* Hebrew has no indefinite articles, and the use of the definite article does not coincide exactly with English usage. This results in typical mistakes such as, Do you have _ dog?

Men are referred to as "gods" (elohim) in the Bible, but never as "God" (El), while neither of the titles were ever used to identify Satan--the characteristics of El and elohim are that of strong ones who have the ability to create and can judge others. They have authority, dominion, and rule over others. Both God and men have all these attributes; but Satan has never been able to create, has never stood in a place to weigh a situation and determine whether it is good or evil and then pass judgment. Satan has had a certain amount of dominion over carnal man. However, that was part of the curse. He was given the dust of the earth (carnal man which was made from the dust) to eat all the days of his life. The point that needs to be made is that Ezekiel was not addressing Satan. He was told that he was not God, the God of gods, but a mere MAN--a man that could fill the shoes of one of an elohim but not the El.

Due to his riches of silver and gold (which men lust after), he ascended by the winds of pride, and he set his heart as the heart of God. In his rising, he met God's fire coming down, which was in the form of the nations that defiled his brightness (Ezekiel 28:4-7). And judgment continues upon man: "Will you still say, 'I am God?' In the presence of your slayer, Although you are a MAN and not God..."(Ezekiel 28:9, KJV & NASB).

"...THOU SEALEST UP THE SUM...." (KJV, Verse 12), doesn't really speak to us as having any particular substance of unusual worth. However, reading it from other sources certainly sheds some valuable light on the two words sealest and sum:

Young's Analytical Concordance........ Sealest: sealed, finished.

Young's Analytical Concordance........ Sum: measurement, standard.

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance... Sum: admeasurement, i.e. consummated.

Amplified Bible..... Thou art the full measure and pattern of exactness.

Companion Bible... Thou art the finished pattern (Margin).

Please note, the one who is the SUM is the EXACT, FINISHED PATTERN. He is a standard of measurement from which those coming afterwards would become. In other words, he was the prototype. And everyone must know that the prototype, the model, was ADAM and NOT Satan. The devil was never created to be a model for anything; but according to Genesis Adam was brought forth for a purpose. It says, "Let us make man in our image, and after our LIKENESS..." Genesis 1:26. The word likeness in this verse is from the Hebrew word demuwth which means a MODEL. The first man, therefore, was the first blueprint for all God humanity. Adam was the pattern son according to the natural dust of the earth, and the whole of humanity was molded after him. All mankind came from the assembly line of his DNA.

Jesus, the last Adam, was and still is the last pattern (1 Timothy 1:16) according to the spiritual realm of the heavens, after which all will be molded. He is the one "Who is the image of the invisible God, the first born of every creature..." Colossians 1:15. All men followed Adam, the first, exact pattern, into death. Likewise, all men will follow the second, exact, express pattern, Jesus, into life. (ref. Hebrews 1:3, 1 Corinthians 15:45-49 & 22-28, Ephesians 1:9-11, and Romans 5:18).

Verse 12, "...FULL OF WISDOM, AND PERFECT IN BEAUTY..." also points to something in man that had reached its full capacity--his radiant wisdom and beauty. If his wisdom had been the wisdom of God he would never have descended by sin into a fallen state; however, having the wisdom of natural man, even in all its glory, he failed. The corruptible, as great as it was or might be, must die and give place to the incorruptible. Man will then be able to say as God did, "I change not."

Until that time comes, man can only be as good as Solomon when he penned these words, "...A man's wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed" Ecclesiastes 8:1. Solomon sees man as a shining one, or as a lucifer. He can shine as the sun with wisdom, yet can fade and fall into the darkness of dust.

Verse 13a, "THOU HAST BEEN IN EDEN, THE GARDEN OF GOD...." Due to church dogma, it has been assumed this was speaking of Satan; but there is no reason to suppose such a thing. Again, it speaks of a man. Let us notice another place where it is recorded that a man, along with other men, was in the garden. Ezekiel 31: 2-18 tells us of a man who is a glorious tree, one who is above all the other trees:

"...Whom art thou like in thy greatness...the water made him great, the Deep set him up on high...Therefore his height was exalted above all the trees of the field...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...no tree in the garden of God was like unto him in his beauty. 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. 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, that is, this is ADAM and all his multitude saith the Lord God." (Italicized supplied) Ezekiel 31:2,5,6,8,9,18.

It is clear that this speaks of a man, Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he is compared to another man, his pattern, Adam. In like manner, Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 are admonitions and prophecies that are directed to kings, which in the spiritual sense can relate to Adam who was once in the garden of God but fell from it when he attempted to ascend apart from God to the place he was already in. This heavenly garden is akin to the heavens wherein we now sit in Christ Jesus, while our feet remain upon the ground.

Verse 13b "...EVERY PRECIOUS STONE WAS THY COVERING...." Precious stones speak of certain characteristics of men as they are manifested when the light of God passes through or shines in them. There were precious stones in the breast plate of the high priest, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. The priests were the mediators between God and man. When the twelve tribes were in the breast of the high priest as stones, they were sanctified, and, therefore, radiated the particular beauty of God that they were. We, today, are living stones in the breast of Christ, our High Priest.

The king of Tyrus, like Adam, possessed some of this grandeur in the day of his glory. The stones that covered the one of Ezekiel 28:13 could very well be typical of the people over whom Adam had dominion and was their mediator to God. If this was so, when he as their federal head fell, the whole world fell with him.

We can speculate and presume a lot of things about Adam and his obscure past, who the other trees in the garden represent, when he actually went forth to subdue the world, and who was subdued. However, one point we want to make is that precious stones are for the purpose of adorning people and not a spirit. Satan has never had a body with which to radiate and manifest any glory. If Satan wants to reveal himself in any form, the only way he can do it is through a human body, something he has never had the privilege of having. He can take over a man's soul and body, or move through a many membered body of people; but he has never had a personal body of his own. Therefore, we maintain that the one who was covered by precious stones in Ezekiel 28:13 must be a man and not a spirit called Satan.

Verse 13c "...THE WORKMANSHIP OF THY TABRETS AND OF THY PIPES WAS PREPARED IN THEE IN THE DAY THAT THOU WAST CREATED." This is a very interesting portion of verse 13, especially when it is correctly translated into English. Using the Strong's Exhaustive Concordance it read this way: "...The DEPUTYSHIP, i.e. the MINISTRY of your tabrets and of your BEZELS, were erected and established in you in the day that you were created."

PIPES, that is, BEZELS will be considered first. A bezel is the sloping sides of a CUT GEM, especially those of the upper half. It is also the grooved ring or rim that holds the gem in its setting. A jewel, no matter how rare or potentially beautiful it is, has virtually no value until the facets or bezels are cut into it. These bezels serve two primary purposes. They allow light to enter into the jewel's body and then reflect it outwardly after the light has gathered up its beautiful refracted colors and has joined itself and become one with them. The second function of the bezel is so the jewel can be secured into its proper place so its beauty can be seen. Without the bezel, a stone cannot be set and will lose its usefulness for what it is intended. We as living stones are no different. We can only manifest God's glory after the bezel has been cut into our lives, and we are set as precious stones in His crown and lifted up as an ensign upon his land (Zechariah 9:16).

THE JEWEL RADIATES the glory of God. This is the result of being subjected to the tools of the Master's hand. The tabret or tambourine, on the other hand, is something the servants used as a result of their inexpressible love and gratitude for their great Master. In the Bible it is recorded that the tabrets were always used when there was an exceeding amount of overflowing joy for God. Sometimes words fail to express our thanksgiving and praise we have for Him. This is when the tambourines of the spirit break forth into rejoicing that satisfies our exulting souls. Israel would always beat their tambourines when they were overwhelmed with joy after gaining victory over the enemy by the sovereign power of God. It is the same with us. When He, in His mighty strength, brings our fierce adversary to naught, and the burdensome warfare is over, a joy of victory wells up inside to the point of bursting our hearts, and the only way to find relief is to release it with singing, dancing, and playing our heart's musical instruments to the high praises of God! Hallelujah! What a glorious ministry -- A MINISTRY UNTO GOD!

TABRETS WERE PLACED IN MAN for the purpose of victorious praising after winning a battle. We can, therefore, conclude that if these tabrets had been placed in Satan it would have been for the same purpose. However, we are persuaded that he was never created to be winning any wars against anyone or anything, so there was no reason for him to be created with such an instrument of praise. MAN, however, does have an enemy to conquer; namely anything having to do with sin and death. Every time a battle is won, the tabrets of our spirits sound the praise of victory.

Not everyone has the talent of playing musical instruments, or sounding a trumpet; but everyone can play the tabret. And at every battle-won victory, the tabret of every winner is sounded loud and clear!

WHEN ALL THE WARS ARE WON that we wage or that are waged against us, we will be able to identify with the following song, and I know there are some who are already singing it: "PRAISE YE THE LORD. Sing unto the Lord a new song, and His praise in the congregation of the saints. Let Israel rejoice in Him that made him: let the children of Zion be joyful in their king. Let them praise His name in dance: let them sing praises unto Him with the TIMBREL (same Heb. word as tabrets) and the harp. For the Lord taketh pleasure in His people: He will beautify the meek with salvation. Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth. And a two edged sword in their hand. To execute vengeance upon the people, to bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; to execute upon them the judgment written: This honour have all His saints. Praise ye the Lord" Psalm 149:1-9.

Now who do we suppose was created with the sounding tabrets that rang out the high praises of God when wars were won? Or who might it have been that had the bezel cut into his life by the Master craftsman? And again, who could have been the one that was covered with God's selected jewels of glory, bringing light as lucifers into the world as he radiated the beauty each stone possessed? Not Satan, dear ones, not in a million years. The answer is obvious. It was the only one who could have had such a ministry and was the ambassador of shining glory. ADAM! He failed, of course, to bring that light to all creation; but praise God, the last Adam, Jesus as the Word of God will never return unto Him void. He is the true LIGHT BRINGER of God, who coming into the world LIGHTS EVERY MAN (John 1:9), for He is THE FIRST BORN and MORNING STAR TO ALL CREATION. Indeed, He is the true SON OF THE MORNING who will never fail to accomplish what He was sent to do. If He does not achieve God's purpose to the full end, He is not much better than the first Adam. However, I am persuaded after the last enemy, death, is destroyed, He will return to His Father with that which He was sent to save and secure.

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