To my brethren and sisters in Christ Jesus.
Most of us well know how Adam and Eve sinned in disobeying God's commandment to not partake of the tree in the midst of His Garden of Eden, and how that sin was imparted to all men because of that sin (Rom.5:12). That was the first flesh sin of this present world. But it was not... the very first sin who sinned in the beginning against our Heavenly Father. Don't fall for the trick of thinking Adam and Eve's was the very first sin ever. Our Heavenly Father in His Word has more to show you about it.
I Jn 3:8
8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
(KJV)
Apostle John tells us that the devil, i.e., Satan, is who sinned from the beginning. From what... beginning though? From the time of the devil as "that old serpent" tempting Adam and Eve to sin in God's Garden? No. You can easily do a search here for my posts where I cover the subject of God originally creating Satan as a good cherub that was pefect in his ways at the first, following God right at His Throne (Ezek.28). I also covered how that Ezek.28 and Isaiah 14 Scripture giving a parable or proverb of how Satan first sinned against God, with his wanting to BE GOD, coveting God's Throne. Those descriptions are in parable form about Satan.
Heb 2:14-15
14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
(KJV)
Notice also in the above 1 John 3:8 verse that Satan having sinned from the beginning is why... our Lord Jesus Christ was manifested on earth to die on the cross, so as to destroy the works of the devil. Those two ideas are emphatic and together in that verse, as to when our Lord Jesus was first foreordained to be born in the flesh to do that.
1 Pet 1:19-20
19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
(KJV)
Did you get that? These Scriptures reveal that our Lord Jesus was "foreordained before the foundation of the world" to come in the flesh in order to defeat death and the devil. In other words, Christ was foreordained to die on the cross PRIOR to the time of Adam and Eve even, and thus before... Adam and Eve had sinned.
Do you understand what this means? It means simply, that some OTHER event PRIOR to the time of Adam and Eve, which happened prior to the founding of this world, is what caused the foreordaining of Christ's coming to die on the cross. 1 John 3 emphatically points to that prior event with Satan having sinned from the beginning.
With that understood, these following Scriptures should mean more to us...
Eph 1:3-4
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
4 According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love:
(KJV)
That Ephesians 1:3-4 Scripture is just of how our Lord Jesus knows everything, so He knows beforehand who would follow Him in this world, right? That's often what we're told by those who don't really know the real meaning of these Scriptures per the above. You'll have to think a lot on that one, because He did not speak to everyone in parables, but opened His chosen one's eyes and ears, giving them eyes to see, and ears to hear...
Matt 13:34-35
34 All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake He not unto them:
35 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, "I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world."
(KJV)
Just what things have been kept secret from the foundation of the world? Is it only that Christ's Salvation would also go to the Gentiles and many of them would believe on Him? That's what many of our preachers quickly revert to in answer to this. Those parables include the subject above about the time of the very first sin against God when Satan originally rebelled, in a time prior to Adam and Eve.
Matt 25:34
34 Then shall the King say unto them on His right hand, "Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:"
(KJV)
Once again, that idea points back to why... Christ was foreordained before the foundation of the world, i.e., in order to destroy the works of the devil. Again, it was because the devil sinned from the beginning like Apostle John said.
Is your mind ready to understand one of the parables in God's Word of when the devil sinned from the beginning? Did you even know that God gave us a detail of how Satan was originally exalted before he rebelled? Let's go there, if you think you are ready to understand...
I hope our Heavenly Father won't be angry by my revealing this to 'babes' ready for it. I really don't think those not given will understand it anyway...
Ezek 31:1-18
1 And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the third month, in the first day of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 "Son of man, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to his multitude; 'Whom art thou like in thy greatness?
3 Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with fair branches, and with a shadowing shroud, and of an high stature; and his top was among the thick boughs.
God tells His prophet Ezekiel to go speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt. And then God begins speaking of this Assyrian in a parable. For those who may not be aware, a parable in God's Word is a story using real objects to reveal another matter, often a deeper Truth or Message. In this case that Assyrian (king of Assyria) is the object God is using here. He's not really speaking about the flesh king of Assyria in this we will easily discover later here. God is using him as a TYPE for another.
The "cedar of Lebanon" is used here as a symbol for royalty (see Ezek.17; Daniel 4 with Neb's dream). We're given an image of a glorious tree with fair branches and large shadowing shroud giving a lot of shade, of great height with its tops among the thick boughs. But this is not about a real tree, it's a comparison or analogy to the Assyrian king.
4 The waters made him great, the deep set him up on high with her rivers running round about his plants, and sent out her little rivers unto all the trees of the field.
This image is of a great tree in the center with waters flowing outward from it to all the plants around it, and then flowing outward further to water all the other trees of the field. That compared to a king suggests a great king from which flowed goodness and blessed life throughout his kingdom. But "the deep" of waters suggests they come from another source greater than the king, and that source (God) is Who exalted him thus.
5 Therefore his height was exalted above all the trees of the field, and his boughs were multiplied, and his branches became long because of the multitude of waters, when he shot forth.
Because of that "multitude of waters" he was exalted. If the waters were cut off, the tree would become destitute and die. So the waters fed him and sustained him.
6 All the fowls of heaven made their nests in his boughs, and under his branches did all the beasts of the field bring forth their young, and under his shadow dwelt all great nations.
His boughs (branches) were so hardy they gave plenty of comfort to the fowls for nests, and cast much shade for all the beasts of the field, and under that shadow dwelt... what??? ... "all great nations"!
What happened here? God was giving us this parable about the Assyrian as a high cedar, plants, river of waters, fowls, beasts of the field, great shade, and then brings up the matter of 'nations'? Is He now pointing directly to the king of Assyria and nations he had conquered? Is the parable description now over? Let's keep going to find out.
7 Thus was he fair in his greatness, in the length of his branches: for his root was by great waters.
Wait a minute. Now God reverts us back to the parable of the high cedar. What gives? What is our Heavenly Father trying to show us on a deeper note here? We find out in the next verse...
8 The cedars in the garden of God 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.
What's this "garden of God"? Could our Heavenly Father be speaking of His Garden of Eden? Wait a minute. Were any... of the flesh kings of Assyria ever in His Garden of Eden? Absolutely not! And were any of the flesh kings of Assyria ever regarded in this beauty aspect? No way. Just who... is our Heavenly Father really... talking about in this parable?
9 I have made him fair by the multitude of his branches: so that all the trees of Eden, that were in the garden of God, envied him.
Now there's absolutely no mistaking that our Heavenly Father is talking about one who was in His Garden of Eden, and not some flesh king of Assyria! Who would have been in God's Garden of Eden like this? And all the other trees in God's Eden envied him because of his fairness and beauty? Just who was this?
10 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast lifted up thyself in height, and he hath shot up his top among the thick boughs, and his heart is lifted up in his height;
11 I have therefore delivered him into the hand of the mighty one of the heathen; he shall surely deal with him: I have driven him out for his wickedness.
Oh, it's becoming clearer now. This one who was like a great cedar, exalted by great waters, with all the other trees envying him, was Satan before he rebelled against God!
The following Ezek.31 verses become much clearer now that Satan is who God is really speaking this about.
12 And strangers, 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 rivers 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 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 unto death, to the nether parts of the earth, in the midst of the children of men, with them that go down to the pit.
15 Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day when he went down to the grave 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.
Important to note the descriptions of when he was a high cedar fed by great waters, that was in a time before... he rebelled against God. Does that maybe mean these other trees and "nations" even, was of a previous world prior to Adam and Eve?
16 I made the nations to shake at the sound of his fall, when I cast him down to hell 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.
Did actual nations exist... at the time of Satan's original rebellion and fall? That's what our Heavenly Father is suggesting here if you'll notice. Now we can grasp why He weaved the idea of "nations" back and forth within this high cedar parable about Satan. Is there any other Scripture pointing to the idea of nations existing at the time of Satan's original rebellion? YES! It's within the Revelation 12:3-4 Scripture about a beast kingdom that had ten horns, seven heads, but only seven crowns. The beast kingdom of Rev.13:1, which is for the end of this world, is to have ten horns, seven heads, but ten crowns (an additional three).
17 They also went down into hell with him unto them that be slain with the sword; and they that were his arm, that dwelt under his shadow in the midst of the heathen.
18 To whom art thou thus like in glory and in greatness among the trees of Eden? yet shalt thou be brought down with the trees of Eden unto the nether parts of the earth: thou shalt lie in the midst of the uncircumcised with them that be slain by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his multitude, saith the Lord GOD.
(KJV)
Ah, for those not given to understand this parable, God seals it with speaking this to Pharaoh. Therefore some will say, "See there, He wasn't speaking about Satan, He was speaking about and to Pharaoh!" The whole Message IS... for Pharaoh, we learned that from the start of the chapter. But the whole Message is not all... about Pharaoh, nor about the flesh king of Assyria, unless you truly believe that flesh kings were ever in God's Garden of Eden!
"How can this be possible that nations once existed on this earth when Satan first sinned against God?," some will protest?
If you're asking yourself that, that's good. You might just be on the start of understanding things in God's Word that He more or less hid from the profane.
Most of us well know how Adam and Eve sinned in disobeying God's commandment to not partake of the tree in the midst of His Garden of Eden, and how that sin was imparted to all men because of that sin (Rom.5:12). That was the first flesh sin of this present world. But it was not... the very first sin who sinned in the beginning against our Heavenly Father. Don't fall for the trick of thinking Adam and Eve's was the very first sin ever. Our Heavenly Father in His Word has more to show you about it.
I Jn 3:8
8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
(KJV)
Apostle John tells us that the devil, i.e., Satan, is who sinned from the beginning. From what... beginning though? From the time of the devil as "that old serpent" tempting Adam and Eve to sin in God's Garden? No. You can easily do a search here for my posts where I cover the subject of God originally creating Satan as a good cherub that was pefect in his ways at the first, following God right at His Throne (Ezek.28). I also covered how that Ezek.28 and Isaiah 14 Scripture giving a parable or proverb of how Satan first sinned against God, with his wanting to BE GOD, coveting God's Throne. Those descriptions are in parable form about Satan.
Heb 2:14-15
14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
(KJV)
Notice also in the above 1 John 3:8 verse that Satan having sinned from the beginning is why... our Lord Jesus Christ was manifested on earth to die on the cross, so as to destroy the works of the devil. Those two ideas are emphatic and together in that verse, as to when our Lord Jesus was first foreordained to be born in the flesh to do that.
1 Pet 1:19-20
19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
(KJV)
Did you get that? These Scriptures reveal that our Lord Jesus was "foreordained before the foundation of the world" to come in the flesh in order to defeat death and the devil. In other words, Christ was foreordained to die on the cross PRIOR to the time of Adam and Eve even, and thus before... Adam and Eve had sinned.
Do you understand what this means? It means simply, that some OTHER event PRIOR to the time of Adam and Eve, which happened prior to the founding of this world, is what caused the foreordaining of Christ's coming to die on the cross. 1 John 3 emphatically points to that prior event with Satan having sinned from the beginning.
With that understood, these following Scriptures should mean more to us...
Eph 1:3-4
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
4 According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love:
(KJV)
That Ephesians 1:3-4 Scripture is just of how our Lord Jesus knows everything, so He knows beforehand who would follow Him in this world, right? That's often what we're told by those who don't really know the real meaning of these Scriptures per the above. You'll have to think a lot on that one, because He did not speak to everyone in parables, but opened His chosen one's eyes and ears, giving them eyes to see, and ears to hear...
Matt 13:34-35
34 All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake He not unto them:
35 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, "I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world."
(KJV)
Just what things have been kept secret from the foundation of the world? Is it only that Christ's Salvation would also go to the Gentiles and many of them would believe on Him? That's what many of our preachers quickly revert to in answer to this. Those parables include the subject above about the time of the very first sin against God when Satan originally rebelled, in a time prior to Adam and Eve.
Matt 25:34
34 Then shall the King say unto them on His right hand, "Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:"
(KJV)
Once again, that idea points back to why... Christ was foreordained before the foundation of the world, i.e., in order to destroy the works of the devil. Again, it was because the devil sinned from the beginning like Apostle John said.
Is your mind ready to understand one of the parables in God's Word of when the devil sinned from the beginning? Did you even know that God gave us a detail of how Satan was originally exalted before he rebelled? Let's go there, if you think you are ready to understand...
I hope our Heavenly Father won't be angry by my revealing this to 'babes' ready for it. I really don't think those not given will understand it anyway...
Ezek 31:1-18
1 And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the third month, in the first day of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 "Son of man, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to his multitude; 'Whom art thou like in thy greatness?
3 Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with fair branches, and with a shadowing shroud, and of an high stature; and his top was among the thick boughs.
God tells His prophet Ezekiel to go speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt. And then God begins speaking of this Assyrian in a parable. For those who may not be aware, a parable in God's Word is a story using real objects to reveal another matter, often a deeper Truth or Message. In this case that Assyrian (king of Assyria) is the object God is using here. He's not really speaking about the flesh king of Assyria in this we will easily discover later here. God is using him as a TYPE for another.
The "cedar of Lebanon" is used here as a symbol for royalty (see Ezek.17; Daniel 4 with Neb's dream). We're given an image of a glorious tree with fair branches and large shadowing shroud giving a lot of shade, of great height with its tops among the thick boughs. But this is not about a real tree, it's a comparison or analogy to the Assyrian king.
4 The waters made him great, the deep set him up on high with her rivers running round about his plants, and sent out her little rivers unto all the trees of the field.
This image is of a great tree in the center with waters flowing outward from it to all the plants around it, and then flowing outward further to water all the other trees of the field. That compared to a king suggests a great king from which flowed goodness and blessed life throughout his kingdom. But "the deep" of waters suggests they come from another source greater than the king, and that source (God) is Who exalted him thus.
5 Therefore his height was exalted above all the trees of the field, and his boughs were multiplied, and his branches became long because of the multitude of waters, when he shot forth.
Because of that "multitude of waters" he was exalted. If the waters were cut off, the tree would become destitute and die. So the waters fed him and sustained him.
6 All the fowls of heaven made their nests in his boughs, and under his branches did all the beasts of the field bring forth their young, and under his shadow dwelt all great nations.
His boughs (branches) were so hardy they gave plenty of comfort to the fowls for nests, and cast much shade for all the beasts of the field, and under that shadow dwelt... what??? ... "all great nations"!
What happened here? God was giving us this parable about the Assyrian as a high cedar, plants, river of waters, fowls, beasts of the field, great shade, and then brings up the matter of 'nations'? Is He now pointing directly to the king of Assyria and nations he had conquered? Is the parable description now over? Let's keep going to find out.
7 Thus was he fair in his greatness, in the length of his branches: for his root was by great waters.
Wait a minute. Now God reverts us back to the parable of the high cedar. What gives? What is our Heavenly Father trying to show us on a deeper note here? We find out in the next verse...
8 The cedars in the garden of God 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.
What's this "garden of God"? Could our Heavenly Father be speaking of His Garden of Eden? Wait a minute. Were any... of the flesh kings of Assyria ever in His Garden of Eden? Absolutely not! And were any of the flesh kings of Assyria ever regarded in this beauty aspect? No way. Just who... is our Heavenly Father really... talking about in this parable?
9 I have made him fair by the multitude of his branches: so that all the trees of Eden, that were in the garden of God, envied him.
Now there's absolutely no mistaking that our Heavenly Father is talking about one who was in His Garden of Eden, and not some flesh king of Assyria! Who would have been in God's Garden of Eden like this? And all the other trees in God's Eden envied him because of his fairness and beauty? Just who was this?
10 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast lifted up thyself in height, and he hath shot up his top among the thick boughs, and his heart is lifted up in his height;
11 I have therefore delivered him into the hand of the mighty one of the heathen; he shall surely deal with him: I have driven him out for his wickedness.
Oh, it's becoming clearer now. This one who was like a great cedar, exalted by great waters, with all the other trees envying him, was Satan before he rebelled against God!
The following Ezek.31 verses become much clearer now that Satan is who God is really speaking this about.
12 And strangers, 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 rivers 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 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 unto death, to the nether parts of the earth, in the midst of the children of men, with them that go down to the pit.
15 Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day when he went down to the grave 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.
Important to note the descriptions of when he was a high cedar fed by great waters, that was in a time before... he rebelled against God. Does that maybe mean these other trees and "nations" even, was of a previous world prior to Adam and Eve?
16 I made the nations to shake at the sound of his fall, when I cast him down to hell 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.
Did actual nations exist... at the time of Satan's original rebellion and fall? That's what our Heavenly Father is suggesting here if you'll notice. Now we can grasp why He weaved the idea of "nations" back and forth within this high cedar parable about Satan. Is there any other Scripture pointing to the idea of nations existing at the time of Satan's original rebellion? YES! It's within the Revelation 12:3-4 Scripture about a beast kingdom that had ten horns, seven heads, but only seven crowns. The beast kingdom of Rev.13:1, which is for the end of this world, is to have ten horns, seven heads, but ten crowns (an additional three).
17 They also went down into hell with him unto them that be slain with the sword; and they that were his arm, that dwelt under his shadow in the midst of the heathen.
18 To whom art thou thus like in glory and in greatness among the trees of Eden? yet shalt thou be brought down with the trees of Eden unto the nether parts of the earth: thou shalt lie in the midst of the uncircumcised with them that be slain by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his multitude, saith the Lord GOD.
(KJV)
Ah, for those not given to understand this parable, God seals it with speaking this to Pharaoh. Therefore some will say, "See there, He wasn't speaking about Satan, He was speaking about and to Pharaoh!" The whole Message IS... for Pharaoh, we learned that from the start of the chapter. But the whole Message is not all... about Pharaoh, nor about the flesh king of Assyria, unless you truly believe that flesh kings were ever in God's Garden of Eden!
"How can this be possible that nations once existed on this earth when Satan first sinned against God?," some will protest?
If you're asking yourself that, that's good. You might just be on the start of understanding things in God's Word that He more or less hid from the profane.