Y C 1. Introduction.
D 2. Question. Likeness,&c.
E h 3-5. Exaltation. Former state.
i 6. Shelter. "
k 7-9. Envy. "
E h 10-12. Excision. Latter state.
i 13,14. Shelter. "
k 15-17. Mourning. "
D 18-. Question. Likeness.
C -18. Conclusion.
478 B.C. 1st Sivan [20th May]
Ezekiel 31)
1 And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the third month, in the first day of the month (about 2 months before the fall of Jerusalem), that the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
2 "Son of man, speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to his multitude; 'Whom are you like in your greatness? (Just who do you think you are? Here he made all these hot-air promises, and all your control and your allies and your great armies; who do you think you are compared to our Father?)
3 Behold, there was a box-cedar (te'ashur. Egypt is the subject here, not Assyria. See 27;6, and cp. Isa. 41:19; 60:13. The subject is the proud exaltation of Egypt, which is likened to a box or cypress, exalting itself into a cedar of Lebanon) in Lebanon with fair branches, and with a shadowing foliage, and of an high stature; and his top was among the thick boughs. (In other words Satan claimed to be tall and splendid as the Cedars of Lebanon who are symbolic of our people, God’s people, but Satan is only a plain old box cedar. He’s saying, Pharaoh, you better be careful. Because there was one thing about t’asshur, he was supernatural. Who do you think you are? You’re nothing but a man, a piece of meat compared to that great one that cherubim. So this sets the stage then and the lesson you want to learn from this chapter is that God shows you a comparison of who you’d better stick with. Don’t go the way of Pharaoh. Even Pharaoh himself thought he had it all. God fixed him big time. And God shall also fix t’asshur, spurious messiah, the dragon, the devil, Lucifer, Satan, how many names would you like to repeat? Little horn, vial person. Satan plays many roles. Do you recognize him in each role? You’d better. Do you understand what the word hypocrite means in the Greek tongue? It means play-actor. And Satan can put on many faces. He pretends to be many things to deceive many people. Hey, he gets the job done pretty good. So God is simply saying here, wake up and smell the roses. You are claiming you can outdo what I’ve told Israel to do by letting them lean on you and you’re nothing! You’re nothing compared to t’assure and look what I did to him, Satan. Think in your mind a moment to Isaiah chapter 14 concerning Lucifer, son of the morning where he was cast into the pit. And men would come up and say, is this the ‘iysh? Is this the man that deceived the world? And certainly that’s who it was. It was Satan held in the pit. So understand t’asshur. You with Companion Bibles are very fortunate because Bullinger makes it very clear of that in the Massorah. And you that have Massorahs who are able to double check it, you will understand for yourself. Assyria has no article but t’asshure sure does. Now the subject here is Egypt as Assyrian has no article. So what it’s saying is, Satan is degraded here. But listen to what Lucifer thinks and what was in his mind though he was just a plain old box wood cypress. He thought he was one of the majestic cedars of Lebanon. Even He would say, “I am a great fir tree”. And the cedars of Lebanon are symbolic of God’s children. That’s what he claimed to be. But the subject is Egypt with God dressing down Pharaoh. And He just said, “Look at old t’ashure. Look at the old tree of knowledge of good and evil” compared to the tree of life. So this t’asshure, this Assyrian without the article, is compared to a tree that was beautiful with its fair branches that provided shade and comfort with that position of protector of the Mercy Seat, this one, Lucifer, who had been created the full pattern, created good, but he went bad. Why? Because of pride and envy and a desire to be God instead of worshiping Him.)
4 The waters made him great (The truth, and knowledge, and wisdom is like water, the most precious substance man needs to live. You can go long periods of time without eating, but without water it’s just a mater of days before you die of thirst. Who is the living water? Christ, the living word. Without truth, you’ll die of a different type of thirst), the deep set him up on high (Our Father gave him a pretty special position in protecting His Mercy Seat. His right hand man so to speak. Made old Lucifer feel pretty special) with her rivers running round about his plants, and sent her little rivers to all the trees of the field. (In other words watering each of them gently. Remember the four rivers that left the Garden of Eden back in Genesis? God says that this one was there and he was well watered. Naturally, this is an analogy and it is a figure of speech that is saying that he was near the fat of the land, and boy was he doing great, speaking of Satan, the serpent which was really his role there in the garden.)
5 Therefore his height was exalted above all the trees of the field (In his own mind), and his boughs were multiplied, and his branches became long because of the multitude of waters, when he shot forth. (He tried to take over everything. )
6 All the fowls of heaven made their nests in his arms, and under his branches did all the beasts of the field bring forth their young, and under his shadow dwelt all great nations. (One World System with subtleties. He was more subtle than all of them. Had them eating out of his hand. Spoon feeding them like baby birds. Genesis chapter 4:1 documents that and the serpent was more subtle than all the beings on earth at that time. Why wouldn’t he be? He was supernatural. Now regarding this tree, this tree in the garden, Lucifer, he was real blessed, full of wisdom, helping out the other souls with guidance and such, and we can see in that how he started to feel pretty good about himself whereby we know he started to covet that position of our Father. God had created the souls for what? His pleasure. How does God receive pleasure from His children? By our love towards Him, thankfulness, giving Him credit for our happiness and life. But Satan wanted that also. He was, and is, an attention getter. So naturally, when self-pride starts to take hold of someone, he wanted to be king of kings and lord of lords. And God gives us this analogy by way of describing him as a tree; not only here, not only in the Garden as the tree of knowledge of good and evil, but in many places within our Father’s word. See Judges 9:8.)
7 Thus was he fair in his greatness, in the length of his branches: for his root was by great waters. (God allowed it. See Mark 13. Naturally, have you ever been by a place where it’s kind of wet and you always see sycamores and how big they get and you see birch grow by water. You see willow trees and man they love that water and they just spread out and go everywhere. Well what it’s saying is, he was well fed there. He looked out for himself. And naturally Tyrus (another type for Satan) is going to do that wherever he is. That’s to say Satan, the false Christ, the little horn, devil, dragon, Lucifer, which ever name you want to call him by for he acts out all of those rolls to fulfill prophecy in God’s word. So never let him deceive you by how beautiful he looks, how well fed he looks, and so-forth.)
Tree - H6086
עץ - ‛êts - ates
From H6095; a tree (from its firmness); hence wood (plural sticks): - + carpenter, gallows, helve, + pine, plank, staff, stalk, stick, stock, timber, tree, wood.
H6096 - עצה - ‛âtseh - aw-tseh'
From H6095; the spine (as giving firmness to the body): - back bone.
Atash is tree also but it’s the backbone, it’s the trunk of the body, the arms are the limbs. So he said not to partake of that body, that backbone, that atash. And satan said, “Ah come on, in the day you do eat, your eyes will be opened” ‛âtsâh in the Hebrew.
H6095 - עצה - ‛âtsâh - aw-tsaw'
A primitive root; properly to fasten (or make firm), to close (the eyes): - shut.
In other words this is so clear in the Hebrew language that no one could miss it. There he was in the garden. And God even likens His children to His planting, His trees, and He is our husband as it is written in the great book of Isaiah.
Now Satan is so subtle and envied by so many because of his beauty, so never be taken in by him. He is a dead man walking and he likes company. Do you want to go to the pit with him? Have a good ride. Otherwise let the seal of God flow into your mind whereby you know what’s happening because you’re being warned of your Father right now.)
8 The cedars in the garden of God (This is Eden, Gen. 2:6) could not hide him: the fir trees were not like his boughs, and the chestnut trees were not like his branches; nor any tree in the garden of God was like unto him in his beauty. (Cp. Ch. 28. You were warned. Again, this is that one that God made the full pattern, full of beauty)
9 I have made him fair by the multitude of his branches: (He made him the full pattern) so that all the trees of Eden, (So you know now for sure where we are okay) that were in the garden of God, envied him. (And there was the old tree of the knowledge of good and evil that God told Eve and Adam, “Don’t you partake of that tree”. And the word in the Hebrew rather than ‘ets, in the Hebrew ‘ets is a plain tree, like it could be an orange tree and apple tree, fruit tree, any kind of tree, ‘ets was fine to use with them, but God said in Genesis concerning the tree of knowledge of good and evil be careful of atash:
10 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD; 'Because you have lifted up yourself in height, (You stopped loving me and began to be proud of yourself) and he has shot up his top among the thick boughs, and his heart is lifted up in his height; (Oh, he is so proud of himself! That pride within himself is when he did stop loving God and he fell from grace. And that’s when in the 28th chapter of this same book of Ezekiel in verse 18 and 19 he said, “I’m going to turn you to ashes from within.” That old atash, that old tree of the knowledge of good and evil is going in the lake; fuel for the fire.)
11 I have therefore delivered him into the hand of the mighty one of the nations; he shall surely deal with him: I have driven him out according to his lawlessness. (It was at that time that Satan was demoted from the king of Tyre to the prince of Tyre. Here he is held in the bottomless pit. And so it is. He is driven out in as much as God, after having sent the Savior, gives us power all of our enemies including this one. And that puts him out and that puts you in, when you have the courage and the ability to utilize that power that he has issued to you of believing upon our Father and asking in the name of the Son, then it’s given. That’s the way He wants it done, and so it is. He drove him out because God loves His children. Don’t ever let satan chew on you.)
12 And foreigners, the terrible of the nations, have cut him off, and have left him: upon the mountains and in all the valleys his branches are fallen, and his boughs are broken by all the torrents of the land; and all the people of the earth are gone down from his shadow, and have left him.
13 Upon his ruin shall all the fowls of the heaven remain, and all the beasts of the field shall be upon his branches:
14 To the end that none of all the trees (so in v.16) by the waters exalt themselves for their height, neither shoot up their top among the thick boughs, neither their trees stand up in their height, all that drink water: for they are all delivered to death, to the nether parts of the earth, in the midst of the sons of men, with them that go down to the pit.' (Do you want to go? It’s your choice. You know everybody sails their own ship. We're talking about you body your soul your being. And you choose who you want to believe, that is to say the word of God or the traditions of men or Satan himself. And it’s who you listen to, that is to say our Father or the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; he’s so puffed up in himself. Hey even though he fell he is still puffed up in his own mind and he will talk you into following him and promise you everything under the sun and never deliver anything. I don’t know, how are you doing? God keeps His promises when you meet His conditions.)
15 Thus says the Lord GOD; 'In the day when he went down to Sheol I caused a mourning: I covered the deep for him, and I restrained the floods thereof, and the great waters were stayed: and I caused Lebanon to mourn for him, and all the trees of the field fainted for him. (This lets you know the magnitude of the deception that will go out to the world before the false messiah. It is written in the great Book of Revelation that all of the world wonders after Him and whores after him. That’s a lot. All but God’s election and the kings and queens. I don’t know, how are you fixed friend? Are you going to follow him? Even then there will be a morning for him. Boy but will they have a chance to wake up when they see the true Christ descending at the 2nd Advent as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, returning to his children and placing his one into that pit for a 1000 years, into that pit. Giving an opportunity that many will rein with Christ. That means teach. Do you know what teaching means? Do you know what a priest does? See Revelation 20:4.)
16 I made the nations to shake at the sound of his fall, when I caused him to descend to Sheol with them that descend into the pit: and all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, shall be comforted in the nether parts of the earth. (The lower part of the earth, womb, that’s what this earth is; the womb of the living so to speak. Giving an opportunity for those that fell in the first earth age to have eternal life and to be with the Father forever and ever. No problems, no pain. Why? All of that is removed. Our Father leads us, and guides us, comforts us. You’ve got to believe upon Him and not be taken to the side by false teachings or by false spirits such as this one that is allowed to elevate himself in the minds of people if you allow it only. Otherwise if you are one of God’s elect you have power over him.)
17 They also went down into Sheol with him (they followed him right down) to them that be slain with the sword (What sword? The sword of the Lord; the truth, the word, tongue of Christ); and they that were his arm (That is to say, those that really did the work. This word arm is mistranslated. It should be “seed”. It’s his children. The Hebrew is zĕrowa` and it means offspring. It’s the same offspring that Jesus would warn of in Matthew chapter 13 along about verse 35-37, about 37 or 8, where He said “This is the wicked seed that are the tares and it was the devil that sowed them”. In other words it’s the Kenites or the tares, whichever you prefer to call them), that dwelt under his shadow in the midst of the heathen. (And He said, “They’re going to be right there with him.” Those that do not convert, even a Kentie, if they believe upon Yeshuah Messiah, then they become a child of God and are no longer a son of Cain, or of the devil. So it’s everyone’s own choice. You sail your own ship, take her on the rocks if you please, but I recommend that you take them through the pearly gates and that you enter in to the Promised Land, and that you live happily ever after rather than following one such as this)
18 To whom are you thus like in glory and in greatness among the trees of Eden? (Pharaoh, who do you think you are, compared to the supernatural, and those that were the trees there in Eden? Who do you think you are?) yet shall you be brought down with the trees of Eden to the nether parts of the earth: you shall lie in the midst of the uncircumcised with them that be slain by the sword.
This is Pharaoh and all his multitude, says the Lord GOD." (Our Father is very unhappy with Pharaoh here. Why? Pharaoh helped Zedekiah disobey Almighty God and as well, turned traitor to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. God had already told him to take the people into captivity by the king of Babylon. He said, “You’re going to be there, you’re going to do it, 70 years upon you.” And so it was from the great book of Jeremiah. But no, he listened to Pharaoh saying, “No just listen and come over to me good buddy. I’ll protect you. We’ll take king Nebuchadnezzar and give him a new throne of our own making and choosing.” And then he let him down. So why is God so upset with Egypt even though in a prior chapter He promised them they would always be a base nation? And thy always have. You know, almost every nation in the Middle East is renamed except for one. You know who it is? It’s Egypt, of course. God keeps His word. It’s always been a base or small nation; never a superpower, and so it is. I suppose this gives one food for thought. If you kind of ever get yourself on an ego trip, maybe this is a good chapter to read because God doesn’t like people that get puffed up and get on ego trips to where they really feel they’re something special. But He’s special, our Father is special. And who are we? We’re His children, we’re His servants, and we do serve Him. And do you know something? It’s always a privilege and a pleasure to serve Him with knowledge of what’s happening and how it’s going down and what’s transpiring. And the fact that you are used and blessed of God, that’s how He strengthens you. God is such a teacher and has such a way of letting us look into our own hearts and minds in seeing the comparisons of Satan and Pharaoh and to see the difference between supernatural and natural. And let it put you on guard for the supernatural shall return, as it is written in Revelation chapter 12 verses 6 and 7. The supernatural shall return, even this one, t’asshur, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, Satan, Lucifer, whatever roll he’s playing. And he plays them all. Don’t be deceived.)