Chapter 5 - The Key
To History
“Then another
ominous sign (wonder) was seen in heaven: Behold, a huge, fiery-red
dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven kingly crowns
(diadems) upon his heads. His tail swept [across the sky] and
dragged down a third of the stars and flung them to the earth. And
the huge dragon was cast down and out – that age-old serpent, who
is called the Devil and Satan, he who is the seducer (deceiver) of
all humanity the world over; he was forced out and down to the earth,
and his angels were flung out along with him.” – Revelation
12:3-4a, 9
“Thus says the
Lord God: You are the full measure and pattern of exactness [giving
the finishing touch to all that constitutes completeness], full of
wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God;
every precious stone was your covering, the carnelian, topaz, jasper,
chrysolite, beryl, onyx, sapphire, carbuncle, and emerald; and your
settings and your sockets and engravings were wrought in gold. On the
day that you were created they were prepared. You were the anointed
cherub that covers with overshadowing [wings], and I set you so. You
were upon the holy mountain of God; you walked up and down in the
midst of the stones of fire [like the paved work of gleaming sapphire
stone upon which the God of Israel walked on Mount Sinai]. You were
blameless in your ways from the day you were created until iniquity
and guilt were found in you.” – Ezekiel 28:12-15
The most beautiful,
the most perfect being ever created, filled with the sum of wisdom –
that was the being we now know as The Adversary or Satan. One of a
class of angelic beings known as cherubim (plural for cherub – and
no, they don’t really look like chubby little babies with wings),
he was anointed by God to become the highest of his class. He was
positioned in the throne room of God. At that point he was then not
only the most beautiful and wise of all of God’s created beings, he
also held the most authority and power of any created being.
From the above
passage in Ezekiel we are told several things about the original
state of not only this magnificent cherub, but of the original
creation as well. This being was in the original Eden, a garden not
of plants, but of beautiful gems – a mineral garden – and given
authority over it and this planet. From this passage we also see
that He was the anointed cherub that covers – he was anointed by
God and elevated above his fellow cherubim in power and authority.
“You were upon the holy mountain of God; you walked up and down in
the midst of the stones of fire,” is speaking of the kingdom or
throne room of God. So here we see that he was the guardian of the
throne of God and was the one who granted or denied others access to
it. The imagery used in these two statements is very reminiscent of
the ark of the covenant which had two cherubim covering the mercy
seat with their wings. This mercy seat was a type, or picture, for
the throne of God, and above this seat is where God’s presence
manifested itself in the wilderness tabernacle. Just as the cherubim
on the ark “covered” God’s glory, so too, did Satan before he
chose rebellion.
So, in summary, this
most beautiful and perfect cherub was given unprecedented power and
authority by God. And in this perfection, he was given something
that we don’t have and may never fully understand – the power to
make a choice contrary to his very nature. Unfortunately, he did
just that, and when he did he became ha’satan – the
adversary. Now let’s look at how this happened.
In Isaiah 14:13-14,
the prophet has recorded the words of Satan, “And you said in your
heart, I will ascend to heaven; I will exalt my throne above the
stars of God; I will sit upon the mount of assembly in the uttermost
north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make
myself like the Most High.”
Let’s take a look
at these five statements and what they mean.
First we have, “I
will ascend to heaven.” Here we see that Satan wanted more than
what he already had, but the only domain left was the very throne of
God. Second we have, “I will exalt my throne above the stars of
God.” In Scripture, when the word star is used symbolically it is
always a symbol for an angel. So in this statement he is expressing
his desire to be in charge of all the angelic beings.
The
third statement, “I will sit upon the mount of assembly in the
uttermost north,” is a reference of Satan's desire to sit on the
throne of God. If we look in the second chapter of the book of Daniel
we can begin to see what might be referenced here. “As you looked,
a Stone was cut out without human hands, which smote the image on its
feet of iron and [baked] clay [of the potter] and broke them to
pieces. Then the iron, the [baked] clay [of the potter], the bronze,
the silver, and the gold were broken and crushed together and became
like the chaff of the summer threshing floors, and the wind carried
them away so that not a trace of them could be found. And the Stone
that smote the image
became a great mountain or rock and filled the whole earth.” The
image that Daniel is referring to is one that appeared in a dream of
King Nebuchadnezzar.
God was interpreting the dream via Daniel. The image represented
not only King Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom, but those that would come
afterward as well – right up to the time that Messiah (the Stone
cut without human hands) will return and establish His kingdom on
earth. This passage is pregnant with Messianic connotations. So,
knowing
that it was God’s will for the Messiah to rule in this capacity in
God’s kingdom, Satan declared his desire to rule and reign over
Israel in the Messiah’s place.
Fourth we have, “I
will ascend above the heights of the clouds.” The word cloud, when
used symbolically, is a reference to the manifest glory of God. When
the Israelites were in the wilderness they were lead by the manifest
presence of God – a pillar of fire by night and a pillar of cloud
by day. So, here Satan is stating his desire to make that glory his
own, when in fact it belongs to God alone.
Lastly
we have the grand finale of the “I will” statements – “I will
make myself like the Most High.” When God is referred to in
Scripture as the Most High, it is most often referring to God as
possessor of heaven and earth. In stating that he will make himself
like the Most High, Satan is stating that he wants to make himself
the owner, or title-holder, of heaven and earth.
These
five “I will” statements are very telling about Satan’s
desires. They can also help us understand history and what’s on
the horizon. In these five short statements Satan voiced his
dissatisfaction with God’s perfect will. Rather than be satisfied
with his exalted position, he wanted it all! The most perfect being
that God created thought he could take the place of his Creator and
since that time has been busy trying to fulfill his desires.
When Satan chose to
oppose God’s will, God had no choice but to judge Satan and
everything that was under his authority – including the earth. In
Genesis 1:1-2, we read, “In the beginning God (prepared, formed,
fashioned, and) created the heavens and the earth. The earth was
without form and an empty waste, and darkness was upon the face of
the very great deep. The Spirit of God was moving (hovering,
brooding) over the face of the waters.” But in Isaiah 45:18, it
says, “For thus says the Lord--Who created the heavens, God
Himself, Who formed the earth and made it, Who established it and did
not create it to be a worthless waste; He formed it to be inhabited –
I am the Lord, and there is no one else.” At first glance it would
seem that these two passages contradict each other, but God’s Word
can never contradict itself. From the passage in Ezekiel 28, we see
that the original Garden of Eden was vastly different than the one
mentioned in Genesis. In the second verse of Genesis we can see that
the earth had become an empty waste, covered with water, but Isaiah
says that God did not create the earth to be a waste. What happened
between verses one and two of Genesis to cause such a dramatic
change? The judgment of Satan. In the Genesis account of “creation”
it is actually God re-creating and re-forming the earth out of the
remains of what was left after God’s judgment of Satan’s
rebellion.
In Romans 8:19-21,
we read, “For [even the whole] creation (all nature) waits
expectantly and longs earnestly for God's sons to be made known
[waits for the revealing, the disclosing of their sonship]. For the
creation (nature) was subjected to frailty (to futility, condemned to
frustration), not because of some intentional fault on its part, but
by the will of Him Who so subjected it – [yet] with the hope that
nature (creation) itself will be set free from its bondage to decay
and corruption [and gain an entrance] into the glorious freedom of
God's children.” Creation is waiting to be redeemed to its
original mineral state. In Revelation 21:1-3, we see, “Then I saw
a new sky (heaven) and a new earth, for the former sky and the former
earth had passed away (vanished), and there no longer existed any
sea. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, descending out
of heaven from God, all arrayed like a bride beautified and adorned
for her husband; then I heard a mighty voice from the throne and I
perceived its distinct words, saying, See! The abode of God is with
men, and He will live (encamp, tent) among them; and they shall be
His people, and God shall personally be with them and be their God,”
(italics mine).
Note that the new
earth will no longer have any sea, just as the original,
pre-rebellion earth had no sea. Apparently God used water as part of
His judgment against Satan’s rebellion, as He would do again at the
time of Noah. Because the Messiah will be redeeming creation and
returning it to its original state, we can deduce from the passage in
Revelation 21 that the original state of this earth was not as it is
represented in Adam and Eve’s garden, but as it was before Satan
rebelled – an earth of precious stones, radiant with the very glory
of God. In Revelation 21 we also see that the dwelling of God will
be with men. Has God given us any glimpse of what His dwelling place
looks likes? He has indeed!
“You were the
anointed cherub that covers with overshadowing [wings], and I set you
so. You were upon the holy mountain of God; you walked up and down in
the midst of the stones of fire [like the paved work of gleaming
sapphire stone upon which the God of Israel walked on Mount Sinai].”
– Ezekiel 28:14
“Then in the
Spirit He conveyed me away to a vast and lofty mountain and exhibited
to me the holy (hallowed, consecrated) city of Jerusalem descending
out of heaven from God, clothed in God's glory [in all its splendor
and radiance]. The luster of it resembled a rare and most precious
jewel, like jasper, shining clear as crystal. The wall was built of
jasper, while the city [itself was of] pure gold, clear and
transparent like glass. The foundation [stones] of the wall of the
city were ornamented with all of the precious stones. The first
foundation [stone] was jasper, the second sapphire, the third
chalcedony (or white agate), the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the
sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth
topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth
amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each separate
gate being built of one solid pearl. And the main street (the
broadway) of the city was of gold as pure and translucent as glass.”
– Revelation 21:10-11, 18-21
“And they saw the
God of Israel [that is, a convincing manifestation of His presence],
and under His feet it was like pavement of bright sapphire stone,
like the very heavens in clearness.” – Exodus 24:10
Every time we are
shown a glimpse of God on His throne or of His dwelling place it is
described in terms of brilliant gemstones and jewels just like the
original creation.
Is there more to
learn from Satan’s rebellion than what the world once was and what
it will be again? Without a doubt! To summarize, we had a created
being that had been more perfect and beautiful and wise than any
other created being. He then got so full of himself that he chose to
act contrary to his own perfect nature and aspired to take over God’s
position and authority. God then judged Satan and everything under
his authority. By the time we see Satan make his appearance in the
Garden of Eden as a serpent, we can only guess that his desire for
complete domination had utterly consumed him and that he would stop
at nothing to fulfill these five “I will” statements no matter
how long it would take, and therein lies the key to history.
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