12 “How you are fallen from heaven,
O Day Star, son of Dawn!
How you are cut down to the ground,
you who laid the nations low!
13 You said in your heart,
‘I will ascend to heaven;
above the stars of God
I will set my throne on high;
I will sit on the mount of assembly
in the far reaches of the north;
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.’
15 But you are brought down to Sheol,
to the far reaches of the pit.
16 Those who see you will stare at you
and ponder over you:
‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble,
who shook kingdoms,
17 who made the world like a desert
and overthrew its cities,
who did not let his prisoners go home?’
18 All the kings of the nations lie in glory,
each in his own tomb;
19 but you are cast out, away from your grave,
like a loathed branch,
clothed with the slain, those pierced by the sword,
who go down to the stones of the pit,
like a dead body trampled underfoot.
20 You will not be joined with them in burial,
because you have destroyed your land,
you have slain your people.
“May the offspring of evildoers
nevermore be named!
21 Prepare slaughter for his sons
because of the guilt of their fathers,
lest they rise and possess the earth,
and fill the face of the world with cities.”
22 “I will rise up against them,” declares the Lord of hosts, “and will cut off from Babylon name and remnant, descendants and posterity,” declares the Lord. 23 “And I will make it a possession of the hedgehog, and pools of water, and I will sweep it with the broom of destruction,” declares the Lord of hosts. – Isaiah 14:4-23 ESV
Pride, arrogance, self-exaltation and an unquenchable thirst for power. These are just a few of the characteristics identified with the leadership of Babylon – both historically and eschatologically. As we have seen, there is a future resurrection of Babylon in some form or fashion during the period known as the Tribulation. In the end times, it will resurface as a major player on the global scene, and its rise to power will be marked by many of these same characteristics.
Over the centuries, there has been much debate as to whether verses 12-15 speak of the fall of Satan. And there is another Old Testament passage that has been recognized as evidence of Satan’s fall. It is found in the book of Ezekiel and is part of a prophecy aimed at the king of Tyre. But there are aspects to the words of God that seem to be speaking to someone far different and more significant than a mere human king.
“You were the signet of perfection,
full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
You were in Eden, the garden of God;
every precious stone was your covering,
sardius, topaz, and diamond,
beryl, onyx, and jasper,
sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle;
and crafted in gold were your settings
and your engravings.
On the day that you were created
they were prepared.
You were an anointed guardian cherub.
I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God;
in the midst of the stones of fire you walked.
You were blameless in your ways
from the day you were created,
till unrighteousness was found in you.
In the abundance of your trade
you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned;
so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God,
and I destroyed you, O guardian cherub,
from the midst of the stones of fire.
Your heart was proud because of your beauty;
you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor.
I cast you to the ground;
I exposed you before kings,
to feast their eyes on you.” – Ezekiel 28:12-17 ESV
Both the Ezekiel and Isaiah passages speak of someone falling from heaven and being cast to the ground. And in the gospel of Luke, he records the words of Jesus, seeming to refer to this same individual.
The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.” – Luke 10:18 ESV
In these verses, it would seem that Jesus is trying to downplay the disciples’ enthusiasm regarding their power over demons by letting them know that He was there when Satan was cast out of heaven. Any power they had over demons, who are nothing more than fallen angels, was due to God’s casting out of Satan. He and his fellow fallen angels are no match for God or the servants of God.
But are the verses in Ezekiel and Isaiah referring to the fall of Satan? It seems that the language, borrowed by Jesus Himself, is at least intended to tie the actions of the Babylonian leadership to pride, arrogance and self-exaltation of Satan himself. Over in the book of Revelation, John is given a vision that describes the fall of Satan.
Then I witnessed in heaven another significant event. I saw a large red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, with seven crowns on his heads. His tail swept away one-third of the stars in the sky, and he threw them to the earth. – Revelation 12:3-4 NLT
Verse nine goes on to reveal who this large red dragon represents.
This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth with all his angels. – Revelation 12:9 NLT
So, while it would be difficult to definitively assert that the prophecies of Isaiah and Ezekiel are referring to the fall of Satan, it seems quite clear that there are similarities. The actions of the Babylonian kings emulate those of Satan himself. Their pride and arrogance are evidence of their relationship with Satan and their control by him. Jesus spoke some harsh words to the Jewish religious leaders of His day, that would apply to any and all who refuse to accept Him as Savior and His Father as God Almighty.
“For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.” – John 8:44 NLT
The apostle John would have us recognize that those who live lives marked by unrepentant sin are acting according to the will and wishes of Satan.
…when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil. – 1 John 3:8 NLT
And the apostle Paul warns us that Satan has the power to deceive and distract the minds of unbelievers, causing them to reject the good news of Jesus Christ, and live in keeping with his pride-filled, arrogant and rebellious nature.
Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God. – 2 Corinthians 4:4 NLT
So, as God levels His charges against the Babylonian kings, there can be little doubt that He is fully aware of and recognizes the hand of Satan behind their actions. Notice that five different times, God accuses the king of Babylon of saying, “I will…”
I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God
I will set my throne on high
I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds
I will make myself like the Most High
What a vivid picture of man’s ridiculous pride and unjustified arrogance. But these pride-filled statements reflect the fallen heart of man. Left to his own devices, man will almost always end up worshiping self. When God is removed from the picture, man tends to make himself god. And Paul described this sad state of affairs in stark terms:
Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles. – Romans 1:21-23 NLT
But how does God respond to the unjustified arrogance of mankind? As the proverb so aply puts it, “Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall” (Proberbs 16:18 NLT). So, God warns the mighty kings of Babylon of the fall that awaits them.
…But you are brought down
…but you are cast out
…I will rise up against them
…I will cut off from Babylon name and remnant, descendants and posterity
…I will make it a possession of the hedgehog
…I will sweep it with the broom of destruction
Satan will prove no match for God Almighty, so what hope do the human powers of this world have? Man can brag and boast about his power and take credit for his seeming successes, but in the end, God will prevail. He will cast down all those who, in their pride and arrogance, have set themselves up as their own gods. Just look at the track record of history. The Pharaohs of Egypt, once worshiped and revered as gods, are no more. King Nebuchadnezzar, who once bragged, “Look at this great city of Babylon! By my own mighty power, I have built this beautiful city as my royal residence to display my majestic splendor” (Daniel 4:30 NLT), is long gone. The Caesars of Rome, who at one time decreed that they worshiped as gods, are nothing more than an historical footnote.
Neither Satan or the men he controls, will ever be able to stand against the Lord of Hosts, the God of heavens armies. Man’s pride is no match for God’s power. Man’s arrogance will prove ineffective in the face of God’s anger. And man’s self-exaltation will prove short-lived when it comes into contact with the glory and majesty of God.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
The Message (MSG)
Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson