Ministration of Angels

WE have still further proof that Satan is introduced as the king of Tyrus in Eze. 28, by the testimony of verse 15: "Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee." What! a wicked, heathen king perfect in his ways? one who never knew God, but persecuted and destroyed his people, he perfect? Can it be said of a heathen man that he is perfect in his ways? No. Then we readily see that it must relate to some superior being. Verse 12: "Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty." It would not only be false, but absurd, to apply this to the king of Tyrus. The terms, "full of wisdom," and "perfect in beauty," certainly present to our minds a being of more exalted nature than man.

Now the question naturally arises, If Satan was once in Heaven, what position did he there occupy? What follows will answer this question, and utterly preclude the possibility of applying it to any mortal man or to any being short of an angel:

"THOU ART THE ANOINTED CHERUB THAT COVERETH; AND I HAVE SET THEE SO." Verse 14. Evidently this is a reference to one of the mighty angels who cover the throne of God. Then it is very clear what position was once occupied by the person called the king of Tyrus. He was a covering angel to the throne of God in Heaven. God created him to fill that office; for he says, "I have set thee so." This was his position, his office. This, certainly, is not true of any man. Hence we are correct in applying it to some superior being. With regard to the remarkable personage brought to view in Eze. 28, we have learned the following facts: 1. He has been in Eden, the garden of God. 2. The same precious stones which compose the wall of the heavenly Jerusalem, were once his covering. 3. He has been upon the holy mount of God. 4. He has walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire, i.e., he has walked the streets of the city of God. 5. He was perfect in his ways. 6. He was full of wisdom. 7. He is wiser than Daniel. 8. No secret can be hid from him. 9. He was perfect in beauty. 10. He was the anointed covering cherub. And, 11. God created him thus. We apply this to Satan, believing that no other application of it can be made which will harmonize all these points. In the above application it will be seen that all these points beautifully and aptly apply.

With regard to this king of Tyre, Beecher says: "In this address to the king of Tyre are several expressions too high for merely a mortal sovereign. Hence the impression has extensively prevailed that the Holy Spirit regarded the king of Tyre as a kind of image of Satan, and in addressing him uttered things passing beyond the emblem, and applying directly to the reality. Such was the view of Augustine, Jerome, Tertullian, Ambrose, and other early fathers. Indeed, Fairbairn remarks, 'Most of the early commentators have supposed that verses 12-14 were not properly used of the king of Tyre; but mystically of Satan.'" - Redeemer and Redeemed, p. 75.

"The cherub is the most exalted of all known emblems, nearest the throne of Jehovah, most vividly connected with his majesty, and identified with his administration. That such was the exalted station originally held by Lucifer, may be considered the established belief. Milton, a careful student of the theology of his own and preceeding ages, speaks of Lucifer as 'Of the first, if not the first archangel, great in power, in favor, and pre-eminence.'

"President Edwards observes, 'Lucifer, before his fall, was the morning star, the covering cherub, the highest and brightest of all creatures.' Dr. Hopkins speaks of him as one 'who was at the head of all the angels, and the most noble creature God had made.' And Dr. Dwight calls him 'an angel of pre-eminent distinction in Heaven.'"-Id. p. 81.

In Isa. 14, we have a description of the same person, under the name of the king of Babylon. "How art thou fallen from Heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! [Margin, day-star!] How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 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; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High." Verses 12-14. Who is this that has fallen from Heaven? Jesus uses almost the same words in Luke. 10:18: "And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from Heaven." Isaiah says, "How art thou fallen from Heaven, O Lucifer!" It is evident that they both refer to the same person. That person Jesus calls "Satan."

This, then, was the original condition of Satan, this, the position which he once occupied high and exalted, near the throne of God. The Lord created him and placed him there. He was wise, beautiful, holy, and happy. Alas! that sin should come in to destroy such a character! Alas! that rebellion should blot so fair a universe! But so it was. Even while we are contemplating this picture, the scene is changed, oh! how changed! Evil thoughts brood in Lucifer's mind. A dark cloud is gathering. Whispers of discontent are heard, insubordination is talked, till at length, oh! woeful day! rebellion, dark, deep, wicked rebellion, bursts upon the astonished inhabitants of Heaven! Thus we read: "Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned; therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God; and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire." Then "there was war in Heaven; Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in Heaven." Rev. 12:7, 8.

That Satan was once in Heaven, but apostatized and fell, with many other angels, is abundantly proved by the Bible. Isaiah exclaims, "How art thou fallen from Heaven, O Lucifer!" Chap. 14:12. Ezekiel testifies: "Thou hast sinned; therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God." Chap. 28:16. Jesus says, "I beheld Satan as lightning fall from Heaven." Luke 10:18. Peter bears record: "God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell." 2 Pet. 2:4. Jude also confirms this: "And the angels which kept not their first estate," &c. Verse 6.

A very important question now to be determined is, When did this event occur? When did Lucifer fall? Though God has not seen fit to reveal to us definitely the time when this occurred, yet we may be able to get some light on this point by searching the scripture. When the serpent said to the woman, "Ye shall not surely die," he told a lie, which showed that he was fallen then. Gen. 3:4. This shows that Satan was fallen immediately after the work of creation was finished. Again, Jesus says that Satan "was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth." John 8:44. This proves that he was once in the truth, and also gives the time when he left it, when he became a murderer, i. e., at the beginning. The only "beginning" with which we are acquainted is the beginning of this world. "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." Gen. 1:1. How was he a murderer from the beginning? In Gen. 3:1-13, we learn that the devil deceived Eve, and led her into sin. In Rom. 5:12, Paul says, "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." We see then, that by lying to Eve, Satan brought death upon all our race. Thus he really became the murderer of the whole human family. This seems to locate the fall of Satan somewhere about the beginning of our world. John locates it at the same place. "He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning." 1 John 3:8.

But the important question is, Why did Satan sin? We read on: "Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. . . . Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness." Eze. 28:15-17. Here we have an intimation of what occasioned the fall of Satan. His heart was lifted up with pride. Probably he looked upon the exalted position which he held, the mighty angels under his command, the principalities, powers, and worlds, that obeyed his word, and his "heart was lifted up," and he looked upon himself as a mighty being, forgetting that his strength came from God. It appears that, under God, Jesus was the only one higher than Satan. Perhaps he now thinks he must be equal with Christ -must have none higher than himself, save the Creator. At the creation of the world, "in the beginning," an opportunity was presented for him to manifest his feelings and test his obedience to God. To crown the creative work, man was to be made. He was to be the noblest work of God. The Father consults Jesus about it, and says, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness." Gen. 1:26. Perhaps this was the occasion of Satan's fall. It occurs about the time when he did fall, as we have seen. It was just such a circumstance as would naturally arouse his jealousy of Christ. He considered himself slighted, insulted. His pride was touched, and "he said in his 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; I will ascend above the hights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High." Isa. 14:13,14. Occupying so high a position as he did, perhaps he thought that God would yield to his wishes and place him on an equality with Christ. Thus he was exalted in himself, and was tempted. He yielded to the temptation, ventured the experiment, sinned, and then rebelled. "But," says the objector, "he could not sin without an evil disposition; then where did he get this? from whence came his jealous mind? Must not evil be an inherent principle in his nature? or was there not another devil still back of Satan to tempt him?" To these questions we answer that Satan neither had naturally an evil disposition, nor was there any one to tempt him to do evil. Then how was he induced to sin?

Chas. Beecher has some very sensible remarks on this point which we give. He says: "If such was the original condition of the universe, the question arises how sin could possibly enter. Some minds have felt the difficulty so strongly upon this point that they have rejected the Bible account of the matter, and denied the existence of any such sinless state of the universe. But the answer to the question is simple. Sin is, in its own nature, anomalous, and therefore mysterious; it is, in its own nature, an unaccountable thing. For the moment we admit that it is properly accounted for, i.e., the moment we have assigned a good and sufficient cause for it, that moment it ceases to be a sin. A good and sufficient cause is a good and sufficient excuse; and that which has a good and sufficient excuse, is not sin. To account for sin, therefore, is to defend it; and to defend it is to certify that it does not exist. Therefore, the objection that it is inconceivable and unaccountable that sin should enter into such a perfect universe, amounts to nothing but saying that sin is exceedingly sinful, inexcusable, and destitute of the least defense or justification. Sin is a violation of all law, a departure from all original nature, a thing essentially lawless, anomalous, and mysterious. We can identify the fact of its existence; we can describe the manner, we can discover the occasion; but the cause, the good and sufficient cause, God himself and the judgment-seat will demonstrate, cannot be shown; for it does not exist." -Redeemer and Redeemed, pp. 82, 83.

Because Satan yielded to temptation, sinned, and fell, it does not follow that God created him with an evil inclination. The Bible bears us out in this conclusion; for the Lord says of Satan, "Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee."