DEVIL OR DESPOT?

By Frank Speer

Does Ezekiel chapter 28 (or Isaiah 14) tell the tale of the fall of the one time chief of the angelic hosts of
heaven, cast down to earth to rule the netherworld or is this simply one among many ancient divine
prophecies predicting the impending death of a human ruler with a god-complex?

You decide.

It is VITAL to note from the get-go that Ezek 28 is the summing up of a rather lengthy prophecy
(beginning in chapter 26) set against the wicked city of ancient Tyre. This divine forecast concerning this
ancient King and Kingdom is only ONE in a series of many divine predictions (in Ezekiel) of impending
doom to come upon the ancient Middle Eastern nations i.e. AMMON, MOAB, EDOM, PHILISTIA, SIDON,
EGYPT, BABYLON, GOG ETC. These were the surrounding enemies of God’s one time representative
people on earth – ancient Israel.

Add to this list the King of Babylon in Isaiah 14 (also mistakenly viewed by many as a “fallen angel”
passage) where VERY SIMILAR language is used to describe his fall from the throne.

If one seeks to argue that in Ezek 28, the ancient King of the city of Tyre being addressed here is NOT IN
FACT an ancient human king at all – but rather, a fallen angelic being – that will be a very hard case to
make indeed since (as we shall see) all of the language used here (idiomatic or otherwise) is
undoubtedly aimed directly at an ancient corrupt human monarch, who committed the classic blunder
of supposing that he was something more than flesh and blood. God’s cutting down to size the many
ancient demagogues who “thought more highly of themselves than they ought to have” is a RECURRING
THEME throughout the OT Scriptures. Remember Pharaoh? Saul? Nebuchadnezzar?

Let’s begin…

(Ezek 28:1) The word of the LORD (a prophecy) came again to me (Ezekiel) saying,
(Ezek 28:2) “Son of man (Human being), say to the (current) leader (King) of (the city of) Tyre, ‘Thus says
the Lord GOD, “Because your heart is lifted up (with pride) and you have said, ‘I am a god (‘an almighty
being’ and not a mere man), I sit in the seat of gods, in the heart of the seas (gentile kingdoms – the
shipping trade – vs. 5)’; Yet you (king of Tyre) really are only A (MERE) MAN and not a god (at all), even
though you make your heart like the heart of God—

Clearly this was a prophecy directed at the then (human) King of Tyre (modern Lebanon) living at the
time of Ezekiel (600 BC). How could Ezekiel (a human being) be expected to communicate this prophecy
to a former angel from Heaven?

(Ezek 28:3) Behold (look everybody!), you are wiser than Daniel (in your own estimation); (as far as you
are concerned) there is no secret that is a match for you (and your great wisdom).

Wouldn’t ANY ONE of the angelic beings be “wiser than Daniel” the mere human being? It would make
no sense at all for God to say such a thing to the alleged former “chief” of the angels in Heaven.

(Ezek 28:4) “By your (so called “divine”) wisdom and understanding you have acquired great riches for
yourself; gold and silver for your (vast) treasuries.

(Ezek 28:5) “And by your great wisdom and trade (business savvy) you have increased your riches
(exponentially), and your heart is lifted up because of your riches—

Does Satan, (the alleged fallen captain of angels) actually have earthly bank accounts (“treasuries”) and
is he a merchant trader dealing in goods (gold, silver etc) and services on planet earth? It would make no
sense for God to say such a thing to an INVISIBLE SPIRIT BEING.

(Ezek 28:6-7) Therefore, this is what the Lord (the real) GOD says (to you), ‘because you have made your
heart like the heart of God (you think you are me!), Behold (watch this!), I will bring strangers (foreigner
enemies against you), the most ruthless among the (surrounding) nations! They will DRAW THEIR
SWORDS against the beauty of your ‘divine wisdom’ and they will defile (bring to ruin) your splendor
(you’re imaginary ‘divine glory’).
How could human armies “draw their swords” against an INVISIBLE SPIRIT BEING?

(Ezek 28:8 ) ‘These attackers will bring you (king of Tyre) down to the pit (the ditch, your grave), and
YOU WILL DIE THE DEATH of those who are slain in the heart of the seas.

How can the alleged former “chief” of the angels in Heaven, an invisible spirit being, DIE and be placed
into an EARTHLY GRAVE?

(Ezek 28:9) ‘In the presence of your murderers, will you continue to say, “I am a god,” even though (you
will be proven to be) a man and not God in the hands of those who kill you?

(Ezek 28:10) ‘(So know that) you will (certainly) die the death of the uncircumcised by the hand of
foreign enemies, because I have spoken it!’ declares the Lord GOD!”‘

(Ezek 28:11) At another time, the word of the LORD (a prophecy) came to me saying,

(Ezek 28:12-19) “Son of man (human being), take up a lamentation (sing this funeral dirge) over the king
of Tyre (while he is still alive), and sing these lyrics to him…

“Thus says the Lord (the real) GOD, you had the seal of (were the pattern of) ‘perfection’, so full of great
wisdom and so perfect in beauty. You lived in ‘Eden’ (paradisiacal conditions – Gen 13:10), the garden of
God; every precious jewel was your covering (yours to adorn as a mighty king): the ruby, the topaz, and
the diamond; the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper; the lapis lazuli, the turquoise, and the emerald; and
the gold, the craftsmanship of your (gold) settings and sockets (for the jewels) was on you (your body).
On the day that you were created (made a king or cut down/killed -Ezek 23:47) these gold settings were
crafted (for you). You were (called) the anointed cherub (protector of the patron deity of Tyre, Melkart)
who covers, but (in actuality it was) I placed you there (on your throne). You were (seated) on ‘the holy
mountain of God’ (your earthly throne); you walked in the midst of the stones of fire (like your gods
were said to do – i.e. Canaanite mythology). You were blameless in your ways (a good king) from the day
you were created (as king), until unrighteousness (delusions of being a deity) was found in you. By the
abundance of YOUR TRADE (with the surrounding nations) you became internally filled with violence,
and you sinned (against the true God); therefore I (the true God) have cast you down from the mountain
of God (from your kingly throne), and I have destroyed you, O ‘covering cherub’, from the midst of the
stones of fire. Your ego was severely swollen because of your great ‘beauty’; you corrupted your wisdom
by reason of your (kingly) majesty. I therefore cast you down into THE MUD! I am the one who exalted
you before (THE OTHER) KINGS (as an example), so that they may see your goodness. But by the
multitude of your sins, in the unrighteousness of your (evil) business dealings, you profaned your
sanctuaries (kingly palaces). Therefore I have brought fire (destruction) from the midst of you; it has
consumed you, and I have turned you TO ASHES ON THE EARTH/LAND, in the eyes of all who see you. All
who know you AMONG THE PEOPLES are appalled at you; you have become terrified, and you will be no
more.”‘

These are SONG LYRICS for the Kings upcoming (prophesied) funeral and they are clearly the common
metaphoric language of the Hebrew prophets – spoken to them by God Himself. This is the universal
pictorial Hebrew verbiage used to describe the END of a wicked kingdom or man. The entire Hebrew
prophetic record is dripping with these ancient idioms.

Also – this is not the only FUNERAL SONG to be sung against an earthly King in the book of Ezekiel. Read
chapter 32:1 very carefully and see if it doesn’t sound VERY familiar! Was the Pharaoh of ancient Egypt a
fallen angelic being also? Here is just a taste of how THAT ancient Pharaoh was described by God …

(Ezek 32:1-5) “And it came about…that the word of the LORD came to me saying, Son of man, take up a
lamentation over PHARAOH KING OF EGYPT, and say to him, ‘YOU COMPARED YOURSELF TO A YOUNG
LION OVER THE NATIONS, YET YOU ARE LIKE THE MONSTER IN THE SEAS; AND YOU BURST FORTH IN
YOUR RIVERS, AND MUDDIED THE WATERS WITH YOUR FEET, AND FOULED THEIR RIVERS.” Thus says
the Lord GOD, “Now I will spread my net over you with a company of many people (foreign enemies),
and they shall lift you up in my net. And I will leave you on the land; I will CAST YOU ON THE OPEN FIELD.
And I will cause all the birds of the heavens to dwell on you (your carcass), and I will satisfy (the
appetite) of the beasts of the whole earth (land) with you. And I will lay your flesh on the mountains,
and fill the valleys with your refuse!”

RECOGNIZE THIS TYPE OF LANGUAGE?

So…do we legitimately discover a “FALLEN ANGEL TURNED DEVIL” here in Ezekiel 28?

And If not here…where?

What do YOU say about it?

To claim that Ezek 28 describes the fall of an angelic being or that it compares this human king’s collapse
to the fall of an angelic being is mere speculation based upon on an ignorance of HOW the ancient
Hebrew prophets commonly employed language.

If we are going to interpret the Bible correctly we MUST come to recognize HOW God uses language in
the Bible and then – WE MUST USE IT IN THE SAME WAY. Gross interpretational issues arise when we try
to force our MODERN WESTERN MINDSETS into the ancient Middle Eastern texts of the Hebrew Bible. It
is only when we Christians become completely immersed in the language of the Hebrew Prophets that
we can even begin to extract a right understanding of the Sacred Scriptures and THAT is what our
modern Bible Teachers ought to be focused on and let Mrs. Jenkins run the nursery!

Frank Speer