The Angel Who Became The Great Adversary

The Bible is clear that Satan was not always Satan. There is every reason to believe that at one time the one now known as Satan, the name Satan meaning adversary or opposer, was once an angel of resplendent beauty and magnificence. One passage that is often cited and quoted is Ezekiel 28 where we read about the glorious King of Tyre. The description of that king of ancient times seems to so typify and parallel Satan, very few have a hard time accepting the King of Tyre stands as a typical representation of Satan even as did Pharaoh of Egypt.

The King James reads, "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." (Ezekiel 28.2)

Already we can hear the echoes of Satanic pride captured in the Tyrian king's haughty refrain. We need not feel the words, "thou art a man" precludes a wider application to a spirit creature as the point is that the King of Tyre is just a creature and not Creator, and therefore utterly hubristic in his assuming lofty airs. Again we don't have to assume every single phrase and expression directed to the King of Tyre has to find fulfilment in Satan, just as not everything King David did and said typified something Christ did.

Ezekiel is given the command by Jehovah to speak to the king of Tyre in verse 12, "Son of man, sing this funeral song for the king of Tyre. Give him this message from the Sovereign LORD: '"You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and exquisite in beauty."' If this passage can be said to apply to Satan, we see we are being introduced to an angel of stupendous magnificence.

It stands to reason he was resplendent in glory, otherwise why would he even have entertained the idea he was worth so much more than actually he was? Why would he have ever been tempted to snatch God's position if he didn't think he was in with a fighting chance?

If these words do find fulfilment in Satan, then the next verse presents some very interesting possibilities indeed.

Many verses throughout the Bible identify angels with stars. In Job (38.7) we are told that the creation of the earth was the time "When the morning stars sang together." The next clause identifies these as "all the sons of God [who] shouted for joy." In Revelation (12.4) the arch deceiver drags a third "of the stars of heaven" to Earth. The context shows these stars are, of course, fallen angels.

The Bible tells us in Isaiah that Jehovah "did not create it [the earth] simply for nothing." Presumably something similar may be said of the rest of the universe. If everything exists because of His will as Revelation 4.11 tells us, then He had some sort of purpose in mind at the birth of the universe.

Now think about what Jesus said concerning fallen angels: "When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it." (Matt 12.43) This is very interesting. It implies that fallen spirit creatures certainly have the capacity to inhabit physical matter (or baryonic matter if you prefer) of the material world, and indeed seek to do so. Although spirit in nature, it seems they were created with the capacity to inhabit material things and perhaps derive some sensations akin to pleasure in doing so. Given what Jesus said about their seeking out places in which to rest, could it be that the stars at one time long before they fell provided some sort of habitation for them?

Let us suppose that is actually the case here, and explore Ezekiel 28 on the basis that the gold mentioned in verse 13 into which the precious stones are set, is a reference to the resplendent golden sun. If we assume that is the case, and that the angel that became the Adversary and Satan at one time inhabited this star at the centre of our solar system, then what we find regarding the precious stones that were "set in the finest gold" becomes most interesting. (Ezekiel 28.13) Let us look further.

Many translations have as the first precious stone mentioned in Ezekiel 28 carnelian stone. Let us suppose that the gold into which the magnificent stones were long ago set is in actuality the sun, as we have already stated, laying at the centre of our solar system, then what would correspond to the precious stones themselves? No prises for guessing that they may very well represent the planets of our solar system.

The first planet in our solar system is, of course, Mercury which would be depicted by the carnelian stone. As you will see, some of the stones bear a more striking resemblance to the corresponding planets than others, but most fit closely, some staggeringly so.

We will progress through each stone, of which rather interestingly, Ezekiel mentions 9, and see how each one corresponds to the planet.

The next precious stone mentioned is topaz, at least it is in most of the translations I consulted including the Douay-Rheims, Young's Literal Translation and the New World Translation. Does topaz bear any resemblance to Venus? Again, judge for yourself. I will confess that since topaz may come in a variety of colours, this resemblance may not be startlingly remarkable, but let us see what happens as we venture farther through the solar system.

The third jewel mentioned in the King of Tyre's collection of priceless gems is according to some translations the jasper stone, while the KJV, as a good many others do, refer to it as the diamond. It seems some scholars believe that jasper in the Bible is actually a reference to diamond, as it is spoken of in Revelation (21.11) as "a most precious stone" which is a more fitting description of a diamond than modern day jasper would be. Whatever ancient jasper was, its being described as "most precious" is an entirely appropriate representation of the most precious planet in the solar system, namely, Earth.

The fourth gemstone mentioned in the Tyrian king's audacious collection is the beryl stone according to the King James and as chrysolite by a few other translations. The aesthetic likeness is interesting.

The likeness between the 5th of the Tyrian king's collection, the onyx stone, to the 5th giant planet in the solar system is truly stunning as you can see.

The words directed to the King of Tyre in verse 12, "You were in Eden, the garden of God," and the following verse, "I assigned you as the anointed covering cherub," seem to be a perfect fit for the angel that became Satan. I will refrain from calling him Lucifer as this designation is found in Isaiah with reference to the Babylonian King who may also have been a type of Satan, but since that is a different prophecy, I won't draw on it here. It isn't accurate to say Lucifer was Satan's name in heaven. It's hardly likely the Bible would refrain from naming countless faithful angels and yet give the name of the Father of the Lie, is it?

Many translations have the 6th of the King of Tyre's gemstones as jasper, and at least one translation as jade. There is certainly a reasonable likeness between both of these gemstones and the beautiful planet Saturn. The yellowish green is present in both jasper and jade.

Remarkably we find a shift to a blue gemstone as we consider the 7th of the king's precious gemstones. Sapphire is mentioned in a number of translations, while some translations have lapis lazuli as the 7th stone. Again a magnificent blue stone and a fitting terrestrial representation of the distant planet Uranus.

Again it is staggering to see how the 8th stone is also a blue stone which, of course, is entirely appropriate for the solar system's 8th member, Neptune.

Now we know Pluto was sometime ago ousted from the solar system by the far reaching hand of man, but many feel it fits the bill and should be rightly the solar system's 9th member after all. You will have to decide for yourself. As for the gemstones associated with the King of Tyre as recorded in Ezekiel 28, there are indeed 9 of them and the last one is emerald or carbuncle according to a few translations.

If we are right to assume that the Tyrian king stands as a representation of the once glorious angel that became Satan, and that he did have some special role in the early days of the earth even occupying the sun in some spiritual sense, then verse 14 has something truly interesting to say: "You had access to the holy mountain of God and walked among the stones of fire." What more of a fitting description for the stars can you think of than stones of fire? Notice that he walked about amidst those fiery stones - he moved about just as our sun does in its orbit around the galactic centre.

In conclusion, it seems the angel that became Satan was a creature of stupendous glory and magnificence which made his fall all the more disastrous. Whether we are indeed on to something significant here in seeing a parallel with the gemstones mentioned in Ezekiel and the planets of the solar system over which this mighty spirit creature once had a special role, or it is just an interesting flight of fancy, it must be acknowledged that the ancient King of Tyre described in all his illustrious beauty was a fitting type for the angel, whatever his name was, that became the Great Adversary, Satan.