Spiritual Service in Christ’s Body (Romans 12:3-8): Part 1 of 2

“For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith …” (Rom. 12:3-6, ESV).

The Same Measure of Faith

“For” [γάρ], continuing to confirm the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God (v. 2b), divine “grace” [χάρις] through which Paul speaks (cf. 1:5; 15:15-16)¹ admonishes readers to be humble and “to think” (and act) [φρονεῖν]² to “sober judgment” [σωφρονεῖν]³ or “sound judgement” (NASB) or “sensibly” (CSB), characteristic of the renewed mind (v. 2a).

As part of a collective whole, “each” member of the Christian community has an active role to play according to individual capacity, ability, and opportunity. For some interpreters, a “measure of faith” might suggest different levels of faith. After all, Jesus spoke of “no faith” (Mark 4:40), “little faith” (Matt. 6:30; 8:26; 14:31; 16:8; Luke 7:9; 12:28), and “great faith” (Matt. 8:10; 15:10). Paul goes on to speak of the gift of “prophecy, in proportion to our faith” (v. 6), although this is actually “in proportion to the faith.”⁴

What Paul says applies to “everyone among you.” Seeing that “God shows no partiality” (2:11), “God has assigned” the same “measure” [μέτρον] or “standard”⁵ of faith to everyone, facilitating a “mutual faith” (1:12). This standard of faith is none other than Jesus Christ as revealed through the gospel,⁶ “the standard [τύπος] of teaching to which you were committed” (6:17; cf. 10:17). With a renewed mind, each is “to think with sober judgment” ὡς (an adverb of comparison), “according to” or “as” or “in line with” the divinely-assigned model of faith.

The Christian Community

Paul uses the imagery of a “body” [σῶμα] and its “members” [μέλη], with no explicit allusion here to the “head,” similar to 1 Cor. 12:12-27, where he argues for the unity of a local “church” [ἐκκλησία] (1 Cor. 1:2; 6:4-5; 11:18; 14:23) – a diversity of members functioning as a unit. Later, in reference to the universal “church” [ἐκκλησία], Paul speaks of Christ as the emblematic “head” [κεφαλή] of the emblematic “body” [σῶμα].⁷ In Romans, however, the apostle is addressing all the “saints” [ἅγιοι] in Rome (1:7) among multiple churches [ἐκκλησίαι] (16:5, 14, 15), inclusive of “everyone among you.” His aim, therefore, seems to be interpersonal as well as intercongregational relationships and unified activity, perhaps a prelude to chaps. 14–15. There is no practical distinction between being “in Christ” and being in his “body” (cp. Rom. 6:3-4; 1 Cor. 12:13), so “we are one body in Christ.” 

The Gift of Prophecy

The word “gifts” [χαρίσματα] applies to whatever God has provided for the benefit of his church and for accomplishing his purpose (cf. 1:11; 5:15-16; 6:23; 12:6). The gifts listed here include “prophecy” [προφητεία], the only miraculous gift to be mentioned, the proclamation or forthtelling of divine revelation. In the absence of the complete NT, prophesying in the fledgling Christian movement was a necessary component of revealing and communicating the divine will.⁸

Not everyone in the early church had the gift of prophecy (1 Cor. 12:10b, 28), and this was probably the “spiritual” [πνευματικός] “gift” [χάρισμα] that Paul wanted to “impart” to the Roman brethren (cf. 1:11). This gift is in “proportion” [ἀναλογία],⁹ not to “our” faith (ASV, ESV, NKJV) or “one’s” faith (CSB, NASB) but “the faith” [τῆς πίστεως], in line with the measure or standard of faith divinely revealed (v. 3). It is “the word of the faith [τῆς πίστεως] that we proclaim” (10:8). Accordingly, in the early developmental stages of Christianity, “the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation…. the one who prophesies builds up the church” (1 Cor. 14:3-4).

--Kevin L. Moore

Endnotes:

     ¹ See also 1 Cor. 3:10; 15:10; Eph. 3:7-8. 

     ² On the thinking-feeling-doing connotations of the φρονέω word group, see K. L. Moore, “Lost in Translation: A Closer Look at the NT Greek Term PHRONÉŌ,” Moore Perspective (15 April 2020), <Link>.

     ³ Elsewhere in the NT: Mark 5:15; Luke 8:35; 2 Cor. 5:13; Tit. 2:6; 1 Pet. 4:7. 

     ⁴ In 1 Cor. 12:7-11, as Paul discusses the diversity of spiritual gifts in the Corinth church, he notes that “to each is given [δίδοται] the manifestation [φανέρωσις] of the Spirit for the common good” (v. 7), including “faith” [πίστις] (v. 9a) among the nine spiritual gifts listed. In the context of the miraculous, this appears to be more than ordinary faith, rather a special faith that accompanies miraculous activity (cf. 1 Cor. 13:2; Matt. 17:19-20; Acts 3:16).

     ⁵ Compare Matt. 7:2; Mark 4:24; Luke 6:38b; Rev. 21:15, 17.

     ⁶ Rom. 1:5-6, 12, 16-17; 2:16; 3:21-22; 5:1-2, 17; 6:5-13, 16-18; 7:4; 8:1-3, 9b-10, 14-15, 29; 10:4-17; cf. Eph. 4:7, 13, 16.

     ⁷ Eph. 1:22-23; 4:12-16; 5:23, 30; Col. 1:18, 24; 2:10, 19. G. Workman comments, “… it is apparent that the headship of Jesus refers not only to his position as Lord, but also speaks of the vital union that exists between him and his people” (“Paul’s Prayer,” in Book of Ephesians 24). Also included would be “the body’s dependence on the head as the source of its life (cf. Col. 2:19)” (M. R. Weed, Colossians, Ephesians, Philemon 11:133).

     ⁸ Acts 13:1; 1 Cor. 12:28-29; 14:29-32, 37; cf. Matt. 7:6; Acts 2:17-18; 11:27; 13:1; 15:32; 19:6; 21:9-10; 1 Cor. 11:4-5; 12:10, 28-29; 14:3; Eph. 2:20; 3:5; 4:11; 1 Tim. 1:18; 4:14; Rev. 1:3; 10:7, 11; 11:3, 6, 10, 18.

     ⁹ The only occurrence of this word in the NT, typically rendered “proportion,” alternately “accordance” (NIV) or “standard” (HCSB).

Related Posts: Rom 12:1-2, Rom 12:3-8 (Part 2)

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Daniel’s Prophecy of “70 Weeks”

Around six centuries before Christ, near the end of the Babylonian exile, the city of Jerusalem and the Jewish temple had been in ruins for decades. While confessing Israel’s sins to the Lord and pleading for mercy and forgiveness, Daniel sees a vision in which it is revealed, according to most English translations, “seventy weeks” are determined to accomplish some remarkable things. The prophecy is then broken down into “seven weeks,” followed by “sixty-two weeks,” and then a final “week” (Dan. 9:24-27).  

The Interpretive Challenge

Interpreters through the centuries have attempted to calculate a precise date for the fulfillment of this prophecy, reasoning that “seventy weeks” equals 490 days, with each day representing a year in prophetic history (cf. Num. 14:34; Ezek. 4:6). The prophecy, then, was to be fulfilled 490 years “from the going forth of the word to restore and build Jerusalem” (Dan. 9:25).¹ The question is, what “word” (ESV), “command” (NKJV), or “decree” (NASB) is in view, and how does one determine which year marks the beginning of the calculation? 

A Complicated History

About 605 BC “word” came to Jeremiah concerning the seventy years of Babylonian exile, followed by a promise of return and the rebuilding of Jerusalem (Jer. 25:1, 11; 29:10-14; 30:3, 18). This was the prophecy that later prompted Daniel’s prayer and the subsequent “word” revealed to him (Dan. 9:2, 23). 

Cyrus the Great (a.k.a. Cyrus II) issued a decree around 538 BC to allow the Israelites to return to their homeland to rebuild their holy city and temple (Isa. 44:28; 45:13; Ezra 1:1-3; 4:3; 5:13; 6:3). This was followed by over nine decades of migrations and further edicts, starting with the first wave led by Sheshbazzar to lay the temple’s foundation (Ezra 1:11; 5:13-16). Next was Zerubbabel’s massive cohort (Ezra 2:2), with King Darius, around 520 BC, mandating the continuance of the temple’s reconstruction, completed approximately five years later (Ezra 4:24; 6:6-15). Another significant effort was led by Ezra about 458 BC, primarily focusing on reforming the Jewish state (Ezra 7–10), while King Artaxerxes sent out an order for the temple’s beautification (Ezra 6:14; 7:20-21, 27). Nehemiah’s group followed about 445 BC to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls, with another decree from King Artaxerxes (Neh. 2:1). 

Antiochus IV Epiphanes and his Seleucid forces pillaged Jerusalem and desecrated the temple around 167 BC,² fulfilling the prophecy of Dan. 8:9-13; 11:21-39 involving “the abomination of desolation,” which would be repeated by the Romans a couple of centuries later (see below). The Maccabean revolt resulted in the temple’s restoration and consecration in 164 BC, the commemoration of which was ordered by Judas Maccabeus and celebrated annually as the feast of Hanukkah or “dedication” (cf. John 10:22).³ The fight continued until Seleucid control was completely broken and Jewish sovereignty restored in 142 BC. 

The temple was desecrated yet again during the Roman conquest, when General Pompey entered the most holy place in 63 BC and General Crassus plundered the temple in 54 BC. Afterwards Herod the Great ordered a number of building projects in Jerusalem and surrounding environs and began a major reconstruction and expansion of the temple in 20 BC, continuing for another forty-six years into the ministry of Jesus (John 2:20). The Jews rebelled against the Romans in AD 66, sparking the Jewish War that resulted in Jerusalem and the Jewish temple being completely destroyed in AD 70.

So what decree was to initiate the count of Daniel’s “seventy weeks”? Was it the Lord’s, and if so, which one? Was it that of Cyrus, Darius, Artaxerxes, Judas Maccabeus, Herod the Great, or another? Beyond imprecise wording and subjectivity of dating, interpreters who try to literalize the numbers often disregard any period of time that does not fit their preconceived expectations, some even adding “gaps” to Daniel’s prophecy to account for “unreckoned time.” Moreover, calculations are often based on a solar-year calendar (the Julian and Gregorian calendars were adopted in the first century BC and the sixteenth century AD respectively), even though the Jews followed a shorter lunar-year calendar and the Babylonians a lunisolar calendar. Surely there is a better way to handle God’s prophetic word, not the least of which is avoiding the attempt to be more specific than the biblical record allows.

Prophetic Symbolism

The number “seven” is probably the most recognizable symbolic figure in scripture, signifying perfection or completeness.⁴ The number “seventy,” as ten times beyond what is required, intensifies the symbolism (Gen. 50:3; Num. 11:16-25; Judg. 1:7; Isa. 23:15, 17), and “seventy times seven” even more so (Gen. 4:24; Matt. 18:22). A period of “seventy years,” particularly if divinely decreed, would appear to have symbolic relevance. The seventy years of Babylonian exile were determined by God to complete the reformation of the otherwise defiant and rebellious Jewish nation (2 Chron. 36:21; Jer. 25:11, 12; 29:10; Dan. 9:2; Zech. 1:12; 7:5). 

According to Mosaic law, every seventh day of the week was set aside as a hallowed day of rest for the Jews (Lev. 23:3), and every seventh year a sabbath rest for the land (Lev. 25:1-7). “And you shall count for yourself seven sabbaths of years, seven times seven years; and the time of seven sabbaths of years shall be to you forty-nine years” (Lev. 25:8). The year that followed the “seven times seven years” or forty-ninth year was Jubilee,⁵ a yearlong celebration of liberty, reunion, rest, justice, and redemption (vv. 9-17, 24-28). The seventy years of Babylonian exile thus fulfilled the word of the Lord “until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths. All the sabbaths she lay desolate she kept sabbath to fulfill seventy years” (2 Chron. 36:20-21).

Daniel’s vision of the “seventy sevens” (not strictly “weeks” but a complete unit of sevens)⁶ is broken down into “seven sevens” (= 49) plus “sixty-two sevens” for a total of 483 sevens (Dan. 9:24-25), leaving one more “seven” to complete the prophecy. It is during this final climactic period that the most extraordinary things occur. The symbolism precludes a literal interpretation of a specific chronological duration. It is according to God’s timing rather than a disclosure of the exact timespan. If the “seven times seven [49] years” of Lev. 25:8 led to Israel’s sacred Jubilee, it follows that the “seventy sevens” of Dan. 9:24 lead to a Jubilee ten times greater.

The Time of Fulfillment

In the book of Daniel there are five parallel visions recorded in chaps. 2, 7, 8, 9, 10–12. In chap. 2 the four-part image of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream represents four successive kingdoms immeasurably eclipsed by the kingdom of God (vv. 28-45). History reveals these earthly empires as the Babylonian (v. 38), ca. 606-538 BC; Medo-Persian (v. 39a), ca. 538-331 BC; Grecian (v. 39b), ca. 331-168 BC; and Roman (vv. 40-43), ca. 168 BC–AD 476. In the days of this fourth ruling power (v. 44a), “the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never forever be destroyed” (cf. 7:14, 18, 27).⁷

In chap. 7 the vision of four beasts depicts the same four temporal kingdoms, surpassed by the everlasting kingdom of the Ancient of Days. In chap. 8 the vision of a ram and a goat narrows the focus to the kingdoms succeeding the current Babylonian empire and preceding the fourth. In chap. 9 the prophecy of “seventy sevens” should therefore be understood in light of all that has been revealed thus far, while chaps. 10–12 again focus on what immediately follows Babylonian rule.

Daniel 9:24

The metaphorical “seventy sevens” of chap. 9 are not divergent from the other visions but symbolize the prophecy’s complete fulfillment with respect to Daniel’s “people” and “holy city” (vv. 24-27). The following elements are clearly messianic.

To “restrain the transgression, to seal up sin, to atone for iniquity …” (v. 24b). This was accomplished in that Jesus Christ “now, once [for all time], has been manifested in the consummation of the ages for abolition of sin through the sacrifice of himself …” (Heb. 9:26-28; cf. 2:17; 10:12).   

To “bring in everlasting righteousness …” (v. 24c). This was also accomplished, “just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness unto everlasting life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 5:21; cf. 1 Cor. 1:30; 2 Cor. 5:21). 

To “seal up vision and prophet …” (v. 24d). The Hebrew נָבִיא [nabi] means “prophet” but functions here as a metonymy for prophetic revelation, as does “vision” (Dan. 1:17; cf. Num. 12:6; Isa. 1:1). OT predictive prophecy points to Jesus as the Christ and his atoning death (Luke 24:27, 44; Acts 3:18); he is the ultimate prophet (Deut. 18:15; Acts 3:20-24; 7:37). 

To “anoint a most holy [one]” (v. 24e). While this could allude to a person, place, or thing (cf. Heb. 8:2; 9:8, 12; 10:19), the verbal מָשַׁח [mashach] (“anoint”) corresponds to the noun מָשִׁיחַ [mashiach] in vv. 25 and 26 with reference to an anointed one (messiah), again finding fulfillment in the 1st-century advent of Jesus the Christ (Isa. 61:1-3; Luke 4:14-21).

Daniel 9:25

This particular prophetic revelation has a starting point, “from the going forth of the word to restore and build Jerusalem” (v. 25a), as well as a climax, “until a messiah [anointed] ruler” (v. 25b).⁸ The period of implementation is then divided into “seven sevens” and “sixty-two sevens” (v. 25c). The “seven sevens” are focused on the rebuilding of Jerusalem (v. 25), followed by the “sixty-two sevens” that merely serve as an intervening period until the final “seven” (v. 26a). The restoration and reconstruction of the city was “even in troubling times” (v. 25d), descriptive of the persistent opposition against the building projects of the 6th–5th centuries BC (Ezra 4:1-24; Neh. 4:1–5:7; 6:1-14).⁹

Daniel 9:26

After the intervening period of “sixty-two sevens” (v. 26a),¹⁰ which included the events foretold in chaps. 8, 10–12 of Daniel, it is time for the seventieth and final “seven” during which “messiah will be cut off, and not for him” (v. 26b). An allusion to death, even a violent death, is evident here (Isa. 53:8; cf. Ex. 31:14; 35:2), as well as its sacrificial nature, whether “not for himself” (ISV, N/KJV) or he is to “have nothing” (ASV, CSB, ESV, NASB, N/RSV).¹¹ In his vicarious death for the sake of atonement, Jesus the Christ was despised, rejected, forsaken, and essentially left with nothing (Isa. 53:3-6; Phil. 2:7-8; 1 Tim. 2:5-6; 1 Pet. 1:10-12).

“And the people of the ruler who is to come will destroy the city and sacred [place] and its end with a flood; until the end of the war are determined desolations” (v. 26c). Seeing that the exploits of Antiochus IV Epiphanes would have been accomplished during the “sixty-two sevens” (v. 25; cf. 8:9-13; 11:21-39), the “ruler” (Heb. נָגִיד [nagid], “leader” or “prince”) is a most apparent allusion to the Roman emperor Vespasian or his son General Titus, thus “the people” are the Romans. This occurs within the final “seven” of Daniel’s vision, after the messiah is cut off, viz. during the Jewish War of AD 66-70. The determined “desolations” are further expounded upon in the next verse. 

Daniel 9:27

“And he will confirm a covenant with many for one seven” (v. 27a). During the prophecy’s final period “a covenant” is to be confirmed with the “many” who are receptive to it. When Jesus died on the cross, the old Jewish covenant was superseded by a new and better covenant (Jer. 31:31-34; Col. 2:14; Heb. 8:6-13; 9:15-17), the contents of which gradually unfolded over the following decades (cf. 1 Cor. 13:9, 12; Heb. 8:13).

But “in half [the middle of] the seven, he will bring an end to sacrifice and offering” (v. 27b). Before the prophecy has reached its full consummation, the old covenant system of “sacrifice and offering” will have come to an end. From God’s perspective, this was accomplished when Jesus became the once-for-all-time sacrifice at his crucifixion (Heb. 7:27; 9:11-14, 25-28; 10:9-10). Nevertheless, in the years that followed, the temple ritual and sacrificial system continued to be practiced in Jerusalem until its irretrievable end by the summer of, interestingly, AD 70.

“And on the wing of abominations will be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation which is determined is poured out on the desolate” (v. 27d; cf. 12:11). This essentially repeats what Antiochus IV Epiphanes and the Seleucids would have done a couple of centuries earlier (8:9-13; 11:21-39), albeit this time much worse (cp. Lev. 26:21). Jesus himself interpreted the “abominations” of “the desolation” of Daniel’s prophecy as the siege and destruction of Jerusalem and its temple (Matt. 24:15; Mark 13:14; Luke 21:20). This occurred, as divinely decreed, about four decades afterwards (Josephus, Ant. 20.5.1; 20.8.10; Wars 2.13.4-6; cf. Matt. 23:37-39; 24:1-2; Mark 13:1-2; Luke 19:27, 43-46; 20:13-18; 21:5-6).¹²

Conclusion

The surest meaning of any prophecy is found in its fulfillment. Maybe we should avoid trying to be more specific than the biblical record allows and be content with a more general timeframe. Just as the Lord promised, the prophetic word of Daniel 9:24-27 was fulfilled, in every detail, around six centuries after it was revealed. The sin that separates us from God has been conquered and an everlasting covenant established. “O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant and mercy with those who love him and with those who keep his commandments” (Dan. 9:4b).

--Kevin L. Moore

Endnotes:

     ¹ Unless otherwise noted, scripture quotations are the author’s own translation.

     ² Josephus, War 1.1.1-2; 2 Macc. 5:11-14.

     ³ Josephus, Ant. 12.7.7; 1 Macc. 4:36-59; 2 Macc. 1:18-36; 10:1-8.

     ⁴ In chap. 4 of Daniel, the prideful Nebuchadnezzar lost his sanity and kingship until “seven times” passed over him (vv. 16, 23, 25, 32), i.e., a sufficient or complete rather than exact period of time, as long as it took for him to humbly acknowledge the sovereignty of God (vv. 17, 25, 32, 34-37).

     ⁵ The Hebrew יוֹבֵל [yobel], lit. a “ram’s horn,” is often transliterated “jubilee” because the sacred year was marked by the תְּרוּעָה [teruah], a [joyous] “blast” of the שׁוֹפָר [shophar], “trumpet” or “horn” (Lev. 25:9).

     ⁶ Rather than “weeks” (as in most English translations), the Heb. שֶׁבַע [shibah] essentially means “seven,” thus “seven sevens” (cf. EHV, LSV, MSG, NIV). When an actual time period is intended, a qualifier like “evening-mornings” (8:14) or “days” (10:2, 3) makes it clear.

     ⁷ God’s everlasting kingdom (Luke 1:33; Heb. 12:28; 2 Pet. 1:11) gains victory by conquering people’s hearts (Rom. 8:37-39; 1 Cor. 15:24, 57; 1 John 5:4; cf. Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21; 5:5; 12:11; 15:2; 17:14; 21:7). See K. L. Moore, “The Kingdom of God (Part 1),” Moore Perspective (11 Jan. 2014), <Link>, and accompanying links.

     ⁸ Cyrus is called God’s “anointed” (Isa. 45:1) because he was divinely chosen to fulfill God’s purpose, but as a pagan monarch he was surely not “most holy,” and he lived long before the period to which the “seventy sevens” of Daniel’s vision point. The noun מָשִׁיחַ [mashiach] in Dan. 9:25-26 refers to one anointed, and נָגִיד [nagid] is a leader, ruler, or prince. Cf. Isa. 55:3-4; John 4:25-26.

     ⁹ The completed building projects (v. 25d) were to include רְחֹב [rechob], which could refer to an open space or plaza, and חָרוּץ [charuwts], a trench or moat, or inclusive of public places and streets, variously translated “squares and moat” (ESV, RSV), “streets and moat” (NASB, NRSV), “streets and a trench” (NIV), “a plaza and a moat” (CSB), "street ... and the wall" (N/KJV).

     ¹⁰ The number “sixty-two” does not appear to have any symbolic connotation, although its usage within a patently emblematic text would preclude literalization. When Darius the Mede received his kingdom, he was about sixty-two years old (Dan. 5:31). No symbolism is suggested here but his advanced age is probably recorded to indicate a comparatively brief reign.

     ¹¹ The prepositional ל֑וֹ [lu] (“him,” “to him,” “for him”) is difficult to interpret here and is variously rendered “not for himself” (ISV, N/KJV), “have nothing” (ASV, CSB, ESV, NASB, N/RSV, et al.), “left with nothing” (CEV), “appearing to have accomplished nothing” (NLT), “he will be gone” (ERV), “followers will desert him” (NIRV), “no one will support him” (CEB).

     ¹² See K. L. Moore, “Matthew 24: the End of the World or Jerusalem’s Fall?” Moore Perspective (8 Feb. 2014), <Link>; also “Preterism (Part 3),” Moore Perspective (17 June 2020), <Link>.

Related Posts: Michael the Archangel (Daniel 10), Foundation of Evangelism

Addendum: David Larson observes, “those seeking to show fulfillment that is too exact, however well-intended, may be trying to prove more than is warranted by the nature of fulfilled prophecy” (“Approximate Fulfillment as the Key to Reconsidering the Decree of Cyrus as the Beginning Point of Daniel's 70 Weeks,” JETS 65.3 [2022]: 505). 

Related articles: Kyle Butt, The Prophecy of Daniel 8

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Are Isaiah 14:12-15 and Ezekiel 28:11-19 Records of Satan’s Fall?

Isaiah’s Message

Isaiah’s prophetic career spanned more than four decades, during the reigns of four kings of Judah (ca. 740-698 BC) and the rise of the Assyrian empire. Along with a message of hope for the future, Isaiah issues warnings of impending judgment against the divided and dysfunctional kingdoms of Israel and Judah, as well as surrounding nations.

It has long been assumed that the name Lucifer applies to the devil, based on some translations of Isaiah 14:12 (notably Douay-Rheims, New/ King James versions). However, the context concerns the fall of the Babylonian king (v. 4), using various symbolic images. The Hebrew helel simply means “shining one” or “morning star,” with its Latin counterpart luciferus, “bringer of light.” This is not a proper name of the devil but metaphorically descriptive of Babylon’s arrogant ruler.

The first part of the prophecy depicts the collapse of the Babylonian empire and its despotic king, symbolized as a massive tree cut down and cast into the depths of Sheol (the pit of darkness, death, despair), while other “trees” (nations) rejoice, having been oppressed by the once-powerful Babylonians (vv. 4-11). Next the Babylonian monarch is pictured as a self-exalted heavenly star that is cast down to earth and into the depths of Sheol (vv. 12-15). The surrounding nations are at peace when Babylon falls, with the defeated despot pictured further as a despised branch, a bloody garment, and a desecrated corpse (vv. 16-21). The sure destruction of Babylon is a judgment of Yahweh (vv. 22-23), later carried out by the Medes and Persians. 

Ezekiel’s Message

Ezekiel was a 6th-century BC prophet among the Jewish exiles in Babylon, using parables and symbolic imagery to warn of impending judgment against the remaining inhabitants of Judah and other nations, including the Phoenician city-state of Tyre (26:1–28:19) and neighboring Sidon (28:20-24) on the northeast coast of the Mediterranean Sea. A message of doom is directed to the city of Tyre itself (chap. 26), followed by a lament for its downfall (chap. 27), then against Tyre’s ruler [Heb. nagad, not strictly a “prince” but the “commander”] (28:1-10), followed by a lament for the fall of Tyre’s ruler [Heb. melek, the “king”] (28:11-19). 

The city of Tyre consisted of the mainland metropolis on the coast and its heavily fortified island city. Its ruler was guilty of boastful self-sufficiency and thought his island fortification “in the midst of the seas” (28:2), surrounded by the waters of the Mediterranean, was impregnable. 

The biblical text does not identify Tyre as “Satan,” or anyone else other than the 6th-century BC city-state of Tyre and its leadership. Interpreters through the centuries have literalized Ezekiel’s symbolism and applied it to what they think happened to Satan, but their inferences are not clearly stated in the biblical record. 

Seeming to parallel the story of Adam and his fall (Gen. 1–3), the description of the ruler of Tyre (Ezek. 28:11ff.) corresponds to his deified self-assessment (vv. 2-6). Ezekiel is figuratively portraying an environment of wealth, privilege, and security at the beginning of the ruler’s life, while still in his innocence. The imagery describes him as an anointed “cherub” dwelling in God's “garden” and “holy mountain,” i.e., enjoying divine favor and blessings (vv. 12-14). The king is then reminded that this state of perfection or innocence lasted until “iniquity was found in you” (v. 15). Consequently he was cast out of God's mountain (out of God's favor) to the ground, upon the earth, symbolizing his public defeat and humiliation (vv. 16-19). 

This highly symbolic prophecy was historically fulfilled by the Babylonians and later the Greeks. Note also similar imagery likening the downfall of the Egyptian Pharaoh to that of Assyria (31:2ff., esp. vv. 8-9, 16). 

Conclusion

The main subject of each prophecy is “a man” (Isa. 14:16; Ezek. 28:2, 9), not Satan or any other spirit being. The only way to get Satan’s fall out of these verses is to ignore the context and read into them what is not there. When understood properly, both passages confirm the divine inspiration and integrity of scripture as predictive prophecies that were in fact fulfilled in the chronicles of history. 

--Kevin L. Moore

 

Related Posts: The Devil's Names, Perfect in Your Ways (Ezek 28:15)

 

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The New Testament as Fulfilled Prophecy

     God’s covenant with Israel was established about fifteen centuries before the Christian era (Ex. 34:10, 27; Deut. 5:1-3) and was a temporary measure to keep faith alive until the advent of the promised Messiah (cf. Gal. 3:16–4:7; Heb. 8:6-13).¹ About six centuries before Christ, the promise of a “new covenant” was issued (Jer. 31:31-34; cf. 32:40; Ezek. 16:60-62; 37:26; Rom. 11:27). This promise was fulfilled in Christ and ratified at his death (Heb. 8:6; 9:15-17; 12:24; 13:20).² First-century writers affirm the arrival of this new and better covenant (2 Cor. 3:6; Heb. 8:6-13; cf. Gal. 4:24-26).

     When the sacred writings of Christians were placed alongside those of the Jews to comprise a unified canon,³ it was necessary to distinguish between the two with appropriate designations. A significant term in the Hebrew scriptures relating to God’s relationship with his people is běrît, with its Greek equivalent diathēkē, meaning “covenant.” Since the expression “new covenant” (Jer. 31:31; Heb. 8:8; 2 Cor. 3:6) implies that the former one is “old” (cf. Heb. 8:13; 2 Cor. 3:14), it was natural to use this terminology for the respective divisions of the Christian canon.

     Among Latin speakers (and in the Latin Vulgate) the corresponding word was testamentum, thus the English appellations “Old Testament” and “New Testament.” The KJV uses the word “testament” instead of “covenant” to translate diathēkē in several passages (cf. Matt. 26:28; Mark 14:24; Luke 22:20; 1 Cor. 3:6; 2 Cor. 3:14; Heb. 7:22; 9:15, 20; Rev. 11:19). 

     While the Old Testament unfolds the early history of God’s people, the New Testament provides the rest of the story. It was not an afterthought or the invention of 1st-century Jesus followers but has been a critical part of the divine plan all along.

--Kevin L. Moore

Endnotes:

     ¹ See The Old and New Covenants. The Hebrew word běrît applies to agreements between certain parties, involving conditions and promises (cf. Gen. 6:18; 9:9-16; 15:18; 17:2-21; 21:27, 32; 26:28; 31:44; Ex. 2:24; 6:4-5; 19:5; Num. 25:12-13; et al.). It is rendered in the LXX by diathēkē, which in secular Greek applied to an agreement related to a testament or will. See K. L. Moore, Getting to Know the Bible 22-26. The relationship between the covenant of Israel and the Law of Moses and the respective questions of continuance and relevance are heavily debated in the religious world today. In the context of Pauline studies, much discussion has been generated in fairly recent years about Paul’s view of the law in the setting of 1st-century Judaism. See Was Paul Anti-Law? 

     ² Cf. Matt. 26:28; Mark 14:24; Luke 22:20; 1 Cor. 11:25.

     ³ See Canonization of the NT Part 1 and Part 2.

Related Posts: Is Moses' Law Still Binding? 

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