Chapter 2
The Capacity to Challenge
The Initial Challenge to God’s Will
Our starting point is the time when the will of God stood unchallenged in the universe. From this point, we move to the entry of a second opposing will with the declaration of independence by Lucifer. From there, the scene moves to the Garden of Eden where man registers his disobedience to the will of God, and the conflict of the ages begins.
God, Satan, and man all have a will for the universe. God’s will focuses on His Son, Jesus Christ. Satan’s will and man’s will both agree in making themselves the center of all things. Man might be said to stand somewhat in the middle in that both God and Satan desire the submission of man to themselves – God for our ultimate good and Satan for our ultimate destruction. Man’s will, therefore, may be the servant of good or evil.
The Challenge in Brief
God created a being superior to all others and assigned him a place of authority over all creation. A time came when this being proclaimed a desire to establish a rule in opposition to God. Multitudes of angelic beings joined him. Conflict and rebellion thus entered the universe. The response of God was to create the place of “eternal fire, which has been prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:42).”
From here, the conflict extends to earth where man is given the opportunity to daily reaffirm the will of God by obedience to God’s commands. Adam, however, disobeys and provides the scenario for what we call human history.
The Challenge in Detail
In the Word of God, the entry of sin into the universe is recorded in Ezekiel 28 and Isaiah 14. Attempts to go beyond this source are philosophical, not biblical. Ezekiel 28 divides into two parts: the address to the prince of Tyre (28:1-11) and the address to the king of Tyre (28:12-19).
The Address to Satan – Ezekiel 28:12
To assert that the address to the “king of Tyre” is ultimately an address to Satan is a valid assertion. There is nothing unusual about the addressing of Satan through a human medium.
The facts of many passages go far beyond what could be said of the beings addressed. Messianic prophecy in the Old Testament is a prime example. It was the psalmist himself who said, “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me….” And yet, one cannot deny that these words had their ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ as He cried them on the cross.
In Hosea 11:1, it is clearly the nation of Israel that is called “my son”; and yet Matthew 2:15 applies these words to Christ directly. This does not mean Scripture has a dual meaning, but it does mean that the words of a given passage may extend and apply past the person being addressed.
If one reads Ezekiel 28:1-11, it can be observed that the statements made there can apply fully to an earthly ruler. However, when one comes to verses 12-19, statements are made that go beyond the king of Tyre and address a far greater being.
Satan is often addressed indirectly. It was to Peter that Christ said, “Get thee behind me, Satan.” And it is to the king of Tyre that we find Satan addressed in these verses.
Headlines – Ezekiel 28:12b
Satan is first described as to his general character – “you had the seal of perfection.” We start with an emphatic you in the Hebrew text. The Holy Spirit underscores it for us. This is to separate this being from all others. The focus is on the unique and special character of the one being addressed.
The word perfection means full measure. The being before us is one that leaves nothing to be improved upon. This, of course, must be viewed within the parameters provided in verse 15, which speaks of this being as created. He was all that a created being could be.
This generalization now becomes specific. He is “full of wisdom.” The word used here refers to shrewdness and intelligence and is used in the book of Exodus to designate the skillfulness of those who did the physical preparation of curtains in the tabernacle. Satan is skillfully intelligent. Further, he is described as “perfect in beauty.” The idea of perfect is all or wholly. The total appearance of this being is beautiful.
Duty of the Anointed One – Ezekiel 28:14
The words “I placed you there” (28:14) clearly indicate that he is to function under the will of God. There is to be only one will in the universe—the perfect will of God, and this being is to continually affirm this fact. Notice the simplicity—only one will, the perfect will of God. All of creation was to function under this good will, and this created being was assigned the responsibility to administer God’s will. The result was a stable, tranquil, and ideal universe. The will of God is absolutely sovereign. At the same time, it is important to note that this sovereign God allows His will to be challenged.
Two Responsibilities
The first responsibility assigned to this special created being is to act as priest. The covering described in verse 13 is found two other places in the Bible. It is descriptive of the breastplate of the high priest in Israel (Exodus 28:17-20), and it is found in the display of the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21.
The priest in Israel served as a link between God and men. In the New Testament Jerusalem, we have the dwelling place of those who are totally absorbed in the execution of God’s will.
The second responsibility was to act as God’s prime minister. This conclusion may be derived from his position— “on the holy mountain of God.” Usage establishes this to be the seat of God’s authority. It may be seen in his environment— “the stones of fire,” which are always associated with the area around God’s throne. His duty may also be understood from his title, “anointed cherub.” The cherubim functioned to support and uphold the righteousness of God. They are found at the Garden of Eden in the role of protection (Genesis 3:24).
The great responsibility of this created being was to uphold, affirm, and carry out the perfect will of God. Since the will of God is the only source of good, its execution would guarantee an orderly, benevolent, and efficient universe.
Fall of Satan—Ezekiel 28:15
In Ezekiel 28:15, we are taken to the origin of sin. The anointed cherub functioned well “until unrighteousness was found in you.”
Here is the key difference between eternity and time. Eternity was the functioning of the one single will of God. With the fall of Satan, we have the introduction of the second will into the universe. Its entry will be used by the sovereign God to prove that no good can come from any will except His own.
Freedom to Challenge God’s Will
Relative to the study of volition, we meet here an extremely important concept—God allows His will to be challenged. God allows His creatures to challenge His absolute authority. This in no way lessens the sovereignty of God, but rather enhances our conception of it. God is so secure in His sovereign position that He can allow His will to be challenged, and He even put into the hands of His creatures the tool by which they can challenge Him. That tool is called volition—the capacity to choose.
The Sin of Satan—Isaiah 14:12-14
In Isaiah 14:12-14, God’s prime creation is called Lucifer, a word that is the root of our world hallelujah and means bright and shining one. This views him in the pristine estate of Ezekiel 28.
His sin becomes obvious in this passage if one observes the repeated “I will”s. Verses 13 and 14 are permeated by the idea of a second opposing will. These “I will” expressions standing in opposition to the will of God account for all the disharmony, suffering, sorrow, sin, and tragedy in the universe.
Independence from God is Satan’s sin, and it is also Satan’s program for humanity. For the unbeliever, Satan desires that he neglect the cross of Christ and thus perish. For the believer, Satan’s plan is to separate him from the revealed will of God that is recorded in the Bible. Every time Satan separates man from God’s will, it is to man’s own destruction and misery.
Satan’s “I Will”s
Satan asserts that he will “ascend to heaven.” In the Bible, heaven may refer to four different spheres. It may refer to the immediate atmosphere, where celestial bodies reside, the lower heavens, and the actual throne of God. It is the last one to which Satan aspires. This is not the expression of desire for shared rule but is an attempt to replace God. We see in Genesis as we move to the Garden of Eden that Satan tempted Adam and Eve by appealing to their desire to “be like God” (Genesis 3:5). Man has never lost that aspiration.
Satan wishes to be “above the stars of God.” Stars may refer to the physical stars of the universe or may be used to designate angels, the messengers of God, as in Revelation 1:16, 20. Satan’s desire is to have absolute sovereignty over all beings, including God, with all submitting to him. Satan varies his strategy from age to age, but his desire for absolute sovereignty lies at the root of all.
He desires a position “above the heights of the clouds.” Clouds are referred to about 150 times in Scripture, and almost 100 of them refer to the presence of God.
The most significant thing about Isaiah 14 is the title Satan uses for God. He is called the “Most High.” This is the Hebrew expression El Elyon. It is the key name to designate God as the Supreme Ruler of the universe. It points to Him as the one whose will is absolute, exercising rule over His creation. A key passage using this title is Genesis 14:18-19, where God is called the “possessor of heaven and earth.” This term denotes ownership, the aspect of God that Satan desires for himself. In Deuteronomy 32:6-8, the expression El Elyon is used again of God as having Israel in mind before they even existed.