There is a very common perception that the 'Lucifer' in Isaiah 14:12ff refers to Satan, the supernatural personification of evil. I think that this misconception comes from two sources. The first is wishful thinking in the sense that it is nice to think that 'the Enemy' will get his come-uppance eventually. The second has to do with the old caution that scripture is to be read only 'in context'. This requires going back and reading all of Isaiah 13 and the earlier verses in Isaiah 14. When this is done we suddenly realize that scripture is not speaking of a supernatural Satan at all but of a Babylonian king with an immense ego. Read Isaiah 14: " 4 you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon:" What follows is a long rant against this oppressive king filled with numerous reference to his human nature like Isaiah 14: "16 Those who see you stare at you, they ponder your fate: Is this the man who shook the earth and made kingdoms tremble, 17 the man who made the world a desert, who overthrew its cities and would not let his captives go home?" This passage is in no way a reference to Satan or the devil. That anyone would draw that conclusion is, to me, somewhat naive.
God didn't create Satan, man did. Satan (ha'shaitan) occurs by name in the Old Testament in the Book of Job, and here it's clear that Satan IS NOT the Devil! The Devil is supposedly banished from the presence of God, yet in Job, Satan is allowed to come and go from God's presence and on a mission for God yet! What's going on? Satan here is not "the Devil" but sort of God's prosecuting attorney. The Jews did not originally believe in devils but they picked up these concepts (and more!) during the Babylonian Exile from the Persians who followed Zoroastrianism. Up to that time, their concept of God was of a being responsible for everything, both good and evil. Isaiah 45:7 is just one quote that demonstrates this. The Exilic Jews found the concept of a near-Supreme Being of Evil interesting. They borrowed it because it got God off the hook for the suffering and evil in the world, providing him with a scapegoat. God was now all-good! Satan was made into the Devil as a result of this alien dualism, since his function as a prosecutor was so unwelcome to the Jews. And retroactively what was only actually a talking serpent in the Garden of Eden was identified as the Devil as well.
To most modern Christians, the concept of the Devil is a conflation of the serpent of Genesis, the Lucifer of Isaiah and the Satan of Job. This conflation is further supplemented by lurid medieval fiction like Dante's "Inferno".
Might it not be better to set these images aside and simply take responsiblity for our own evil thoughts and deeds?
jackrt,
1 You don't understand proper Biblical Hermeneutics.
Isaiah 14; Ezekiel 28 and Matthew 16:21-23 are what is called Double reference.
In Matthew, Jesus said, get behind me Satan for you don't savor the things of God. Christ called Peter Satan even though he was not Satan.
Satan didn't savor the things of God on purpose and was using Peter's ignorance of God's plan of redemption.
Ezekiel 25:15-17, God destroyed the Philistines and cut off the Cherethims and destroyed the remnant of the sea coast which would have been Tyrus. Ezekiel 25:16; 26.
Ezekiel 26,27 is addressed to Tyrus.
Tyrus would be taken over by Nebuchadnezzar the King of Babylon which was North of Tyrus Ezekiel 26:7.
Tyrus was a merchant of the people for many isles and said was of perfect beauty Ezekiel 27:3.
Ezekiel 25-27 is all about the mighty sea coast city of Tyrus that God would destroy Ezekiel 27:32.
2. Ezekiel 28:2 the Prince of Tyrus was a man in that day.
Ezekiel 28:9 but thou shalt be a man is future.
Both the earthly prince of Tyrus and the future Antichrist are examples of pride and claiming themselves as God Ezekiel 28:2,9 and 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 known as the son of Perdition.
3. Verse 15 addresses the King of Tyrus which was the originator of pride who was the sum, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
There are spirit beings that occupy regions of earth that influence the physical kings of the earth.
A). The King of Tyrus only was in the original Garden of Eden in the day he was created. The prince of Tyrus had to accumulate his riches.
B). The King of Tyrus only was the anointed cherub upon the real mountain of God. The prince of Tyrus was the sea coast mogul.
C). The King of Tyrus only was created perfect until sin was found in him. The prince of Tyrus was conceived in sin like David said and because of Adam sinning.
Ezekiel 28:16-18 was punishment for the King of Tyrus who is none other than Lucifer from Isaiah 14:12-14.
Isaiah 14:4 is prophetic to the King of Babylon, the golden city ceased is an allusion to Revelation 18:10.
Verse 12; Lucider, the son of morning was cut down to the ground and weakened the nations which harmonizes with Ezekiel 28:18.
Lucifer was the original pridemaster and the only one to rebel against God in the Heavens and get kicked back down to earth and Hell is his final destination for it was made originally for him and his angels who rebelled with him which is located in the lower parts of the earth. This all stems from Lucifer fallen from Heaven literally verse 12. The King of Babylon never did this.
You are spiritualizing as in allegorical interpretation and that is not rightly dividing the word.
Your contextual hermeneutics are wrong.
There is no wishful thing on the real truth. You are the one who has the naive pov.
4. Lucifer was an angel and angels are called sons of God as in Job 1:6.
However, in Job 1:6 the sons of God are God's angels as witnesses and Satan was among them. He was no longer a true son of God in the truest sense.
Satan was not a prosecuting attorney for God. That is absurd.
Revelation 12:9; the great dragon, the old serpent is called the Devil and Satan and the accuser of the brethren.
Job was specific to show no matter what Job would not forsake him even if he slayed him.
This stems from the Great confrontation between God and Satan from the beginning before Adam and will end in Revelation 20:10 in the lake of fire.
5. Isaiah 14:12-14 and Ezekiel 28:11-18 prove Satan's origin before Adam.
Genesis 3 proves Satan was already fallen working through the serpent because he had the knowledge of Good and evil which man did not.
Jesus understood creation and the truth about Satan from the beginning as a real entity not metaphorical and you think he just learned it as passed down from Zorastrianism?
Jews are atheists because of believing satans lies who Jesus said he was the Father of lies.
The Babylonian Talmud was mostly traditions of men and Kabbalah and many other mystic Jewish nonsense are not real Jews just like Paul said in Romans 2 because they do not believe the truth and are blinded. This is another reason they are atheists and don't believe in Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world and divine etc. They believe he was a mere good man and teacher. This is like Islam and Christadelphians etc.
6. Why not put aside false history of misunderstanding the Word of God.
Everybody has to take their responsibility for their sin because on Judgement day it is just a person and God.
Satan already has his sentence of punishment in hell because it was created for him and his angels.
He is our adversary because he is the prince of the power of the air, etc. and we have to put on the armor of God to withstand the wiles of the devil.
The devil is real and was not created by man but God Ezekiel 28:15.
Get out of humanism and intellectualism and wrong hermeneutics and get into the truth of God's word and rightly dividing the word of God. Jerry kelso