The Prince and King of Tyre
We tend to look at a man in power and complain about his behavior, but we also need to look at the spirit that he serves. We are given a choice: good or evil. The Spirit of God through faith in God through Jesus Christ, or the spirit of antichrist, satan, lucifer, the devil. The spirit of truth, or a lying spirit. The spirit is greater than the man, but a man will become more like the one he serves. As we read about the prince of Tyrus, we also have a glimpse of his spirit controller; the king of Tyrus, satan.
Mat 7:18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
Mat 7:19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Mat 7:20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
Eze 28:1 The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,
Eze 28:2 Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, 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:
The prince of Tyrus had exalted himself as a god. Psalm 82 speaks of "gods", but these These were those who were princes, judges, upholding his law. They were ordained to authority, but human with all their weaknesses.
Psa 82:1 A Psalm of Asaph. God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods.
Psa 82:2 How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah.
Psa 82:3 Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.
Psa 82:4 Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked.
Psa 82:5 They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course.
Psa 82:6 I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.
Psa 82:7 But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.
Psa 82:8 Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations.
Jesus referred to this Psalm.
Joh 10:34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?
Joh 10:35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;
Joh 10:36 Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?
The prince of Tyrus exalted himself as wiser than Daniel.
Eze 28:3 Behold, thou art wiser than Daniel; there is no secret that they can hide from thee:
Daniel was known as the wisest man of this time. He had an excellent spirit and was the greatest under the king of the Babylonians, known throughout the world for his wisdom and favor with almighty God. The prophet revealed the thoughts of the prince of Tyre, sort of in a mocking way, he being wiser than Daniel? He continued to exalt himself.
Eze 28:4 With thy wisdom and with thine understanding thou hast gotten thee riches, and hast gotten gold and silver into thy treasures:
Eze 28:5 By thy great wisdom and by thy traffick hast thou increased thy riches, and thine heart is lifted up because of thy riches:
Eze 28:6 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast set thine heart as the heart of God;
Eze 28:7 Behold, therefore I will bring strangers upon thee, the terrible of the nations: and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of thy wisdom, and they shall defile thy brightness.
Babylon was coming against him as a punishment for his pride.
Eze 28:8 They shall bring thee down to the pit, and thou shalt die the deaths of them that are slain in the midst of the seas.
Eze 28:9 Wilt thou yet say before him that slayeth thee, I am God? but thou shalt be a man, and no God, in the hand of him that slayeth thee.
Eze 28:10 Thou shalt die the deaths of the uncircumcised by the hand of strangers: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.
His sentence was given. He will go to the grave and die as a mortal man.
Eze 28:11 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Eze 28:12 Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.
The prophecy now refers to the king of Tyrus. Up until now, he was called the prince. I see the king as being the spiritual king over Tyre; the king was satan. The princes of the nations have a spiritual king giving them orders. Ideally it should be Jesus, the King of kings, but in reality most serve the king of Tyre, satan.
Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Satan's description and origin is given.
Eze 28:13 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.
Eze 28:14 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.
The prince of Tyre was a real person who was as an antichrist, a person with pride and who wanted to be as God. These same faults were in satan, the king. Verses 13 and 14 describe satan himself, with remarkable beauty who was given musical abilities. Satan was an anointed cherub before the fall. He sang before the LORD, circling his throne.
Isa 6:3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
It was a son of Cain who was also gifted in music.
Gen 4:21 And his brother's name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ.
Angels sing and there is music for God too. Beautiful Psalms and hymns.
Eph 5:19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
Eph 5:20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Eze 28:15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
Eze 28:16 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.
From the Dake Bible, these ten things refer to satan and not a man.
1.You have been in Eden the garden of God.
2.Every precious stone was your covering when you were in Eden.
3.You were created (not born).
4.You are the anointed cherub (angel) that covers (protects or overshadows, Ezekiel 28:14).
5.I have set you so.
6.You were upon the holy mountain of God.
7.You have walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
8.You were perfect in your ways (the laws I required you to walk in) from the day that you were created, till iniquity was found in you (Ezekiel 28:15).
9.You have sinned by the multitude of your merchandise (traffic), [going to and fro]. I will cast you out of the mountain of God.
10.I will destroy you, O covering cherub (angel), from the midst of the stones of fire.
Eze 28:17 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.
Eze 28:18 Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; 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.
Eze 28:19 All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.
Isaiah describes satan in similar detail. This chapter in Ezekiel and Isa 14 are where we learn much about satan or lucifer.
Isa 14:12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
Isa 14:13 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:
Isa 14:14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
Isa 14:15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
Isa 14:16 They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;
Isa 14:17 That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?
Eze 28:20 Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Eze 28:21 Son of man, set thy face against Zidon, and prophesy against it,
Eze 28:22 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Zidon; and I will be glorified in the midst of thee: and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall have executed judgments in her, and shall be sanctified in her.
Eze 28:23 For I will send into her pestilence, and blood into her streets; and the wounded shall be judged in the midst of her by the sword upon her on every side; and they shall know that I am the LORD.
Sidon was a seaport to the north of Tyre. Nebuchadnezzar would judge this city as well, but the city would not be destroyed. It remains today a thriving seaport. Jezebel and her false gods came from Sidon.
Eze 28:24 And there shall be no more a pricking brier unto the house of Israel, nor any grieving thorn of all that are round about them, that despised them; and they shall know that I am the Lord GOD.
The nations who were around Israel, who despised her were as a pricking brier or a grieving thorn. They would be no more. This reminds me of Paul's thorn in the flesh. Opposition from a messenger of satan.
2Co 12:7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
2Co 12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
The chapter ends with the future hope of the gathering of Israel back to her land.
Eze 28:25 Thus saith the Lord GOD; When I shall have gathered the house of Israel from the people among whom they are scattered, and shall be sanctified in them in the sight of the heathen, then shall they dwell in their land that I have given to my servant Jacob.
Eze 28:26 And they shall dwell safely therein, and shall build houses, and plant vineyards; yea, they shall dwell with confidence, when I have executed judgments upon all those that despise them round about them; and they shall know that I am the LORD their God.
Jer 23:3 And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase.
Jer 23:4 And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the LORD.
Jer 23:5 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.
Jer 23:6 In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
We are on a journey. We should be discerning as we go. Do not expect good from an evil spirit. There will be a price to pay; your freedom and maybe your soul. Choose who you will serve as God, and be like him. Jesus is my Lord and my God. His Father is God Almighty; they are one in the Spirit of truth.
Ezekiel 29
Ezekiel 27
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