MEMORY VERSE: ‘Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.’ Ezekiel 28:15.
STUDY HELP: Patriarchs & Prophets, pages 33-43.
LESSON AIM: To study what the Bible shows us about how sin began and how it will end.
‘There was one who perverted the freedom that God had granted to His creatures. Sin originated with him who, next to Christ, had been most honoured of God and was highest in power and glory among the inhabitants of heaven. Lucifer, “son of the morning,” was first of the covering cherubs, holy and undefiled. He stood in the presence of the great Creator, and the ceaseless beams of glory enshrouding the eternal God rested upon him. “Thus saith the Lord God; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering.... Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.” Ezekiel 28:12-15.’ Patriarchs & Prophets, page 35.
1. How was Lucifer described at the time when he was created? Ezekiel 28:15.
NOTE: ‘Before his fall, Lucifer was the covering cherub, holy and undefiled. The prophet of God declares, “Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.” [Ezekiel 28:15.] Peace and joy, in perfect submission to the will of Heaven, existed throughout the angelic host. Love to God was supreme, love for one another impartial. Such was the condition that existed for ages before the entrance of sin.’ Spirit of Prophecy, volume 4, page 316.
2. What position in heaven did Lucifer hold? Ezekiel 28:13-14.
NOTE: ‘The question naturally arises, If Satan was once in heaven, what position did he occupy there? What follows in the Scripture will answer this question, and utterly preclude the possibility of applying it to any being less than an angel: “Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so.” Verse 14. Evidently this is a reference to one of the mighty angels, also called cherubim, who cover the throne of God; for we have seen that God dwells between the cherubim. Then it is very clear what position was once occupied by [Lucifer]. He was a covering angel to the throne of God in heaven. God created him to fill that office, for He says, “I have set thee so.” This was his position, his office.’ J. H. Waggoner: Angels: Their Nature and Ministry, page 56.
3. How did Ezekiel describe the cherubim that he saw in vision? Ezekiel 1:5-13. Compare Ezekiel 10:20-22.
NOTE: ‘Ezekiel states that this fallen celestial being was created (Ezekiel 28:13,15), and hence was not eternally pre-existent. He had been one of the “anointed,” the glorious covering cherub (Ezekiel 28:16), standing in the very presence of God. Cherubim (mentioned many times as attending the throne of God) were assigned to guard the gates of Eden. And cherubim were placed upon the mercy seat of the ark in the symbolic provisions of redemption in Old Testament times. Lucifer was clearly a superterrestrial being, the mightiest of the angels.’ L. E. Froom: The Conditionalist Faith of Our Fathers, volume 1, page 53.