The American Wisdom Series

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Pamphlet #4384

My Hi-lite:   Ezekiel 31:3  Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with fair branches, and with a shadowing shroud, and of an high stature; and his top was among the thick boughs.
4  The waters made him great, the deep set him up on high with her rivers running round about his plants, and sent out her little rivers unto all the trees of the field.
5 Therefore his height was exalted above all the trees of the field, and his boughs were multiplied, and his branches became long because of the multitude of waters, when he shot forth.
6  All the fowls of heaven made their nests in his boughs, and under his branches did all the beasts of the field bring forth their young, and under his shadow dwelt all great nations.
7 Thus was he fair in his greatness, in the length of his branches: for his root was by great waters.
8 The cedars in the garden of God could not hide him: the fir trees were not like his boughs, and the chesnut trees were not like his branches; nor any tree in the garden of God was like unto him in his beauty.
9  I have made him fair by the multitude of his branches: so that all the trees of Eden, that were in the garden of God, envied him.

Ezekiel 31:3 Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with fair branches, and with a shadowing shroud, and of an high stature; and his top was among the thick boughs.
Again, the word "Assyrian" should be translated "box-tree", "te-ashshur" in Hebrew. A "box-tree" is just a plain ordinary tree, only this particular "box-cedar" has grown (elevated himself as per vs. 10) to great stature among the children of God (thick boughs).

Let's stop and play "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?"

OK, here is your question for $1,000,000 dollars. Remember, you have used up all three of your lifelines, so you know you can't call your preacher on this one. But don't forget, you can stop right here and walk away Biblically illiterate with your own two cents. For $1,000,000 here's the question:

The "te-ashshur", the plain ordinary "tree" who thinks he is God, is symbolic of whom?:

1. Satan
2. The son of perdition
3. Lucifer
4. The Dragon
Is that your final answer?  It is? Ok ... checking now...

YOUR RIGHT!  You win!  Congratulations! He is the subject being discussed here.

Ezekiel 31:4
The waters made him great, the deep set him up on high with her rivers running round about his plants, and sent out her little rivers unto all the trees of the field.
Waters are also symbolic of people (Rev. 17:15). We will soon see that the setting here is actually the garden of Eden, and there was a river that ran out of Eden which was divided into four heads (Gen. 2:10). This individual, Satan, is the same king of Tyre we read about in chapter 28, who was exalted and lifted-up in the first earth age, and he has carried his "big head" over into this second earth age.
[5]Therefore his height was exalted above all the trees of the field, and his boughs were multiplied, and his branches became long because of the multitude of waters, when he shot forth.
He was "lifted up" because the people thought he was really something special.
[6] All the fowls of heaven made their nests in his boughs, and under his branches did all the beasts of the field bring forth their young, and under his shadow dwelt all great nations.
The dirty birds, the fallen angel buddies of Satan, nestled right up to him. And as Gen. 3 states, he was more subtle than all the beasts of the field, both man an animal.
[7] Thus was he fair in his greatness, in the length of his branches: for his root was by great waters.
He had great power and authority.

Note: Actually, what we as Christians really need to understand from this, is that Satan himself, individually, has no "powers" at all. Oh sure, he's subtle and cunning and talks a good story, but he is not a god with supernatural powers (though he will appear that way when he comes because we are in the flesh while he is not). He is a created son (chapter 28:13 "in the day thou wast created") just like the rest of us. He gets his power and authority from the people and his corrupt system of the four hidden dynasties. But he has NO GODLY powers. You could liken him to Castro, or even to our President. They are mere mortal men, who have no more supernatural power than other mortal men, which is none at all. Got it? They simply derive their "power" from the system. So it is easy to understand in Isa. 14, that during the Millennium when Satan is stripped from his "power" and bound in the pit, that people walk by and say "is this the man who deceived the nations?" That is also why it is easy to understand how it is Michael has no problem man-handling Satan all by himself. One on one, without his gang and his authoritative "powers" Satan is not much at all. You see, although Satan is very beautiful and charismatic, in Luke 10:18 Jesus Christ gave us power and authority over this low-life "box-tree" and all the dirty birds who nest in his boughs.

Ezekiel 31:8
The cedars in the garden of God could not hide him: the fir trees were not like his boughs, and the chesnut trees were not like his branches; nor any tree in the garden of God was like unto him in his beauty.
No one can "top" Satan in good looks, etc. As we read in Ezek. 28 and as we will read in the next verse, our Father made him from the "full pattern", i.e. perfect in beauty.

He does not run around with a red suit on toting a three-pronged pitchfork.


This is not how Satan looks!

Ezekiel 31:9
I have made him fair by the multitude of his branches: so that all the trees of Eden, that were in the garden of God, envied him.
Literal trees can't and don't envy each other, anymore than they have any knowledge of good and bad! Of course, "tree huggers" probably envy other "tree huggers" who might be hugging a more beautiful tree than they are hugging. But what can you expect from someone who has the mentality of a sap-ling?

So, in verse 9, where did we find the little box-cedar who thinks he's God?  In the garden of Eden, the garden of God. Imagine that! The "tree" who thinks he knows better than God what's right and wrong for people, was in the garden of Eden. And you know what? He's so subtle and deceptive that he has the majority of Christianity believing it was just an apple tree, and not him. "Who me?", says Satan, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil,"I tell you, Eve ate an apple. I never had sex with that woman!"

To study the Bible is the noblest of all pursuits; to understand it, the highest of all goals.
We pray that with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you accomplish both.

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