" -- i.e., the place where God visibly
manifested His glory.
Ezekiel
28:14b You were on the
holy mount of God;
510.010.050
Torrey: p524, T:I, P:5
POINT 50: The Devil
"walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire."
Ezekiel
28:14c you walked among
the fiery stones.
The living creatures of Ezekiel
1:15, 22, 25, 26 were just beneath a "firmament, like the color
of the terrible crystal." "and above the firmament was the likeness
of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone." In Exodus
24:10, when the seventy elders "saw the God of Israel,"
"there was under his feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and
as it were the very heaven for clearness." In the 17th verse "the
appearance of the glory of the Lord was like devouring fire on the top of the
mount in the eyes of the children of Israel." This may give us an idea
of what "the stones of fire" were. Satan seems to have been very near
to God.
510.010.060
Torrey: p524, T:I, P:6
POINT 60: Satan
is a created being.
Ezekiel
28:15 You were blameless
in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you.
510.010.065
Torrey: p524, T:I, P:6
POINT 65: Satan
was perfect in his ways from the day that he was created until unrighteousness
was found in him.
Ezekiel
28:15 You were blameless
in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you.
510.010.070
Torrey: p525, T:I, P:7
POINT 70: Satan's
heart was lifted up because of his beauty; he corrupted his wisdom because of
his brightness.
Ezekiel
28:17a-b Your heart became
proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your
splendor.
1
Timothy 3:6 He must not
be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment
as the devil.
510.010.080
Torrey: p525, T:I, P:8
POINT 80: Satan
shall be (or is) cast out of the mountain of God and destroyed from the midst
of the stones of fire.
Ezekiel
28:16 Through your widespread
trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace
from the mount of God, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub, from among the
fiery stones.
510.010.090
Torrey: p525, T:I, P:9
POINT 90: Satan
shall be cast to the earth and made a spectacle, and "turned to ashes"
before kings and all who behold him.
Ezekiel
28:17b-c [17] ... So I
threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings.
Compare the following:
Revelation
12:9-10 [9] The great dragon
was hurled down -- that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads
the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
[10] Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now have come the salvation
and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For
the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night,
has been hurled down."
2
Thessalonians 2:8 And then
the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the
breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.
Revelation
19:20 But the beast was
captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs
on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark
of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into
the fiery lake of burning sulfur.
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