Following is an excerpt from What Every Christian Should Know About Satan. Order your copy now in paperback, Kindle, or Audible versions.

Marcus Licinius Crassus was one of the wealthiest and most powerful men in ancient Rome. Born in 115 BC, he amassed a fortune through various enterprises, which ranged from dealing in slaves to restoring fire-ravaged land and selling it at huge profits. His wealth enabled him to crush rivals and buy influence with Julius Caesar. In fact, he bankrolled the army sent out to quash the Spartacus-led slave rebellion.

In gratitude, Caesar named Crassus governor of Syria, a land rich in resources. It should have been one more step in Crassus’ meteoric rise, but he flamed out like a falling star. He led a disastrous campaign against the Parthian Empire. After the battle of Carrhae, he parlayed for peace. But the Parthians poured liquid gold down his throat. One of the richest men who ever lived choked to death from a scalding dose of what he valued most in life. An exalted crony of Caesar, Crassus died in humiliation – a spectacle for the ancient world to behold.

Curiously, we know more about Crassus’ rise and fall than we do about Satan’s. The Bible offers little insight into the evil one’s exaltation and rebellion, although it does tell us something of his fall and ignominious destiny. We know the devil is a created being. We know he is powerful, clever, deceitful, rapacious, and deadly. We know he throws his full weight into a guerilla campaign against God and God’s people. We know he has a vast army of evil spirits who engage holy angels and humans in spiritual warfare. We know he has a kingdom and great authority over those he has taken captive.

But we also know his limits. Satan is neither omniscient, omnipotent, nor omnipresent, for these attributes belong to God alone. Equally important, we know that no matter how highly exalted he once was, or makes himself appear today, he is on a steep downward trajectory. He has been cast out of God’s throne room and banished from the heavenly realm. Today, he furiously bides his time prowling the earth. One day, the fires of hell – stoked particularly for him and his minions – are to be his everlasting place of torment (Matt. 25:41). 

But when did Satan become the evil one? How did wickedness rise in his heart? How did he ever get the notion he could defeat his creator? And why does he insist on taking as many people to hell with him as possible?

The only answer that makes sense biblically is that Satan is a created being of great intelligence and power who rebelled against God. Scripture is clear that God created everything in the physical and spiritual realms (Gen. 1:1-2; John 1:3; Col. 1:16). This includes Satan. Further, God created everything good (Gen. 1:31; Ps. 104:24; 1 Tim. 4:4). 

So, for a supernatural being like Satan to become the evil one, he must have rebelled against God and thus fallen from his original state of innocence. It also follows that God knew this would happen, allowed it, and leveraged it to accomplish greater good through the revelation of his Son, who identified with fallen humans and redeemed them through his sinless life, death, burial, and resurrection. A stunning defeat for the evil one; a triumph for God and his people.

That doesn’t answer every question about the rise and fall of Satan, but it gives us a framework for exploring a creature the prophet Ezekiel may have called an anointed guardian cherub.

Old Testament light

Isaiah 14

Two much-debated Old Testament passages give us glimpses into the evil one’s heart. The first is Isaiah 14:3-21, which serves as a “taunt” (Heb. mashal – a song of contempt, or a comparative parable) against the king of Babylon. At the same time, it features words in verses 12-14 that seem too otherworldly for a human figure. 

Isaiah 14 is a message of hope. Although Judah falls to the Babylonians in divine judgment, Babylon itself is destroyed. Exile in Babylon gives way to a joyous escort back to Jerusalem. And then the people sing their victory song against the humbled king of Babylon. The song begins:

How the oppressor has quieted down, and how the raging has become quiet! The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers. It struck the peoples in anger with unceasing blows. It subdued the nations in rage with relentless persecution. The whole earth is calm and at rest; people shout with a ringing cry. Even the cypresses and the cedars of Lebanon rejoice over you: “Since you have been laid low, no lumberjack has come against us.”

Sheol below is eager to greet your coming, stirring up the spirits of the departed for you – all the rulers of the earth – making all the kings of the nations rise from their thrones. They all respond to you, saying, “You too have become as weak as we are; you have become like us! Your splendor has been brought down to Sheol, along with the music of your harps. Maggots are spread out under you, and worms cover you” (vv. 4-11).

Clearly, the song so far is directed toward a human being – the king of Babylon. While he is addressed as an individual, the lack of a specific name may mean the king represents “the apex of the imperialistic machine that oppressed the people of God.”

The king’s staff represents his responsibility to shepherd the people. The scepter, an ornamented mace used as a weapon, symbolizes the king’s power. Both are broken, demonstrating God’s sovereignty. Even the trees of Lebanon rejoice in their reprieve from being cut down to build siege works. 

Verse 9 introduces sheol, the abode of the dead. Sheol is personified and pictured as warmly welcoming the king. The spirits of departed rulers are there, marveling at the king’s weakness and humiliation. Verse 11 speaks of maggots and worms that devour the king’s body in the grave.

But verses 12-14 address the king in otherworldly terms:

Shining morning star, how you have fallen from the heavens! You destroyer of nations, you have been cut down to the ground. You said to yourself, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will set up my throne above the stars of God. I will sit on the mount of the gods’ assembly, in the remotest parts of the North. I will ascend above the highest clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.”

Is this still the king of Babylon? Or is this literary bridge a reference to a supernatural being? The King James Version renders verse 12: “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!” Based on this translation, and the view that Satan is the subject of this verse, some conclude that Lucifer (taken from the Latin Vulgate and meaning “light-bringer”) is one of the names of the devil. Origen is the first person in the early church period to make this claim. Augustine later adopted it.

Many Bible commentators reject this view, however. “Shining morning star” may figuratively refer to a Canaanite deity whose story provides the pattern for Judah’s taunt. This lesser god tries to usurp the position of the high God, resulting in a quick and horrible fall.

As an alternative explanation, the king may be compared to the planet Venus, which in ancient days is considered the morning star that falls quickly through the sky. As for the gods’ assembly in the remotest parts of the North, Canaanite mythology again may be in play. The throne of Baal, the chief god, is considered on Mount North (Heb. Zaphon). 

Further evidence against Lucifer as a reference to Satan is the Hebrew word from which the name is drawn: helel. Rather than follow the insistence of some early church fathers that helel derives from halal, which can, in rare cases, be rendered “to shine,” it makes more sense to translate it from another root word, yalal, meaning “to howl” or “to wail.” 

In fact, Jerome, who produced the Latin Vulgate featuring the name Lucifer, admits in his commentary on Isaiah that a better translation of the Hebrew helel in this passage is the Latin ulula, which means “howling.” So why go with Lucifer? Jerome is already convinced from his reading of Origen that Isaiah 14 refers to Satan, so his Latin translation bends to this view.

That’s not all. The use of yalal in Isaiah and other prophetic Old Testament books falls in the context of judgment and lament, making it a better fit for this passage. In fact, “the word only occurs in the prophets and is frequently parallel to other Hebrew words for crying out in sorrow and distress (zaaq and sapad),” according to scholar John Gilhooly. “Since this particular passage (Isaiah 14) contains admitted elements of lament, the natural translation for the term would be ‘Wail!’ or ‘Howl!,’ not ‘light-bringer.’”

Gilhooly thus renders the verse, “How you are fallen from heaven! Wail, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the earth who once weakened the nations.”

The song of contempt returns solidly to the earthly king in Isaiah 14:

But you will be brought down to Sheol into the deepest regions of the Pit. Those who see you will stare at you; they will look closely at you: “Is this the man who caused the earth to tremble, who shook the kingdoms, who turned the world into a wilderness, who destroyed its cities and would not release the prisoners to return home?” All the kings of the nations lie in splendor, each in his own tomb. But you are thrown out without a grave, like a worthless branch, covered by those slain with the sword and dumped into a rocky pit like a trampled corpse. You will not join them in burial, because you destroyed your land and slaughtered your own people. The offspring of evildoers will never be mentioned again. Prepare a place of slaughter for his sons, because of the iniquity of their fathers. They will never rise up to possess a land or fill the surface of the earth with cities. 

Isa. 14:15-21

In death, the once powerful king of Babylon is now weak and helpless. The nameless people in the abode of the dead marvel at his demise. Unlike the corpses of other earthly kings who receive majestic burials, the king’s body is abandoned on the field of battle, covered by other dead bodies. 

In summary, there is little doubt that Isaiah 14 addresses an earthly king, perhaps a composite of the wicked rulers who shake their fists at God and persecute his people. Maggots and worms consume his body, while departed spirits welcome him to sheol. Even so, verses 12-14 perhaps project a scriptural shadow – a veiled glimpse of the evil one whose rebellion against God casts the die for all forms of human revolt against their creator. 

As Gilhooly acknowledges (and cautions):

Given that the prophetic works have an eschatological character, one could see in the specific historical judgment of the king of Babylon a motif in a pattern of divine judgment that repeats itself and will repeat itself finally in the judgment of the Devil and all his sons in the end time. However, there is a significant difference between recognizing a pattern in prophetic portrayals of judgment and holding that this specific text informs us about the moral fall of Satan. Our desire to fill in gaps in our theological stories should not cause us to read into the prophets what they do not intend to say. 

Ezekiel 28

A second much-debated Old Testament passage regarding Satan’s origin and fall is found in Ezekiel 28, which details the overthrow of Tyre’s ruler and a lament for Tyre’s king – perhaps, some argue, two references to the same person. Although no specific king is mentioned, just as in Isaiah 14, the king who reigns during Ezekiel’s ministry is Ethbaal III (585-573 BC). The opening verses of Ezekiel 28 clearly address an arrogant human ruler:

The word of the LORD came to me: “Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre, ‘This is what the Lord GODsays: Your heart is proud, and you have said, “I am a god; I sit in the seat of gods in the heart of the sea.” Yet you are a man and not a god, though you have regarded your heart as that of a god. Yes, you are wiser than Daniel; no secret is hidden from you! By your wisdom and understanding you have acquired wealth for yourself. You have acquired gold and silver for your treasuries. By your great skill in trading you have increased your wealth, but your heart has become proud because of your wealth.

“‘Therefore, this is what the Lord GOD says: Because you regard your heart as that of a god, I am about to bring strangers against you, ruthless men from the nations. They will draw their swords against your magnificent wisdom and will pierce your splendor. They will bring you down to the Pit, and you will die a violent death in the heart of the sea. Will you still say, “I am a god,” in the presence of those who slay you? Yet you will be only a man, not a god, in the hands of those who kill you. You will die the death of the uncircumcised at the hands of strangers. For I have spoken. This is the declaration of the Lord GOD.'”

Ezek. 28:1-10

Although the ruler of Tyre fancies himself a god, the Lord clearly rebukes him as an arrogant man who has allowed human wisdom and great wealth to deceive him. He is to die in battle at the hands of strangers and go down to the Pit, the abode of the dead. The text then transitions to a lament for Tyre’s king:

The word of the LORD came to me: “Son of man, lament for the king of Tyre and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says:

You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God. Every kind of precious stone covered you: carnelian, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, lapis lazuli, turquoise and emerald.  Your mountings and settings were crafted in gold; they were prepared on the day you were created. You were an anointed guardian cherub, for I had appointed you. You were on the holy mountain of God; you walked among the fiery stones. From the day you were created you were blameless in your ways until wickedness was found in you.

Through the abundance of your trade, you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I expelled you in disgrace from the mountain of God, and banished you, guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. Your heart became proud because of your beauty; For the sake of your splendor you corrupted your wisdom. So I threw you down to the ground; I made you a spectacle before kings. You profaned your sanctuaries by the magnitude of your iniquities in your dishonest trade. So I made fire come from within you, and it consumed you. I reduced you to ashes on the ground in the sight of everyone watching you. All those who know you among the peoples are appalled at you. You have become an object of horror and will never exist again.’”

Ezek. 28:12-19, emphasis added

The extravagant descriptions of the king of Tyre – “the seal of perfection;” “in Eden, the garden of God;” “anointed guardian cherub;” “on the holy mountain of God;” “blameless in your ways” – could not literally apply to a human being. The prophet is comparing the king with someone in an exalted position who became corrupt and lost favor with God. The CSB Apologetics Study Bible summarizes two competing viewpoints:

Of twenty descriptive elements identifiable in this passage, at least sixteen can be seen to correlate with Isa. 14:12-17, written some 150 years earlier. The correspondence leads many conservative scholars to conclude that the passages are related and refer to the fall of Satan, the adversary of God and his people and the source of evil. On this view, Ezekiel was stating – in terms his audience would understand – that Satan was the mastermind behind the king of Tyre. 

CSB Apologetics Study Bible

Other commentators, no less committed to the inerrancy of Scripture, find such a theory speculative, going “beyond what is written” (1 Cor. 4:6). If Ezekiel had meant to speak of Satan there is no reason why he would not have mentioned him by name, as occurs in other OT passages (1 Chron. 21:1; Job 1-2; Zech. 3:1-2). Ezekiel, like other prophets of Israel, is known for exaggerated speech; in this passage he magnified the king of Tyre as an exalted Edenic figure in order to amplify the “spectacle” (v. 17) of his disgrace, as one who “will never exist again” (v. 19).

Perhaps we can begin to see why Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 are much debated among evangelical scholars. Let’s look again at the first passage – this time, in light of the second one.

Anointed guardian cherub

To begin, Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 share several traits. First, they describe wicked earthly kings who aspire to deity. Second, God decrees their humiliation in dramatic fashion; though they seek to sit among, or even above, the gods, they are brought down to the underworld. Third, the prophets’ portrayal of the kings’ boasting seems to go beyond hyperbole, as if a powerful unseen being lurks behind these kings. Therefore, many commentators believe both Isaiah and Ezekiel present us with descriptions of the evil one – descriptions that provide at least some hint of Satan’s former exalted position and subsequent fall.

Isaiah refers to this being as “shining morning star,” which, as we already noted, could be an allusion to a Canaanite deity. But Ezekiel calls him an anointed guardian cherub. Cherubim are unique heavenly creatures who, like seraphim, are never called angels in the Bible. They look nothing like angels. Both cherubim and seraphim are said to have wings (angels do not), though the number of wings varies (Exod. 25:20; 37:9; Isa. 6:2). Cherubim at times are described as having four faces, along with human and bovine body parts (Ezek. 1; 10). The faces may represent strengths for which the animals are known: ox (power); lion (strength, majesty, danger); human (wisdom); eagle (mobility, speed).

In a sense, cherubim and seraphim are hybrid figures. That is, they possess human as well as animal features. We find such beings in Ancient Near East culture, especially as creatures who represent power or prevent evil. So, cherubim and seraphim are either welcome protectors or terrifying punishers, depending on who encounters them.

Note some distinguishing characteristics of cherubim:

First, as in the garden of Eden, cherubim are placed at the boundary between the sacred and the profane. For example, they keep Adam and Eve, who are expelled from Eden, from returning (Gen. 3:24). 

Second, the word cherub probably means “gatekeeper” or “intercessor.” The word is used ninety-one times in the Old Testament. Frequently, writers refer to God as sitting, or enthroned, among the cherubim (Num. 7:89; 2 Sam. 6:2; Ps. 80:1). In other words, cherubim enjoy a special place in God’s presence.

Third, cherubim adorn the golden ark of the covenant, with their wings spread across the mercy seat (or cover of the ark) on which the high priest sprinkles sacrificial blood to atone for the people’s sins. Their image also is woven into the veil of the tabernacle (Exod. 26:1). In the temple, two large olive-wood cherubim are placed next to the ark of the covenant in the holy of holies (1 Kings 6:23, 27).

Fourth, cherubim are similar in description to seraphim, who serve God as they proclaim his holiness (Isa. 6:1-3; Rev. 4:6-10).

So, for the Lord to call the king of Tyre an anointed guardian cherub, he must be pointing to some unique attribute in the king’s past. But it’s hard to discern whether this description is literal or a form of hyperbole. We have to dig deeper.

Next: Three Interpretations