The epistle to the Hebrews looks back to a world which had been under the rule of

angels, and in keeping with the limitations of that epistle this would include the ministry

of the law of Sinai, for we read more than once that the law "was ordained by angels"

(Gal. 3: 19; Acts 7: 53; Heb. 2: 2). The epistles of Peter and of Jude take us back to

the days of Noah, but Ephesians goes back before the overthrow of the world, and while

there are indications of a fall among the angels, just before the flood, and which indeed

brought about that dreadful catastrophe, there are indications that something similar, and

perhaps on a vaster scale, took place before the overthrow of Gen. 1: 2, and was the

reason for that great catastrophe.

We must admit that explicit teaching on the subject is not to be found in the

Scriptures, and that anyone whose faith refuses the witness of type and analogy, is at

liberty to refuse such teaching. We however are convinced that all Scripture is profitable,

and has been written with a purpose, and that if we 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 that 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.  Rev. 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 Ezek. 28:  Ammon (Exek. 25: 1-7),

Moab and Seir (8-11), Edom (12-14) and the Philistines (15-17) are all judged and