Tuesday, March 05, 2013

Ezekiel 28:2 Who Is the King of Tyrus? II

Ezekiel 28:2 KJV
Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God:

Ezekiel 28:12 KJV
Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.

In October of 2008, I posted a Daily Visit with God that I entitled "Who is the King of Tyrus?" It has interested me that ever since it is the most viewed blog I have posted. Almost every week of the year it ranks as the most viewed of the nearly 2400 blog posts that are a part of my Daily Visits with God. Consequently, I have read the blog many times over. It is not that impressive and I know of several others of my “visits” I would far prefer were the most viewed.

Still, this indicates an interest area for so many people.
And it is an interesting subject. When you take the Bible history as a whole, Tyrus is certainly not a key player. In the times of David and Solomon, the part they did play was positive. Why then would so much of Ezekiel's prophecy be given to denouncing them?

Indeed Ezekiel uses much of his writing ministry against Tyrus. Chapters twenty-six through twenty-eight all focus on this nation with another mention man in chapter twenty-nine. Few others receive so much attention.

It should go without saying that there is a historical person who was the Prince of Tyrus and King of Tyrus.
  • The place is real
  • The people are real
  • The leadership is real
But there is a shift in topic beginning at verse twelve that simply can't be speaking of a human. What happens? I think it is a classic case of prophetic writing where there is a near fulfillment and a more distant one. The near fulfillment in chapters 26 through 28:11 finally, transitions to a future prophecy concerning Satan.

The chapter ends with the final blessing of Israel. This serves as a further confirmation that Satan is the subject of the earlier passage. It is after Satan's casting into the bottomless pit when Israel we see their finest day.

What a day that will be!

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