Why Is the King of Babylon Paralleled With Satan in Isaiah 14?
In Isaiah 14 Satan is paralleled with the “king of Babylon,” Sennacherib.*
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* Assyrian king Sennacherib (suh-NAK-uh-rib) conquered Babylon and hence dubbed himself the King of Babylon.
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Let’s read the passage in question:
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12 How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! 13 You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. 14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” 15 But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit.
16 Those who see you stare at you, they ponder your fate: “Is this the man who shook the earth and made kingdoms tremble, 17 the man who made the world a wilderness, who overthrew its cities and would not let his captives go home?”
Isaiah 14:12-17
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This is an example of the Law of Double Reference where two things are simultaneously prophesied — one relevant to the general time of the prophecy and the other relating to the distant past or far-off future. The first two chapters of Isaiah offer a good example: The prophet jumps from the restoration of Jerusalem to the Millennium and the New Earth. From a warning to the inhabitants of Jerusalem of impending judgment to a warning of God’s Day of Judgment of the entire world (Isaiah 2:12-22). You see, what was about to happen in Jerusalem was just a foreshadowing of what will happen to the whole Earth. Just as Jerusalem was restored, so the Earth will be restored after God’s reckoning.
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In the case of Isaiah 14:12-17 (quoted above), Isaiah prophesies Sennacherib’s doom and parallels it with the much earlier fall of Lucifer, who became satan. Verse 12, for instance, is an obvious reference to Lucifer and could only be applied to the king of Babylon in a figurative sense. After all, did Sennacherib literally fall from Heaven down to the Earth, like the devil? Was he nicknamed “morning star,” aka “Lucifer” (which is how the King James and New King James translate the Hebrew word for “morning star”)? Furthermore, Jesus partially cited verse 12 as a reference to the devil, not the king of Babylon:
Why would the LORD draw a parallel between the “king of Babylon” and satan? The same reason Jesus rebuked Peter as “satan” in Matthew 16:23 for being a mouthpiece for the devil’s ungodly agenda. Just as satan was the spiritual force behind Peter’s rash words, so he was the diabolic authority behind Sennacherib’s oppressive reign.
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Whereas verses 12-14 obviously refer to the devil and only figuratively to Sennacherib, verses 15-17 solely relate to the earthly king (although verses 16-17 may refer to the devil by extension). Verse 15 shows Sennacherib’s soul being housed in “the pit” after his death, which is Sheol, the “realm of the dead” located in the heart of the Earth. The point is that death awaits those who arrogantly presume to be God.
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Just as Isaiah 14 parallels the fall of Satan with the demise of the king of Babylon, so Ezekiel 28:9-19 parallels Lucifer’s fall with the king of Tyre’s doom. Why? Because the devil was the evil spiritual authority who pulled the strings of both of these pagan rulers. With this understanding, Ezekiel 28:12-19 is speaking of either Satan or the king of Tyre, and sometimes both, depending on the verse. Here’s the passage:
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12 “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, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. 13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: carnelian, chrysolite and emerald, topaz, onyx and jasper, lapis lazuli, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared. 14 You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. 15 You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. 16 Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. 17 Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings. 18 By your many sins and dishonest trade you have desecrated your sanctuaries. So I made a fire come out from you, and it consumed you, and I reduced you to ashes on the ground in the sight of all who were watching. 19 All the nations who knew you are appalled at you; you have come to a horrible end and will be no more.’”
Ezekiel 28:9-19
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Verses 12-17 refer to Lucifer and could only be applied to the king of Tyre in a figurative sense. After all, the person addressed is described as “the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty” (verse 12) who dwelled in “Eden, the garden of God” and is plainly called a “guardian cherub”—an angel—in verses 14 and 16. The LORD then throws this archangel to the Earth in disgrace after he’s corrupted by pride due to its beauty and splendor.
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Verses 18-19, however, more clearly apply to the earthly king of Tyre because they show his body being “reduced to ashes” in the sight of spectators as he comes to “a horrible end” and is “no more.” Since we know from numerous other passages that Lucifer wasn’t reduced to ashes when he fell to the Earth and didn’t become “no more,” these statements obviously refer to the king and not Satan. The latter’s alive and not-well on planet Earth to this day. He dwells in the underworld, the dark spiritual realm that parallels or underpins the Earth and Universe, which you can read about here.
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Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 prophesied the doom of the kings of Babylon and Tyre respectively and paralleled them with the much earlier fall of Lucifer. Where some have gone wrong is to suggest that every element of these passages apply to Satan, even though it’s clear that they don’t.
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In response to what is said above regarding the king of Babylon being paralleled to satan in Isaiah 14:12, a man wrote me quoting this passage wherein Christ is speaking and asked if Capernaum referred to satan:
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And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.
Matthew 11:23 (KJV)
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Since the King James rendering is rather muddled, let’s read it in a clearer rendition:
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“And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades. For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day.”
Matthew 11:23 (NIV)
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This verse is referring to the Day of Judgment and the people of Capernaum, who were foolishly indifferent to Christ’s awesome message. Unlike Isaiah 14:12 it doesn’t say they were already in Heaven and fell from there to Earth, but asks whether or not they will attain Heaven & eternal life or not.
