The New Exodus: Part 2

THE NEW EXODUS: PART 2

This writing is based on an article by Peter Goodgame (link below)

http://redmoonhawaii.wordpress.com/2014/01/18/paul-torah-n-t-wright-and-the-new-exodus/

Quotes from Mr. Goodgame will be highlighted.

STATUS OF THE GENTILES (NATIONS)

Everyone is unrighteous and under sin, both Jews and Gentiles (nations).

Romans 3:9-10 NET  What then? Are we better off? Certainly not, for we have already charged that Jews and Greeks alike are all under sin,  (10)  just as it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one,

No one practicing the law is righteous, only those of the faithfulness of Jesus who believe.  There is no distinction between Jew and Gentile.  Paul states the law, which gives the knowledge of sin, has performed its mission and is no longer applicable to the people of faith in Jesus and the Kingdom of God.

Romans 3:20-22 NET  For no one is declared righteous before him by the works of the law, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin.  (21)  But now apart from the law the righteousness of God (which is attested by the law and the prophets) has been disclosed -- (22)  namely, the righteousness of God through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction,

The gospel of the Kingdom of God was told to Abraham and he was credited with righteousness because he believed before his sign of circumcision was implemented.  Abraham was shown that Gentiles (non-Israelites) would be justified by God through faith as he was justified by believing God.

Galatians 3:6-8 NET  Just as Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,  (7)  so then, understand that those who believe are the sons of Abraham.  (8)  And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, proclaimed the gospel to Abraham ahead of time, saying, "All the nations will be blessed in you."

Through the covenant of God, Abraham was promised a large number of descendants (nations).  After the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ these descendants are called Christians people of the Way, (Kingdom of God), whether Jew or Gentile.  No one enters the Kingdom of God through sacrifices, circumcision, Sabbath keeping, or works of the law; only through faith in the fulfillment of the sacrifices, circumcision, Sabbath, and law which is Jesus Christ.

Genesis 17:2 NET  Then I will confirm my covenant between me and you, and I will give you a multitude of descendants."

NOTES ON THE NEW EXODUS

Deuteronomy 30:2-6 proclaims the “second or new exodus”.  Well, the Jews thought that it was all about THEM, and they looked for a political solution that would bring righteousness and vindication and establish the Jews as the rulers of the world.  The religious rulers of Judea expected a messiah to conquer the Romans, expand the empire, and eventually make Israel the reigning empire of the world.  That is the reason they rejected Christ in the first century and continue to do so today.  Many consider they are currently attempting to be their own personal messiah and set up an earth encompassing empire.

Deuteronomy 30:2-6 NET  Then if you and your descendants turn to the LORD your God and obey him with your whole mind and being just as I am commanding you today,  (3)  the LORD your God will reverse your captivity and have pity on you. He will turn and gather you from all the peoples among whom he has scattered you.  (4)  Even if your exiles are in the most distant land, from there the LORD your God will gather you and bring you back.  (5)  Then he will bring you to the land your ancestors possessed and you also will possess it; he will do better for you and multiply you more than he did your ancestors.  (6)  The LORD your God will also cleanse your heart and the hearts of your descendants so that you may love him with all your mind and being and so that you may live.

But God, in fact, had something much bigger in mind. Truthfully, the first forced exile was not Israel taken into bondage by Egypt. No indeed! The first exile was when Adam and Eve were driven from the Garden of Eden! And then after Cain killed Abel he established the first city, which my previous research has shown was in fact BABYLON. So we see that mankind was driven from Eden into Babylon, even before the flood. This is the first exile, and it continues to this day for many of the lost out there in the world today who have not found Jesus Christ.

Jesus came to redeem the Jews, of course, but this was only a small part of His mission. The “second exodus” predicted in Deut. 30:3-6, which is also mentioned throughout Isaiah 40-55, is actually the redemption of all of mankind — all the nations of the earth, not just the Jews — out of our exile from the spiritual darkness and wilderness of BABYLON, and back into the Garden of Eden. This original Garden, where human beings lived in communion with God without shame or guilt, takes its final form as the New Jerusalem of Rev. 21-22, wherein we find, once again, the Tree of Life!

CHRIST, THE FULFILLMENT OF OLD COVENANTS

The first five books of the Old Testament, generally referred to as the Torah, contain the story of Abraham, the exodus from Egypt, the wilderness journey, and the Mosiac laws.  The religious leaders of Judea rejected Jesus as the Messiah and as a result, they essentially rejected the teachings and prophecies of the Torah.  The purpose of the Torah was to point to the Messiah Jesus who would fulfill all the covenants, laws, and the second exodus as written in those books.  Jesus specifically stated this truth to the scribes and Pharisees.

John 5:37-40 NET  And the Father who sent me has himself testified about me. You people have never heard his voice nor seen his form at any time,  (38)  nor do you have his word residing in you, because you do not believe the one whom he sent.  (39)  You study the scriptures thoroughly because you think in them you possess eternal life, and it is these same scriptures that testify about me,  (40)  but you are not willing to come to me so that you may have life.

If the above statement is true, then there is no such thing as a Torah-observant non-Christian “Jew”. To be truly “Torah observant” can only mean to accept the One to whom the Torah pointed.

THOSE WHO SAY THEY ARE JEWS

In the church letters at the beginning of the Revelation, Jesus twice referred to a group as, “those who say they are Jews and are not.”  This statement has been used by some commentators to refer to people who claim to be Jews but are not actual Hebrew descendants of Abraham.  Jesus may have meant something completely different.

To Smyrna Jesus said:

Revelation 2:9 NET  'I know the distress you are suffering and your poverty (but you are rich). I also know the slander against you by those who call themselves Jews and really are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.

They are accused of blasphemy (KJV) and slander; a synagogue of Satan.

To the Philadelphia church Jesus said:

Revelation 3:9 NET  Listen! I am going to make those people from the synagogue of Satan -- who say they are Jews yet are not, but are lying -- Look, I will make them come and bow down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you.

In this instance, He accused them of being liars and continued to refer to them as the synagogue of Satan.  They will be made to bow at their feet. 

These are incredible statements for Jesus to make, especially when compared to today’s popular end-times teaching that declares that the unbelieving genetic/cultural descendants of the ethnic Israelites that rejected Jesus –those who populate the modern-day state of Israel– are “the apple of God’s eye.”  

The Lord God had a special purpose for the Hebrew Israelites.  The Messiah Jesus Christ would come through their linage.  The worship of the one true God and His moral principles were delivered and defined through them by the Mosaic law system.  The laws, the sacrifices for sin, and the rituals were all fulfilled by Christ who is the embodiment of the New Covenant.  Jesus made a way in the wilderness for the new exodus to all who will follow His light, both Jew and Gentile.

THE APPLE OF GOD’S EYE

The phrase “the apple of God’s eye” is supposedly a reference to the children of Israel taken from Zechariah 2: 8.  This may be a reason for John Haggee’s statement that Jews do not need Jesus to be saved because they are God’s chosen people.  I suppose that would mean, Haggee believes they are above the New Covenant.  Actually, his statement is pure heresy and anyone who believes that is a heretic (in my opinion).

Zechariah 2:7-8 KJV  Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwells with the daughter of Babylon.  (8)  For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that touches you touches the apple of his eye.

However, this is another example of ignorantly taking a verse out of context; or maybe it is done purposely hoping that 99 percent of the readers will either not read or understand the verses following Zechariah 2:8.  Verse 11 gives the identity of the “apple” which is many nations that will be joined to the Lord in that day.  Also notice in verse 7 that God is delivering people from the Babylon wilderness.  The Lord’s people of Zion will be all those having righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God.

Zechariah 2:11 KJV  And many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto thee.

The Kingdom of God: The New Exodus

THE KINGDOM OF GOD:  THE NEW EXODUS

This writing is based on an article by Peter Goodgame (link below)

http://redmoonhawaii.wordpress.com/2014/01/16/thoughts-on-the-new-exodus/

Quotes from Mr. Goodgame will be highlighted.

THE LORD WILL RAISE UP A PROPHET LIKE MOSES

On Sinai, the Lord told Moses that He would bring forth a Prophet from among the children of Israel that would be like the Lord Himself.  That Prophet is Jesus Christ.  Everyone was to listen to Him because He would speak the words of God as God commanded Him.  The Lord would require that all obey His words.

The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;

(Deuteronomy 18:15 KJV)

I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.

(Deuteronomy 18:18-19 KJV)

THE WORK OF JESUS IS EASY:  Unlike the Work of Egyptian slavery.

 The children of Israel were made slaves in Egypt; they were required to work daily with no time of rest.  Jesus is the new exodus delivering people from the sin and slavery of the world and His burden is easy and simple.  He is the fulfillment of the Sabbath rest.

Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

(Matthew 11:28-30 KJV)

THE LORD WILL RETURN HIS PEOPLE:  Their hearts will be circumcised

Through Moses, the Lord told the children of Israel they would fail the covenant and be dispersed throughout the world.  He promised they would be re-gathered with a circumcised heart (not flesh).  Jesus is the New Covenant:   the complete fulfillment of the Abrahamic and Mosaic covenants; He is the new Israel.

And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers. And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou might live.  (Deuteronomy 30:5-6 KJV)

We have to always remember that the New Covenant was made with Israel. It was announced at the last supper by Jesus to His twelve Jewish disciples and confirmed by His death, resurrection, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. It started with Israel but it was always intended that the new and expanded definition of “Israel” in the New Covenant would also include Gentiles. Yes, as this second and spiritual “New Exodus” takes place, the Lord is gathering both Jews and Gentiles.

Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west; I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth; Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.  (Isaiah 43:5-7 KJV)

The Centurion displays his faith – Many gentiles will be saved and many of the children of Israel will be cast out due to lack of faith.

The Roman Centurion asked Jesus to save the life of his daughter.  Jesus said He would come and the Centurion stated it was not necessary that He come.  He believed his daughter would be cured at the word of Jesus.

When Jesus heard it, he marveled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. And I say unto you, that many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.   (Matthew 8:10-12 KJV)

Isaiah has many passages referring to the nations (Gentiles / non-Israelites) as being members of the Kingdom of God (or Heaven).

And now the LORD says, he who formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him; and that Israel might be gathered to him– for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD, and my God has become my strength–he says: “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations (Gentiles), that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One, to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nation, the servant of rulers: “Kings shall see and arise; princes, and they shall prostrate themselves; because of the LORD, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.” (Isaiah 49:5-7)

Then you will say in your heart: ‘Who has borne me these? I was bereaved and barren, exiled and put away, but who has brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; from where have these come?'” Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I will lift up my hand to the nations (Gentiles), and raise my signal to the peoples; and they shall bring your sons in their arms, and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders. Kings shall be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. With their faces to the ground they shall bow down to you, and lick the dust of your feet. Then you will know that I am the LORD; those who wait for me shall not be put to shame.” (Isaiah 49:21-23)

The theme of a “New Exodus” appears throughout Isaiah 40-55 because at this time judgment was on its way for the both the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah.  He looked forward to the re-gathering through a “second exodus” as predicted in Deuteronomy 30:3-5. It is the very next verse, 30:6, that speaks of the future “heart circumcision” of Israel in connection with this “New Exodus.”

And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.  (Deuteronomy 30: 6 KJV)

Paul picks up on in Romans 2:29 about the New Covenant based on spiritual “heart circumcision” as opposed to the fleshly circumcision of the Old Covenant.  What Paul teaches is that this “New Exodus” that would involve a “heart circumcision” of both Jews and Gentiles (equally united in one family: the Kingdom of God) was a process that began with the coming of Jesus, His death on the Cross, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.  (Romans 2:28-29 KJV)

Christ is the New Exodus from the Wilderness which is Babylon

The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.  (Isaiah 40:3 KJV)

We are in the wilderness trying to make our way to the Promised Land. While in this wilderness our only hope is Jesus Christ.  It is dark at night in the wilderness but Jesus is the Light. We get thirsty in the wilderness but Jesus has the Living Water that we need. We get hungry but He is the “Bread of Life” that gives eternal life

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eats of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.  (John 6:47-51 KJV)

Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eats my flesh, and drinks my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eats my flesh, and drinks my blood, dwells in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eats of me, even he shall live by me. This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eats of this bread shall live forever.  (John 6:53-58 KJV)

The wilderness of the Egyptian captives is called Babylon in the New Testament

Ancient Babylon (under Nimrod, Ninus, Asshur, etc.) was the birthplace and propagation center of idolatry and false religious systems.  The implementation of multiple languages stopped the immediate completion of a supreme false religion but the various groups took their knowledge with them and it morphed into the various false religions available today.  The term “Babylon” was used by Isaiah and John in the Revelation to describe the worldwide scope this wilderness of false beliefs. 

Comparable to the wilderness journey of the children of Israel when they received the Mosaic Law from God, the new wilderness encompasses the entire world of idolatry and false beliefs which is referred to as Babylon.  In the Revelation, when John is taken to view the “woman”, he is taken to the wilderness, where he sees Mystery, Babylon the Great.  Currently the wilderness or Babylon is the entire world, but during the 70^th week of Daniel, Babylon’s center of operation will be false messiah religion of Jerusalem.

So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.  (Revelation 17:3 KJV)

“Babylon,” is Isaiah’s code word for the immorality and idolatry of the pagan nations.  That’s why Isaiah can tell Israel to “Come out of Babylon” in Isaiah 48:20 at a time 100 years prior to the Babylonian exile!

When Isaiah called for Israel to “come out of Babylon” he was speaking figuratively!  Every pagan nation traces back to Babylon, and therefore Babylon represents the nations of the world and the kingdom of darkness under bondage to the devil as a whole.

The first Exodus involved one nation coming out of Egypt, but the New Exodus of the New Covenant involves all the nations coming out of Babylon!

After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.

They have been taken from the wilderness

They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.  (Revelation 7:9-17 KJV)

The Great Multitude of Revelation 7 is a picture of this New Exodus theme that finally culminates in Revelation 21-22 with the description of the Promised Land, our New Jerusalem. This glorious city is the Zion predicted by Isaiah that is the destination of the people led by God in the New Exodus.

The Nachash in the Garden of Eden

THE GARDEN OF EDEN NACHASH

FOREWORD

The following article is based on information taken from the work of Dr. Michael Heiser.  Dr. Heiser earned his PhD in Hebrew Bible and Semitic Languages at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  He can do translation work in roughly a dozen ancient languages, among them Biblical Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic, Egyptian hieroglyphs, and Ugaritic cuneiform.  He has also studied Akkadian and Sumerian independently.

Genesis 3, Isaiah 14, and Ezekiel 28 seemingly involve Satan, a Nachash, or some type of angelic or spiritual entity.  This article is a report involving the supplied Dr. Heiser information and the actual scripture references.

GENESIS 3:  THE EDEN INCIDENT

I’m certain everyone is aware of the Eden temptation story but allow me to give a few details.  Adam then Eve were created by God and were free to roam the Garden of Eden where they could eat the fruit of any tree except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  The nachash (serpent) tempted or tricked Eve into eating the forbidden fruit and she gave a bite to Adam, who knew better but ate it anyway.

The word serpent is the Hebrew word, nachash, which can be translated as serpent or snake but has other meanings as well.  According to Heiser, the Hebrew root is the basis for a noun, verb, and adjective.  Of course as a noun it is usually the word for serpent.  The verb form means deceiver or diviner with divine knowledge.  The adjective version means bronze or brazen with a bright shine.  Therefore, used as an adjective it should be translated as “shining one.”  Shining or luminosity is a quality that is characteristic of divine beings in the Hebrew bible and other near east literature.

The serpent speaks to Eve and she responds.  The nashash is fully aware of God’s words and therefore this serpentine being has proximity to God and some role in the Divine Council and Eden, which in Genesis is viewed as the residence of God.

Dr. Heiser’s opinion is that the nachash or serpent is not an animal and definitely not a talking snake.  It is a divine being associated with the Divine Council  who freely chose to oppose God’s plan for humanity by prompting the humans to disobey God so they would either be killed or removed from God’s council and family.  The nachash is an angelic-type divine being perhaps masquerading as an animal, but not a member of the animal kingdom.  It may have been in serpentine form or took a serpentine form.

God cursed the serpent to crawl on his belly and eat dust until his life ends.  Serpents or snakes do not eat dirt.  Heiser suspects that God may have put him under the ground as in Sheol which would have him crawling on his belly with nothing to eat but dirt. 

The LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, cursed are you above all the wild beasts and all the living creatures of the field! On your belly you will crawl and dust you will eat all the days of your life.

(Genesis 3:14 NET)

Eden

Genesis appears to describe, in a limited version, the Garden of Eden as the place where God, Adam, Eve, a nashash, and probably others lived in a lush vegetated environment.  Was Eden actually located on a dirt and rock earth as many commentators write or was it in a heavenly dimension?  Is heaven and earth in the same place just different dimensions?  Genesis may give some clues.

According to Heiser, it was common in Old Testament culture and literature to describe God’s home or headquarters as a lush garden or as a majestic mountain.  He claims the garden motif was due to Biblical people’s long term desert living which would inspire people to assume that God lived in a lush environment with plenty of water and food.  The mountain was high, remote, and removed from the normal habitation of normal people and thus was the place where God lived.  There are many examples of the “mountain of God” in the scriptures.

In the future the mountain of the LORD's temple will endure as the most important of mountains, and will be the most prominent of hills. All the nations will stream to it,   (Isaiah 2:2 NET)

ISAIAH 14:  THE KING OF BABYLON

As background material, Isaiah 6 refers to a seraph which means serpent.  In Egyptian mythos a seraph is a guardian serpent and in the Egyptian pictorial alphabet is the equivalent of a cherub.

Seraphs stood over him; each one had six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and they used the remaining two to fly.  (Isaiah 6:2 NET)

Isaiah 14:4 begins with a proverb or taunt against the king of Babylon.  The story according to Heiser is about an evil tyrant king, whose pride is described in terms of an ancient story about a divine being who fell from paradise due to rebellion against God.  He claims that Eden is referenced indirectly, though clearly in the case of Isaiah 14.

You will taunt the king of Babylon with these words: "Look how the oppressor has met his end! Hostility has ceased!   (Isaiah 14:4 NET)

Verse 14 introduces Lucifer in the KJV but the NET appears to translate it correctly. The Hebrew word translated as Lucifer is “Helel ben Shachar” which literally means “shining one, son of the dawn.”  The word “Lucifer” was taken from the Latin vulgate translation of “Helel”.  Apparently the KJV merely lifted it verbatim from the Latin without attempting to translate.  The KJV phrase “Lucifer, son of the morning” has some connection to the Latin word for the planet Venus or Lucifer.

How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!   (Isaiah 14:12 KJV)

Look how you have fallen from the sky, O shining one, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the ground, O conqueror of the nations!

(Isaiah 14:12 NET)

Many books, commentaries, and papers have been written using Isaiah 14 as the excuse to give Satan another name as Lucifer.  It may, in fact, be referring to Satan, but should not be translated as Lucifer.  It could be referring to another divine being; however, the general dismissal by the elite expositors of the “sons of God” in Genesis 6 as angelic beings limits their discussion to only one fallen angel which is Satan.  Even those who do teach Genesis 6 as fallen angels continue to adhere to the name Lucifer.

This shining one wanted to set his throne on the mountain of God, the mountain of the divine council, above the stars of God.

For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God (El): I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north (Zaphon)   (Isaiah 14:13 KJV)

Note, that in the KJV of Isaiah 14:13 the word translated as “God” is actually “El”.  In Canaanite mythology the stars of El were the deities under the authority of the high god El.  The word “north” in the KJV is actually “Zaphon” which is the Canaanite version of Olympus or the mountain of assembly where the gods met.  Either way, stars are the scriptural sons of God or God assembles His council on some high place probably in heaven or on an actual mountain but in a heavenly dimension not an earthly one.

The KJV Lucifer is actually a shining one or divine being.  As previously stated, the words shining or luminosity is a quality that is characteristic of divine or angelic beings.  It may indeed be Satan but is doubtful as will be shown next.

Sheol below is stirred up about you, ready to meet you when you arrive. It rouses the spirits of the dead for you, all the former leaders of the earth; it makes all the former kings of the nations rise from their thrones. All of them respond to you, saying: 'You too have become weak like us! You have become just like us! Your splendor has been brought down to Sheol, as well as the sound of your stringed instruments. You lie on a bed of maggots, with a blanket of worms over you. Look how you have fallen from the sky, O shining one, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the ground, O conqueror of the nations!

(Isaiah 14:9-12 NET)

It would seem from the scripture this shining one (divine being) was sent to Sheol, and if Satan, it may be a future event.  It appears that Satan is currently “the prince of the power of the air” and “the god of this world.”  For most practical reasons, Satan is not thrown out of the sky (heaven) and down to the ground until the actions related in Revelation chapter 12 occur.

EZEKIEL 28:  THE KING OF TYRE

Ezekiel 28 is another passage concerning an evil tyrant king.  It is about another king, this one involving the king of Tyre whose pride is described in terms of an ancient story about a divine being who fell from paradise because of rebellion against God similar to Genesis 3 and it references Eden directly.

A Bible professor named Van Dyke wrote a paper on Ezekiel 28 and describes the divine being as one with special knowledge, lifted up in pride, then preempts God’s plan and overturns it.  He adds that it is a divine council setting and the preemptor is a divine council member.

Verse 13 states the divine one was in the garden of Eden defined as the garden of God.  He was covered with every precious stone which were prepared on the day of his creation.  These precious stones describe the brightness of God’s throne in other scriptures.

You were in Eden, the garden of God. Every precious stone was your covering, the ruby, topaz, and emerald, the chrysolite, onyx, and jasper, the sapphire, turquoise, and beryl; your settings and mounts were made of gold. On the day you were created they were prepared.  (Ezekiel 28:13 NET)

Verse 14 appears to have a translation conundrum.  The KJV and others render the text as if the divine being is an anointed cherub although the word “art” is an added addition.  The NET and LXX, in my library, render as the divine being was with and anointed cherub, with the NET adding “guardian cherub.”

Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.  (Ezekiel 28:14 KJV)

I placed you there with an anointed guardian cherub; (Ezekiel 28:14 NET)

From the day that thou wast created thou wast with the cherub (Ezekiel 28:14 LXX Brenton)

Below is more information on this peculiar translation.

Heb  "you (were) an anointed cherub that covers and I placed you." In the Hebrew text the ruler of Tyre is equated with a cherub, and the verb "I placed you" is taken with what follows ("on the holy mountain of God"). However, this reading is problematic. The pronoun "you" at the beginning of verse Eze_28:14  is feminine singular in the Hebrew text; elsewhere in this passage the ruler of Tyre is addressed with masculine singular forms. It is possible that the pronoun is a rare (see Deu_5:24; Num_11:15) or defectively written (see 1Sa_24:19; Neh_9:6; Job_1:10; Psa_6:3; Ecc_7:22) masculine form, but it is more likely that the form should be repointed as the preposition "with" (see the Septuagint (LXX)). In this case the ruler of Tyre is compared to the first man, not to a cherub. If this emendation is accepted, then the verb "I placed you" belongs with what precedes and concludes the first sentence in the verse. It is noteworthy that the verbs in the second and third lines of the verse also appear at the end of the sentence in the Hebrew text. The presence of a conjunction at the beginning of "I placed you" is problematic for the proposal, but it may reflect a later misunderstanding of the syntax of the verse.

Regardless, Heiser appears to agree generally, but not totally, with the KJV translation.  For the phrase “anointed cherub” he claims the translators are assuming the word “mashach” means “anointed” but it may come from a Semitic homonym meaning “to shine” and so produce “shining cherub”.  The cherub in Assyrian and Phoenician context is a throne guardian (as in the NET).  In the above Isaiah passage, the throne guardian is called a seraph, which means serpent.  Heiser claims that a seraph and a cherub are essentially the same entity, just from different cultures and contexts.

For the next example, I used the NIV because it contains the actual words that Heiser expressed, “seal of perfection”.  Most other versions render the same basic concept.  The Semitic for “seal of perfection” is “hwtm tknyt”.  Occasionally the “m” at the end is silent rendering “hwt(m) tknyt” which would translate as “serpent of perfection”.

"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 seal of perfection (or serpent of perfection), full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.  (Ezekiel 28:12 NIV)

HEISER’S SUMMARY

Heiser ties the three scripture passages together by concluding the nachash or shining one is a component.  In G3 he is obviously in Eden with Eve; E28 states he was in Eden or the holy mountain of God where he walked among the stones of fire or the divine council; Is14 implied he was in Eden by saying, “he will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly” and that he wanted to set his throne on the mountain of God or the mountain of the divine council (assembly).

Eden was (is) the place of the council according to Heiser.  The “stones of fire” of E28 are in Eden on the cosmic mountain.  The cherub (serpent) figure is in “the seat of God” or “the gods” and envisions himself as God.

GOD’S RETRIBUTION

G3 tells the nachash he will be cursed more than all cattle and every created beast.  On his belly he will go and will eat dust (dirt) all the days of his life.  E28 strikes the nachash from the mountain of God and destroys him from among the stones of fire (divine council).  He has been cast to the ground.  The word translated as “ground” is “erets”.  The word usually means “earth” as in the ground, but in Ugaritic (much of Ezekiel 28 tracks Ugaritic religious texts) it means “netherworld” which is a synonym for Sheol or the place of the dead.  The word is used in this manner in Jonah 2:6.

I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth (erets) with her bars was about me forever (implies Sheol): yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God.   (Jonah 2:6 KJV)

Isaiah 26 has several references to the nashash (shining one) sent down to Sheol.  Heiser thinks this may be the reason many people consider Satan to be the king and chief resident of Hell; his headquarters where he stores the souls of sinners.

Sheol (Hell in KJV) below is stirred up about you, ready to meet you when you arrive. It rouses the spirits of the dead for you, all the former leaders of the earth; it makes all the former kings of the nations rise from their thrones.

(Isaiah 14:9 NET)

Your splendor has been brought down to Sheol (grave in KJV), as well as the sound of your stringed instruments. You lie on a bed of maggots, with a blanket of worms over you.  (Isaiah 14:11 NET)

Look how you have fallen from the sky, O shining one, son of the dawn (Helel ben Shachar) ! You have been cut down to the ground, O conqueror of the nations! You said to yourself, "I will climb up to the sky. Above the stars of El I will set up my throne. I will rule on the mountain of assembly on the remote slopes of Zaphon. I will climb up to the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High!" But you were brought down to Sheol (Hell KJV), to the remote slopes of the pit.   (Isaiah 14:12-15 NET)

DEBATABLE QUESTIONS

·         Is Eden the residence of God?

·         Was Eden ever on the surface of the earth?

o   If yes, where is it now?

o   If no, were Adam and Eve ejected from the heavenly realm (dimension) to live on the earthly realm (dimension)?

o   Was Heaven and Earth the same dimension until the Fall?

·         Is Heaven, Earth, and Sheol the same place just different dimensions?

o   Apparently Sheol is not in the middle of the Earth (not discounting the theories of a hollow earth) but could it be in the center in a dimensional system?

o   Is the “Mountain of God” (and Mt. Hermon where the Watchers supposedly appeared) on the earth in a dimensional system?