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Don Stewart :: Does Isaiah Speak of Satan's Fall?

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Don Stewart
There is a passage in the Book of Isaiah that may refer to the original fall of Satan.

How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! You said in your heart, "I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit on the mount of assembly on the heights of Zaphon; I will ascend to the tops of the clouds, I will make myself like the Most High." But you are brought down to Sheol, to the depths of the Pit (Isaiah 14:12-15).

Immediate Context
In the immediate context of Isaiah, the subject is the king of Babylon, yet there seems to be a sinister person behind the king to whom this passage is referring. Many Bible students think that it refers to the original fall of Satan. If this is true, then we can learn more things about this evil personage.

Five I Wills
There are five different times in this passage when the person asserted his own will, rather than the will of God.

1. I Will Ascend To Heaven
Ascending to heaven has the idea of being like God. Jesus ascended to heaven in the presence of His disciples.

When He had said this, as they were watching, He was lifted up, and a cloud took Him out of their sight. While He was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him go into heaven" (Acts 1:9-11)

2. I Will Exalt My Throne
Pride is seen here in the exaltation of self, rather than the Lord. God is the only One who is worthy to sit on the throne.

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb (Revelation 22:1).

This angel wanted to be exalted above the stars of God. The term "stars" could symbolize the other angels.

3. I Will Sit Upon The Mount Of Congregation
The governing of heaven is a position that belongs only to the Lord.

In days to come the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; all the nations shall stream to it (Isaiah 2:2).

4. I Will Ascend Above The Heights Of The Clouds
Again, there is the personal desire for exaltation. Clouds in Scripture often represent the glory of God. This being wanted exaltation above the glory of God. However, Jesus is the one who will be exalted.

Therefore God also highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name (Philippians 2:9).

5. I Will Make Myself Like The Most High
This personage wishes to be like the Lord, but there is only one God Most High.

He blessed him and said, "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, maker of heaven and earth; But Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have sworn to the LORD, God Most High, maker of heaven and earth (Genesis 14:19,22).

Satan wants to counterfeit God's nature and His plans. He imitates or counterfeits the genuine work of God through his deception.

Linked With New Testament
This passage in Isaiah has been linked with two verses in the New Testament - Luke 10:18 and Revelation 12:8.

He [Jesus] said to them, "I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning (Luke 10:18).

and they [Satan and his army] were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven (Revelation 12:8).

The timing of these two statements does not seem to speak of Satan's original fall. Jesus' statement does not give any idea as to when this fall from heaven occurred, and the statement in Revelation is dealing with events that are still in the future.

Summary
Though in the immediate context of Isaiah the subject is the king of Babylon, behind him seems to be the personage of the Devil. This can be seen by some of the statements that seemingly could not be referring to the earthly king of Babylon. If this is true, then we gain insight into this angel's motivation for his original sin.
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