Ezekiel 28:12, commentary and pictures

The lament spoken to the king of Tyre portrays Lucifer himself, the fallen angel whose origin, high position and fall are set forth as a warning against rebellion. Before his fall he was created perfect and complete, the full measure of created excellence in wisdom and beauty, the most lovely and glorious of the angels in heaven. He stood highest next to Christ, first of the covering cherubs in the light of God's presence, entrusted to share His glory and reveal His purposes to the universe. His God-given beauty and wisdom became his ruin when he claimed them as his own, coveted equality with God and supremacy over all, deceived many angels into disaffection, made war for preeminence and was cast out of heaven. His fall did not destroy his powers, so he still works with artful sophistry and concealed malice to deceive the world, while his end will be utter destruction and the vindication of God, teaching that safety is found only in humility, loyalty to Christ and obedience to God's truth.

Lament's Subject and Setting

The lamentation upon the king of Tyrus is a warning against rebellion. It sets forth under that lamentation the origin, position, and fall of Satan. He sealed up the sum, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty, had been in Eden the garden of God with every precious stone for a covering, and had tabrets and pipes prepared in him from the day he was created. He was the anointed cherub that covereth, set upon the holy mountain of God, walking up and down in the midst of the stones of fire, perfect in his ways from creation till iniquity was found in him. He was expelled from heaven because of self-exaltation, feeling that he should be above Christ, his heart lifted up because of his beauty and his wisdom corrupted by reason of his brightness, so that God would cast him to the ground and lay him before kings.

The description of one complete in wisdom and perfect in beauty belongs to Lucifer before his fall, created perfect and holding a place of great honor. That perfection was present from his creation, yet it did not prevent iniquity from later being found in him. The chapter is to be read in connection with the fall of angels through self-exaltation and their work to deceive and hinder God's work among fallen people. In that account the one described once ruled under God and Christ, when all was radiant and lovely. He was the first covering cherub, holy and undefiled, occupying the highest position among the angels next to Christ.

Satan is represented as the actual king of Tyre because he fully controlled that government. The human king thus served as the earthly agent through whom he acted. The lament about the king of Tyre refers primarily to Lucifer, the fallen angel. The fallen angels are now at work to steal away true conviction of the Holy Spirit, to deceive those who give heed, and to delay and hinder the work of God, so no haphazard work must be done, the signs of the times must be discerned, and God's dealing with fallen angels and fallen men must be understood and prayed over.

The chapter also has broader significance as a picture of a general movement that will be witnessed. It describes Satan and his works, for he commenced war in heaven for the preeminence, working with the angels until they were deceived to conclude they would war against God, while the loyal angels would not yield the point that Christ should have the preeminence next to God. Those same works of Satan are being repeated in strange things that have come, especially in America since the destruction of San Francisco by fire. It is a chapter in which strange spirits can operate, where Satan disguises himself and magnifies small differences to bring confusion.

Perfect Wisdom and Beauty

The verse describes Lucifer before his fall as created perfect, holy and undefiled, complete in wisdom and beauty and holding a place of great honor. He was the full measure of created excellence, next to Christ the most honored of God and highest in power and glory among the inhabitants of heaven, first of the covering cherubs. His gifts and honored position could have been used to bless others and glorify God, yet that original perfection did not prevent iniquity from later being found in him. Pride in his beauty corrupted his wisdom, and he turned from God and was cast down.

To seal up the sum is to be the seal of completeness, the full measure of created perfection. In that original condition he stood in the presence of the great Creator with the ceaseless beams of glory enshrouding God resting upon him. He was the light-bearer and sharer of God's glory in heaven, next to Jesus in power and majesty. It was through him, in that exalted completeness, that sin originated in the heavenly courts.

To be full of wisdom was to be endowed by God with a master mind of noble capabilities and powerful intellect. It included advanced experience in connection with the God of heaven and knowledge of the attributes of God, with his heart once filled with love and joy in serving his Creator and his joy in executing the divine commands. It was shown outwardly in a high and broad forehead showing great intelligence, a perfect form, and a noble and majestic bearing with a mild countenance expressive of happiness. He was the covering cherub standing in the light of God's presence, the highest of all created beings and foremost in revealing God's purposes to the universe, holding an exalted position with the Father.

His gifts, honor, and resemblance to God's image were so great that he had no excuse for his defection. Because of that exalted position his power to deceive was the more deceptive and the unveiling of his character the more difficult, so that even holy beings had not clearly seen the nature of his rebellion until the death of Christ clearly revealed it to angels and unfallen worlds. He began to think that his wisdom was not derived from God but was inherent in himself, and that he was as worthy as God to receive honor and power. When he found that he could not be as God, he would not submit his will to the will of God, but prostituted his God-given powers to oppose and make of no effect the counsels of the Most High and to misinterpret the divine character.

To be perfect in beauty was to be the most beautiful angel in the heavenly courts next to Jesus Christ, exceedingly lovely, glorious, and personally charming in radiant appearance. His powerful intellect, perfect form, noble bearing, and radiant appearance marked his great wisdom and beauty, though Christ held pre-eminence over the angels. Because of that beauty and personal charm he thought himself equal with God, and when he tempted Christ he came disguised as a beautiful being appearing as an angel from heaven rather than as a hideous fiend. For the same reason wicked men imbued with satanic agencies are not degraded-looking beings as Satan is commonly represented to be.

His loveliness and glory did not make him as God's only-begotten Son, for Christ alone was one with God and had the first place next to God to do the will of God. Knowing Christ had the first place, he felt his beauty and exalted position meant he was not receiving due honor in being second to Christ. His envy, jealousy, and hatred were filled full when God said to His Son, Let us make man in our image, because he wished to be consulted about the formation of man and to receive the highest honors in heaven next to God.

All his wisdom, beauty, glory, power, and loveliness were qualities and glory that came from God, endowed and given rather than inherent in himself, and therefore not grounds for pride. He later treated his beauty as his own distinction, prized his wisdom, and through pride and self-exaltation his wisdom was corrupted. He has no light of his own but has stolen the livery of heaven, retaining precious gems of thought given by God and setting them in a framework of error to give luster to human sentiments and to make utterances inspired by the prince of evil appear attractive and excellent. Anyone who uses scientific knowledge to mislead others acts the same part he acted when he used his knowledge to blind the mind and judgment of those connected with him.

Highest Honor Beside Christ

Next to Christ he had been the most honored of God and stood highest in power and glory among the inhabitants of heaven. He was first of the covering cherubs, holy and undefiled, standing in the presence of the Creator with the ceaseless beams of glory enshrouding God resting upon him. To seal up the sum is to be that full measure of created excellence, complete in wisdom and perfect in beauty before evil arose in him. His gifts and honored position could have been used to bless others and glorify God. He ranked next to Jesus in power and majesty.

He was heaven's light-bearer and sharer of God's glory. He was the highest of all created beings and foremost in revealing God's purposes to the universe, holding an exalted position with the Father. Before his fall he had been entrusted with great power and wisdom and possessed extraordinary ability. He was educated and disciplined in the heavenly courts and has a knowledge of good as well as of evil. That heavenly training explains why his agents sometimes display remarkable wisdom and why their books can contain bright gems of thought set in a framework of error to give luster to human sentiments.

Christ alone was one with God as the only-begotten Son, united with God and holding the first place next to God to do the will of God with rightful preeminence. Lucifer was second to Christ, the most beautiful angel in the heavenly courts next to Jesus Christ, exalted in position and beauty. The loyal angels would not yield the point that Christ should have the preeminence next to God. The Lord told Lucifer it could not be possible for Christ to be second to him, for Christ was His only begotten Son.

Pride Corrupting Glory

His beauty became the occasion of pride and his wisdom was corrupted, for though endowed by God with complete wisdom and perfect beauty at the head of the holy angels, with gifts, honor and likeness to the divine image so great as to leave him without excuse for defection, he turned from God and was cast down. He had held a place of great honor and power as one created perfect, holy and undefiled, with a master mind of noble capabilities, powerful intellect, advanced experience with God and knowledge of His attributes, once in harmony with God finding joy in executing the divine commands with a heart filled with love and joy in serving his Creator. He came to regard his God-given glory as his own distinction, began to think his wisdom was not derived from God but inherent in himself and as worthy as God to receive honor and power, prized his wisdom, became self-exalted because of his gifts, perverted them and turned them from God's glory to his own. These were gifts and not grounds for pride, and when he found he could not be as God he was filled with rebellion and would not submit his will to the will of God, prostituting his God-given powers to oppose and make of no effect the counsels of the Most High and to misinterpret the divine character.

He coveted the honor belonging to the Son and desired equality with God and supremacy over all, seeking a throne above God's, a place above Christ, to be ruler of the universe and his own god. Standing next to Christ in power and glory as an exalted covering cherub made holy and glorious by God, a being full of beauty and personal charm and blessed with a powerful intellect, he thought himself equal with God because of his exaltation. His elevated position did not satisfy him because he was not in the position of God, and feeling that his beauty and exalted position meant he was not receiving due honor in being second to Christ, although Christ alone was the only-begotten Son united with God, he sought a place above Christ and supremacy and homage belonging to the Creator. His brightness and wisdom became grounds for exaltation, jealousy and evil suspicion took hold, and he rebelled against his Creator, led some of the heavenly angels astray with him, was cast out of heaven with them, and then set up a kingdom of his own determined to allure the world to his apostate banner.

He concealed his aims and with design and duplicity insinuated to the angels that he should be next to God and that a change would come, deceived them into supporting him and challenged Christ's place. Knowing Christ had the first place next to God to do the will of God, his suggestion spread among the heavenly angels until many sympathized with him and the matter was brought before God, and he and his party became very strong against Christ. He became dissatisfied because God had not disclosed every secret of His purposes and disregarded what had been revealed about his assigned work, stirring the angels under his command to the same discontent and causing their fall. He contaminated a large number of the angels of God so that they had to be turned out of heaven, sowed disaffection among them to establish an empire under his own rule, and thus became the source of sin, envy, jealousy, deception and strife.

When the Lord sought to correct him he would not be corrected or submit his will, holding his own plans and judgment as infallible, never to be revoked or changed, turning to his own ideas and plans through wicked ambition and refusal to be corrected. His character developed by cherishing and strengthening wrong ideas until he refused to alter his opinions, holding to sentiments of infallibility in judgment as a specious, seductive device. He could have been restored to his appointed place if he had acknowledged the Creator's wisdom and submitted. His envy, jealousy and hatred were filled full when God said to His Son, Let us make man in our image, because he wished to be consulted about the formation of man and to receive the highest honors in heaven next to God.

War Expulsion and Doom

He commenced war in heaven for the preeminence, working with the angels until they were deceived to conclude they would war against God, while the loyal angels would not yield the point that Christ should have the preeminence next to God. Knowing Christ alone had the first place next to God to do the will of God, Lucifer felt his beauty and exalted position meant he was not receiving due honor in being second to Christ, insinuated to the angels that he should be next to God, and that suggestion spread until angels sympathized with him and the matter was brought before God, with Lucifer and his party becoming very strong against Christ. The result was war in heaven in which Lucifer and his party were overcome and thrown out of heaven, heaven was closed against them, and a rebellious party has existed in this world ever since. He sought to dethrone God and take the place of the Most High but failed and was cast out, having in pride and ambition complained against God's government and sought to overthrow heaven's established order. Since then he has worked against God's plans and used his power to deceive people toward ruin, trying to make them believe that God is arbitrary and harsh in His dealings, and those same works are being repeated in strange things that have come, especially in America since the destruction of San Francisco by fire.

He was expelled from heaven because of self-exaltation, feeling that he should be above Christ, with his heart lifted up because of his beauty and his wisdom corrupted by reason of his brightness, so that God would cast him to the ground and lay him before kings. His elevated position as a beautiful, glorious being exalted in the heavenly courts did not satisfy him because he was not in the position of God, and jealousy and evil suspicion and desire for supremacy took possession of him because he refused a secondary place. He refused the place God assigned him, craved to be the highest one next to God and wanted Christ to be second to him, treasuring his own glory and jealous of Christ the Saviour, and that jealous craving extinguished his glory, showing there is nothing to be gained by jealousy. He had been in Eden the garden of God with every precious stone for a covering, with tabrets and pipes prepared in him from the day he was created, as the anointed cherub that covereth set upon the holy mountain of God walking up and down in the midst of the stones of fire, perfect in his ways from creation till iniquity was found in him. He and his sympathizers were then cast out, and afterward he sought to claim Adam and Eve by deceiving them and misrepresenting God's character, entering with great zeal into commercialism after coming to this earth.

These fallen angels are now at work to steal away true conviction of the Holy Spirit, to deceive those who give heed, and to delay and hinder the work of God, so no haphazard work must be done, the signs of the times must be discerned, and God's dealing with fallen angels and fallen men must be understood and prayed over. He conceals his true character and activity so that many doubt his existence and malignity, and if he appeared openly as he is, Christians would be stirred to seek God in prayer. Only by standing loyal and true by the side of Prince Emmanuel can people avoid being ensnared by him, for those who refuse to follow the light God gave and depart from the faith are following this fallen angel.

He had been a being of wonderful power and glory, the covering cherub standing in the light of God's presence, the highest of all created beings and foremost in revealing God's purposes to the universe, holding an exalted position with the Father. After he sinned his power to deceive was the more deceptive and the unveiling of his character was the more difficult because of that exalted position, so that even holy beings had not clearly seen the nature of his rebellion until the death of Christ clearly revealed his character to the angels and the unfallen worlds. When Christ accomplished His work and cried, It is finished, Satan's kingdom was lost, Christ won the battle as Conqueror by His right hand and holy arm, and all heaven triumphed in His victory with joy among the angels. That cry had deep significance for angels and unfallen worlds as well as for humanity, and they share with humanity the fruits of His victorious redemption.

At the end God will vindicate His law and deliver His people by cutting off Satan as the prince of evil, the covering cherub once full of wisdom and perfect in beauty who set his heart as the heart of God, and all who joined his rebellion. Sin and sinners will perish root and branch, Satan the root and his followers the branches. The word will be fulfilled to destroy him from the midst of the stones of fire, and he shall be a terror and never be any more. This is not arbitrary power, but the result of their own choice, for by rebellion they separate from God the fountain of life and place themselves out of harmony with Him so that His presence as love consumes them.

Deceiver's Continuing Power

Rebellion shut him out of heaven but did not destroy his powers and did not turn him into a beast or a fiction. He kept his mighty strength and wisdom and turned them against the government of heaven, growing more artful since his fall and learning the most successful way to tempt men. He had power to face and tempt and taunt Christ and to take Him and carry Him to a pinnacle of the temple and up into an exceeding high mountain, and he will exercise that power to a wonderful degree upon the present generation, in a marvelous manner affecting the bodies of those naturally inclined to do his bidding. The present generation are far inferior in wisdom to Christ and almost wholly ignorant of his subtlety and strength, and when he is regarded as a fiction or made light of as inferior or represented by some childish illustration or as some animal, minds are left wholly unprepared for his wisely laid plans, so all should understand his exalted origin and undiminished power in order to resist him.

He still quotes the glories and wisdom and beauty and wonderful learning and agency he once had in the heavenly sanctuary and heavenly courts as though they belong to him. That heavenly training explains why his agents sometimes display remarkable wisdom and why their books can contain bright gems of thought, for all that is of value comes from God alone, so he has no light of his own but has stolen the livery of heaven. Precious gems of thought given by God are retained and set in a framework of error to give luster to human sentiments, and he mingles the precious with the vile in books and bewitching theories to make utterances inspired by the prince of evil appear attractive and excellent. He mixes sophistry with that heavenly learning to make himself look excellent and intelligent and good, presenting the light he once had to win confidence and then leading people on to perdition, while the same excellencies can be possessed undefiled and the light of truth must be developed and shine against his false light.

Those who present doctrine contrary to the Bible are led by him as the great apostate cast out of the courts of God, and with him as their leader supposedly wise men of earth fabricate bewitching theories to infatuate the minds of men. These fallen angels are now at work to steal away true conviction of the Holy Spirit, to deceive those who give heed, and to delay and hinder the work of God, so no haphazard work must be done, the signs of the times must be discerned, and God's dealing with fallen angels and fallen men must be understood and prayed over. Satan and the angels expelled from heaven seek to divert minds, magnify differences, and bring confusion among God's people, and the danger lies in his great but unsanctified wisdom being used to hinder the work of truth. Since his failure to dethrone God and take the place of the Most High, he has tried to make people believe that God is arbitrary and harsh in His dealings with them.

Restrained from carrying out his plans in heaven, he determined to be his own god and came to this world to carry out his strange devisings through commercialism, laying plans to turn the world into a place of commercial strife and uncivilized conditions where strange things God never ordained would be acted out. After seeking supremacy and being driven from heaven, he entered commercial activity on earth and entered with great zeal into commercialism, yet the Lord forbade his plans and made him understand that there is a Ruler in the heavens over the inhabitants of the world who rules heaven and earth and carries out His divine will in the great controversy between good and evil. Only by standing loyal and true by the side of Prince Emmanuel can people avoid being ensnared by him, for those who refuse to follow the light God gave and depart from the faith are following this fallen angel.

He conceals his true character and activity, so that many doubt his existence and malignity, and if he appeared openly as he is, Christians would be stirred to seek God in prayer. Wicked men imbued with satanic agencies are not degraded-looking beings as he is commonly represented to be, for his God-given loveliness and glory show that evil does not always appear hideous. Because of his exaltation he thought himself equal with God, rebelled against his Creator, led some of the heavenly angels astray with him, was cast out of heaven with them, and then set up a kingdom of his own determined to allure the world to his apostate banner. Heavenly messengers unfolded the history of his fall to Adam and Eve as a warning about his plots against them, for after his expulsion his beauty led him to seek to claim Adam and Eve by deceiving them and misrepresenting God's character. His power and deceptive snares are so great that no one can discern his false theories, resist his temptations, or escape his power without divine aid, but only through individual experience gained by receiving a knowledge of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Lessons for God's People

Lucifer's ambition and selfish desire brought his own destruction and the loss and ruin of heavenly beings, and that same spirit brings ruin to others when allowed to rule them. He was a highly intelligent being holding a high position among the angels, exceptionally wise and beautiful, yet his intellectual greatness did not keep him from becoming a rebel. Great intellect alone is therefore no protection against evil, for knowledge alone in the hands of the enemy of all good becomes a power to destroy those who hold it, as many minds of superior attainments are now led captive by his power. Knowledge received from God and made holy brings glory to Him, and youth must seek that sanctified knowledge which is of the right quality and tells to His glory. He prized his wisdom and used his knowledge to blind the mind and judgment of those connected with him, wandering step by step away from God in deceptive plans as the archdeceiver, and anyone who uses scientific knowledge to mislead others acts the same part he acted. His example in the heavenly courts stands as one of using knowledge in a way that leads people away from God.

Claiming infallibility and refusing to yield one's own way is Lucifer's position, for next to Christ in the heavenly courts he decided he was entitled to a higher place, and when the Lord sought to correct him he would not be corrected but held his own plans and judgment as infallible, never to be revoked or changed. Anyone who persistently chooses to follow his own judgment as unchangeable repeats that sin, for God does not endorse it and has no further use for him unless he changes his ideas, and he needs reconversion. Men who for years refuse to give up their own opinions follow the same course and become unacceptable to God, and by thinking their judgment infallible they spoil the church, opening the minds of God's people to confusion through pleasing sophistries presented by deceiving angels. His turn to his own ideas and plans with wicked ambition and refusal to be corrected drove him from heaven, warning against pride and any claim to be beyond correction. No confidence is to be placed in human greatness in the way angels looked to rebellious Lucifer and thereby lost the sense of the presence of Christ and God, especially when false sentiments must be met. Every opinion must therefore be searched and proved infallible from the pure, clean statements of the Word of God and not taken hastily on important subjects, with humility, earnest prayer, and dependence on God for wisdom to distinguish good from evil and righteousness from sin.

In contrast to Lucifer who came to suppose he should occupy the place of Christ, even the place of God, Christ the higher Being next to God left the royal courts and consented to live the life of humanity that He Himself might experience all the afflictions humanity must share. This rebukes pride and calls humanity to humble itself as Christ humbled Himself in true conversion, self-denial and self-sacrifice. Because of his exaltation Lucifer thought himself equal with God, rebelled against his Creator, led some of the heavenly angels astray with him, was cast out with them, and set up a kingdom of his own determined to allure the world to his apostate banner, and his power and deceptive snares are so great that no one can discern his false theories, resist his temptations, or escape his power without divine aid, but only through individual experience gained by receiving a knowledge of Jesus Christ our Lord. A desire for supremacy took possession of him and he was expelled for it, and after coming to this earth he entered with great zeal into commercialism, so only by standing loyal and true by the side of Prince Emmanuel can people avoid being ensnared, for those who refuse to follow the light God gave and depart from the faith are following this fallen angel. His deceptive working still continues on every side after he brought in jealousy and evil surmising because he himself was not in the position of God, so safety is found only by planting the feet firmly upon the platform of God's truth, in the rock Christ Jesus.

His self-sufficient spirit warns against resisting influence and refusing respect for appointed authority. As leader of the first rebellion, the most exalted angel next to Jesus Christ, he contaminated a large number of the angels of God so that they had to be turned out of heaven, and God is now looking for a people who keep His commandments whom He can introduce into heaven without creating a second rebellion. He was once in grace in heaven and fell from heaven by transgressing God's law, and his fall proves the once in grace always in grace doctrine false and demonstrates the sure result of transgressing God's law.

His act of exalting himself gives him power still to influence people in the present and future to oppose God. Under the lamentation upon the king of Tyrus is shown his origin, position, and fall as sealing up the sum, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty, in Eden with every precious stone for a covering and tabrets and pipes prepared in him, the anointed cherub upon the holy mountain walking among the stones of fire, perfect till iniquity was found in him, then expelled for self-exaltation in feeling he should be above Christ, his heart lifted up because of his beauty and his wisdom corrupted by brightness, to be cast to the ground before kings. These fallen angels are now at work to steal away true conviction of the Holy Spirit, to deceive those who give heed, and to delay and hinder the work of God, so no haphazard work must be done, the signs of the times must be discerned, and the working of God in dealing with fallen angels and fallen men must be understood and prayed over.