Isaiah 14 is not about Satan: An Examination of a Faulty Interpretation by Tradition Part 1

Isaiah 14 is not about Satan: An Examination of a Faulty Interpretation by Tradition Part 1

The traditional interpretation states that Satan was in Heaven and because of his pride wanted to surpass the Lord God. This resulted in him getting excommunicated from Heaven. However, the text in Isaiah 14 says that he wished to ascend into Heaven, which means that he was not there originally. Why desire to ascend Heaven if you are there already. This is not consistent with the traditional interpretation of Isaiah 14. Instead, we are seeing the Pride and Fall of the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar. It is being described in a figurative manner. By using a parallel table and allowing scripture to interpret scripture we can see support for a human king. Not a spiritual being.

Isaiah 14	Daniel 4
Isaiah 14:12 12 “How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low!	Daniel 4:10-14 10 The visions of my head as I lay in bed were these: I saw, and behold, a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great. 11 The tree grew and became strong, and its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth. 12 Its leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. ….14 He proclaimed aloud and said thus: ‘Chop down the tree and lop off its branches, strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the beasts flee from under it and the birds from its branches.
Isaiah 14:13-14 13 You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’	Daniel 4:22-23 22 it is you, O king, who have grown and become strong. Your greatness has grown and reaches to heaven, and your dominion to the ends of the earth. 23 And because the king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field, and let him be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till seven periods of time pass over him,

·         Isaiah 14:3-4 3 When the Lord has given you rest from your pain and turmoil and the hard service with which you were made to serve, 4 you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon: “How the oppressor has ceased, the insolent furyceased!

In Daniel 4:30-34, we see the Isaiah 14's prophecy come true. Satan's name is no where mentioned in Isaiah 14. It must be read and forced into the text in order to get that interpretation.

·         Daniel 4:30-34 30 and the king answered and said, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” 31 While the words were still in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, “O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you, 32 and you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.” 33 Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles' feathers, and his nails were like birds' claws. Nebuchadnezzar Restored 34 At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation;

The context of Isaiah chapters 13-23 are a series of “burdens” on various nations, e.g. Babylon, Tyre, Egypt.

The prophecy is therefore about the human king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar on his fall: Isaiah 14:16 16 Those who see you will stare at you and ponder over you: ‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms. This is clearly about a man. Satan is a spirit. If anything, this can align to a possible future Anti-Christ, but not Satan.

Verse 20 says that Nebuchadnezzar’s  seed will be destroyed while Verse 22 says that Babylon’s seed will be destroyed. It is safe to say there are the same things.

The Babylonian King was already in actively ruling at this time. There are no passages before Isaiah 14 stating that Satan was ruling Earthly Kingdoms.

It is common in scripture to see leadership figuratively described as stars: Genesis 37:9 (leadership of Israel); Isaiah 13:10 (leadership of Babylon); Ezekiel 32:7 (leadership of  Egypt); Joel 3:15, Daniel 8:10,24.

·         Genesis 37:9 9 Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.

·         Isaiah 13:10 10 For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light.

·         Ezekiel 32:7 7 When I blot you out, I will cover the heavens and make their stars dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give its light.

·         Joel 3:15 15 The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining.

·         Daniel 8:10, 24 10 It grew great, even to the host of heaven. And some of the host and some of the stars it threw down to the ground and trampled on them…… 24 His power shall be great—but not by his own power; and he shall cause fearful destruction and shall succeed in what he does, and destroy mighty men and the people who are the saints.

Ascending to and falling from heaven are common idioms used in the  Bible in order to describe pride and humility. See Job 20:6-7; Jeremiah 51:53 ( about Babylon); Lamentations 2 :1; Matthew 11:23

·         Job 20:6-7 6 Though his height mount up to the heavens, and his head reach to the clouds, 7 he will perish forever like his own dung; those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’

·         Jeremiah 51:53 53 Though Babylon should mount up to heaven, and though she should fortify her strong height, yet destroyers would come from me against her, declares the Lord

·         Lamentations 2:1 2 How the Lord in his anger has set the daughter of Zion under a cloud! He has cast down from heaven to earth the splendor of Israel; he has not remembered his footstool in the day of his anger.

·         Matthew 11:23 23 And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.

In Isaiah 14:17, it states that the King made a wilderness out of the cities that fought against his rule. Due to the kings actions, he will not receive an honorable burial. Again, Satan is a spirit. You cannot bury spirits or visibly see their “bodies” lying on the earth. In addition, you see the same Hebrew word for “lie down” in Isaiah 43:17.

·         Isaiah 14:17-19 17 who made the world like a desert and overthrew its cities, who did not let his prisoners go home?’ 18 All the kings of the nations lie in glory, each in his own tomb; 19 but you are cast out, away from your grave, like a loathed branch, clothed with the slain, those pierced by the sword, who go down to the stones of the pit, like a dead body trampled underfoot.

The King was to "lie down" in Isaiah 14:8 in defeat. You see the same Hebrew word for “lie down” referring to the Babylonian army in Isaiah 43:17.

·         Isaiah 14:8 8 The cypresses rejoice at you, the cedars of Lebanon, saying, ‘Since you were laid low, no woodcutter comes up against us.’

·         Isaiah 43:17 17 who brings forth chariot and horse, army and warrior; they lie down, they cannot rise, they are extinguished, quenched like a wick: