PROVERB AGANST THE KING OF BABYLON

Lucifer: A PROVERB AGANST THE KING OF BABYLON
"HOW ART THOU FALLEN FROM HEAVEN, (GRACE) O LUCIFER,
The name "Lucifer is found only once in the Scriptures, as quoted above, from Isaiah 14:12, and the popular belief held by many is that this is a reference ONLY APPLICABLE TO THE DEVIL. Over many centuries, people have been taught that this mysterious personage was once in heaven, but was cast out because of rebellion against God. Why such a belief should be held, is hard to understand, as will be seen from the following. Here is the complete verse.
Isaiah 14:12-13 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! 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: KJV
Isaiah14:4 That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased! KJV
About Josephs dream.
Genesis 37:8-10 8 And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words. 9 And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars (His brothers) made obeisance to me.10 And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I( Jacob) and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?
Another one like Joseph.
Revelation 12:1-5 1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman (Israel) clothed with the sun, (JESUS) and the moon under her feet,(Old Prophets) and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: = (Jesus apostles. 2000 years ago) 2 And she being with child (JESUS and his Church) cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; = (Where the people of God were.) and behold a great red dragon, = (Civil powers over Israel in Jesus day) having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.= (The kingdoms over the world from Babylon to Rome over time.) 606 BC to 1798 AD = 2520 years.
Revelation 12:4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, (Gods people) and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. Herod 5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. (Where JESUS is now.)
Matthew 2:7-10 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also. 9When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
Jeremiah 31:15 Thus saith the LORD; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not. (Herods Work every child from two years and under must be killed.) The stars of heaven, OK!!
Matthew 2;18 In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not. (Matthew writes of this in Jeremiah to let us know who he was writing about.) HEROD and the young children.
NOW IS LUCIFER THE DEVIL OR A MAN?
If the popular view is held, that Lucifer is "the Devil" and was cast out of heaven, then all these verses contradict each other, for why would LUCIFER want to "ascend into heaven?" How could he exalt his throne above the "stars of God" seeing that a REBEL in heaven is an impossibility? God is supreme and always has been. Again, how could LUCIFER "weaken the nations" and "be cut down to the ground". Would he not have much less power over anyone after being "cut down to the ground"? Why would he wish to sit upon "the mount of the congregation, (Where the High Preist were) in the sides of the north?"
WHAT ARE THE "SIDES OF THE NORTH?
Study what is meant by "the sides of the north". The answer is to found in Psalm 48:2, "Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, IS MOUNT ZION, on the sides of the north, the city of the great king" So LUCIFER desired, for some reason, to have control of Jerusalem. Then in verse 15 he was told he would be "brought down to hell,(Grave) to the sides of the pit". Thus he would be buried, and if so, he should not still be troubling the nations. Verse 16 goes on to say..."Is this "THE MAN" that made the earth to tremble?" So he was A MAN. Verses 18-20 tell of his end and compares it with the other Kings of the nations who were laid in the grave in glory. Then, still dealing with this 'so called Devil', imagined to be LUCIFER, verse 21 says...."prepare slaughter for his children".
WHAT IS THE SIMPLE TRUTH OF THE MATTER?
This whole record is concerning the King of Babylon. "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." So Lucifer's people, son and nephew, name and remnant, were to be "cut off". Thus, if Lucifer's children would be slain, he also would be involved, and this miserable end mentioned in verse 20, could not be applied to the DEVIL, supposed to be an all powerful spirit being with horns and hooves and supposed to torture people eternally .
It is not reasonable for anyone to believe that LUCIFER of Isaiah 14:12-19,21 could be a fallen angel with magical powers, but yet be "cut down"......."cast down like an abominable branch" thrust through with a sword and his children destroyed. Who was this person and what had he done to bring such retribution upon himself? Why not study the WHOLE CHAPTER, instead of taking out just two verses, and weaving around them the story of a mystical character with extraordinary powers?
With this thought in mind, look at the start of Isaiah 14. "For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land: and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they (the strangers) shall cleave to the House of Jacob. And the people shall take them, and bring them to their place: and the House of Israel shall possess them in the land of the Lord for servants and handmaids: and they shall take them captives, whose captives they were and they shall rule over their oppressors."
THE KING OF BABYLON
Now note carefully the words of the following verses> AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS in the day that the Lord shall give thee rest from thy sorrow,( This was about Cyrus king of the Medes and Persians who let them go back home to build the walls of Jerusalem again even in troublous times.)
Isaiah 14:3-4 3 And it shall come to pass in the day that the LORD shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve, 4 That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased! Then the story continues and pictures the ultimate breaking of the power of Babylon and it's King; and then, in words of "symbolism" how he had fallen from his high estate as the First World-Ruler, and how he had been brought low.
Jude 1:6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. (Sons of God from Seth Adams sons married the sons of men.) They left their favor with God. There were Giants in the land men of renown from this union of wifes.
Nebuchadnezzar's dream
Anyone reading Daniel's wonderful interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream (Daniel 2:37) will see what a proud position this King had held, for God had given him the greatest of all empires up to that time. He had been used as a scourge against Israel, but retribution was to come, for this great King was driven from his throne by seven years of madness. This was an enormous "come-down" for a great King who had caused all the nations "to tremble". His fear was upon all nations and one after another they fell before him. No wonder the Prophet said of him...(Isaiah 14:16-17)..."Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms: that made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of the prisoners?"
Here was a Dictator, one who had conquered Israel with a great slaughter by God's will. He had taken them to Babylon...he had conquered Syria, Egypt, Moab, Ammon, and Arabia and many other lands. His pride and arrogance knew no bounds, and one day, in the Palace of Babylon, he made the boastful speech....."Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the Kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?" (Dan 4:30) Even as the last words were upon his lips, a voice from heaven passed judgement upon him and he was driven from his throne...(Daniel 4:31). Do you not see in this impious speech, the same outline as Isaiah 14 speaks of " I WILL ascend above the heights of the clouds; I WILL be like the most high." (Isaiah 14:14). Like the Jews in the temple!!And Nebuchadnezzar burned it in 606 BC.
ISRAEL BLESSED AFTER THE OPPRESSOR CEASED
But note again the words of Isaiah 14:1-4. God was to return and bless Israel and to bring them back to favour again, even though they were about to go into captivity. Israel DID return from Babylon, but the prophecy, in it's fullness, has not been completely fulfilled. Then note the words...."It shall come to pass in the day that the Lord shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou was made to serve, THAT THOU SHALT TAKE UP THIS PROVERB AGAINST THE KING OF BABYLON How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased!."
The City of Babylon DID CEASE, and it truly is desolate. But Israel, the people whom Nebuchadnezzar oppressed, are back in their land. The parable is yet to be taken up against their many destroyers, who all sought to bring fear and dread upon Israel. Yet they are relieved of this fear and dread by the Father. As we read."The Lord will give thee rest from thy sorrow". (Isaiah 14:3)
Genesis 6:1-3 1 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, 2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. 3And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. When the Children of Seth \, Eve said I have begoten a man of the Lord. Then began men to call upon the name of the lord. But guess who didn't call on the name of the Lord . Cains children. "RIGHT"
The Lucifer of Isaiah 14 was not a fallen angel. HE WAS THE KING OF BABYLON!
Dillard Munsell dillmunsell@yahoo.com