Saturday, June 12, 2004

Lucifer in Isaiah 14?

Now, let's look at Isaiah 14.3-20. Similarly to the dirge for the king of Tyre in Ezek 28, this is a "taunt" (v. 4) against the king of Babylon. Why then does it mention Lucifer (Day Star or Morning Star) falling from heaven in v. 12? Is this taunt about an earthly king or about Satan falling from heaven? The answer is the former, the earthly "king of Babylon," for he is identified as a "man" in verses 16 and 17. In ancient literature, to be "cast down [from heaven] to earth" was poetic imagery for ultimate humiliation, and it didn't necessarily refer to a literal fall from heaven. The Sibylline Oracles 3, Jewish prophetic utterances from the 2nd century BC, speak of the fall of Rome in this manner. In our Isaiah text, the focus is upon the total humiliation of the king of Babylon, and not upon a literal fall from heaven by Satan, Lucifer or whomever.

However, I think there is an allusion to Satan's fall here, and I have a suggestion about it and the allusion to the devil in Ezek 28: Is it possible that Ezekiel and Isaiah were pointing to the Satanic (demonic) spirit(s) that were energizing and motivating the kings of Tyre and Babylon? The prophets were certainly warning the kings of antiquity not to make the fatal mistake of arrogance toward God that Satan had made. Were they also warning those kings that it was the devil whose desires they were carrying out? (Compare John 8.44.)

Here's a further question: The context of Isaiah 14 hints at a yet future fulfillment; is it possible that this "Lucifer ... man" is a reference to the coming Antichrist?

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