Amazingly, the Old Testament contains stories and predictive prophetic words which can be used to illustrate and to give us a greater understanding of the Good News of Jesus and how the future would – and still will – pan out. They also take us behind the scenes and give us glimpses into things like the fall of Satan. Ezekiel chapters 26 to 29 do precisely that, as does Isaiah 14. They give us very helpful and relevant insights.

Someone once explained to me that the way to begin to understand complex biblical prophecies is to see the prophet as proclaiming a message from God aimed simultaneously at (1.) his contemporaries, (2.) the more distant future and (3.) the end times, while also looking back (1.) to the more distant past and (2.) before the creation of the world. No wonder we need to be extremely careful in the way we interpret them! It helps to highlight the difficulties by imagining the prophet looking out over surrounding mountain ranges with peaks and projections that sometimes align and sometimes peer out from behind others. The prophet is describing what God is showing him without himself knowing to which time zone his words apply. Amazing! Once we understand to which a particular phrase is referring we are filled with wonder! There are well over 300 detailed prophecies concerning the life, death and resurrection of Jesus that were all fulfilled!

"Son of man, Tyre (personifying Satan) has rejoiced over the fall of Jerusalem [just as Satan rejoiced over sin entering the world], saying, 'Ha! She … has been broken, and I am the heir!' … You boasted, O Tyre, 'My beauty is perfect' … In your great pride you proclaim 'I am a god!' [Satan is called the god of this world and was thrown out of heaven by desiring to replace God (Isa. 14:12-15)] … You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and exquisite in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God. Your clothing was adorned with every precious stone … all beautifully crafted for you and set in the finest gold. They were given to you on the day you were created. I ordained and anointed you as the mighty angelic guardian. You had access to the holy mountain of God … You were blameless in all you did … until the day evil was found in you … I banished you in disgrace from the mountain of God. I expelled you, O mighty guardian, from your place … Your heart was filled with pride because of all your beauty. [Jesus is humble to the core and God opposes the proud.] Your wisdom was corrupted by your love of splendour. So I threw you to the ground … All who knew you are appalled at your fate. You have come to a terrible end" (Ezekiel 26-28).

"In Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form" (Col 2:9). "The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work" (1 John 3:8). Praise God! Christ has overcome!