ORIGIN OF SIN.   King of Tyre illustrates.  EZEKIEL 28

v1  ‘The word of the Lord came to me.’   The authority of this royal fall is unchallengeable.

The prince of Tyre is proud of heart, “Your heart is lifted up. You say, ’I am a god (small g).  I will sit in the seat of gods.   In the midst of the seas’.   Yet, you are a man, (Hebrew Adam, the first created man) and not a god, though you set your heart as the heart of a god”.   (Contrast this with our dear Lord who was Son of man and Son of God).   He (the Prince of Tyre) prided himself on his wisdom, ‘You are wiser than Daniel.’ (Daniel was recognized by Ezekiel,)     He accumulated riches of this world, which caused him to lift up his heart. (v5)

The King of Tyre represents the fallen angel, who had been in heaven, before he chose to rebel against his God.
v12. “You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.      v13. You were in Eden, the garden of God. Every precious stone was your covering: sardius, topaz and diamond; beryl, onyx and jasper. Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your tumbrels and pipes was prepared for you on the day you were created.”      These are the desirable jewels in the high priest’s ephod.

v14.   “You were the anointed cherub that covers; I established you. You were on the holy mountain of God. You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones.   You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created.”   Recurring truth of being fashioned by the living God.

Then God’s judgment fell,    v16. “By the abundance of your trading, you became filled with violence within, and you sinned; therefore I cast you as a profane thing out of the mountain of God”.   We hate rubbish, so does God who disposes of refuse, all that refutes God.   His holiness demands it.    A sober declaration,    ”…I destroyed you.    O, covering cherub, from the midst of the fiery stones.”    God’s judgment and His justice are inseparable.

God describes the depravity of the fallen heart,     v17 “Your heart was lifted up (pride destroys) because of your beauty (remember God had created him); you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor.   I cast you to the ground, I laid you before kings, that they might gaze at you.”

Worse still, v18 “You defiled your sanctuaries, by the multitude of your iniquities.    By the iniquity of your trading; therefore I brought fire from your midst; it devoured you, And I turned you to ashes upon the earth ( God’s judgment is entire) in the sight of all who saw you.   
V19  …….. You have become a horror, and shall be no more for ever.”    God blots out the existence of an anointed angel who had rebelled against him.

       Strangely, the prophecy of Isaiah tells so much in advance of the majesty and atonement of our Lord Jesus. Yet it tells of Satan’s aggrandizement and his disastrous plunge.

 Is. 14:12    ”How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning. (Phew! What a title for such a person!)
How you are cut down to the ground, You weakened the nations!    
 v13. For you have said in your heart: (the heart of man is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked as the source of our infection), ‘I will ascend into heaven,   (Unwarranted and undeserved elevation.)
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;   (Stellar atmosphere).
I will also sit on the mount of the congregation
 On the farthest sides of the north;   (spatial rank)
v14.    I will ascend above all the heights of the clouds (atmospheric heaven)
          I will be like the Most High. Eternal heavens.   He challenged God Himself.
v15.    Yet, you shall be brought down to Sheol,
           To the lowest depths of the Pit.
v16.   Those who see you shall gaze at you,
            and consider you, saying:
         ‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, Who shook kingdoms,
v17.    Who made the world as a wilderness
           and destroyed its cities,’
                  [(e.g. Babylon, Damascus)   Hitler shook the world.   Tell of the night in Egypt
                   when Churchill spoke comforting, yet challenging truth.
                   Men wept.   Yet, were strengthened.   Men wept creeping back to their tents.]

  The following charge was laid against Lucifer:-
 v17cont. ‘Who did not open the house of his prisoners.’

 This contrasted with our Lord Jesus, Who set the sinners free.   Eg. Field Marshal   Montgomery, liberator saint of God devoted early morning to study of Word of God. He defeated Rommel, preserving Africa, Arab states, India, South East Asia, Indonesia and our beloved Australia.     Such triumph, preserved our beloved nation from tyranny.      

Vv18-21 tell of the ongoing condemnation of the Lord on Lucifer.
I will cut off Babylon’,    (A world capital like the following great cities Moscow, Berlin, Paris, London, Washington Sydney Beijing Tokyo.   This solemn prediction was fulfilled. Damascus included, having for 3,500 years never been ravaged or brought to ruin.   6000 rockets fill this nation, directing them to every part of he nation of Israel.   I expect immediate fulfilment of this sombre prophecy.)    

Exaltation of our beloved Lord.

v26.   This purposed upon the whole earth.   (Inescapable judgment)
          This is the hand that is stretched forth over all the nations.
v27    For the Lord of hosts has purposed, and who shall annul it?
          His hand is stretched out
          and who will turn it back.?     (Firstly on Calvary’s cross, yet extended to the leper,
                                                       the blind, the demon-possessed)    

The sin originated with the King of Tyre and Lucifer, the light-bearer.
The eternal God brought his own judgment upon them.

God’s dear Son the Lord Jesus defeated them on Calvary’s cross, shattered death’s power in bursting open the tomb and rode in magnificent glory when He rose again.