Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28: The Fall of Satan and the Rise of Evil in the Universe
As a college student and aspiring theologian, I wrote my first theological research paper. The passages I chose to consider were Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28—passages that Seventh-day Adventists have traditionally regarded as referring to Satan and the origin of evil in heaven. Following the lead of various higher-critical commentaries, I came to the unsettling conclusion that neither passage made any reference to Satan or the origin of evil in its original context. Thus in my thinking major biblical supports for the Adventist understanding of the rise of the great controversy crumbled. Inasmuch as Ellen White supported the “Satan, great controversy” view of these passages, I also subconsciously entertained and imbibed doubts about the veracity of her interpretations of Scripture.GOP 166.1
Since that time, to my delight I have found compelling exegetical evidence that both Isaiah and Ezekiel were indeed referring to Satan in these passages. Much of this evidence is set forth in an Andrews University dissertation by José Bertoluci entitled “The Son of the Morning and the Guardian Cherub in the Context of the Controversy Between Good and Evil.” Bertoluci has dealt a devastating blow to the critical views that Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 describe only earthly, historical enemies of Israel and not Satan. He shows how in each passage there is a movement from the local, historical realm of earthly kings to the heavenly supernatural realm describing Lucifer/ Satan and the rise of the great controversy. My own study has uncovered further evidence supporting this conceptual shift in Ezekiel 28—from earthly “prince” (nagid, the king of Tyre [verses 1-10]) to cosmic “king” (melek, the supernatural ruler of Tyre, Satan himself [verses 11-19])—and I have discovered that this judgment upon the fallen cherub comes at the climactic chiastic center of the whole book. The origin of evil in Lucifer the covering cherub, presented by Ellen White, is thus solidly grounded in Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28. Her interpretation of these passages is sound.GOP 166.2
Until very recently, however, one aspect of the rise of the great controversy that is familiar to Adventists from Ellen White’s descriptions seemed to remain without biblical support. In Patriarchs and Prophets and The Great Controversy some 17 pages delineate how before his expulsion from heaven Satan went about among the angels slandering the character and government of God as unjust. This major scene of the great controversy story can at best only be inferred from biblical statements about Satan as “a murderer from the beginning and . . . a liar” (John 8:44) and “the accuser of our brethren . . . [being] cast down [from heaven]” (Rev. 12:10). But is there a more explicit biblical foundation for Satan’s insidious activity of celestial slander even before the creation of this world, as described by Ellen White?GOP 167.1
By serendipity I was examining a claim by one scholar that much of the description of Satan in Ezekiel 28 is only symbolic and not literal, since—it was argued—he is described as engaged in “an abundance of trading” (verse 16) and obviously Lucifer was not literally a heavenly merchant.GOP 167.2
I decided to examine the Hebrew word for “trading,” and came to a surprising and (at least for me) exciting discovery. The verb rakal, from which this noun derives, literally means to “go about, from one to another (for trade or gossip).” The noun derivative rakil means “slanderer, tale-bearer,” and appears six times in the Old Testament, once in Ezekiel (22:9). The other noun derivative rekullah —which is the word for “trading” found in Ezekiel 28:16—appears only in the book of Ezekiel, and all four occurrences come in our section under discussion dealing with Tyre (26:12; 28:5, 16, 18). Most modern versions translate this word throughout as “traffic, trade” or “merchandise,” but since the word appears only in this section of the Bible, the context must be the final determiner of meaning.GOP 167.3
In descriptions of the merchant city of Tyre, the meaning “traffic” or “trade” fits the context well (Eze. 26:12; 28:5). But with reference to the portrayals of the covering cherub in Ezekiel 28:16, 18, the notion of “trade” does not seem to naturally fit the context. This is recognized by the noted critical exegete Walther Eichrodt, who comments on this passage: “The description of the trespass is a little unexpected, since trade is here suddenly represented as the source of iniquity.” GOP 167.4
Since this noun is derived from the verb that means “go about, from one to another—either for trade or gossip/slander,” it appears very likely that Ezekiel deliberately chooses this rare Hebrew word (instead of the more common term sakhar) because it has a potential double meaning. Ezekiel here seems to employ a literary device known as a paronomasia, or play on word meaning. Inhabitants of the historical mercantile city of Tyre (mentioned in the first half of the chapter) clearly “went about, from one to another” for trade among the nations. Likewise the ultimate ruler of Tyre, Satan (verses 11-19), in the heavenly “mountain of God” also “went about, from one to another”—not for trade of goods, but for gossip or slander among the angels. Both the earthly and supernatural rulers were literally engaged in “trafficking,” one in merchandise, and the other in slander against God. GOP 167.5
The immediate context of Ezekiel 28:16 portrays the fall of the covering cherub from perfection (verse 15) to pride (verse 17). In this setting verses 16 and 18 supply his ensuing steps to perdition. We can best translate verse 16: “By the abundance of your slander [rekullah] you [Satan] became filled with violence within, and you sinned. Therefore I cast you as a profane thing out of the mountain of God . . .” With deft brushstrokes Ezekiel paints the picture of Lucifer’s going about in slander against God, which eventually ripens into open and violent rebellion. Verse 18 reveals that after his expulsion from heaven the fallen cherub continues on earth his “iniquity of slander [rekullah]” against God, and the verse also records the divine sentence of Satan’s destined fiery destruction because of his “multitude of iniquities.”GOP 168.1
A closer look at the nature of Satan’s slander in the original Hebrew also corroborates Ellen White’s repeated statements that Lucifer was accusing God of being unjust in His law and in His treatment of himself. Ellen White states:GOP 168.2
The exaltation of the Son of God as equal with the Father was represented as an act of injustice to Lucifer, who, it was claimed, was also entitled to reverence and honor. . . . There had been no change in the position or authority of Christ. Lucifer’s envy and misrepresentation and his claims to equality with Christ had made necessary a statement of the true position of the Son of God; but this had been the same from the beginning. Many of the angels were, however, blinded by Lucifer’s deceptions. GOP 168.3
According to Ezekiel 28:15, the guardian cherub was “blameless” (tamim) in his ways until “iniquity” (‘awlah) was found in him. Although many translations render ‘awlah as “iniquity,” “wrongdoing,” “unrighteousness,” or the like, the first definition of this word given by a standard Hebrew lexicon is “injustice,” and the major headings of meanings in the lexicon are “violent deeds of injustice,” “injustice of speech,” and “injustice, in general.” I suggest that the use of this specific word for “injustice” rather than a general term for “iniquity” or “sin,” when viewed in the light of other biblical passages relating to the fall of Satan, may imply that the guardian cherub cherished a sense of injustice with regard to God’s government, His dealings with him, and his exclusion from a place of equality with God. GOP 168.4
Satan’s celestial slander against God’s justice during the rise of the great controversy is not just an Adventist version of the story drawn from the extrabiblical inspiration of Ellen White—it is striking biblical truth! The lesser light once again has pointed us to the greater light!GOP 169.1