Ezekiel 33-36

satan - Behind the Scenes - Ezekiel 33-36

There are times when I am reading the Bible, my mind becomes distracted. It starts to wander and think about "Life." For me, when I read the Bible, I read in little portions, not chapter after chapter. By doing this I find I get more out of the text and the Bible stays fresh and alive.
The reason that I mentioned this, is if you were not paying attention you might of missed a very interesting section of our readings; Chapter 28:11-19 .
At once glance you would think that this is a prophecy against the King of Tyre, but these words are directed at someone totally different.
In studying the Bible there is what is called a double reference, another good example is when Jesus was speaking to Peter, but He was actually speaking to someone else. Jesus spoke to Peter and told him, Get behind me, Satan! This was not directed at Peter, but the force behind Peter.
Here Ezekiel is speaking to the King of Tyre, but the message is actually for the force behind the king; satan.

The picture below is the fantastic remains of the ancient Triumphal Arch in Tyre, Lebanon. In this prophecy GOD told Tyre that they were finished, and if you read the history of Tyre, was GOD said, came true.

Ezekiel 28:11-17 ESV
11 The word of the LORD came to me:
12 "Son of man, take up a lament concerning
the king of Tyre and say to him: 'This is what
the Sovereign LORD says: " 'You were the
model of perfection,full of wisdom and perfect
in beauty.
(A Human would not be a model of perfection)

13 You were in Eden,
the garden of God;
every precious
stone adorned you:
ruby, topaz and emerald, chrysolite,
onyx and jasper, sapphire, turquoise and beryl.
Your settings and mountings were made of gold;
on the day you
were created they were prepared.
(Humans are born, not created)

14 You were anointed as a guardian cherub,
for so I ordained you.
You were on the holy mount of God;
you walked among the fiery stones.
(Holy Temple of GOD)

15 You were blameless in your ways
from the day you were created
till wickedness was found in you.
(Humans born are sinful, not blameless)

16 Through your widespread trade
you were filled with violence,
and you sinned.
So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God,
and I expelled you, O guardian cherub,
from among the fiery stones.

17 Your heart became proud
on account of your beauty,
and you corrupted your wisdom
because of your splendor.
So I threw you to the earth;
I made a spectacle of you before kings.

Thought for the Day
I do not know about you, but sometimes I ask myself, "Why does life have to be so hard at times?" In these times it is good to remind myself that I am involved in this huge cosmic battle between good and evil. I have taken a stand, and I now have this force that hates me and will do anything to take me down and make my life hard at times.

In Ephesians 6:12 we are told that "Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

Yes, satan does have influences on your life. This does not give us reason to fail and give in, it should give you a fire to fight! You are involved in this massive battle that is coming to an end. satan knows that he lost at the Cross and Ressurection (Heh heh heh sorry satan) so he wants to take as many people and families with him.

You might be thinking, how am I going to battle such a powerful force? One word, JESUS! You have to stay close to Jesus by praying, reading your Bible, surrounding yourself with other soliders.

One tatic that I believe satan is using these days is keeping us busy. We live in a 24/7 world. We have so many "things" and responsibilities these days, that it leaves little time for Jesus and church. If you can identify with this, fight back and make time for the things that are eternal.

So if you are feeling like "Life" is so dang hard, and why does it have to be like this? Remember there is a lot more going on around you that you cannot see. You are involved in the battle of all times, and the real cool thing...... we WIN! :) Keep fighting the good fight! Jesus knows what you are dealing with and He is there to help you, just call on Him.

Bible Trivia
What sin made satan fall?
Hint: Ezekiel 28:17

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