Who Is the Devil?

Suggested Reading: Ezekiel 28:1-17

Following the reign of King Solomon in 931 BC, who was the last king of the nation of the twelve tribes of Israel, the territory of which was divided up, forming the Northern Kingdom of Israel comprised of ten tribes and the Southern Kingdom of Judah consisting of two tribes. The capital of the Southern Kingdom of Judah was the city of Jerusalem, where the temple of God was located.

Ezekiel, a prophet of the Southern Kingdom of Judah, was given a prophetic Word from the Lord concerning the prince of Tyrus (Tyre), whose actual name many believe was Ithobaal. Tyrus was an island off the coast of what is now known as Lebanon. It was noted for its many ships whose trade brought it much wealth.

This ruler was delighted when the city of Jerusalem and its temple were destroyed in 607 BC by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. His hatred toward the Jews seemed to have stemmed from an incident about thirty years earlier during the reign of King Joash of the Southern Kingdom of Judah, who had insulted the gods they worshipped. So, when Jerusalem and its temple were demolished, this was a sign to the prince of Tyrus of his gods having provided divine retribution.

A description of this ruler, based on the estimation of himself as being like a God, is set in contrast to the king of Tyrus, who, like him, aspired to be like God.

Ezekiel 28:2, 12, 17a 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: 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. Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty…



Who is the king of Tyrus?

Most commentators believe this was a reference to Satan, the Devil, a heavenly creature whose description of his creation, exalted position, fall, etc., are delineated in the verses that will be presented in the following chapters. Although the name Satan or Devil isn’t mentioned in these scriptural passages, an inference can be made by comparing Scripture with Scripture that this is whom the King of Tyrus is analogous to. With these thoughts in mind, let’s attempt to answer the following question.



What is the heavenly designation about his being that’s ascribed to him?

Ezekiel 28:14 Thou art the anointed cherub…

This verse doesn’t describe him as an angel but an anointed cherub. Is a cherub an angel? Some believe he’s also known as an archangel, i.e., the leader of the evil angels. Whether he is an archangel remains to be seen. However, we do know that he’s a cherub. So, what’s a cherub? We’ll find out in the next chapter.

But before we do, let’s read an article that talks about some of the mistaken beliefs about the Devil.



WHO IS SATAN IN THE BIBLE?

… There are many things said in the Bible about Satan, but it is important also to establish what is not said about him. There are many misconceptions regarding the devil, including the following:

• Satan [isn’t a personal being] but rather is only a force of evil.

• He is equal to God, thus creating a form of dualism.

• He resides in and is the ruler of hell.

• He can do whatever he pleases.

• He is omnipresent.

• He received a ransom from Jesus when Jesus died on the cross.

All these views are wrong and are not found in Scripture. False ideas about Satan come from a variety of sources. For instance, the belief that the devil is equal to God and is His opposite comes from the dualism in Zoroastrianism. The belief that Jesus died to pay a ransom to the devil was theorized by Origen. John Milton’s Paradise Lost, not the Bible, describes Satan as the king of hell (I:261–263).

Concerning Satan, the Bible gives the following information:

●Satan is a personal [being] with a mind, emotions, and a will (Job 1; Matthew 4:1–12).

●He is a created being and is not equal to God (Ezekiel 28:15).

●Satan does not rule hell. Hell was created as a punishment for Satan and his demons (Matthew 25:41). Neither does Satan live in hell, as the Bible describes how he can enter heaven and roam the earth (Job 1:6–7).

●The [Devil] can only do what God allows (Job 1:12).

●Satan is not omnipresent. But he does oversee a horde of demons, called “the powers of this dark world and . . . the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12). He uses this network to tempt and deceive people.

●He actively works to nullify the effect of the Word of God in people’s hearts (Matthew 13:3–4, 19), and he blinds the intellect of those who do not believe so they cannot understand the gospel (2 Corinthians 4:4)…1



Endnotes

1“Who Is Satan in the Bible?” October 25, 2023 .



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