Isaiah 14:12–17

The name means "light-bringer" in Latin. It translates the Hebrew word helel, which is linked with "morning star." It is given in irony to the king of Babylon, because in his pride he said he would exalt his throne above the stars of God. He resembles the leader of this world in the last days (Revelation 13:1-10).

The king of Babylon is meant here, the final holder of the power that was first placed in the hands of Nebuchadnezzar. It is the last head of the beast (Revelation 17). The context assumes that his destruction happens at the same time as the deliverance and blessing of Israel. In any full sense the scene is still future. Calling Satan "Lucifer" probably has no ground, except in the imagination of poets or the mistaken readings of early church writers.

Even when the prophet announces God's judgment on ancient, pagan Babylon, the Holy Spirit looks forward to the symbolic Babylon that Nebuchadnezzar's city only pictured… The prophet's language goes beyond a simple description of that pagan king and his city… Lucifer, son of the morning, seems to be a reference to what Satan was before he fell. The words of his heart, "above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will make myself like the Most High," are the pride that caused his fall.

His sin began with pride. Out of that came the determination to be independent of God, and to be as God. He would rule a kingdom of his own, a kingdom of darkness, with the knowledge of God completely shut out. This kingdom carries the character of its founder. By its very nature it must oppose God and His kingdom in everything.

The man called "the beast" will do homage to the devil and get the kingdom for a brief spell. For that same brief spell Satan will be openly acknowledged as "god," and so will seem to achieve what he has wanted from the beginning. We find a prophetic reference to it in Isaiah 14:12-14. "I will ascend… I will make myself like the Most High." Yet the result is, "How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn!" Reaching his cherished desire is the prelude to his fall.

The king of Babylon is only Satan's instrument… And when he is laid low, the earth is at rest. Does this not look forward to millennial rest, when Satan will be bound for a thousand years? (Isaiah 14:4-20.)

The day-star of the prophetic word is far from being Christ. He is Christ's enemy — the king of Babylon, the enemy of the Lord of glory, destined for destruction by the power of God. In Christ we find the glory of One who is above the sun, moon, and stars. He has no need to say in His heart, "I will make myself like the Most High." For He was and is the Most High — the lowly Man who once came into this world, by suffering in atonement to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. He snatched at no glory that was not His. He stooped down and gave up His own glory for God's glory, obeying even to death on the cross.

Notice the five-fold repetition of "I will." The very essence of sin is the assertion of the will of the creature against the Creator. In Genesis 2, God said to Adam, "You shall not"; but in Genesis 3, tempted by Satan, Adam virtually said "I will." Philippians 2 gives the complete contrast. There is the One who was "the Most High." His throne was "above the stars of God." He could not "ascend," because no place was higher than the one He already held. He came down and took the form of a Servant. Satan sought to exalt himself, and he will be brought low. Christ humbled Himself, and He is exalted, and will be exalted still.

Isaiah's prophecy in these verses applies first to the visible king — verses 4-11. The Lord will break his sceptre and cast him into hell; Revelation 19 explains this more fully. But in verses 12-15, we seem to move from the visible king to Satan, the one who will appoint him. Satan's original sin was his attempt to lift himself up to equality with God. He too is to be "brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit."

The king of Babylon sets forth no other than the last head of the Beast, just as Nebuchadnezzar was the first of that line. We must keep the imperial chief of the last days separate from the religious head, the antichrist. We must be all the more careful here. Their policy is similar and they are partners in evil, so writers old and new keep confusing the two.

This king claims for himself exactly all the privileges, all the rights, of Christ. "I will ascend to heaven" — what only Christ has done. "Above the stars of God I will set my throne on high" — the throne of Christ is above principalities and powers. "I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north" — "It is the palace of the great king," the king of Israel at Jerusalem. Christ is to come with clouds; this one says, "I will ascend above the heights of the clouds." His end is, "Yet you shall be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit."

"The king of Babylon" pictures the last holder of the imperial power that began with that Gentile empire. He said in his heart, "I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north… I will be like the Most High." This may sound so high that nothing could reach higher. But to take mount Zion in the far reaches of the north, the city of the great King, is not so great an invasion of what belongs to God alone as to sit in the sanctuary, showing himself to be God.

His fall came from not being content with the very high place God had given him as a creature — "the anointed cherub who covers" (Ezekiel 28:14). He dared to say in his heart, "I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high…" What a fall was his! And his end will be most sad — "thrown into the lake of fire" (Revelation 20:10).

For a brief spell Satan will be openly acknowledged as "god," and so seem to reach what he has wanted from the beginning. We find a prophetic reference to it in Isaiah 14:12-14… Yet the result is, "How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!" The achievement of his dearest desire is the prelude to his fall.

Verses 13 and 14 are most striking. Notice the fivefold repetition of "I will." The very essence of sin is the assertion of the creature's will against the Creator. In Genesis 2, God said to Adam, "You shall not"; but in Genesis 3, tempted by Satan, Adam in effect said "I will." Philippians 2 gives the complete contrast. There we see the One who was "the Most High," whose throne was "above the stars of God." He could not "ascend," since there was no place higher than the one He occupied. Yet He came down and took the form of a Servant. Satan sought to exalt himself and is to be brought low. Christ humbled Himself, and He is, and shall yet be, exalted.

Isaiah's prophecy in these verses applies first to the visible king — verses 4-11… But in verses 12-15, we seem to pass from the visible king to Satan, whose chosen man this king is to be. Satan's own first sin was trying to lift himself up to equality with God. He too is to be "brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit," as we also see in Revelation 20.

The king of Babylon is meant here. He is the last holder of the power that was first placed in the hands of Nebuchadnezzar… In any full sense the scene is still future. For calling Satan "Lucifer" there is probably no ground, except the fancy of poets or the mistaken readings of early church writers.

"The Most High" appears in Isaiah 14:14, often from Genesis 14:18 onward, again and again in the Psalms, and also in the Aramaic part of Daniel. It is the title He will display in the future kingdom, when all rivals vanish into nothing.

It is exactly all the privileges, all the rights of Christ, that this king claims for himself. "I will ascend into heaven" — what Christ only has done. "I will exalt myself above the stars of God" — the throne of Christ is above all rulers and powers. "I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation in the sides of the north" — "It is the palace of the great king," the king of Israel at Jerusalem. Christ is to come with clouds. "I will ascend above the heights of the clouds," says this one. His end is, "Yet you shall be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit."

For a brief spell Satan will be openly acknowledged as "god." He will seem to achieve what he has wanted from the beginning. We find a prophetic reference to it in Isaiah 14:12-14… Yet the result is, "How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!" Reaching his dearest desire is the prelude to his fall.

We know from Scripture that his fall came from one thing. He was not content with the very high place God had given him as a creature… He dared to say in his heart that he would ascend to heaven and make himself like the Most High (Isaiah 14:13-14). What a fall was his… Here we trace the source of the evil spirit of Diotrephes, and of all who have gone the same way from his day to this.

This king claims for himself all the privileges, all the rights of Christ. "I will ascend into heaven" — that is what Christ alone has done. "I will exalt myself above the stars of God" — the throne of Christ is above principalities and powers. "I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation in the sides of the north" — "It is the palace of the great king," the king of Israel at Jerusalem. Christ is to come with clouds. This one says, "I will ascend above the heights of the clouds." His end is: "Yet you shall be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit."

Isaiah's prophecy in these verses applies first to the visible king — verses 4-11. The Lord will break his sceptre and cast him into hell, as Revelation 19 explains more fully. But in verses 12-15, we seem to pass from the visible king to Satan, whose appointed man he is to be. Satan, whose original sin was an attempt at self-exaltation to equality with God, is to be "brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit."

The proud and mighty king of Babylon is spoken of here in his awful fall — from a height no earthly ruler ever reached before, down to the lowest depths of shame… Some think the "day star" of the prophet (Isa. 14:12) and the fallen star of Revelation (Rev. 9:1) both point to the fall of Satan from Heaven. But we are satisfied that the first means the king of Babylon, and the second the Antichrist.

The strong language in verses 9-14 was hardly used up in Nebuchadnezzar or Belshazzar. There was pride and self-exaltation in the one, and deeply degrading, godless luxury in the other. But what we have here will come fully true in the last days, and not before. After taking this place of power, the proud one is to be brought as low as no king of Babylon ever was in history.

The term sheol really includes the grave, as well as the region where the spirits, without their bodies, wait for their resurrection… Sheol meant what we might call the whole underworld. Scripture pictures both body and soul as entering it. So the prophet can describe the dead in their graves (in sheol), with the worm above them and under them (Isa. 14:11). To a Hebrew this language was not strange, for there are worms in the grave.

Satan will not be sent there as a king, but as the chief offender and greatest sufferer. It is a hymn, not Scripture, that has called him "Satan, you king in Hell." The fall of Satan, from heights we cannot imagine down to depths we cannot picture, is appalling to think about.

At the beginning Satan tempted man to make himself like God… Satan cannot exalt himself in heaven, so he will try to do it through the offspring of man. But in the end he shall be brought low (Isaiah 14:12-15). In the last Adam we have Him who was God humbling Himself, going down, becoming obedient to death — even the most shameful death. Then we see that humbled One going back to the place of power at God's right hand, but as man as well as God.

The first three verses of Isaiah 14 show that the judgment of Babylon clears the way for mercy to flow to Israel. This had a partial fulfilment in the days of Cyrus, as the opening verses of Ezra record. It will have a far greater and more complete one when the times of the Gentiles come to an end. Then God will settle Israel in their own land again. They will also be the leading nation. They will rule over the peoples who once oppressed them, and they themselves will be fully at rest. In that day they will take up the proverb against the king of Babylon, that fills verses 4-23 of the chapter.

So we can hardly say the strong language in verses 9-14 was fully met in Nebuchadnezzar or Belshazzar. The first showed pride and self-exaltation. The second showed the most degrading and godless luxury. But what we have here will come true in full only in the last days. After he takes this place of power, the proud one will be brought low as no king of Babylon in history ever was.

Isaiah 14:12-17 shows us the king of Babylon taking all the titles and the characters of Christ. He would take his seat on the mountain where God's people gather (at Jerusalem), in the palace of the great king in the far north. He claims all that belongs to Jesus, and sets himself up to be made like Jesus. He will raise his throne above the stars, rise above the clouds, and be like the Most High. This is a repeat of the titles of Jesus, and the boldest form of the pride of the earth. In one sense it is a blessing that this happens, because then God must judge it and destroy it.

In verses 12-15 we see that, as long as "the beast" is on the earth, he passes himself off as God. Still, he is doomed to destruction (v. 19). God has only to give the signal, and the man who broke kings like reeds is himself a broken reed.

The extent of his power. Isaiah 14:16 … He will make the earth tremble and shake kingdoms. Isaiah 14:17 … He will make the world like a desert. … Rev. 13:7 … Power will be given him over all tribes and tongues and nations.

The king of Babylon stands for none other than the last head of the Beast, just as Nebuchadnezzar was the first of that line. We must keep the imperial chief of the last days separate from the religious head, the antichrist. We must do this with care. The two follow a similar policy and are partners in evil, so both old and modern writers very often mix them up.

Strange changes come over the plans men hold dear. Every effort was made to keep these graves intact, and to let these kings all "lie in glory, each in his own tomb." But of the oppressor of Israel, whose body lies in the museum in Gizeh, it may be said: "Those who see you will stare at you and ponder over you: 'Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms?'"

The king of Babylon represents none other than the last head of the Beast, just as Nebuchadnezzar was the first of that line. We must distinguish the imperial ruler of the last days from the religious head, the antichrist. We must do it with care. The two have a similar policy and are partners in evil, so ancient and modern writers alike often confuse them.

Isaiah's prophecy in these verses applies first to the visible king — verses 4-11. The Lord will break his sceptre and cast him into hell, as is more fully explained in Revelation 19. But in verses 12-15, we seem to pass from the visible king to Satan, who will be the one to appoint him. Satan's original sin was trying to lift himself up to equality with God. He too is to be "brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit," as we also see in Revelation 20.

Isaiah 14:12. The king of Babylon is meant here, the final holder of the power that was first put into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar. The context assumes that his destruction happens at the same time as the deliverance and blessing of Israel. For calling Satan "Lucifer" there is probably no ground except the fancy of poets or the misreadings of early writers.

The reign of the beast will, for this godly remnant, turn the world into a wilderness. They will find refuge and blessing by taking a place outside the political and religious world of their day, apart from its awful violence and corruption. Standing apart from the world system may well bring suffering. But it will secure spiritual blessing, because God has prepared an outside place where He will feed this remnant.

The king of Babylon never did give release to any of the captives of Judah, but when the Medes and Persians defeated Babylon, this soon worked for the blessing of Judah. Darius the Mede ruled at first. When the Persians took over the authority, Cyrus was ruler. As Isaiah had prophesied some years before, Cyrus would carry out all God's pleasure in having Jerusalem rebuilt.

Isaiah 14:12-17 shows us the king of Babylon taking all the titles and the characters of Christ. He would seat himself on the mount of the congregation (at Jerusalem) in the palace of the great king on the sides of the north. He claims all that belongs to Jesus, and puts himself forward as being made like Jesus. He will raise his throne above the stars, ascend above the clouds, be like the Most High. This is a summary of the titles of Jesus, and the boldest form of the pride of the earth.

This king is also called Lucifer (daystar) or son of the morning. And when he is laid low, the earth is at rest. Does not this look onward to millennial rest when Satan will be bound for a thousand years?