Deep thought provoking questions about Satan's description in Ez 28

by EndofMysteries 17 Replies latest watchtower bible

• 

  Leolaia

  What is also interesting is how on a physical sense things foretold in Ezekiel did happen. It said how the literal city of Tyre would be destroyed and the sea would overcome it. It was destroyed and it's underwater now. (It was an Island with large bridges connecting it, what you see as Tyre in modern times is merely the coast of where the bridges once connected to the city)

  No, Ezekiel's prophecy failed. (He even admitted so) He claimed that Nebuchadnezzar would raze the city, throw the rubble into the sea making the island a bare rock, and afterwards the city would never be rebuilt. Wrong on three counts.

  While some of the island subsided, a good portion is still around and is densely inhabited where the old harbor used to be. It is not true that the modern city is only the former coast; what remains of the island is simply connected to the mainland as a peninsula.
• 

  EntirelyPossible

  Look at Leolaia, dropping the hammer again.
• 

  ziddina

  I wish Leolaia would explain more of that account - I'd love to hear how that description fits into older mythologies!!
• 

  Larsinger58

  Okay, about Tyre. There were two cities, one in the water and one on the shore. The bible says the one in the water would be destroyed and never rebuilt. The city that was rebuilt was not the one in the water though, but the one on the shore, which the Bible itself says would become an active seaport city.

  Isa 23: 17

  "And it must occur at the end of seventy years that Jehovah will turn his attention to Tyre, and she must return to her hire and commit prostitution with all the kingdoms of the earth upon the surface of the ground. 18 And her profit and her hire must become something holy to Jehovah. It will not be stored up, nor be laid up, because her hire will come to be for those dwelling before Jehovah, for eating to satisfaction and for elegant covering."

  So the prophecy about Tyre's destsruction did come to pass. The island city was destroyed in the time of Alexander the Great. But the mainland part of the city did survive to become a great seaport trading center as the Bible prophesies. Bottom line, the latter city called Tyre that was not destroyed is recognized in the Bible.

  Even so, both cities were comletely destroyed at the time of Nebuchadnezzar II. Josephus records that the siege of Tyre was 13 years from year 7. The Bible says that Jerusalem would be the first to drink of Nebuchadnezzar's rage and would be "forgotten for 70 years." This simply reflects the year of the last deportation of the Jews from Egypt in year 23 of Nebuchadnezzar. 13 years after year 7 agrees with the Bible that Tyre was destroyed after Jerusalem, that is, in the 20th year of Nebuchadnezzar. Even so, just as Jerusalem was destroyed in year 19, a remnant of the people were allowed to remain. That was the Babylonian policy until everyone was finally deported out of the land in year 23, thus the 70 years of Tyre being forgotten is the same 70 years beginning in year 23 of Nebuchadnezzar II at the time of the last deportation of the Jews. Likely some remnant citizens of Tyre may have been left as in the case of Judea, but by year 23, the entire land of both Judah and Israel, including foreign seaport cities like Ashkelon and Tyre had everyone deported as well.

  Now in case someone is suggesting that there was not a full 70 years of desolation, I'll only acknowledge this is a point of debate, but Josephus definetly claims a 70-year period from year 23 to the 1st of Cyrus. The WTS twists Josephus' reference and claims the 70 years are from the fall of Jerusalem, but this is not true. So the Bible and Josephus date the 70 years from year 23 to the 1st of Cyrus. This totally contradicts the popular Neo-Babylonian timeline which is about 26 years shorter. But that's the debate. Per the bible, the Neo-Babylonian Period is 26 years too short and the Persian Period is 82 years too long. Per the Bible the 1st of Cyrus must fall in 455 BCE, but the WTS follows pagan records and dates the 1st of Cyrus in 538/537 BCE, which reflects the reduced Neo-Babylonian Period timeline, though they add 20 years to their dates prior to 539 BCE to allow for the 70 years of desolation. But that is another debate.

  In Summary, the prophecy about Tyre, all of them, have been fulfilled, both that it would be a thriving city again and that it would be destroyed completely, never to be revived, as well as a 70-year desolation period.
• 

  Larsinger58

  EOM asks: "It says he was full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. He is the annointed cherub 'that is covering'. What exactly does that mean, the annointed cherub that is covering?"

  Satan is one of the "covering cherubs" depicted on top of the Ark of the Covenant. Jesus Christ is the other one. Thus Satan was unique at one time in a special position of holiness along with Jesus Christ (Michael, the archangel). The Ark of the Covenant represens Holy Mount Zion out of which Satan was cast at his rebellion.

  The two covering cherubs were considered husband and wife and thus the relationship with Jesus Christ at first with Satan was extremely special and extremely close. Of course, it is appropriate that Jesus' wife in heaven would be the most beautiful angel in heaven. But this beauty and "wisdom" corrected Satan.

  Genesis 3:15 thus calls Satan "the woman" and the reference to the "woman and her seed" is a reference to Satan and his/her rebel angels. Now it is clear to most that the indictments in Eden pronounced by Jehovah was one to Satan, but actually, one was to Jesus as well.

  To Michael the Archangel/Jesus Christ: I will put enmity between you and the woman (Satan) and between your seed and her seed (Satan's rebel angels).

  To "the woman" Satan: He (Jesus) will bruise you in the head and you will bruise him in the heel.

  Thus the five principals addressed in Eden were the literal serpent, Adam, Eve, Jesus and Satan (the woman) and the "covering cherub" depicted on the Ark of the Covenant.

  Therefore, the anointed whom Jesus is said to marry later on taken from the earth take Satan's place in heaven as God's temple on holy mount Zion. So you can understand the resentment of the elect by Satan, especially since Christ's new bride is taken from humanity and are elevated higher than any angels.

  Now, in passing, the concept that Satan was a woman is very much a part of esoteric Christian artwork, where even on the ceiling of the Sistine chapel you see Satan depicted as a woman. Google "Lillith" and you will find much artwork showing Satan as a snake-woman.

  Further, the constellation VIRGO, which depicts a "virgin holding a branch" is just another version of "the woman and her seed" since a branch represents descendants. So Satan as a woman, an extremely beautiful woman survives in pagandom, such as Venus, or the "woman and her seed" as the Modonna and child, the same as a woman holding a branch. She is often depicted as a "virgin", though, because her children are not her own, but adopted from God's household.

  Anyway, Satan was originally one of the "covering cherubs" depicted on the Ark of the Covenant. The alternating figures of a cherub and a palm tree is another indication one of the cherubs was considered a feminine figure, and thus the wife to the other covering cherub.
• 

  Larsinger58

  Satan as a woman and who was once the wife of Jesus survives in Christian artwork.

  
• 

  Leolaia

  Okay, about Tyre. There were two cities, one in the water and one on the shore. The bible says the one in the water would be destroyed and never rebuilt.

  As I already said, the island city is today part of the mainland. Far from being destroyed and never rebuilt, "the city in the water" is now densely populated:

  
• 

  *lost*

  bumped