Isaiah 14:13–14

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.