evade or omit these difficult portions of Scripture, our faith will necessarily

suffer.  The great amount of Old Testament Scripture that deals with events long

past, indicates that much of it is recorded because it sets forth in type or by

analogy other and vaster issues.

In the opening verses of Genesis we are told nothing of the nature of the

original creation, but are taken in one stride across the darkness of the great

deep, to the six days work of restoration and preparation for the man, Adam,

who, as we know, was made for a little while inferior to the angels.  Into this

creation which had been pronounced `very good', comes unheralded and unexplained

`the serpent', and at the close of the third chapter, in perfect structural

balance, we have `the cherubim'.  It is this strange symbolic creature that

leads us to a passage in Ezekiel which sheds light upon the relation of Satan to

the earth prior to the overthrow.  There is no doubt as to the identity of this

serpent.  Revelation 12:9 speaks of the dragon as `that old (or ancient)

serpent, called the Devil (Greek), and Satan (Hebrew)'.

The bait of the temptation in the Garden of Eden is found in the words `ye

shall be as gods' (Gen. 3:4,5).  The word `gods' can be accepted as an ordinary

plural referring to the `gods', a word sometimes translated `angels' by the LXX,

or it may be taken to refer to the Supreme, Elohim, God Himself.

Satan is spoken of in the Scriptures as the god of this age, and the

prince of the power of the air, and he moves in spheres and exercises powers

that are beyond the range of human experience or understanding.  It is therefore

necessary to use type and symbol in the endeavour to bring his person and

activities within our present comprehension.  We are acquainted with many of

these symbols, `the roaring lion', `the angel of light', `the false accuser',

`the serpent' come readily to mind.  There are others that are imbedded in Old

Testament history and prophecy that are not so well known.  To one such analogy

we now direct the reader's attention.

In the prophecy of Ezekiel we have a series of historic references that

exhibit certain traits that lead up to the great revelation of Ezekiel 28.

Ammon (Ezek. 25:1-7), Moab and Seir (8-11), Edom (12-14) and the Philistines

(15-17) are all judged and denounced, and then follows in fuller detail the

charge and the doom of Tyre.  The judgment on Tyre includes a repetition in

miniature of Genesis 1:2:

`When I shall bring up the deep (Heb. tehom, same word Gen. 1:2) upon

thee, and great waters shall cover thee' (Ezek. 26:19).

`I will make thee a terror, and thou shalt be no more' (Ezek. 26:21).

The doom pronounced in verse 21 is repeated in chapters 27 and 28.  The

denunciation of Tyre continues throughout chapter 27, where we meet the boastful

saying `I am of perfect beauty' (3), and after a long series of descriptive

references to the merchandise of Tyre, we return to the doom already pronounced:

`Thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt be any more' (Ezek. 27:36).

Yet, Tyre continues to occupy the attention of the Prophet, for Ezekiel 28

opens with an address to `the prince of Tyre'.  This chapter is divided into

three parts: from verse 20 to the end, Zidon comes into view, but for the moment

can be left out of our reckoning.  Verses 1-19 is a complete section and is

divided into two portions: verses 1-10 speaking of the Prince of Tyre, who for

all his boasting is after all `a man and no god' and shall die the death of the