Doubts sown about Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 – Symptomatic

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Two passages in Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 are the focus of “historical biblical criticism.” This is done deliberately because they are intended to undermine belief, or rather, knowledge, in the existence of the great adversary. Yet a whole range of the foundation of the gospel depends on this.

Doubt sown from the beginning

Doubts about the truthfulness of the Bible abound. It begins with the very beginning of Holy Scripture, the Creation Account. Anyone who stumbles here will also have difficulty recognizing the “great rest” of the Bible, let alone the Gospel and God’s true character at all. As time progresses, the willingness to accept Scripture for what it actually is—the written Word of God—generally decreases.

Ingenious doubters specifically search for (supposed) contradictions in the Bible and separately fish out what has not yet been confirmed by archaeology through corresponding discoveries and findings. True to the motto: what science cannot prove cannot exist, or have existed.

It is easier to do this in secret

All of this is subject to the strategy of the adversary, who strives for nothing less: not only to undermine faith in the gospel, and thus in Jesus Christ, from people’s minds, but to erase it entirely. So that no one could suspect that something was amiss, the “old serpent” also ensured that belief in his own existence and that of his vassals (demons) also disappeared. This allows him to operate wonderfully in secret, without anyone suspecting that his powers lie with something that doesn’t even exist (Info).

Therefore, it’s not really surprising that two important statements in the Bible about Satan are now being questioned, even by those who would actually know better. There isn’t much directly written about the great adversary in the Bible. This shouldn’t be surprising, since the Gospel is about the opened way for humankind’s salvation and is not a biography of Satan. Yet there are three essential passages that describe Satan’s characteristics, origin, rebellion, and end in more detail. These can be found in Isaiah 14, Ezekiel 28, Revelation 12, and Revelation 20.

Very difficult to justify

The relatively new point of attack on the gospel concerns Isaiah 14:3-23 and Ezekiel 28:1-19 in particular. For centuries, it was clear that the descriptions of the king of Babylon and the king of Tyre contained therein were merely front figures for the actual adversary addressed. Now, suddenly, this is no longer the case. And these doubts are not expressed behind closed doors, but are directly depicted in widely distributed teaching materials.

Because this apparently still did not seem sufficient in the minds of the “passionate professional doubters,” they also grumble about the previous understanding of the statement in Genesis 3:15. According to them, the serpent in the Garden of Eden is merely a metaphor for universal evil, not the instrument of the actual, personal adversary behind it. According to this, the future Savior will not crush Satan’s head (victory over him), but will bring peace and security to this world by eliminating universal evil.

It can also be interpreted as a logical continuation of the doctrine intended to eradicate belief in the existence of Satan. If Satan didn’t exist, Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 couldn’t concern him either.

It boils down to “theological humanism”

And the circle closes. If one breaks this down to a common denominator, one finds oneself in the collective of humanism in this variant in an instant. For all that needs to be done is to eliminate the imaginary universal evil, which humanity can accomplish through its own strength, reason, and morality. This is done as a united human family for the common good, yet connected with an aspect of divinity (Info).

Nothing fits anymore

In order to lend even a hint of conviction to the “neo-critical” theses, a whole series of indirectly related circumstances must necessarily be put into perspective. This applies especially to Daniel 7, which describes four major political powers from antiquity to the end of the Middle Ages: Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, and the Papacy. The latter held the scepter until it was overthrown in 1798 by General Berthier (Info).

A succession of world empires or powers, all of which were Satan’s institutions, represented and led by the respective temporal ruler. These world empires are also reflected in the seven-headed beast from the sea (Revelation 13) and in the sequence of the seven (+1) beasts in Revelation 17 (Info).

This is an entire package of biblical descriptions and prophecies that, along with the “adapted” passages in Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28, would have to be thrown overboard. The basic understanding of the prevailing struggle between (personal) good versus (personal) evil, i.e., Jesus Christ versus Satan, would also be shelved. As you can see, almost nothing that constitutes the core of the gospel fits together anymore.

Things get adventurous in Ezekiel 28

Ezekiel 28 offers a whole series of statements that required twisting, bending, and breaking of reason to actually apply to the king of Tyre and not to the actual adversary being addressed. The following passage could, if one so chooses, also be interpreted as referring to Tyre: Ezekiel 28:2-3
“I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God: Behold, thou art wiser than Daniel; there is no secret that they can hide from thee:“

It’s quite possible that this describes a certain megalomania on the part of the king at the time. But there are also descriptions that follow that are beyond comprehension, and that also apply to Tyre. Ezekiel 28:13-14:
“Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.“

Was Tyre in the Garden of Eden? No. Was Tyre not a human at all, but a cherub? No. Was Tyre on the holy mountain of God (in the throne room, so to speak)? No, never. Did Tyre walk in the fiery stones (the consuming face of God – Info). No, never. To survive this fire of God’s face, a sinless nature is needed. Was Tyre without sin? Never.

There has been some messing around before

Other, modern Bible editions have also simply reinterpreted the part about “tambourines and flutes” as jewelry or earrings (Info). The word “flute” could still be disputed, as in Hebrew it suggests something “tunneled.” But the word “tambourine” in Hebrew directly and directly refers to the word for “tambourines.” This is clearly an attempt to cover up the connection between Satan and the music (industry). It should ideally have nothing to do with music at all.

Parallels to Revelation

“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.“, the consequence described in Ezekiel 18:16. This is also something that can therefore never be an option for Tyre.

For the second part, verse 17, there is even a parallel in Revelation 12:
“I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.” (Ezekiel 18:17)
“And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” (Revelation 12:9)

In German, the word for “temptation” (unfortunately) appears in many biblical passages, while the Greek actually says “deceived” (Greek: planaó). A small but subtle difference (Info).

The explicit, personal ending

Ezekiel 28:18 describes the predicted final fate of the adversary:
“…therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.“

There is also a parallel description of this in Revelation 20:10:
“And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone,…“

There remains a remainder

It is what it is, and it will remain so. The mocking songs about the King of Babylon and the King of Tyre target the characteristics and actions of Satan. Satan is described personally, not as some abstract evil. This is a relativization of the written Word of God, which originated in circles of (former) Protestantism and led to Neo-Protestantism at the beginning of the 19th century. This result, in particular, received strong support from the Roman Catholic Church (Info).

Jesus Christ asked whether He would still find faith at His return (Luke 18:8). Yes, here and there. But the vast majority of humanity has long since abandoned the foundation of the gospel, or rather, has refused to enter it. In turn, openly expressed doubts and their deliberate sowing continue to increase, especially in congregations that are still at least very close to the gospel.

Practice serenity

How should one deal with such theses? Take note, but nothing more. Because they don’t stand up to scrutiny based on the Gospel. Thus, they are disqualified as part of the faith, that’s it. As far as such (organized) apologists are concerned, it is God’s business alone to settle this matter conclusively.

Here is a valuable tip from Ellen G. White:
“Men should let God take care of His own Book, His living oracles, as He has done for ages. They begin to question some parts of revelation, and pick flaws in the apparent inconsistencies of this statement and that statement.

Beginning at Genesis, they give up that which they deem questionable, and their minds lead on, for Satan will lead to any length they may follow in their criticism, and they see something to doubt in the whole Scriptures. Their faculties of criticism become sharpened by exercise, and they can rest on nothing with a certainty. You try to reason with these men, but your time is lost. They will exercise their power of ridicule even upon the Bible. They even become mockers, and they would be astonished if you put it to them in that light.” (EGW, Selected Messages, Vol.1, page 13)

If it is even the own shepherds of a community who sow the seeds of doubt, then there would also be an answer to that:

Bible verses from King James Version (1611)