Our short Text for today (from Isaiah chapter 14) occurs in the midst of a longer Paragraph describing (predicting) the fall of the nation of Babylon, precisely the downfall of her king. (Maybe even the fall of the whole Babylonian, anti-God, system! And the eventual fall of all her kings/leaders!)

But verses 12-15 go further (I think) than any mere human being!

Listen to Isaiah preach: “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! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.” Isaiah 14:12-15

Know this please. My interpretation of this Pericope leans heavily on the King James Version of Scripture. A number of the newer translations do not even name “Lucifer” in their renditions of the Paragraph! (I make no apologies for my hermeneutic which follows!)

I believe the wicked king of Babylon (whomever he may have been at any given time or whomever he will be at any future time) is a type or symbol of the devil/Satan himself!

And it would have been contextually easy for Isaiah (for the Holy Spirit really) to segue from a literal man (one this extremely wicked) to the Man of Wickedness, to Satan. And I suspect that’s what has happened in our Scripture this morning.

Clearly … according to my fundamental upbringing anyway … this four-verse Swath is a reference to the “Wicked one,” to the arch enemy of Jesus, to that “roaring lion” whom Peter calls our “adversary.” 

And this whole little Unit (Isaiah 14:12-15) sounds just like him, too!

Once more … “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! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.”

The devil (who was once an angel, a powerful one) many years ago fomented rebellion in his heart, hatred toward God Almighty!

This obstinacy is revealed (exposited) in the five “I will” statements of the Text. An attempted “coup” against God! (A “coup” is the sudden, violent overthrow of an existing government.)

“I will ascend into heaven.”

“I will exalt my throne above the stars of God.”

“I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north.”

“I will ascend above the heights of the clouds.”

“I will be like the most High.”

Detect any envy here, jealousy?

“My throne?” (Jesus, while on earth, did call the Devil the “prince of this world” three times. See John 12:31 and John 14:30 and John 16:11.)

But “Lucifer” has fallen!

He has been overruled by our great God in Heaven!

This name “Lucifer” (meaning “light bearer”) is, we old-fashioned folks still believe, another name for the devil. (Paul in 2 Corinthians 11:14 … “And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.” Sounds right to me. “Angel of light” being synonymous to “Lucifer.”)

God expelled him from Heaven!

Ejected him.

This well may be what Jesus had in mind in Luke 10:18 … “And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.”

But look again at our Text.

Just what is the coming-some-day “end” of the Devil? “Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.” Eternal damnation, punishment, reprobation!

Wow!

I know I’ve not given a detailed exposition of the Passage at hand. But in broad strokes I pray the general outline has been delineated.

Bottom line … we are on the winning side!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell