Ezekiel Chapter 28

Saturday, 02/07/26 at 09:33
Solitary Man
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Eze 28:1 The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,

Now begins the final prophecy of Tyre. It is composed of 2 parts. The first 10 verses is a word to the prince of Tyre. The next 9 verses will speak to the king of Tyre. The last 7 verses will pronounce judgment on her sister city Zidon, also known as Sidon.

Eze 28:2 Son of man, say unto the prince (naw-gheed – commander, captain, governor, chief ruler) of Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thine heart is lifted up (gaw-bah – to soar, haughty), and thou hast said, I am a God (el – strength, mighty), I sit in the seat (mo-shawb – abode, dwelling place) of God (el-o-heem – gods, the supreme god), in the midst (kabe – heart) of the seas; yet thou art a man (aw-dawm – human being), and not God (el), though thou set thine heart as the heart of God (el-o-heem):

In order to try and obtain a fuller understanding of this chapter, we need to read the first 19 verses, then go back to the start. We will find that 2 personages are spoken to – a prince and a king.

The commentaries that I regularly refer to, mostly to reap the historical research already done, all come from the 1700’s and 1800’s. This was the time of the height of conservative Protestant scholarship. We have all enjoyed excerpts which have illuminated various passages that are shrouded in obscurity. Old names, dates, and places have all become clearer, due to the painstaking groundwork those pioneers of the faith have laid for us. They take care of the housekeeping portion of writing commentary, while I attempt to add what the Holy Spirit wants to say for our time period.

While I have benefited greatly from their work, there are certain times when they are of zero use at all. This is one of those times. Without exception, all of them seem to think that the prince and king of Tyre are one and the same person. And not only that, but if there is any allegorical meaning to be found when we come to the king, they think it refers to Adam in the garden of Eden! Not a single one of them even hints that the king could possibly refer to satan himself.

How they all missed the obvious allusion is beyond me. Was Adam the covering cherub? Was he cast down to the earth? Did he walk on the stones of fire in the mountain of God? Was he covered with every sort of precious gem? The conclusions of all of these great men left me speechless. You cannot attempt to make the bible say something that it does not say. None of those things I just mentioned could ever possibly be indicative of Adam, nor any other human being for that matter, regardless of how mightily you try and stretch the allegory.

Allegories have to make sense. You cannot make up any meaning that you want for anything in the bible if it makes zero sense to do so. For example, you cannot claim that when the bible says the Lord is my shepherd, that this allegorically refers to plumbers! Would that not be absurd? In exactly the same way, anointed cherubs who cover cannot refer to Adam. It’s irrational, nonsensical, and rather silly. As you can surmise, we will not be receiving any help from the commentaries in interpreting this chapter.

I say all this to let you know that seeing the king of Tyre as an obvious picture of satan was not as universally accepted as one would assume. I do not know what Catholic theologians thought of this concept, but apparently classical Protestant scholarship had no such idea in mind. This is a great lesson in understanding just how crucial the role of divine revelation plays in our understanding of holy writ. Never take the truths that the Father reveals to us for granted. Not only have past generations not had certain things revealed to them, but believers in other parts of the world do not know many of the things we take for granted. Conversely, foundational truths such as the judgments of the Lord were much more widely known in past eras than it is now. All of this is to remind us to stay humble, teachable, and grateful.

Knowing that the king of Tyre is really satan himself, the true founder and ruler of Tyre and its system of commerce, helps us to properly understand what is going on here in verse 2. We will leave off speaking of this king of Tyre until we reach verse 11.

The prince of Tyre, on the other hand, is the human ruler of this obscenely wealthy nation state. This prince would be equivalent to the Doge of Venice, a forerunner to the modern banking system in the west today. A very powerful man, who wielded a tremendous influence over those who came to trade with her.

Because of this colossal amount of wealth that Tyre had acquired, pride was the inevitable result. And pride of the worst kind. A pride that makes one think that they are a god! This prince saw himself sitting in the heart of the sea. Everyone on the face of the earth came to him to buy and sell. He set the terms, he set the rates of exchange. His word was law to all. No one could buy or sell without his say so.

Sound familiar?

Rev 13:16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
Rev 13:17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
Rev 13:18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

This prince of Tyre, who ruled under the king of Tyre (satan), is the perfect type of the antichrist, who rules under his lord satan. And what is the antichrist known for? Some sort of mark, the primary feature of which has to do with commerce, or trafficking in the land.

The verse ends with Yehovah straightening out this delusional fellow. You are a man and not a god. Gold does not bestow divinity on anyone.

Eze 28:3 Behold, thou art wiser (khaw-kawm – artful, cunning, skilful, subtil) than Daniel (judge of God); there is no secret (saw-tham – to stop up, keep hidden) that they can hide from thee:

Recall that this word is being given in 586 BC. Daniel was taken captive in 605 BC. In just 19 years the wisdom of Daniel had already become legendary, so that even Yehovah himself has no problem in speaking of it. That is a wonderful reputation to achieve in such a short period of time, is it not? To have the Father himself speak of your wisdom?

Of course, here it is being used sarcastically. This guy, so full of himself that he fancies himself as one of the ‘els’, or gods, because with his great wealth he can buy any number of informers who keep him abreast of everything that he needs to know about everyone. This gives him tremendous leverage in every transaction that is presented for his consideration. This is how the cabal operates. They are always looking to obtain leverage on everyone that they desire to use, or to do business with. Secrets are their stock in trade. This is all part and parcel of the system of trafficking that satan is said to have originated. It is not just the mechanics of trading, it is the system of leverage, bribes, corruption, deception, and manipulation that is built into it.

Why does God hate the love of money so much? It is because satan has baked all kinds of evil things into the worldly system of commerce. We all know that the rich take advantage of inside information. They collect secrets on their competitors. Things that they can use to blackmail others, in order to make them to do their bidding. That is what Epstein island was all about. If you wanted a seat at the elite’s table, you had to be willing to compromise yourself, so they always had some proof of your heinous crimes in order to keep you loyal. Satan himself is the architect and the creator of this horrible system. Just as the prince of Tyre considered himself to be the god of this world because he knew everyone’s weaknesses and vices, so too the antichrist will have total access to every bit of data on every human being at his disposal, to do with as he wills. This godlike power of omniscience will lock these wicked men in an eternal state of pride.

It is amazing, is it not, how history repeats itself? This prince of Tyre had no internet or AI, yet he had acquired enough dirt on everyone he did business with, that he felt godlike in his knowledge. How much more shall the antichrist see himself as god, having at his disposal the combined knowledge of everything that AI can cobble together? But regardless of how much money or how much information one accumulates, it is as nothing in comparison to Yehovah. Technology simply allows evil men to believe that this time, they have enough information and power to actually compete with God, as far as his divine attributes go. These blasphemous technocrats actually believe that they will have infinite knowledge, enabling them to do anything, especially to escape judgment by transferring their consciousness into some machine, and thus live forever.

Eze 28:4 With thy wisdom (khok-maw – skill, wit) and with thine understanding (taw-boon – intelligence, discretion) thou hast gotten thee riches (khah-yil – force, strength, army, goods), and hast gotten gold and silver into thy treasures (o-tsaw – treasury):

How many hundreds of billions do the elite of the cabal need? Is there no end to their greed and covetousness? It is stunning how technology has made it possible for a few men to generate hundreds of billions of dollars off internet activity. Nothing is being created, and no real goods are being produced. But every time someone clicks a link, someone gets paid money by some entity. Just for clicking your mouse, someone else gets richer! The wickedness of this is appalling. I don’t know why more Christians don’t see it. So many believes are caught up in this. They will compromise their beliefs if it generates more clicks, so that their content can generate more dollars out of thin air.

But what are you really producing? Are you telling me your opinion and your interviews should make you money? What kind of job is that? Are you producing anything of real value? Why do you think your opinion is worth making money on? Is this really ethical?

Many are those who immerse themselves in the wisdom of this world, in order to figure out how to get a slice of the action. In this prince’s case, his skill and his intelligence was at the highest levels. He was able to manipulate and intimidate nations, by offering loans, or refusing to allow them to trade. He could coerce most anyone into getting them to do what he wanted. He felt that he was untouchable, situated in this massive fortress, surrounded on all sides by the sea. Who could make him do anything that he did not want to do?

I know of someone who says he is a believer, but he spends most mornings doing nothing but immersing himself in this Tyrian system of commerce. He has a portfolio of well over 100 stocks, and he religiously spends several hours most days following the market, and actively trading. He eats, lives, and breathes stocks. Needless to say, his relationship with Jesus leaves much to be desired.

You cannot serve God and mammon.

Eze 28:5 By thy great (robe – abundant) wisdom (khok-maw) and by thy traffick (rek-oo-law – trade, merchandise, peddling) hast thou increased thy riches (khah-yil), and thine heart is lifted up (gaw-bah) because of thy riches (khah-yil):

Peddling. Buying and selling. This man devoted his life to it. He became very rich. But he also became full of pride. While gaining the world, he lost his soul.

Mar 8:33 But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.
Mar 8:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Mar 8:35 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.
Mar 8:36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
Mar 8:37 Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
Mar 8:38 Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

So much truth in the above passage. So little preaching ever done from it.

First, Jesus tells us that satan savours the things of men, and not of God. This word savourest is fron-eh-o. It means to exercise the mind, to set the affection on, to intensively interest oneself in. In other words, it is what consistently fills your thoughts at every opportunity. It is not that satan is interested in what man is interested in per se, but he occupies himself with providing the requisite temptations to ensnare them.

So what do you savour? What do you intensively interest yourself in? Is it primarily how to work this world system of commerce in order to acquire much? But even if your efforts in trafficking gained all the riches of the world, how is that a good bargain, when it costs you your soul? And do you know how this happens?

Jesus speaks of those who are ashamed of not only him, but also of his word. At the root of it all is, you are ashamed of something that God says in his word. You just can’t make yourself to obey. You choose to reject something that God demands of you. So Jesus will honor your choice, and pay you back in kind. He will reject you, just as you have rejected him.

All this singleminded pursuit of worldly riches tells us what we need to know about the devil’s game plan. His trafficking is his great ability to promise whatever it is that your heart truly desires. Satan was the one who invented this means of getting what he wanted. He was the best at this technique. He was able to get angels and men to do his will, by promising them whatever their heart desired. No one could manipulate like him.

Is this not the mark of a great salesman? The ability to quickly discern what it is that the customer really wants, and hone in on that? Satan has an uncanny ability to know what you really want, even more than you know yourself. That is why he is so successful. He knows us better than we know ourselves. Each temptation is tailor made for the individual. He taught his protege, this prince, all the ins and outs of this method of doing business. Know your customer. Get information on him by whatever means possible. Exploit it for all that he’s worth. Use him, abuse him, then discard him. Rinse and repeat.

Eze 28:6 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast set thine heart as the heart of God (el-o-heem);

Regardless of what wicked methodology he used to acquire his wealth, the sin here that stirs the anger of God is, any one of his created beings thinking that they have somehow become gods themselves. And to actually believe that they have achieved this by their own actions and wisdom! How anyone can come to such a perfect state of delusion is beyond me. But if you keep comparing yourself to men instead of God, you too will be tempted to think much more highly of yourself than you ought.

Rom_12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

Eze 28:7 Behold, therefore I will bring strangers upon thee, the terrible (aw-reets – feaerful, tyrannical, violent) of the nations (goy – gentiles): and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of thy wisdom (khok-maw), and they shall defile (khaw-lal – dissolve, profane, break) thy brightness (yif-aw – splendor, beauty).

In case the judgment pronounced against the land and the city of Tyre was not comprehensive enough, Yahweh decides to reiterate a very similar warning to the human ruler of this domain. Babylon and its armies were composed of many nationalities, and were not known for their kindness. What you have built that is the marvel of the world I will bring down, just to prove to you that you are a man and no god. If you were a god, you would be able to stop this invader. While your wealth has made you proud, it has also blinded you. The one true God will decide whether you live or die.

Eze 28:8 They shall bring thee down to the pit (shakh-ath – corruption, grave), and thou shalt die the deaths (maw-mothe – mortal disease) of them that are slain (khaw-lawl – pierced, polluted) in the midst of the seas.

The idea here is that it does not matter how rich and powerful you are, you are headed for the grave, and there is absolutely nothing that you can do about it. You can talk about merging with AI, or becoming a transhuman, or attempting to live in the internet cloud, it matters not. All of that is vanity, and the babblings of foolish men, devoid of the Spirit, eternally severed from the life of the Father.

I like to keep in mind that these words for ‘slain’ often have the primary meaning of being pierced. The covid tyranny certainly brought the idea of death by piercing to the fore, did it nor?

Eze 28:9 Wilt thou yet say (aw-mar aw-mar – boast boast) before him that slayeth thee, I am God (el-o-heem)? but thou shalt be a man (aw-dawm), and no God (el), in the hand of him that slayeth (khaw-lal) thee.

Gods don’t die. You will most certainly die. Therefore, you are no god.

God loves to mock the wicked. Who can forget this most famous psalm:

Psa 2:1 Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?
Psa 2:2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,
Psa 2:3 Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.
Psa 2:4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.
Psa 2:5 Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.

While we often succumb to fear and anxiety, as headline after headline pronounce further destruction and doom upon our land, absolutely nothing shakes Yehovah. These monstrous pronouncements of rebellion by puny men only elicits a chuckle out of him. While his wrath may be kindled by our abominations, in the cosmic scheme of things he must shake his head at the absurdity of our grand plans of breaking away from the judgments of the Lord, and escaping all of its attendant consequences.

When each and every one of the cabal faces the moment of his death, there must come that awful moment of realization that everything that they believed was all a lie. Everything the devil and his fallen ones promised them was the worst scam that one could ever fall for. They will have all of eternity to ponder their calamitous decision.

Eze 28:10 Thou shalt die the deaths of the uncircumcised by the hand of strangers: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.

You think you are god. In your mind, you think you belong to the family of the gods. But I tell you that you will die just like every other man who has no knowledge of me. Speaking of the uncircumcised is representing the person who is utterly lost, hopeless, and without God in the world. This prince thought that he was on the same level as God himself. Thus, he was far above all the unwashed masses, whom he viewed with nothing but contempt. He was not a common man, in his own mind. But God speaks differently. You are a mere man. No different than any other man. Destined to suffer the fate of all men. But all the worse for you, destined to suffer the fate of those whom we call uncircumcised. That is, those who do not know me, and never will.

Eze 28:11 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

Hard on the heels of this word of doom to the human leader of Tyre, in one of those rare occurrences in scripture, Yahweh decides to peel hack the curtain on the spiritual reality behind what we are witnessing on the earth. We shall now see what God has to say about the real ruler of Tyre.

Eze 28:12 Son of man, take up a lamentation (kee-naw – dirge, beat the breast) upon the king (meh-lek – royalty) of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord (Adonai) GOD (Yehovah); Thou sealest up (khaw-tham – close up, make an end, stop) the sum (tok-neeth – measurement, consummation, pattern), full of wisdom (khok-maw), and perfect (kaw-leel – complete, whole, every whit, utterly) in beauty (yof-ee – from a root meaning to be bright).

If I was to beat my breast over anything, it sure wouldn’t be over the downfall of satan! I suppose from heaven’s point of view, they did lose its most illustrious creature. No, I beat my breast that so many erudite scholars do not see satan in this passage, but inexplicably, Adam!

To be precise, God is not asking us to wail over the downfall of satan. God is asking Ezekiel to speak this prophecy in the form of a lament. And when we examine some of the things in this passage, we may see why this is a lamentable occurrence.

God calls satan the king of Tyre. That is, he is the real boss. Princes serve under kings. To try and see this as a human ruler is very difficult. The language simply is not applicable to any physical human being. Of course, one may claim a very heavy allegorization. I make the counterclaim that one can only take an allegorization so far. After a certain point, it reaches beyond the point of absurdity. That is what we would find here if we tried to see it as any sort of a man.

Yahweh wishes to list what this creature was once like. Thou sealest up the sum means that he had closed up the reason to measure anymore. In other words, this one receives perfect marks, thus setting the standard for all other created beings. There is no need to measure this one’s worth or value anymore. Some of those superior characteristics was his wisdom and his perfect appearance. There was a certain brightness to him that outshone all others.

Eze 28:13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden (gan – from a root meaning to hedge about, protect) of God (el-o-heem); every precious (yaw-kawr – valuable, costly) stone was thy covering (mes-ook-kaw – decoration, only time in OT), the sardius (redness, ruby, garnet), topaz, and the diamond (onyx), the beryl (topaz), the onyx (beryl), and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald (garnet), and the carbuncle (emereld), and gold: the workmanship (mel-aw-kaw – employment) of thy tabrets (tambourine) and of thy pipes (a bezel for a gem) was prepared (set up) in thee in the day that thou wast created.

This reference to Eden is the only logical reason why some scholars think God is speaking about Adam. But what would Adam and the king of Tyre have in common? The logic gap is infinite. Theories such as this do a great disservice to the scholar, and to bible study in general.

I am sure that all of us have experienced sermons with the same utter lack of logic. Some preacher trying to prove some absurd thing by trying to yank a meaning out of a verse that makes no sense at all. Beware of such people. If something said contains no rhyme or reason to it, then it is best to just throw that meal away, and wait for the next one. Of course, it is possible for the unlearned child of God to simply not see something, but I am speaking of those things which are blatantly ridiculous.

Satan had already fallen when he accosted Eve. Concerning this list of jewels that he was adorned with, we do not know if that was all stripped away when he fell from heaven, or when God further cursed him after he corrupted mankind. Perhaps he was still adorned with his heavenly adornments when Eve met him. If so, this would also help to explain why she was so willing to listen to him. If he was God’s most perfect creation, and if he still retained the outward trappings of beauty, that sight would be a difficult one to resist.

And doesn’t that speak to the snares that carnal believers fall for? If you look at those prosperity preachers today, garbed in the most expensive outfits, sitting in the most elaborate buildings, having a natural charisma and great sense of humor, all of this appeals to the senses. They look good, they smell good, they sound good. If one is not close to the Lord, they will not hear the check in their heart. Their flesh is all that they hear, and the flesh likes what it likes. Those deceivers present the very image of success. To the physical senses of the deceived, those preachers have the look and feel of truly blessed men.

This is why we are never to be led by our physical senses. Only those who are led by the Spirit are the true sons of God.

Rom 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Rom 8:5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
Rom 8:6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Rom 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
Rom 8:8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

Rom 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

Every precious stone decorated him. There is little agreement as to exactly which gem each of these Hebrew words represents. I don’t see much value in attempting to list all the possibilities. Suffice it to say that this guy’s jewelry closet was jam packed! He also was covered in gold, and something that hinted at music as well. Tambourines and pipes. Some see this verse as hinting that lucifer led the worship in heaven.

There is also an allusion to the workmanship of these musical devices. The word also means employment, or the actual use of things. They were intended to be used right from the day that God created him. It seems as if God created lucifer as a beautiful, musical being, full of wisdom and glory. In short, he had it all.

The commentators try to get around their confusion in saying that the tambourines represented the females in Tyre’s court banging away in mirth and song. All these jewels simply speak of Tyre’s wealth. They think the mention of Eden is supposed to represent the isle of Tyre itself. How they came to these conclusions, God only knows. I suppose you have to say something, in order to appear wise. To my way of thinking, wouldn’t it simply be better to have said ‘I don’t know what this means?’. I could respect that, rather than throwing out ludicrous theories.

Eze 28:14 Thou art the anointed (mim-shakh – outspread, as with outstretched wings) cherub (ker-oob) that covereth (saw-kak – entwined as a screen, fenced in); and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy (ko-desh – sacred, consecrated) mountain of God (el-o-heem); thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.

So an anointed cherub can be Adam, or the king of Tyre, or anything besides an actual anointed cherub? Uh, no it can’t. Yehovah is speaking of an anointed cherub. Yehovah says that he has made him so, so don’t get the idea that God is speaking of anything else. In addition, this being was upon God’s holy mountain, where there are stones of fire. This is not mount Sinai, nor any earthly mountain. God’s abode not only contains a throne, but also contains a mountain that has some sort of fire. Fire is a key component wherever you find Yehovah. Remember these verses:

Rev_4:5 And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.

Rev_8:5 And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.

Rev_14:18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.

Rev_15:2 And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.

Rev_20:9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.

Fire is a very common component in heaven, is it not? Lucifer had unrestricted access to the fire of the Lord. Fire was used for judgment, but it also is used for purging and cleansing:

Isa 6:6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:
Isa 6:7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.

Eze 28:15 Thou wast perfect (taw-meem – entire, without spot or blemish, integrity, moral) in thy ways (deh-rek – road or path of life) from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity (eh-vel – moral evil, perverseness, unrighteousness) was found (maw-tsaw – appeared, took hold, came forth) in thee.

At one time, this creature was faultless. He had walked his deh-rek, or course of life, in a perfectly righteous manner. This means that he was created good. He knew goodness. He knew right from wrong, and good from evil. He had the ability to choose righteousness. And he did. For how long, nobody knows.

But then came that fateful day. Then came that fateful moment. I think the consensus in Christendom is that lucifer was the first creature to rebel against his creator. Something came forth out of him.

The unanswerable question is, how did evil come forth out of something that Yehovah had created? Everything that God does is perfect. He does not make mistakes. This is why evolution is such a blasphemy. Billions of years, billions of deaths, before man ‘evolved’ into the image of God. How anyone can believe something so ridiculous is impossible for me to grasp. What is even more absurd is how any so called Christian can also believe in evolution. You have to be a special kind of stupid to think that you really know Jesus, and believe that you came from a monkey.

But wait, it gets worse. Where did that monkey come from? Well, if you go back to the beginning of their fairy tale, they ultimately came from a rock! A rock, that some lightning struck, and magically started to spontaneously form life. But wait again! It gets even stupider than that. And where did the rock originally come from? Well, from nothing! In the beginning there was nothing. And nothing exploded (big bang). And then there was everything. Eventually. Given enough time.

Strolling back onto our deh-rek of studying Ezekiel, our problem of understanding reality in large part comes from putting man at the center of our theology rather than God. We think that everything revolves around the love of God for us, culminating at the cross. While no one is downplaying the central role of the cross in the story of salvation, it can also cause us to place too much focus on man.

How do we begin to explain God’s willingness to allow so much suffering? Free will? Certainly. That is the correct answer, and the most obvious. But behind that, I think there is something more that we need to consider and try to understand. We are not at the center of the universe. God is. What that means is that God desired a family. He created the angels, but that did not quite fit the bill. No, he wanted someone exactly like himself. Someone in his image and his likeness. So he created man. He created man with free will. He did this, knowing that even in heaven, that free will was used by his most perfect of beings to go his own way. How much worse were the odds for these creatures who were not even in heaven, but on earth?

Yahweh knew what would happen. He knew they would quickly fall. He knew that the vast, vast majority of these beings would not choose to live for and with him, but would go their own way. And he was perfectly okay with that.

For some reason, I think that around 97% of souls choose to not go with God. I think I heard someone 40 years ago say that that is what God told them, as far as how many souls end up in hell. I have no way of proving that, but given a lifetime of observation, it would not surprise me one bit if this number was in the ballpark.

So humor me. Let us say that only 3 souls out of every 100 make it to heaven. You might ask: ‘Why would God create us, if he was going to lose 97 out of every 100 souls to the devil?’. Good question. It really comes down to this. God can do whatever he chooses. If he wants a family that is just like him and so that he has souls whom he judges he can really fellowship with properly, then that is just the way it is.

So you may wonder why didn’t God create us in a sheltered atmosphere, where there is no satan or temptation? But don’t you remember what he said in the garden?

Gen 3:22 And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
Gen 3:23 Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
Gen 3:24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

If God had not exposed us to the knowledge of good and evil eventually, then there would always be that uncertainty in our future. Would man rebel at some far off future date? Now don’t get me wrong. God did not want Adam to taste of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He knew that the result would be death. They were having wonderful fellowship right there in that garden. But the mere fact that that tree was there makes you wonder if, perhaps, knowing at least the concept of evil was a compulsory piece of knowledge that Adam eventually needed to acquire, in order to enter into a perfect fellowship with the Father. I wonder if Yahweh had a plan to teach Adam about good and evil, in a way that would not cause him to die. But satan was allowed to present his own deh-rek, or course of life. And the woman and the man chose to follow that road. Satan offered instant knowledge, instant understanding, instant gratification. They did not want to wait on God. So they chose, and so they fell.

But Yahweh knew this would occur. And he was way ahead of satan. He knew that those whom he would call the remnant would experience evil in its worst manifestations. They would have to live through it. They would spend a lifetime resisting and rejecting it. They would allow the fire of God not to destroy them, but to refine and purify them. The result would be beings that truly could be called God’s sons and daughters. A family worthy of Yehovah. To acquire a family such as this, tried and tested to the uttermost end, so that there would be no doubt in the future that they would remain forever faithful, Yehovah was willing to sacrifice most of those souls, in order to find those who would prove worthy of his company for all of eternity.

Now please remember that I present this as a theory, not as a fact. It was simply a possibility that occurred to me. I do not know if there is any truth to it. It is meant as food for thought only.

To complete this conjecture, from a human point of view, this idea may seem almost monstrous. But that is because we are still thinking with natural human reasoning. Have we not read over and over in Ezekiel already, about how the deliverance of the Hebrews out of Egypt was not primarily because of God’s love, but in order to magnify his name and his reputation in all the earth? Everything that God does is first and foremost for his glory. The fact that he does love us is secondary.

Eph_2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Col 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
Col 1:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
Col 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
Col 1:19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;

These verses imply the preeminence of the Almighty. As the church is here to glorify the Son, the Son came to glorify the Father.

Joh 17:4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.

Joh 17:10 And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.

God knew that most souls would end up in hell. Yet he still chose to create us. If this offends us, then we need to ask God to change our attitude. Our carnal minds may rebel at such things. But they are true, nonetheless.

Eze 28:16 By the multitude (robe – adundance) of thy merchandise (rek-ool-law – traffic, peddling, trade) they have filled the midst of thee with violence (khaw-mawce – unjust gain, cruelty, falseness, violent dealing), and thou hast sinned (khaw-taw – missed the mark, led astray, trespassed): therefore I will cast thee as profane (khaw-lal) out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy (aw-bad – be lost, perish, fail) thee, O covering (saw-kak) cherub (ker-oob), from the midst of the stones of fire.

Now here we come to the verse that most closely explains what caused satan to fall. You would think it would be pride. And indeed, in the one other passage in Isaiah that speaks of him, pride seems to be at the center of things:

Isa 14:12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
Isa 14:13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
Isa 14:14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
Isa 14:15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

His perfection went to his head. He actually began to believe that since he may have rivalled God in beauty and glory, he thought that he should take his place right alongside Yehovah himself.

Talk about self promotion!

But here in Ezekiel, we find that Yehovah wishes to emphasize something else besides pride (though pride is discussed in the next verse). And he has been preparing us for this revelation, by pronouncing judgment upon Tyre. Tyre, whose sins most closely reflect the corrupted heart of satan. Tyre, whose idolatrous heart that lusted after gold led to its ruin.

But it was not precisely the love of gold that was the real issue. It was this system of buying and selling that originated with satan himself. He was said to have engaged in an abundance of peddling. This constant trafficking eventually filled him with violence of all kinds. What I see this as saying is that satan became a master negotiator in heaven. He kept peddling his rebellion, promising to each angel whatever they wanted to hear. Maybe some wanted to be his lieutenants. Some may have wanted to cohabit with human women. Some may have wanted certain territories to rule. Perhaps satan promised them that they would most certainly overthrow Yehovah, and they could take their pick of what heaven had to offer. Who knows, but whether he was trafficking with angels or men, he would know how to appeal to everyone’s basest instincts. He would know exactly which buttons to push.

He had ultimate prosperity. He was the greatest of all the angels. About the only thing he did not have was control of heaven’s throne. Who knows, like a spoiled child who never plays with his toys unless another child wants to play with one, he may have looked upon the one thing he did not have, and started to covet it.

Another strong theory is that when man was created, that was when he snapped. He could not imagine bowing down to, and having to serve another created being. Maybe jealousy was the fuel that started the fire of rebellion to burn.

But if we strictly stick to the little that scripture reveals, we see two things. Pride and trafficking. Peddling. Buying and selling. This world system of commerce is purely satanic in origin. If there is any truth that we need to take away from the judgment on Tyre, it is how utterly corrupt the world’s system of commerce truly is. Instead of lusting and longing after more of this world’s wealth, we should be doing everything possible to warn the believer to stay away from it. Everything that this monetary system touches, it corrupts.

So for the love of me, why does such a great part of the western church insist on preaching the desirability of getting rich? Why do we want to always insist that God has nothing against money, only the love of it? That is like telling an alcoholic that it is perfectly okay to have 3 drinks every day, only don’t have 13. You are immersing yourself into something that is rotten to the core. Yes, we are forced to engage in it in order to survive. But we should never preach as if it is something desirable.

If the church runs out of money, so what? Pastors make it sound like that is the worst thing that could ever happen. Maybe most pastors should get a job. Then they won’t feel the pressure to beg for money all the time. Maybe we should get back to small fellowships, and meetings where money has no part or place in it, so we can concentrate on studying the word of God, and praying for one another.

God saw this peddler peddle his lies. He flung him out of the mountain of God in heaven. He is said to have destroyed him. Obviously that did not mean that he ceased to exist. Nothing that is spirit ever ceases to exist. God yanked him right out of the place of preeminence that he occupied, and ensured that he would never occupy that space again.

We need to make sure that we never commit an offence of such magnitude that God yanks us out of the place of favor that he has placed us in, as chances are that we will never be placed back there. I have yet to see one fallen preacher ever being restored to his office fully. Oh sure, most try to occupy their ministry post after some short period of ‘reflection’, or some such nonsense, but they never attain the same anointing or authority that they once had. We love to speak of the God of second chances. You may be given a second chance as far as your relationship with Jesus goes, as Peter was. But when it comes to the sacred offices, watch out. Ask king Saul if he ever got a second chance. Ask Moses after he smote the rock twice.

Eze 28:17 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty (yof-ee), thou hast corrupted (shaw-khath) thy wisdom (khok-maw) by reason of thy brightness (yif-aw – splendor): I will cast (shak-lak – throw out, hurl) thee to the ground (eh-rets – earth), I will lay thee before (paw-neem – in the face of) kings (meh-lek), that they may behold (raw-aw – see) thee.

Here is the reference to the pride that Isaiah spoke of. In short, satan got so full of himself that he felt hard done by. Yes, his beauty was as no other. His ungrateful thinking corrupted whatever wisdom God had given him. You can corrupt the gifts God gave you.

Satan’s reward was to be cast down to earth. That is where he is today, walking to and fro, up and down, seeking whom he may devour. Apparently he still has some access to heaven, as evidenced in the book of Job. He is not called the accuser of the brethren for nothing!

The last part of the verse I find somewhat mysterious. What kings will God lay satan in front of? The most reasonable explanation is that this is a future event, when satan will be judged and thrown in the lake of fire. This seems to say that the most prominent of men will witness his humiliation. This one, who deceived the nations, shall be brought very low.

Eze 28:18 Thou hast defiled (khaw-lal – thy sanctuaries (mik-dawsh – consecrated place, holy place) by the multitude (robe – abundance) of thine iniquities (aw-vone – perversity, mischief, moral evil), by the iniquity (eh-val) of thy traffick (rek-ool-law); therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour (aw-kal – eat, consume) thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth (eh-rets) in the sight of all them that behold thee.

Yehovah summarizes satan’s sins and his sentence one more time. From God’s perspective, perhaps the defilement of heaven itself was the most egregious transgression. Is it not difficult to imagine that something that lived in heaven, right next to God’s throne, could choose to throw that all away? What was so bad, that satan thought something needed to change?

In the category of stupidest decisions of all time, this one will forever hold first place.

Yehovah says his sins were abundant. His trafficking, his spreading of seditious ideas, his buying and selling heavenly loyalties caused sin to multiply. Since satan’s heart burned with covetousness and jealousy, Yehovah decided to let that burning lust consume him. It would devour him. In the end, it will also consume his body at the final judgment.

I see in this verse a reference to someone being turned over to their sinful desires, as Romans chapter one speaks of. When someone has chosen to pursue their favorite sin above and beyond all hope of turning back, then God does something in that person’s soul, whereby the desire for that sin gets put in some sort of overdrive. They become completely consumed with the lust of it. Romans speaks of sexual lust. This can just as easily be a lust for power, or for money, or for fame, or for revenge.

Eze 28:19 All they that know thee among the people (am – tribe, nation) shall be astonished (shaw-mame – stun, stupefy) at thee: thou shalt be a terror (bal-law-haw – alarm, destruction), and never (ay-yin – be nothing or not exist) shalt thou be any more (ad o-lawm – for as long as eternity exists).

The ultimate end of satan is found in this verse. Everyone who had any dealings with this creature shall be stunned at how utterly ruined is his end. The judgment of satan shall serve as an eternal warning to any creature that would ever think to dabble on the side of evil. The last part of the verse speaks to the fact that for as long as eternity exists, it will be as if satan never existed. All his works, all his accomplishments, perhaps even his memory, shall be no more. The main idea is that a creature such as this will never be allowed to rise again.

The wording in this verse sort of morphs into a judgment upon an evil ruler. And as the judgment of satan goes, so goes the judgment on his first lieutenant, the prince of Tyre in this case, and the antichrist in the future.

Thus ends the judgment of Tyre. I pray that you have discovered some things that you may have not known previously.

Eze 28:20 Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

Yehovah is not quite finished yet. He has one more brief thing to say.

Eze 28:21 Son of man, set thy face against Zidon (fishery), and prophesy against it,

Just in case Tyre’s sister in crime thinks that she was going to escape, Yahweh is going to rectify that. Tyre and Sidon seem to be mentioned together in scripture quite a bit – once in Joel, and 10 times in the New Testament. They were close together in distance, and I’m sure Sidon shared in the prosperity of Tyre.

Since we have been dealing with types and patterns of the book of Revelation, then if the king of Tyre is satan, and the prince of Tyre is the antichrist, then perhaps Sidon is the false prophet. The unholy trinity, all destined for the pit.

Eze 28:22 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Zidon; and I will be glorified in the midst of thee: and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall have executed judgments (sheh-fet – sentencing) in her, and shall be sanctified in her.

Well, that’s that. God is against Zidon. That about says it all, does it not? We can sort of guess what is to come. Again, we see the primary purpose of everything that God does is God centered, not man centered. On the positive side, we have already read that Israel was delivered out of Egypt in order that Israel, Egypt, and the planet would know that Yahweh was the Lord. Conversely, Zidon shall be judged so that they will recognize who Yehovah is. In addition, Yehovah shall be glorified. That is, he does not want the devil, nor man, to get the credit for destroying her. Whether God is blessing or he is cursing, he wants the credit.

So often we see modern day preachers thinking they are protecting God’s character by insisting that every bad thing that occurs is never from God. I remember when 9/11 occurred. Only David Wilkerson said it was a judgment from God. The rest of the church world condemned him. They all unequivocally stated that God would never do such a thing! How dare David for even suggesting it!

Turns out, according to this verse, and many, many others if you have been paying attention, you are besmirching God’s character if you try to give the glory for his judgments to someone else. How dare you attribute to satan what the Lord God attributes solely to himself? Could this also be an example of the unpardonable sin, that Jesus spoke of?

Mar 3:28 Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme:
Mar 3:29 But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation:
Mar 3:30 Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit.

These religious fools accused Jesus of doing miracles by the power of satan. In other words, they attributed the works of God to some created being.

Have we not read over and over that God sends his judgments, in order that they shall know that he is God? Is that not uncomfortably similar to what Jesus spoke of? Do you realize what this means, if this is true? It means that every preacher, and every Christian, that attributed something that God sent to judge his people as coming from the devil, could be committing the same sort of error? if you denied that it was God that brought judgment, and blamed the devil, you may have been in danger of this unpardonable sin? In other words, you may be attributing the works of God to the devil.

Now to be fair, the devil certainly does his share of wicked things. And we are to resist him. But when we have clear evidence of unrepentant wickedness in the land, we should expect Yehovah to act in the same way that he has acted with his people in biblical times. Was not the bible written for our instruction? So that we can discern the appropriate pattern in the season that we find ourselves in?

This is some serious stuff. Don’t automatically blame the devil for what Yahweh may be doing.. I am sure that if you had done this in ignorance in the past, then as long as you repent once you are made aware, forgiveness is yours. On the other hand, the Pharisees were knowingly blaspheming, seeing the power of God with their own eyes, but refusing to acknowledge it. Now that you have been made aware, be very careful. Unless you do not agree with what I am saying. If that is the case, feel free to keep blaming the devil for everything.

Eze 28:23 For I will send into her pestilence (deh-ber – murrain, plague), and blood into her streets; and the wounded (khaw-lawl – pierced) shall be judged (naphal – to fall) in the midst of her by the sword upon her on every side; and they shall know that I am the LORD.

It seems that in almost every verse Yehovah wants to pound it into us again and again that he is killing people so that they will recognize that he is the one responsible. He sends disease, and he also sends plagues. He is the one that causes the blood to flow in the streets, and the one that pierces the people. The pierced shall fall everywhere. All to make them know that he is God.

Ezekiel is certainly causing the honest seeker of truth to reevaluate the very foundations of what we hold dear. The generally held precept in our age is that all good comes from God, and all evil comes from the devil. This is because the judgments of the Lord are not taught, except perhaps the final judgment of the lost at the end of time.

One may wonder how can one tell the difference between judgment and persecution? There is a fine line there, is there not? Sin in the land eventually attracts the judgment of God. As judgment increases, more evil is allowed to flourish. More evil means more persecution. Persecution falls on the righteous, while judgment generally falls on the wicked. The difference is that while judgment focuses on the wicked, it affects us all, both wicked and just. Persecution usually affects the righteous only.

Eze 28:24 And there shall be no more a pricking (maw-ar – embittered, painful) brier (sil-lone – thorn) unto the house of Israel, nor any grieving (kaw-ab – sorrowful) thorn (kotse – prickling) of all that are round about them, that despised them; and they shall know that I am the Lord GOD.

The language used here reminds one of the warning God gave the wilderness wanderers, before they were to enter the promised land:

Num 33:55 But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell.

The specific sins of Zidon are not mentioned, as they were for Tyre. But the bible seems to lump these two together more often than not. If we assume Zidon’s judgment is still on Yahweh’s mind, then apparently Zidon was a thorn in Israel’s side throughout its history. But the verse goes beyond speaking of Zidon. God speaks of all those nations that surround Israel. As Numbers promised, they were a continual prick and thorn. Something not necessarily fatal, but a constant irritant.

And of course we see that this truth is just as real today as it was 2500 years ago. Is not Israel surrounded on all sides by those who cannot stop being a thorn in Israel’s side? This will continue until Jesus returns. This is the fate of the believer. The child of God will always be surrounded by enemies. They will continue to poke and prod us, to try to destroy us, or at the very least, cause us to fall. Our normal situation is not one of health and wealth, but pressure and trouble. But take heart, this is the lot of all the children of God in all ages.

Eze 28:25 Thus saith the Lord GOD; When I shall have gathered the house of Israel from the people (am) among whom they are scattered (poots – dashed in pieces, dispersed), and shall be sanctified (kaw-dash – pronounced clean) in them in the sight of the heathen (goy), then shall they dwell in their land that I have given to my servant Jacob (heel catcher).

This ingathering has occurred more than once. The people came back to the land after a 70 year timeout under the decree of Cyrus. The greater ingathering began in 1948, and continues to this day. The way that Jew hatred is now becoming a global phenomenon, it would not surprise me to see one more great final returning of the rest of the world’s Jews back to Israel, since there seems to be no other place that is safe for them anymore.

This is going to finish off the west. The muslims, who are the haters of God and God’s people, have overrun our land. And what do we expect to happen, once they have achieved sufficient numbers to challenge our rule of law? Assimilate, or conquer? Shockingly, most of our citizens, especially the young, are embracing the lies about the Jew and are joining the muslims in their jihadic rhetoric against the Jew. As we turn against Israel, that will be the final nail in our coffins. That is one of the surest ways to guarantee the judgments of the Lord, even unto our annihilation. We have seen from the text how Yahweh detests those nations that rejoice when Israel suffers.

No matter what the muslims do, Yahweh guarantees that the Jew will dwell in their land. You can chant your demonic slogans all you want. God promises that one day the Jews shall return. The next verse speaks of the Jew dwelling safely. The first part has been accomplished in great measure. That last part is yet to come.

Eze 28:26 And they shall dwell safely (beh-takh – place of refuge, securely) therein, and shall build houses, and plant vineyards; yea, they shall dwell with confidence (beh-takh), when I have executed judgments (sheh-fet) upon all those that despise them round about them; and they shall know that I am the LORD their God.

As mentioned, the complete fulfilment of the promise of God toward his chosen people is the promise of safety and security. Yehovah promises to execute judgments on Israel’s enemies. That means all the muslims are destined to be destroyed. The rest of the planet can decide if they want to be destroyed along with them.

It is refreshing that Yahweh finally allows a ray of sunshine and hope to break forth with this future promise of peace and safety. The Jew has had the hardest road of any nation to tread. That is the price one pays for being the chosen of God. The Jew is a pattern for the church. We can expect the same treatment, if we are truly of the kingdom of God, and not of this world.

The prophecy concerning Tyre makes it very clear that the world’s system of commerce is not from above, but from below. It was inspired and created by satan himself. It is his way of ruling the masses. That is why, more than anything, the true child of God should do everything possible to detach themselves from this Tyronian (Babylonian) system of financial control. Some things may be out of our control, but some things are not. Let us always strive to minimize our entanglements with the world.

Solitary Man
https://solitaryman.substack.com/