I choose kindness... I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. Kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me.
Max Lucado
Part 1 of 6 New Beginnings - The Passover
Therefore thus says the Lord GOD,
"Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone,
A costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed.
He who believes in it will not be disturbed."
Isaiah 28:16 NASB
I am laying — I have promised it, and will, in the fulness of time, perform it.
In Zion — In my church.
A foundation — Upon which I will build my church.
A stone — The Messiah.
Tested — Which I have tried, and approved as every way sufficient.
Corner-stone — Uniting the several parts of the building (church) together.
Sure — Upon whom you may securely rest.
Believes — This promise.
Will not — Hastily catch at any way of escaping danger, but shall patiently wait upon God in his way, 'till he deliver him.
So we might read this Scripture in this way:
Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says,
"Behold, I have promised it, and will, in the fulness of time, perform it in my church. The Messiah, whom I have tried, and approved as every way a sufficient stone (Messiah),
is a costly cornerstone (uniting the several parts of the building (church) together) for the foundation (building of my church), and is firmly placed.
He who believes in it (this promise) will not (hastily catch at any way of escaping danger, but shall patiently wait upon God in his way, 'till he deliver him… not being disturbed.
Isaiah 28:16 FFUAV (Fred’s Fully Unauthorized Amplified Version) :-)
The Passover sacrifice delivered the children of Israel from the bondage of Egypt and the power of Pharaoh. From that night on Israel would never again serve Egypt (spiritually symbolic of sin) or Pharaoh (spiritually symbolic of Satan). The Passover sacrifice was a prophetic foreshadowing of the Cross of Jesus Christ, which has delivered us from serving sin, the world system and the power of the enemy. The Passover brought judgment on Egypt and Pharaoh, just as the Cross brings judgment on the evil of the world; but it delivers from the world, those who embrace it.
Have you ever wondered about why Pharaoh’s heart was hardened against Israel in the face of so many miracles performed in his presence? Even after all of Egypt’s firstborn were killed and he acquiesced to Moses demands, his heart was hardened again. The spirit of the antichrist was alive in Pharaoh’s heart. Just as Lucifer rebelled because of pride, Pharaoh did likewise.
Let's take a look at Lucifer's fall:
"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 in 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, 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
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, 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 peoples
Are appalled at you;
You have become terrified
And you will cease to be forever."
Ezekiel 28:12-19 NASB
Here Ezekiel begins with the familiar phrase
which tells us that what follows is a message directly from God.
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 in beauty. "You were in Eden, the garden of God.’
Wait a minute! According to this, the king of Tyrus was in the Garden of Eden, which God prepared for Adam and Eve at the end of creation week. When Ezekiel received this message from God, probably around the year 588 BC, Tyre was a city on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The king of Tyrus, therefore, could not possibly have ever been in the Garden of Eden.
The story of the Garden of Eden is given in Genesis 2:8 through 3:24. There are only four persons mentioned: God, Adam, Eve, and the devil, Satan, who masqueraded as a serpent. Then, after Adam and Eve had been expelled, God stationed angels to guard the garden. The earthly king of Tyrus was certainly not there. What, then, was God talking about in Ezekiel 28 when He said that the king of Tyrus was in the Garden of Eden?
Hebrews 13:2 gives us some insight into this Scripture.
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 in beauty. "You were in Eden, the garden of God.’
Wait a minute! According to this, the king of Tyrus was in the Garden of Eden, which God prepared for Adam and Eve at the end of creation week. When Ezekiel received this message from God, probably around the year 588 BC, Tyre was a city on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The king of Tyrus, therefore, could not possibly have ever been in the Garden of Eden.
The story of the Garden of Eden is given in Genesis 2:8 through 3:24. There are only four persons mentioned: God, Adam, Eve, and the devil, Satan, who masqueraded as a serpent. Then, after Adam and Eve had been expelled, God stationed angels to guard the garden. The earthly king of Tyrus was certainly not there. What, then, was God talking about in Ezekiel 28 when He said that the king of Tyrus was in the Garden of Eden?
Hebrews 13:2 gives us some insight into this Scripture.
“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers,
for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it..”
Angels we see from this text have the ability to appear as human beings. Indeed, angels have the ability to appear as other forms of life also. As we shall see shortly, Satan was originally thee holy angel Lucifer in Heaven and therefore has this ability to imitate other life forms. He masqueraded as a serpent in the Garden of Eden.
Satan was masquerading as the king of Tyrus. With this in mind, return to Ezekiel and realize that what is being said is being said directly to the devil himself.
Ezekiel 28:12:
Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre (ed. the devil)
and say to him, 'Thus says the Lord GOD,
"You had the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty."
Satan is full of wisdom and exceedingly beautiful. Actually he is the most beautiful and the most intelligent being that God ever created. Perhaps this intelligence is part of the reason that we human are so easily able to be deceived. (see Hebrews 12:1)
Continuing in Ezekiel,
"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, the workmanship of your settings and sockets,
Was in you. On the day that you were created they were prepared.”
Satan is a created being, just as the angels and all mankind are created beings.
"You were the anointed cherub who covers, and I placed you there"
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, the workmanship of your settings and sockets,
Was in you. On the day that you were created they were prepared.”
Satan is a created being, just as the angels and all mankind are created beings.
"You were the anointed cherub who covers, and I placed you there"
Lucifer was above all the other angels; his position was second only to that of God Himself. God not only created Lucifer the most beautiful and most intelligent being in all the universe, but also gave him the highest position.
"You were on the holy mountain of God;
You walked in the midst of the stones of fire."
"You were on the holy mountain of God;
You walked in the midst of the stones of fire."
The Bible tells us that God is love, that He is meek, gentle, kind, and totally honest and just. Would a god like this create a devil? Verse 15 gives us the answer observing,
"You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created"
God therefore certainly did not create the devil, but He did create the perfect, holy angel who by choice later became the devil.
How did this transformation come about? Consider what might happen to a human being if he or she were extremely beautiful. Consider what might happen if he were not only beautiful, but also highly intelligent. Consider also what might happen if this person attained a high position in the business world or in politics. It does not take much imagination to see that he would become intensely proud of his beauty and intelligence. He would begin to feel superior and would ever desire greater power, wealth, and prestige. He would become increasingly self-centered and self-seeking as his greed and pride grew. This experience has happened over and over again on the earth to people who were not even the most beautiful or the most intelligent. This is what happened to Lucifer.
You see, Lucifer himself was responsible for his transformation into the devil by the development of his pride, greed, arrogance, and self-seeking ambition. The rest of verse 15 says, “until unrighteousness was found in you.”
When God created beings with free will, He knew that sooner or later one of them would begin to experience pride and selfish ambition just as Lucifer did. If Satan had not been created, the experience that happened to him would have happened to another angel.
Satan became proud of his beauty and intelligence. He forgot that everything he had was a gift from God, and instead of being thankful for the multitude of blessings God had given him, he wanted more and more. He even became dissatisfied with the second position in heaven; he wanted the first. But the only position above Satan’s was God’s. Yes, he wanted God’s position, God’s authority, and God’s power. It is this same spirit that permeates the world today as the spirit of the anti-christ.
Continuing with Ezekiel 28:16,
“By the abundance of your trade you were internally filled with violence, and you sinned. . . .”
What trade? What was Satan trying to sell, and to whom? Satan’s desire for God’s throne became stronger and stronger until he was totally controlled by his ambition. But Satan had a problem! What was he going to do about God, who occupied the first position?
Satan’s plan was to discredit God before all the beings in the universe. He claimed that God and His government were arbitrary and unjust. He said that beings as superior as holy angels did not need the law of God, which, he claimed, was an unjust law that restricted their freedom. He also said that it was impossible to keep from breaking God’s law. This merchandise, the propaganda of rebellion, was spread far and wide in the universe as Satan attempted to discredit God, His laws, and His government in the eyes of the angels and all other intelligent forms of life. Satan reasoned that if he could turn the entire universe against God, then God, because of His kind, meek, and gentle nature, would step down and he could take over. This is precisely the lie that he continues to sow upon the earth today!
This attitude of being able to individually attain self-perfection through one's own efforts is alive and well in every religion, philosophy and cult on earth today with the exception of true Christianity.
We need to understand that God desires us to ascend to heaven and to be just like Christ Jesus (to have the very nature of the Lord). But this can only be achieved in us as we walk in Him. The enemy's strategy is to deceive us into believing that we can grasp for ourselves what the Lord intends to give us through Himself.
Jesus victory over the enemy was attained when
"He did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped."
Philippians 2:6
This deception is reflected in the Garden when he asked Eve… “did God really say?”
This deception is reflected in the Garden when he asked Eve… “did God really say?”
He appealed to the pride of making your own decisions in lieu of following God’s directives.
Continuing with verse 16 we read,
Therefore I have cast you as profane
From the mountain of God.
And I have destroyed you, O covering cherub,
From the midst of the stones of fire.
Continuing with verse 16 we read,
Therefore I have cast you as profane
From the mountain of God.
And I have destroyed you, O covering cherub,
From the midst of the stones of fire.
"Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty…”
12"How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn!
You have been cut down to the earth, you who have weakened the nations!
13"But you said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven;
I will raise my throne above the stars of God,
and I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north.
14'I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.'
15"Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol,
to the recesses of the pit.
16"Those who see you will gaze at you,
they will ponder over you, saying,
'Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms,
17Who made the world like a wilderness and overthrew its cities,
Who did not allow his prisoners to go home?'
Isaiah 14:12-17 NASB
These verses of Scripture add more detail about this rebellion of Satan in heaven. Lucifer, which means “Shining One” or “Brilliant One” again, it was Satan’s name before he started his rebellion.
"How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn!
You have been cut down to the earth, you who have weakened the nations!
"But you said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven;
I will raise my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north.
'I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.'
The term “stars of God” refers to the angels. We here on earth refer to our outstanding personalities as stars: movie stars, the star pitcher, a motion picture star etc. . Because the angels are such outstanding beings, they are referred to as the stars of God, and Satan said that he would exalt his throne above them. Continuing with verse 15:
"Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol,
to the recesses of the pit.
"Those who see you will gaze at you,
they will ponder over you, saying,
'Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms,
Who made the world like a wilderness and overthrew its cities,
Who did not allow his prisoners to go home?'
He causes trouble among people and wars among nations.
We have seen so far that Satan, the most beautiful and most intelligent being that God ever created, was given the highest position of authority in heaven, second only to that of God Himself. He began feeling vastly superior to all other life in the universe. He even deceived himself to the point of feeling superior to God. He wanted God’s throne and all His power and authority. He wanted to be God Himself.
How could Satan have dared to feel this way? How could Satan have ever hoped to succeed in taking over the throne of the universe from God? Since God is all powerful and infinitely superior to the beings He created, why did Satan with his superior intellect not realize that he could never get away with such a scheme?
It was because of God’s perfectly beautiful personality. God is so kind, so gentle, so gracious, so understanding, and so loving that He did not exalt Himself above His creatures. Even though God’s power and ability are limitless, even though His knowledge and wisdom know no bounds, He always presented himself as a kind and understanding father to His creatures. Satan mistakenly assumed that the meekness, kindness, gentleness, and understanding that God always showed were signs of weakness, and he convinced himself that he would be successful in his rebellion.
God tried to make Lucifer realize the consequences of the path he had chosen. He explained to him in great detail what the outcome of his folly would be, but Satan’s pride and self-seeking ambition prevented him from understanding. The uppermost thought in Satan’s mind was to accomplish what he had set out to do.
The question is often asked: Why did not God simply get rid of Satan as soon as he began to cause trouble? God could have used His power to eliminate Satan, and he would have ceased to exist. Why did God not do this?
God did not immediately get rid of Satan for basically two reasons.
We have seen so far that Satan, the most beautiful and most intelligent being that God ever created, was given the highest position of authority in heaven, second only to that of God Himself. He began feeling vastly superior to all other life in the universe. He even deceived himself to the point of feeling superior to God. He wanted God’s throne and all His power and authority. He wanted to be God Himself.
How could Satan have dared to feel this way? How could Satan have ever hoped to succeed in taking over the throne of the universe from God? Since God is all powerful and infinitely superior to the beings He created, why did Satan with his superior intellect not realize that he could never get away with such a scheme?
It was because of God’s perfectly beautiful personality. God is so kind, so gentle, so gracious, so understanding, and so loving that He did not exalt Himself above His creatures. Even though God’s power and ability are limitless, even though His knowledge and wisdom know no bounds, He always presented himself as a kind and understanding father to His creatures. Satan mistakenly assumed that the meekness, kindness, gentleness, and understanding that God always showed were signs of weakness, and he convinced himself that he would be successful in his rebellion.
God tried to make Lucifer realize the consequences of the path he had chosen. He explained to him in great detail what the outcome of his folly would be, but Satan’s pride and self-seeking ambition prevented him from understanding. The uppermost thought in Satan’s mind was to accomplish what he had set out to do.
The question is often asked: Why did not God simply get rid of Satan as soon as he began to cause trouble? God could have used His power to eliminate Satan, and he would have ceased to exist. Why did God not do this?
God did not immediately get rid of Satan for basically two reasons.
First, if He had, heaven would have ceased to be a place of perfect tranquility and happiness and would instead have been transformed into a police state. All the angels would have been afraid of being destroyed themselves; instead of being happy they would have been fearful of doing something God did not like. God created beings with intelligence and free will because He wanted their companionship. He wanted them to be free, free to choose the correct way. If He had eliminated Satan, His creatures would have felt that they had to serve an arbitrary God by threat of force instead of from love. No longer would they have been companions to God, and no longer would God have been a companion to them. Love and companionship simply cannot be forced. Had God created a race of automatons programmed to love and obey Him, He would not have had companionship. Love must be the result of free will. Love, companionship, and devotion are meaningful only if the person bestowing the love has a choice not to love.
The second reason why God could not immediately get rid of Satan is that if He had, from then on doubts would have existed in the minds of all God’s intelligent beings. Satan’s accusations had raised the all-important questions: Could it be that God’s law is unjust and unnecessary? Could it be that holy angels of such high intelligence do not need the law of God? Could it be that it is impossible to obey God’s law? If God had eliminated Satan immediately, He would have appeared to the other angels to be unjust and arbitrary; for they would not have understood the nature of the controversy, and these doubts would never have been dispelled.
In order to handle the situation which Satan had caused in heaven, God had to give him an opportunity to show whether his accusations were valid or not.
The second reason why God could not immediately get rid of Satan is that if He had, from then on doubts would have existed in the minds of all God’s intelligent beings. Satan’s accusations had raised the all-important questions: Could it be that God’s law is unjust and unnecessary? Could it be that holy angels of such high intelligence do not need the law of God? Could it be that it is impossible to obey God’s law? If God had eliminated Satan immediately, He would have appeared to the other angels to be unjust and arbitrary; for they would not have understood the nature of the controversy, and these doubts would never have been dispelled.
In order to handle the situation which Satan had caused in heaven, God had to give him an opportunity to show whether his accusations were valid or not.
And so, the earth was prepared by God for this purpose. Here Satan is being permitted for a time to demonstrate to all the intelligent beings which inhabit the far-flung reaches of God’s vast creation whether his accusations against God are valid or not. Satan is being permitted to show whether or not it is true that intelligent beings do not need God’s law. He is being permitted to show whether or not keeping God’s law is impossible. And he is being permitted to show whether or not God is arbitrary and unjust in His dealing with the situation.
In 1 Corinthians 4:9 we are told that this is exactly the purpose for which this earth was created:
“For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men condemned to death; because we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men."
The word “spectacle” is translated from the Greek word theatron, which means “theater.” The earth, therefore, is the theater of the universe where Satan is being permitted to work his wiles for a time in order to prove whether he was telling the truth or not when he spread his propaganda and started his rebellion against God in heaven. God must permit this. If He does not, doubts will always exist in the minds of angels and men as to whether Satan was right or not. As the final result of the drama taking place on this earth, all of God’s creation — men and angels, will thoroughly understand the nature of this great controversy, and the importance, indeed the necessity, of obeying God’s law; for they will witness the trouble, misery, pain, and death which are the natural consequences of disregarding the law of God.
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In 1 Corinthians 4:9 we are told that this is exactly the purpose for which this earth was created:
“For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men condemned to death; because we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men."
The word “spectacle” is translated from the Greek word theatron, which means “theater.” The earth, therefore, is the theater of the universe where Satan is being permitted to work his wiles for a time in order to prove whether he was telling the truth or not when he spread his propaganda and started his rebellion against God in heaven. God must permit this. If He does not, doubts will always exist in the minds of angels and men as to whether Satan was right or not. As the final result of the drama taking place on this earth, all of God’s creation — men and angels, will thoroughly understand the nature of this great controversy, and the importance, indeed the necessity, of obeying God’s law; for they will witness the trouble, misery, pain, and death which are the natural consequences of disregarding the law of God.
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