Isaiah 14:12-22
Isa 14:12
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!
Verses 12 to 17 offer a dual understanding of both the
King of Babylon (KOB) and Satan.
KOB – Here Isaiah speaks of the king of Babylon as living
so high and mighty that it was like he was living in Heaven.
The name “Lucifer” means “light bearer.”
The King of Babylon here is called that because he is like the morning
star which fades out of sight when the sun rises over the horizon.
He lived lavishly and now his glory has faded like the morning star.
He has been cut down to the ground like a tree which will never stand
again among the trees as he is laid in the grave as any other human.
He weakened the nations which carries with it “decay or wasted” which
states what he did to the nations which he conquered as he made them part of the
Babylonian empire.
Satan - And he
said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. (Luke 10:18)
Jesus stated that he saw Satan fall from Heaven after he had sinned.
When Satan rebelled against God, he was cast
out of Heaven and his fall was very swift. When one rebels against God, God can
make their punishment very swift. Since Isaiah has recorded the fall of Satan,
then what is in view in Luke 10:18 was the original fall from Heaven by Lucifer
who became Satan. The believers can rejoice that Jesus saw the beginning of the
end of Satan and his kingdom. The only satanic opposition that the believer will
face is here on earth. After Satan
sinned, he was sent down to the earth.
And the LORD said unto
Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the LORD, and said, From
going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. (Job 2:2)
Since his rebellion, sin has infected every nation on earth and as a
result has weakened the nations and the definition of wasted or decayed is
apropos because sin has done that to every nation since his fall.
Isa 14:13
For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into
heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the
mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
KOB – Believed that he was so powerful and glorious that
he would ascend to Heaven. Thought
that he was the supreme king on earth, the king of kings.
And he hath on
his vesture and on his thigh a
name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. (Revelation 19:16)
However, that term belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ alone.
When he thought he could make his throne in Heaven, then all the stars of
Heaven would be below him as those other smaller and lesser kingdoms, he thought
he would be supreme ruler. He
thought that he would rule the nations as God rules the nations.
Beautiful for situation, the joy
of the whole earth, is mount
Zion, on the sides of the
north, the city of the great King. (Psalm 48:2)
Satan – In his pride and arrogance, Satan thought that he
could usurp the place of God and somehow remove him from ruling.
That is how far arrogant sin can make a person think.
He thought that he would rule over every person on earth as the stars of
Heaven.
He telleth the number of the stars; he
calleth them all by their
names. (Psalm 147:4) God knows
the name of all the stars as he does all the people on earth and Satan thought
that he could have the same unlimited knowledge that God possesses.
He also thought that he could get everyone to worship him including the
Lord Jesus Christ when he was here on earth.
He wanted to have worship in the temple of God in Israel and now he wants
to have worship in the temple of the body of believers and when a Christian
holds to a false teaching, they are, in essence, worshipping Satan who is the
father of lies and false doctrines.
Isa 14:14
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be
like the most High.
KOB – The King of Babylon thought he was so exalted that
he would ascend to the heights above the clouds where the gods had lived.
He also wanted to be like the Most High which in his thinking would have
been Marduk who was the chief Babylonian deity, the national god of Babylon.
Satan – Satan thought that he would rule the heavens and
the entire creation from an exalted position in the heavens.
However, he would not rule those who had become saved because he would
have no power over them. One of the
names of God is “El Elyon” which means “Highest High or the Most High.”
Satan thought that he could remove God from his throne and rule the
universe by usurping the name “El Elyon.”
Who opposeth and exalteth himself
above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth
in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. (2 Thessalonians 2:4)
Isa 14:15
Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of
the pit.
KOB – As exalted as the king thought he was, he will
suffer the same fate as all those who opposed God and attacked his people.
His fate was that he would be brought down to hell and he wanted to be
king on the sides of the north, where many pagan societies believed the gods
lived, he would be brought down to the side of the pit of hell as equal to all
other unbelievers.
Satan – Satan thinks that he has the power to save
himself from any penalties for his actions of rebelling against God but he like
his followers will be cast forever into the lake of fire.
And the devil that deceived them
was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false
prophet are, and shall be
tormented day and night for ever and ever. (Revelation 20:10)
Isa 14:16
They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and
consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble,
that did shake kingdoms;
KOB – When people look at him in his death, they will see
only a man who is nothing without a vast army to keep him in power.
Narrowly looking upon him was to stare at him and then consider the fact
that he was nothing but a mere mortal clothed in royal apparel.
Then in almost mocking tones, they will consider or ponder the question,
is this the man who caused the earth to tremble no doubt with the chariots and
sound of his army and did shake kingdoms?
Shaking was causing fear in the countries that were conquered and those
who feared they would be conquered.
Satan – When Satan rebelled against God, he was tossed
down to the earth where he makes his home doing nothing but causing havoc among
the nations of the world. Now there
is an interesting word used here which gives us great insight as to who the
Antichrist is. It is not going to
be a mortal man but is Satan himself since throughout the ages until he is cast
into the lake of fire on the last day.
Let no man deceive you by any
means: for that day shall not come,
except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son
of perdition; (2 Thessalonians 2:3)
The “man” of sin in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 aligns up perfectly with Isaiah
14:16 with the fact that he made the earth to tremble and shook kingdoms which
has been going on since the time of Babylon.
Satan is called a “man” and that is what gets prophecy preachers confused
because they are looking at a mortal man instead of the moniker of “man” which
is given to Satan in Isaiah 14:16 which is further confirmed in the next verse.
Isa 14:17
That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed
the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?
KOB – Whenever Babylon took over a country or a city,
they would leave it in ruins and make the cities and the surrounding areas a
wilderness. Then they would take
the inhabitants as slaves or they would imprison them but the main teaching is
that they would not be allowed to return home.
Judah was not allowed to return until the Medes and Persians under Cyrus
allowed them to return.
Satan – When Satan had rebelled against God, he came to
earth and turned this place into a spiritual wilderness as evidenced by false
gods and gospels which have been leading people astray for thousands of years
and will continue till the last day.
Then shall the lame
man leap as an hart, and the
tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and
streams in the desert. (Isaiah 35:6)
When the Lord Jesus Christ saves someone they go from the wilderness of
sin to the waters of salvation.
He that believeth on me, as the scripture
hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (John 7:38)
Then the cities where the people live are not the cities
the people of God will be seeking.
Like Abraham no salvation would be found on earth but when we go into the
heavenly city, the New Jerusalem, there we will live forever.
And he carried me away in the
spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy
Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, (Revelation 21:10)
Then Satan would never open up his house where the
prisoners are kept. The prisoners
are all the unbelievers that Satan will keep bound as long as he can but when
the true gospel is preached and a person is Elect and become saved, they are
taken from the prison house and freed.
The Lord said we will know the truth and it will set us free.
The Spirit of the Lord GOD
is upon me; because the LORD
hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind
up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of
the prison to them that are
bound; (Isaiah 61:1)
Isa 14:18
All the kings of the nations, even all of them,
lie in glory, every one in his own house.
The kings of all the nations upon their deaths will have
a proper place of burial within their own kingdoms and houses.
Tiglath-Pileser will not even be buried but will be allowed to remain
above ground which in Middle Eastern culture is a great insult and that is how
the people will look upon him. He
will not have a grand funeral and that is why the people will look upon him as
one who was a street urchin that died a poor man’s death and would be tossed
into a potter’s field. The Pharaohs
of Egypt had great pyramids built as their places of “rest.”
In the Valley of the Kings in Egypt, even those tombs were loaded with
riches as we saw in the tomb of Tutankhamen.
Isa 14:19
But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable
branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a
sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcase trodden under feet.
This king of Babylon will be as one who is cast out of
the grave as not having one. The
abominable branch would be a branch of a tree which is diseased or eaten away
with some type of tree disease and is good for only being cut off so the rest of
the tree is not affected. Just as
those who are killed in battle and their clothes are blood soaked, no one would
like to take them up or touch them.
Then as the king used the sword to kill others, he has now become as one who was
thrust through with the sword and then thrown into a stone pit which would be
like a common or mass grave where stones are then piled on top.
Then eventually the stones will wear down to the level of the ground and
they will disappear and people will walk on his grave as if there was nothing or
no one buried there.
Isa 14:20
Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because
thou hast destroyed thy land, and slain thy people: the seed of evildoers
shall never be renowned.
The king of Babylon will not have a proper burial place
because he destroyed his land and slaughtered the people.
Then the utter ruin of the royal family and all the
descendants will occur since they were all evildoers.
They will never be renowned, that is, they will never be mentioned again
or in any way made famous. They
will fade into history to be totally forgotten.
And so I saw the wicked buried,
who had come and gone from the place of the holy, and they were forgotten in the
city where they had so done: this is
also vanity. (Ecclesiastes 8:10)
For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing,
neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.
(Ecclesiastes 9:5)
Isa 14:21
Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquity of
their fathers; that they do not rise, nor possess the land, nor fill the face of
the world with cities.
Here Isaiah emphasizes the fact which is directed to the
Medes and Persians that they are to completely destroy the royal family.
The children are also to be slaughtered because they grew up in the house
of their fathers who had ordered the slaughter of other people and they would
carry on the same programs their fathers did but they would be unable to if they
were dead. The royal family was to
end right there so there would be no chance of any of them escaping to rebuild
the empire or to even inhabit any of the cities so they could raise an army.
They would inhabit many cities for their own glory and fame and to subdue
local populations to fall in line with their orders.
Isa 14:22
For I will rise up against them, saith the LORD of hosts,
and cut off from Babylon the name, and remnant, and son, and nephew, saith the
LORD.