THE
TERROR OF TYRE
The King, the Cherub, and the Serpent
Ezekiel 28:1–19
In
Flat Tyre, Ezekiel 26 we explored the HIStory of that magnificent
island fortress and how the same deception that resulted in its demise is sweeping
our nation, our very community, today.
In
Titanic Tyre, Ezekiel 27 we
watched the Lord paint a word picture of Tyre as a luxurious, world renowned, seemingly
unsinkable ship, but came to rest at the bottom of the sea, sunk by pride.
Today we look at, The Terror of Tyre.
OUTLINE:
The Visible Terror 1-10
The Hidden Terror 11-15a
The Defeated Terror 15b-19
We live in a world obsessed with the visible. What’s pleasing to the eyes.
Like the forbidden fruit lucifer dangled before the
eyes of Eve in Eden. Gen. 3:6.
Like the gold commercial I just saw that switches from
one person to the next, each continuing the narrative. I counted how long each
person spoke—around seven seconds. Then I thought: that’s the length of a person’s
attention span before they need to see something new.
Turns out that’s true.
Microsoft studies suggest a person’s concentration
drops after 8 seconds. (What? Did everybody’s brain join the rodeo?)
Social media posts only have 1-3 seconds before folks
decide whether to stay or scroll.
The average time a person stays focused on a single task
on a screen is 47 seconds.
A preacher, or speaker, has only 30 seconds to hook
the listener or they tune out.
For lectures or sermons, neuroscientists note a 10-minute
cliff. Meaning after you hook ‘em in 30 seconds, you must rehook ‘em, reengage
them roughly every 10 minutes.
We scroll headlines, hear soundbites, think we
understand but never take time to dig deep and see what lurks behind the scenes,
below the surface.
Like the tip of an iceberg may appear small and harmless on the surface, but beneath, it’s a cold, dark, hard, ship sinking mammoth beast.
Think about what we saw just this week on the global
stage. The world watched as the leaders of the United States and China met in
Washington. From the outside, the scene was filled with grand, cordial
pageantry—military flyovers, red carpets, formal handshakes, and a lavish state
dinner.
On the surface, it looked like international cooperation,
peace on earth goodwill toward men.
Perhaps it’s a matter of keeping your friends close,
and your enemies closer.
But...
Every analyst,
every pundit knows that behind that polished veneer of smiles and handshakes
lies a cold, dark, hard, calculating authoritarian dictatorship. Beneath the
surface is an aggressive power with expansionist goals, cyber warfare, and
military posturing designed to undermine and ultimately dismantle America's
freedom. Its warm smile and cordial handshake hide a venomous strike.
This is what is happening in Ezekiel chapter 28.
God pulls back the curtain, for us to see behind the
scenes, beneath the surface, into the unseen realm. He shows us that behind the
physical kingdoms of this world, there are spiritual kingdoms. Behind the visible
flesh and blood battles are invisible, cold, hard, mammoth spiritual wars.
As we step into Ezekiel 28, the spotlight of God’s
judgement lands on the physical king of Tyre, but then, seamlessly transforms
into one of the most chilling, profound exposures of satan found in the Word of
God.
Our title, The Terror of Tyre: The King, the
Cherub, and the Serpent, reflects our journey through Scripture today.
We’ll see lucifer from before time to the end of time
and trace his terrible devolution from glorious cherub to sinful serpent.
First, we’ll look at a physical king who
thought he was a god.
Next, the Holy Spirit pulls back the curtain to expose
lucifer, the cherub, in all his wonderous, beautiful,
anointed glory.
But then, suddenly, sadly, something tragically
happens.
The shining cherub transitions into the sleezy, slimy,
serpent, who still slithers about today seeking whom he may
devour.
The
Visible Terror
Ezekiel 28:1-10
Let’s look at the first ten verses of Ezekiel 28. God
directs Ezekiel to speak to the human ruler of this ancient island fortress.
Remember, Tyre was the superpower of the Mediterranean.
It controlled the maritime trade. Wealth poured in like water. Surrounded by
the sea, they were completely secure. Untouchable.
Or so they thought.
The prince of Tyre looked at his fortune, his
fame, his 150’ high walls, his powerful navy, his global influence, and swelled
with pride. He did not simply say, “I am a really great king,” he said, “I
am a god.”
He believed his position and possessions and power proved
his divinity.
Verses 4-5 expose how it happened:
With your wisdom and your understanding you
have gained riches for yourself, and gathered gold and silver
into your treasuries; 5 by your great wisdom in trade
you have increased your riches, and your heart is lifted up because
of your riches.”
Notice the progression:
Wisdom led to wealth.
Wealth led to pride.
Pride led to self-deification.
Jesus said, “It’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Matthew 19:24.
With great wealth comes great temptations.
Satan rarely whispers, “Worship me.” Instead,
he hisses, “worship you.” Your wants, your wishes, your
thoughts, your plans, your ideas, it’s all about you, you, you.
The liar of Tyre is the same liar today.
he still uses the lust of the flesh, the lust of the
eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16) to subtly convince you that you don’t
need God, at least not the God of the Bible.
The serpent hisses...
You’ve got your own
relationship with your own god. You don’t need to go
to Church, read the Bible and pray. Those who say that are greedy controlling
hypocrites.... You’re good—better than them. You’re the master of your own
destiny... you sit in the seat of the gods... you, are a god.
But God says: You think
you’re a god? You think you’re immortal? Then, what’ll you say to those who
slay you? Ezekiel 28:9.
King Herod learned that
lesson all too well in Acts 12:21-23.
“So on a set day Herod,
arrayed in royal apparel, sat on his throne and gave an oration to them. 22 And
the people kept shouting, “The voice of a god and not of a man!” 23 Then
immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give glory
to God. And he was eaten by worms and died.”
Proverbs
16:18
“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”
The
Hidden Terror
Ezekiel 28:11-15a
Now, something remarkable
happens.
The language shifts.
In verse 2, God addressed
the “prince” of Tyre.
But in verse 12, He says,
“king of Tyre.”
Suddenly, the
descriptions become too timeless, too supernatural, and too ancient to apply to
any human being.
God describes a being who
didn't live in a palace in Tyre, but in paradise, in Eden.
This is where the Holy Spirit pulls
back the curtain between the visible and the invisible and we see lucifer, in all his glory, before iniquity was found in his heart.
Think about the tragedy
of this text.
lucifer was not created
as an ugly, monstrous creature. He was the seal of perfection, full of
wisdom and perfect in beauty. He was an anointed guardian cherub.
He had close access to
the throne of God.
He was covered in
brilliant, light-reflecting jewels.
Apparently, music was a
part of his being, (the word timbrels
is defined as tambourines)..
Think about the Truth of
this text.
God made everything good,
as He said at the end of each day of Creation Week, it is good, it is good...
it is very good.
Every creation of God is
good. 1 Timothy 4:4.
God did not create evil.
He did not create the devil to be evil.
Wait, Doug, if God knew lucifer
would turn into the devil, why’d He create him in the first place?
The short answer is:
God is Love, and Love involves
choice, not force.
Just this week I was asked
the natural follow-up question.
If God knew man would
blow it and sin, why’d He create him?
If you’re a loving parent,
you already show the answer.
After God made this
beautiful creation, it was good, it was good, it was good, but it was just stuff.
He wanted someone
to share it with, love it with, to leave it with, and He
said:
“Let us make man in our
image...” Gen. 1:26.
Then, He said it was "very good".
He wanted family.
That sentiment, has echoed
from the lips of countless couples in love from that day to this, with
the words, “Let’s make a baby.”
God knew. The couples
know, the baby is going to stink, poop, pee, rob your sleep, your quiet, your
money, your heart, perhaps your car keys... That child will give you gray hair
and wrinkles.
But it’ll all be worth it,
because we’ll be family.
Maybe with more kids, we’ll
be a great big, noisy, messy, happy, loving, family, of God.
So, knowing the cost, you
plunge in anyway. For Love.
Okay, another question:
With all that Love and
with such a perfectly beautiful beginning, what caused the most beautiful
creature in heaven to become the most hideous monster of hell?
The
Defeated Terror
Ezekiel 28:15b–19
Examine Ezekiel 28:17:
“Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty;
You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor;
I cast you to the ground,
I laid you before kings,
That they might gaze at you.
This verse tells us his heart
was lifted up, (he became arrogant) because of his beauty and splendor.
Just as wealth comes with
great temptations, so does beauty.
That same verse tells us
since he lifted himself up, God cast him to the ground (Proverbs
3:34, Matthew 23:12, James 4:6, 1 Peter 5:5).
Revelation 12:9 paints
a powerful picture of the scene:
So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Ezekiel 28:17 concludes saying: “That they may gaze at you.”
Isaiah 14:16
expands upon those words:
“Those
who see you will gaze at you, and consider you, saying: ‘Is this
the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms.”
lucifer looked at the
beauty and splendor God gave him and instead of thanking and praising his Creator
for giving him such glory, he puffed himself up with pride.
Isaiah 14:13–15,
says it like this:
For
you have said in your heart:
‘I
will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides
of the north;
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,
I will be like the Most High.’
15
Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol,
To the lowest depths of the Pit.
Pride was lucifer's demise.
This is why Paul tells Timothy
that Church leaders ought not be new converts, “or he may become conceited
and fall into the condemnation of the devil.” 1 Timothy 3:6.
The sin that transformed a beautiful angel into a monstrous devil is the very venom he spews today.
·
When we become angry because others
don’t do it, or say it, or see it, our way, we have been infected with the poison
of pride.
·
When we stop thinking of
ourselves as servants, we’ve been seduced by the Terror of Tyre.
·
When we lean on our own
understanding, not God’s, we are no longer climbing the straight and narrow
footsteps of Christ. Instead, we’re sliding down the slippery, slimy,
slithering slope of the serpent, that leads straight into the lake of fire.
James
1:14-15
But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own
desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has
conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth
death.
Psalm 37:4 gives the antivenom.
Delight
yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
The serpent strikes our Achilles’ heel (our weak
spot, our desires, lusts, we’re
tempted where we’re temptable).
Therefore,
delight yourself in the Lord and receive His desires, so when the
tempter comes, he’ll only find the Lord’s desires, and have no place in you
(John
14:30), to strike.
Now, lucifer’s terrible devolution from glorious
cherub to sinful serpent, only has two steps to his final destiny.
Revelation
20:1-2
Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless
pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent,
which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years.
This will take place before the Millennial Reign.
Then, fast forward through a thousand years of peace
on earth good will to men, to lucifer’s eternal plunge into the lake of fire.
Revelation
20:7-11
7 Now when the thousand
years have expired,
satan will be released
from his prison 8 and
will go out to deceive
the nations which are in the four
corners of the earth, Gog
and Magog, to gather them together
to battle, whose number is as the sand
of the sea. 9 They
went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded
the camp of the saints
and the beloved city.
And fire came down
from God out of heaven
and devoured them. 10 The
devil, who deceived
them, was cast
into the lake
of fire and
brimstone where the beast
and the false prophet
are. And they
will be tormented
day and night forever
and ever.
That is the end of time, and the beginning of an
eternity of awfulness in the lake of fire for all
whose names are not written in the Book of Life.
Take a long hard look at that picture of the lake of fire.
Unless
Jesus Christ is Lord of your life, that will be your
eternal home. (Lord means Master—He calls the shots, not you). The lake of fire
wasn’t created for you. It’s not where God wants you to go. But if you choose
your way over His Way—the lake of fire is where you'll be, for eternity.
However...
After Revelation 20 comes Revelation 21, where an Eternity
of awesomeness begins.
Revelation
21:1-5
Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first
earth had passed away. Also, there was no more sea. 2 Then I,
John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared
as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice
from heaven saying, “behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He
will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will
be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away
every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying.
There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
5 Then
He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to
me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”
Friends, this moment is a Kairos moment. A
Divinely timed moment.
Why?
Because this message was preached and these
words were written, right smack dab in the middle of the
celebration of the season when the tabernacle of God is with men, and He
will dwell with them.
The Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) 2026 began sundown on Friday, September 25, 2026, through Friday, October 2, 2026. (Leviticus 23:42-43).
The Book has already been written. Now, we’re simply watching
the movie play out in living color. But it’s like a rerun. Because we know the
outcome.
If we believe and live by His Book, there truly is a,
happily ever after.
Let’s pray.
Lord Jesus, thank You for causing us to be
in this exact place in Scripture, at this exact time in HIStory as we celebrate
Your Feast of Tabernacles. Please don’t let us miss the magnitude of this
moment.
Thank You for exposing the devolution of
lucifer from glorious cherub to the lake of fire. Please cause our hearts to
burn within if we’re on the same slippery slope with him.
Please help us humbly receive Your Word
with Wisdom to climb the straight and narrow in Your footsteps, and helping all
those You’ve given us, to do the same—so none are lost.
Thank You.
We love You, forever.
Amen.
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Ezekiel 28:1-19
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