Reasoning Through the Bible
Taking a cue from Paul, Reasoning Through the Bible is an expository style walk through the Scriptures that tells you what the Bible says. Reviewing both Old and New Testament books, as well as topical subjects, we methodically teach verse by verse, even phrase by phrase.
We have completed many books of the Bible and offer free lesson plans for teachers. If you want to browse our entire library by book or topic, see our website www.ReasoningThroughTheBible.com.
We primarily do expository teaching but also include a good bit of theology and apologetics. Just like Paul on Mars Hill, Christianity must address both the ancient truths and the questions of the people today. Join Glenn and Steve every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday as they reason with you through the Bible.
Reasoning Through the Bible
S32 || Satan's Downfall and the Pride of Nations || Ezekiel 28:1-24 || Session 32
Pride has been humanity's downfall since Eden, and Ezekiel 28 provides one of Scripture's most penetrating examinations of this spiritual cancer. The chapter opens with God's indictment of Tyre's ruler who, intoxicated by his own success, declared "I am a God." This represents the ultimate expression of human arrogance—a mortal claiming divinity.
But what makes this passage truly extraordinary is what follows. After addressing the human prince, God speaks to the "king of Tyre" using language that transcends human description. This being was "in Eden," was a "covering cherub," was "created perfect," and walked among "fiery stones." Biblical scholars widely recognize this as a rare glimpse into Satan's original position and subsequent fall—a being of extraordinary beauty and wisdom who became corrupted by pride in those very qualities.
The text reveals a profound spiritual dynamic that operates throughout history: behind human pride often stands spiritual wickedness. The prince of Tyre didn't merely develop arrogance independently—he aligned himself with the original rebel against God's authority. This pattern continues today as leaders who reject divine authority often find themselves spiritually influenced by forces they may not acknowledge.
What practical wisdom can we draw from this ancient text? First, success, beauty, intelligence, and power—while potentially beneficial—can become corrupting influences when they lead to self-exaltation rather than gratitude to God. Second, we must recognize that spiritual battles underlie human affairs, with pride being Satan's primary tool for leading humans away from God. Finally, we're reminded that God remains sovereign over all nations and rulers, establishing and removing them according to His purposes.
The antidote to pride remains consistent throughout Scripture: "Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God that He may exalt you at the proper time." When we acknowledge our dependence on God and recognize Him as the source of every blessing, we position ourselves to receive His grace rather than His opposition.
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Today on Reasoning Through the Bible. We are in Ezekiel, chapter 28, and we're going to meet a couple of people here that the scriptures are quite descriptive of. One of them we know is a human leader of the nation of Tyre and the other is going to be quite interesting and we'll see who that is as we get into the passage. A little bit of information about our ministry. We do verse-by-verse Bible study through the Word of God. If you have a church or a small group that need teaching materials, we offer those, most of it free of charge. Check out our website, all the books that we've done. You can find lesson plans and helps on how you can teach the Bible in your church or small group. Check out our website. We have a lot of resources there and you can teach the Bible in your church or small group. Check out our website. We have a lot of resources there and you can also send information to us through the website as well. Today, again, if you have your copy of the Word of God, open it to Ezekiel, chapter 28. A little bit of review that we'll do here before we get into chapter 28. The first of the book, if you remember, God spends the entire first chapter arriving in all of his glory and Ezekiel describes the grand throne with all of the heavenly beings and the wheels within a wheel. God was very impressive and very powerful. He calls Ezekiel into ministry and gives him a commission, and from chapters 4 through 24, god gives Ezekiel a series of prophecies that predict the fall of Jerusalem.
Speaker 1:We had many passages with very graphic descriptions of the death and destruction that's going to happen to Jerusalem and the reason why God was doing it. God gave much justification for why he's going to bring death to a very disobedient Jewish people. In a vision we also saw God's glory leaving the temple and leaving the city of Jerusalem and going out to the Mount of Olives. That is symbolizing the removing of his blessing from the nation Israel. From chapters 12 to 16, god explained why he's judging Jerusalem and gave graphic description of the abominations that the Jewish people were doing, calling them adulteries and giving very descriptive illustrations of how and why God was passing judgment on these people. The Lord talked about a future time of a new covenant and rebuild Jerusalem. These passages had many sections of destruction of Jerusalem and the disobedience, but he has brought in several passages where God will say I'm going to rebuild it and there's going to be a new day someday. And as we get later in the book, we'll see much more of that, starting in chapters 26 and 27,. God predicts what he's going to do with Tyre Today.
Speaker 1:In chapter 28, we have speaking to two particular beings about Tyre. The first one is called the leader or prince of Tyre and the second one is called the king of Tyre. But as we get to that part we'll see if it really is a king or not. Let's go ahead and dive in. Well, first of all, we hear about what the scripture calls the prince, or ruler or leader of Tyre. Steve, can you read the first 10 verses of Ezekiel, chapter 28?
Speaker 2:The word of the Lord came again to me, saying Son of man, say to the leader of Tyre Thus says the Lord God, because your heart is lifted up and you have said I am a God, I sit in the seat of gods in the heart of the seas. Yet you are a man, not a God, although you make your heart like the heart of God. Behold, you are wiser than Daniel. There is no secret that is a match for you. By your wisdom and understanding, you have acquired riches for yourself and have acquired gold and silver for your treasuries. By your great wisdom, by your trade, you have increased your riches and your heart is lifted up because of your riches.
Speaker 2:Therefore, thus says the Lord God, because you have made your heart like the heart of God. Therefore, behold, I will bring strangers upon you, the most ruthless of the nations, and they will draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom and defile your splendor. They will bring you down to the pit and you will die the death of those who are slain in the heart of the seas. Will you still say I am a God in the presence of your slayer, though you are a man and not God in the hands of those who wound you. You will die the death of the uncircumcised by the hand of strangers. For I have spoken, declares the Lord God.
Speaker 1:In this section, God is telling what he's going to do to Tyre and why. Let's look at verse 2. God gives specific reasons there why he's going to do what he's going to do to Tyre. Steve, what reason does God give in verse 2 for judging Tyre?
Speaker 2:Tyre. Steve, what reason does God give in verse 2 for judging Tyre? Because he says he has lifted up his heart, meaning that he has a bit of pride that he has brought about. In that he says that you say that I am a God and that you sit in the seats of God. So here it is. This leader of Tyre has elevated himself to the area of being a god and the Lord is quite clear in the latter verses that he's not a god, he's just a man.
Speaker 1:What is it about pride? That really rubs against God's ways and God's character.
Speaker 2:I think it's because people attribute to themselves things that God has brought about, especially creation or whenever they have a great success of, in these cases, building cities or building wealth. They don't acknowledge the blessings of God that have come along their way and they totally look to themselves and say I, single-handedly, have done this and they don't acknowledge God as being active in their life.
Speaker 1:Is this still true today? I mean what will happen today to people that puff themselves up with pride and think very highly of themselves.
Speaker 2:I think it is the same thing today, and especially with leadership. We're going to be talking about all the leaders of these different nations that God is going to be talking about through Ezekiel, and God is going to be clear I'm the person and I'm the one who raises these nations up and take them down again. I think it was true then, in Ezekiel's time, and it's true today, that through all of the leaders of the nations, that they serve at the pleasure of God. What I mean by that is that Scripture is clear that God allows them to serve. We're told in the New Testament that we're to pray for our leadership Through that. What that means is that we're to pray for them to be followers of God, the one true God.
Speaker 2:I think there's going to be a responsibility.
Speaker 2:James tells us in the third chapter that there's a greater responsibility to you and me, glenn, as teachers of the Word, that we're supposed to treat it respectfully and we're supposed to do it diligently and diligently, study through it in order to convey what God wants to through his word, and we're going to be held to a higher standard.
Speaker 2:Well, I think the same thing is the case for leaders of nations. They are there to lead great throngs of people and they're there to be shepherds in a way not in a religious way but they're to be protectors. They're the people that have been put in power to guide the people and make the nation safe and prosperous among them. But we've seen through the ages that there's been several tyrants, despots and dictators that have turned around and killed millions of their own populace, and I think that those leaders are going to pay a price. We see that God is talking about some of these leaders here and he's going to be very direct and clear that they are going to pay a price for not leading the people in the right way and not worshiping God in the way that they should be.
Speaker 1:God is the same today as he was back in Ezekiel's day, and he's going to react to people that are prideful today, just like he did in those days and really all throughout the scriptures, because there's many places where he talks about how he will react to people. Many places where he talks about how he will react to people. Quote pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall. It tells us that in Proverbs 16, 18. Quote a man's pride will bring him low. Proverbs 29, 23. God will not tolerate those who lift themselves up to his level. Remember the Tower of Babel? What were they trying to do is to reach up into heaven instead of realizing their place. Rather, god tells us to humble ourselves in front of him, to make ourselves low, and then he will lift us up. Quote humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you at the proper time. Unquote. It says that in 1 Peter, 5, 6.
Speaker 1:Throughout the scriptures Old Testament and New God really hates a prideful, haughty spirit and he loves an humble one, because an humble spirit can be teachable. We're not as smart as we'd like to convince ourselves, and God's wisdom is the wisdom of the ages. If we are humble, then we can learn from him and he can use us. If we have a prideful, boastful spirit, then we resist the teaching hand of God. Then it says in verses three to five here God tells the people of Tyre you are wiser than Daniel. Remember, daniel was quite wise and God is pointing out that the ruler of Tyre was indeed wise. If you were with us last time, you remember that Tyre grew itself into a vast size of a nation, was very wealthy, controlled many cities, controlled the entire eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea. You're not an idiot if you're going to be controlling all that. This was a very wise ruler. But what does he say in verses 7 and 8, steve, that he's going to do to Tyre?
Speaker 2:He says here in verse 7 that there's going to be nations that are going to come up and they're going to be ruthless in the destruction of Tyre, they're going to bring out their swords and that they're going to go against his beauty and wisdom and defile the splendor, as we've talked about in earlier sessions that Tyre was this very wealthy city-state nation and they had also planted other colonies along the Mediterranean and they were the main leader of commerce and trade all throughout the Mediterranean. Through all of that trade they had built themselves up and really made their city-state a thing to look at in a splendor. And Glenn, one thing on the comparison with Daniel.
Speaker 2:When we go through the book of Daniel, daniel attributes his wisdom and his abilities to interpret Nebuchadnezzar's dreams to God himself, to Yahweh. Daniel never takes anything for himself and says I'm doing this on my own. We see the exact opposite in Daniel. As far as pride, daniel is always bowing himself and humbling himself, as you mentioned before, to Yahweh, and it's the exact opposite. So I find it curious that when God compares the leader or Prince of Tyre to Daniel and says that he is as wise as Daniel in as far as the personalities of the two, the Prince of Tyre takes it upon himself and says I am like a god, whereas Daniel acknowledges that he gets all of his wisdom and interpretations from God himself.
Speaker 1:The ruler of Tyre viewed himself as like a god. And with this God, the real God, approaches him with this with a question in verse 9. He had told him he's going to bring these nations, these very ruthless nations, against you. And in verse 9, are you still going to say I am God when there's somebody running a sword through your midsection? That was Yahweh's question to this ruler of Tyre you think you're a god? Are you really going to say you're all that smart when I send the hordes and ruthless peoples to come in and cut you down to size? That's what the question here is. These people had no qualms about ignoring God and thinking they were the ones who were intelligent enough to raise themselves up to this wealthy position of wealth and power. But God says I'm going to bring you down to size.
Speaker 1:So the question now is how do we apply this to our day? We live in a time when there's a lot of people out there that think they're real smart and they think they're very clever and they think they've figured out a way to game the system to make themselves a lot of power and money. In a lot of cases, if you just look at it from a worldly standpoint, they've succeeded. They're running around cheating and they're running around manipulating society and manipulating things to bring themselves wealth and power. But, steve, what's going to happen to them in the end?
Speaker 2:They are going to pay for the pride that they have, and it's not going to be in a pleasant way. They are going to pay for the pride that they have, and it's not going to be in a pleasant way. They're going to become under judgment from God here. These judgments that we're going to go through are talking about the judgment of them and their nations here on earth, and we're going to see what the outcome is. But as far as their spirit and their soul, but as far as their spirit and their soul, there's going to be a judgment on them in their spiritual sense.
Speaker 2:As far as their eternal destination, it's very clear that the only way for someone to have eternal life with God is to go through Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ says I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father except through me. These people that do not acknowledge God as being their creator and do not acknowledge Jesus Christ and belief in him as being the way to eternal salvation and to be with them in heaven, and such that they're going to spend an eternity in a place that is not heaven, and there's going to be a judgment on their spirit and their soul related to that these talk about immediate judgment there in the time on the earth. But there's also going to be a second judgment we're told about at the end of the kingdom, where the lost are going to face it of the kingdom where the lost are going to face it.
Speaker 1:It's called the great white throne judgment. We live in a day where we think we're very civilized, we think we're above and beyond all the violence, we think we've really got things figured out. But God says there's going to come a day when he sends in very ruthless people, like he says here in Ezekiel, and that is so that we will remember who is the real God. This first part of the chapter talks to this leader, this human leader in Tyre. The second part is addressed to the language it uses as the king of Tyre, and there is some debate amongst Bible teachers about who this is speaking about, whether this is a human king or whether this is Satan. Let's go ahead and read it and then we can talk about who this is really speaking about.
Speaker 1:I'm starting in verse 11. Again, the word of the Lord came to me saying Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre and say to him. Thus says the Lord God, you had the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect and beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God. Every precious stone was your covering the ruby, the topaz and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx and the jasper, the lapis lazuli, the turquoise and the emerald and the gold and the workmanship of your settings and sockets was in you On the day that you were created. They were prepared. You were the anointed cherub who covers, and I placed you there.
Speaker 1:You were on the holy mountain of God. You walked in the midst of the stones of fire. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created until unrighteousness was found in you by the abundance of your trade. You were internally filled with violence and you sinned. Therefore, I have cast you as profane from the mountain of God and I have destroyed you.
Speaker 1:O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty. You corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor. I cast you to the ground. I put you before kings that they may see you by the multitude of your iniquities. In the unrighteousness of your trade, you profaned your sanctuaries. Therefore, I have brought fire from the midst of you. It has consumed you and I have turned you to ashes on the earth in the eyes of all who see you. All who know you among the people are appalled at you. You have become terrified and you will cease to be forever. Steve. Very graphic language here, very descriptive. Why do some people think that this is talking about Satan and not a literal king of Tyre?
Speaker 2:Because there are several references in here that talk about an entity that is not a creation of a human being. One, for instance, it says you were the covering cherub. It also says that you were created and such, and I think you have a listing here, glenn, that we're going to go through in detail. But when you see those type of references, it says he was created blameless. Those things don't refer to a human being, those refer to another type of a creation. As we go through and discuss these in a little bit of detail, we're going to see that it's referring to Satan himself. I think that's where we've come out and rested upon.
Speaker 1:There are several passages that we just read, several verses that really make it doubtful that it's really the language that was originally used. They're a king of Tyre, simply because look at the list. Verse 12, you had the seal of perfection. Verse 13, you were in Eden, the garden of God, on the day you were created and it goes through all these beautiful things, rubies and diamonds and gold, and all these precious stones, all this splendor. It says. No human really could be said for that to apply to. He was covered in all this beauty. Verse 14, you were the anointed cherub and at one point it even calls him oh, cherub. He's speaking directly to a cherub. Verse 15, you were blameless in your ways from the day you were created. That language is just never used of a regular human being and it certainly is not speaking of Adam. That was the only one that was really made perfect in all of human history.
Speaker 1:All of those were reasons why many, if not most, bible teachers think this is speaking of Satan. However, there are a couple of places that cast some shadow of doubt on whether it's Satan or human. Look at verse 18. It says fire has consumed him and it uses the language quote turned you to ashes on the earth, unquote. And it says it says you will cease to be forever. We take that and we compare it to passages we know are talking about Satan, such as Revelation, chapter 20, verse 10, that clearly speaks of the eternal state of Satan as being in the lake of fire. Revelation 20.10 says and the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also, and they will be tormented day and night, forever and ever. So Satan was never turned into ashes on the earth, nor does he cease to be forever. Steve, is there a reconciliation for this? It seems to be Satan, but there's a couple of passages there at the end that just raise some questions.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think in those latter chapters of Revelation when it talks about Satan being cast into the lake of fire.
Speaker 2:Prior to that it says he's loosed for a little while, for a little season, and then afterwards he's finally defeated once and for all and he's cast into the lake of fire and into the abyss. I think that's relevant to the people that are on earth. He's not going to be a problem anymore. He's not going to be someone that is a temptation to the other nations or a deceiver for any of the people or the nations at any point anymore. So therefore, you could say that he's going to go to the ashes, he's going to cease to exist forever. I think that's what it's referring to From the perspective of people that are on the redeemed earth and in the new heavens and new earth. He is no longer, once and for all, ever going to be an issue at all. He's going to be in the lake of fire forever, but as far as us and our glorified bodies in the new heavens and new earth, he's not going to be an issue ever again.
Speaker 1:That's good news. I think we can draw a lesson from this, though, that we can take home on a practical sense with us on an everyday basis. The lesson here that's very clear, whoever it's talking about is that just because a person or a country is wise, beautiful, powerful, intelligent, has all these attributes of beauty and power and intelligence, just because they have all of that, if they don't humble themselves before God, then he will eventually bring them down. If they hold themselves up in pride because of their beauty and talents, then the Lord, god, will bring them down Verse 17,. The beauty of this being corrupted is wisdom, is what it says there. So, steve, today is it possible for people to be as we said earlier? We've got very wise, intelligent, crafty people in the world, and we've got very beautiful people in the world that command a lot of attention. Can beauty and wisdom be corrupted into being sinful and unwise and end up in some kind of destruction?
Speaker 2:I think that's the case many times with people who have great wealth, that they are insulated in many ways from the world and they don't have to depend on any type of a supreme being. They think that they can cover everything themselves and that wealth will bring them much happiness. But yet we see the exact opposite more often than not, that the great wealth that they accumulate really doesn't insulate them from the world. If anything else, they start worrying about how they're going to keep their wealth and how they're going to accumulate more wealth. Many times, in order to do that, they become deceitful in the way that they keep that wealth. There's different type of perspectives related to wealth and the people that accumulate it. More times than not, they end up not being happy and many times they end up dying at a relatively young age. That said, glenn, as we prepared for this part of Ezekiel, I was wondering why is it that God has brought up Satan in this particular area of Tyre? I think that this part of verse 17 here is a little bit of an indication as to why. In the earlier parts of the chapter it says that the prince or the leader of Tyre thinks himself as a god and that, through his wisdom, is on compare with Daniel, and that, through all of this, he thinks that he's the one that has brought about this great wealth. But in this second part here of 17, I think God is showing that behind this leader, or this prince of Tyre, is Satan, that he has some sort of a connection with Satan, and it is Satan who is the power behind this prince or leader of Tyre, and that he has made some sort of a deal, or he worships Satan in some sort of way, worships Satan in some sort of way, and his power and wealth that he has accumulated, he being the leader of Tyre, is because of this connection that he has with Satan, so I think that's why God has brought him up here. Tyre, who has accumulated all of this wealth, really is worshiping Satan, and I think that there is a parallel to our day and age. I think throughout all of the ages, there are people that worship Satan, and that they have sold their souls, so to speak, to honor and worship Satan, and part of the exchange is they get great wealth. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that all wealthy people are worshipers of Satan. What I am saying, though, is there are some that are worshipers of Satan and that they have accumulated wealth and made different types of deals in order to get this wealth, fame and fortune. So I think that we can take from that that here in Ezekiel's time that was true with this particular leader of Tyre and I think it has been that way through all of history there are various leaders that have made ties with Satan and have rejected God Yahweh and have aligned themselves with Satan and the power that Satan has in this world, and I think it's true, even up until our times today, that there are certain people that have done that. So it's a picture of caution to some of the leadership that is out there and some of the people.
Speaker 2:Don't exchange your soul for temporary wealth here on earth and fame and fortune here on earth, because that's all that Satan can bring you is a temporary fame and fortune and wealth. The eternal wealth that you have is stored up in heaven. Jesus says where your heart is is where your treasure will be. Paul says we're not citizens of this earth, that we're citizens of heaven for the believers who are in Jesus Christ. And that's the cautionary tale Align yourself with Jesus Christ and have eternal life with him in heaven. If you align yourself with Satan. You might be wealthy and famous here on earth.
Speaker 1:You might be wealthy and famous here on earth, but then it all comes to end whenever you die and your eternal soul will be separate from God and it won't be with Jesus Christ at all. Make a lot of money where they have a lot of power, they're given a lot of glory. There's people around them telling them how great they are or how beautiful they are, how talented they are. It plays on our sinful natures. People tend to gravitate towards that and people tend to get ambitious to the point they look for positions like that. So how can we keep ourselves from being corrupted by our own glory? Because we've seen this over and over People get caught up in churchianity because of the power and the glory. Our leaders get corrupted because of the positions of power and glory. So if we ask ourselves, how, how do we avoid that? Well, we have to intentionally humble ourselves, or else God will Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you in the proper time.
Speaker 1:It says in 1 Peter, 5, 6. So the answer is really to humble ourselves. Five, six. So the answer is really to humble ourselves. If we don't, then the pride will puff ourselves up and God will need to take drastic action. Steve, that's a terrible place to be in. Then, from verses 20 to 24, god condemns Sidon, another city-state near Israel, and in verse 24, he, god, tells us very clearly that he is in control of the nations and is making these decisions because of him, protecting the nation Israel, and he's making sure no nations are going to be able to attack or influence Israel, as they have been in previous centuries. Steve, it reminds me of Daniel, chapter 2, where it says that God is the one who establishes kings and removes kings. So is God still in charge?
Speaker 2:today of nations. God is absolutely in charge of nations. Daniel was a contemporary of Ezekiel. I'm just always fascinated that God is very consistent in his message Ezekiel to the exiles there in Babylon and with Daniel, to King Nebuchadnezzar, the Gentile leader or king, the most powerful one at the time. He tells him I'm the one that raises kings and takes them down. I'm the one that's in control of nations.
Speaker 1:One of the nations that's going to be spoken about in several chapters coming up is the nation of Egypt. We're going to see that next time on Reasoning Through the Bible.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much for watching and listening. May God bless you.
