"You were the seal of perfection,
full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
You were in Eden, the garden of God...
Ezekiel 28:12-13, NKJV
He was Lucifer, son of the morning. He was the anointed cherub, unique among a special order of angelic beings who are always associated with the presence of God. Of all the angels created at the very beginning of all things, he has been called the highest of all. In him was the sum of all of God's wisdom and beauty. He was the seal of perfection on the first order of creation.
His garments were bejeweled with every precious stone in settings of gold. His instruments were the timbrels and pipes of high praise and worship, given to him in his origin. His dwelling place was the garden of God, the original heavenly paradise upon which the earthly Eden was based. He walked upon the holy mountain of God, surrounded by the fiery stones of a glorious environment. In him was no imperfection found on the day he was brought forth.
But something happened.
Within this perfect creature, indeed within the spirits of all of God's creatures, was placed the power of choice, the exercise of free will. Though created to worship the Almighty and service His will, he had the ability to choose otherwise. He had the purpose of leading all heaven in perfect praise of the Most High, but he also had the potential for pride.
Rather than acquiesce to the intended will of God, he began to think for himself. Exalted in his own beauty and splendor, he began to consider how he might rise to even greater beauty and splendor. Regardless of how glorious he already was, he corrupted his own wisdom with the desire to be more than what God had created him to be.
He said within himself, I am not content with the high position in which God has placed me, nor with the perfection which God has given me. I want more.
Though I abide in the presence of God, I want to ascend into the highest heights of the heavens.
Though I have a position of highest power and greatest glory among the angels, I want more.
Though I walk on the mountain of God, I want more.
Though I dwell in the garden paradise of God, I want more.
Though I am already magnificent and glorious and foremost in all creation, I want more.
I will ascend into heaven to be higher than I am..
I will exalt my seat of power to be higher than the angels.
I will sit in the mountain of the congregation in authority to be higher than all of God's creation.
I will ascend into the heights above the clouds to be higher than heaven.
I will become like God--no, I will be higher than the Most High.
Pride led to desire, and desire gave place to sin. He politicked the heavenly hosts, exercising his own influence with the angels and gaining what he thought were the riches of heaven. He amassed great wealth and power. He assembled a following--a third of the stars of God--and defiled the sanctuaries in which he had served with the multitude of his iniquities.
The Bible doesn't explicitly tell us so, but I believe God fought for the heart of Lucifer. The all-knowing, all-seeing Sovereign certainly saw what His anointed cherub was doing. The Almighty certainly knew what was happening in the angelic ranks. Surely His Spirit strove to preserve their integrity, their humility, their submission to the wonderful will of God. Surely He was longsuffering with them, willing not that any should be lost. Surely He desired that they all stay safe within His loving presence. Surely He offered them a chance to change, to choose differently. Surely...
But in the end, selfishness and sin stole the heart of Lucifer, and he rebelled to his own demise.
God cast him out of the mountain, out of paradise, out of heaven. Vain and profane, he was expelled from the presence of God, driven from his own glorious abode, and exiled to the lowest parts of the earth. The fire of God consumed him from within, destroying his beauty and glory, reducing him to ashen cremains of his former self. And a new habitation was prepared for him.
Now was the darkness of death and hell created to cover the one who once was a being of light. Now were the recesses of the deepest pit dug to hold him who once dwelt in the highest of heights. Now were the flames of eternal torment fired in the furnace of everlasting destruction to punish him who once walked among the fiery stones of the holy mountain in the glory of God. Now began the delusion of the devil, that flight of fancy that clings desperately still to the dream of defeating the Divine, and still he exists in vain. For his end is sure.
And thus is the end all of those whose pride and iniquity keep them from accepting the will, plan, and purpose of God. But it doesn't have to be, for God has offered a way of escape. God has offered salvation through Jesus Christ, and through salvation He is the giver of eternal life to all who believe.
His garments were bejeweled with every precious stone in settings of gold. His instruments were the timbrels and pipes of high praise and worship, given to him in his origin. His dwelling place was the garden of God, the original heavenly paradise upon which the earthly Eden was based. He walked upon the holy mountain of God, surrounded by the fiery stones of a glorious environment. In him was no imperfection found on the day he was brought forth.
But something happened.
Within this perfect creature, indeed within the spirits of all of God's creatures, was placed the power of choice, the exercise of free will. Though created to worship the Almighty and service His will, he had the ability to choose otherwise. He had the purpose of leading all heaven in perfect praise of the Most High, but he also had the potential for pride.
Rather than acquiesce to the intended will of God, he began to think for himself. Exalted in his own beauty and splendor, he began to consider how he might rise to even greater beauty and splendor. Regardless of how glorious he already was, he corrupted his own wisdom with the desire to be more than what God had created him to be.
He said within himself, I am not content with the high position in which God has placed me, nor with the perfection which God has given me. I want more.
Though I abide in the presence of God, I want to ascend into the highest heights of the heavens.
Though I have a position of highest power and greatest glory among the angels, I want more.
Though I walk on the mountain of God, I want more.
Though I dwell in the garden paradise of God, I want more.
Though I am already magnificent and glorious and foremost in all creation, I want more.
I will ascend into heaven to be higher than I am..
I will exalt my seat of power to be higher than the angels.
I will sit in the mountain of the congregation in authority to be higher than all of God's creation.
I will ascend into the heights above the clouds to be higher than heaven.
I will become like God--no, I will be higher than the Most High.
Pride led to desire, and desire gave place to sin. He politicked the heavenly hosts, exercising his own influence with the angels and gaining what he thought were the riches of heaven. He amassed great wealth and power. He assembled a following--a third of the stars of God--and defiled the sanctuaries in which he had served with the multitude of his iniquities.
The Bible doesn't explicitly tell us so, but I believe God fought for the heart of Lucifer. The all-knowing, all-seeing Sovereign certainly saw what His anointed cherub was doing. The Almighty certainly knew what was happening in the angelic ranks. Surely His Spirit strove to preserve their integrity, their humility, their submission to the wonderful will of God. Surely He was longsuffering with them, willing not that any should be lost. Surely He desired that they all stay safe within His loving presence. Surely He offered them a chance to change, to choose differently. Surely...
But in the end, selfishness and sin stole the heart of Lucifer, and he rebelled to his own demise.
God cast him out of the mountain, out of paradise, out of heaven. Vain and profane, he was expelled from the presence of God, driven from his own glorious abode, and exiled to the lowest parts of the earth. The fire of God consumed him from within, destroying his beauty and glory, reducing him to ashen cremains of his former self. And a new habitation was prepared for him.
Now was the darkness of death and hell created to cover the one who once was a being of light. Now were the recesses of the deepest pit dug to hold him who once dwelt in the highest of heights. Now were the flames of eternal torment fired in the furnace of everlasting destruction to punish him who once walked among the fiery stones of the holy mountain in the glory of God. Now began the delusion of the devil, that flight of fancy that clings desperately still to the dream of defeating the Divine, and still he exists in vain. For his end is sure.
And thus is the end all of those whose pride and iniquity keep them from accepting the will, plan, and purpose of God. But it doesn't have to be, for God has offered a way of escape. God has offered salvation through Jesus Christ, and through salvation He is the giver of eternal life to all who believe.
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