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what was going on in Lucifer’s heart as he was determining to rebel against God. In Isaiah 14:13, one of the things Lucifer desires is to sit enthroned on the “mount of assembly.” This Mount of Assembly is the same “holy mountain of God” referred to in Ezekiel 28:14. The Mount of Assembly is in heaven, and it is the physical place in heaven upon which God had set his throne—God sits enthroned on the Mount of Assembly. The Mount of Assembly also seems to be the same place described in Job: “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them.” (Job 1:6; also Job 2:1 NKJV)
The sons of God are described as coming to “present themselves before the LORD.” This “presenting” or assembling themselves before the LORD, before his throne, is almost certainly the same Mount of Assembly referred to in Isaiah 14:13, which would also be the same as the “holy mountain of God” referred to in Ezekiel 28:14. It seems the reason this holy mountain of God, upon which God sits enthroned, is called the Mount of Assembly is because it was there, before God’s throne upon the holy mountain, that the entire angelic host would come to present themselves, or to assemble, before God.
When Ezekiel 28:14 describes the anointed Cherub, Lucifer, as being on the holy mountain of God, this means he was positioned by the very throne of God, upon the top of God’s holy mountain, upon the Mount of Assembly, before which the entire angelic host would gather and assemble. Again, this speaks to the exaltingly high position which Lucifer held in heaven.
The Fiery Stones
In Ezekiel, there is also a reference to the “fiery stones”:
You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. (Ezek 28:14)
These fiery stones described here are described in the context of the anointed Cherub being on the holy mountain of God. This strongly suggests these fiery stones were also on the holy mountain of God, very likely right before God’s throne. The Bible does not tell us the nature of these fiery stones, but they seem to be connected with the very presence of God and his throne. The passage in Exodus 24:10 may have a similar meaning:
And saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of lapis lazuli, as bright blue as the sky. (NIV)
In the Exodus 24:10 passage, the seventy elders of Israel went up and they saw God, and when they saw him, they saw a pavement before him made of the precious stone lapis lazuli. This connects walking upon a precious stone pathway with the very presence of God.
When we are told Lucifer was on the holy mountain of God and walked among the stones of fire, it suggests these stones of fire could be similar to the lapis lazuli pavement the elders of Israel saw when they saw God—a pavement of precious stone before God’s very presence. This suggests the stones of fire, in whose midst Lucifer walked upon in God’s holy mountain, were likewise set before God’s very presence. As a result, this is another description of the exceedingly exalted position of the anointed Cherub, Lucifer.
Why a Lament?
It is important to remember this entire passage of Ezekiel 28:11–19 is specifically called a “lament” (Ezek 28:12), a song of weeping, a song of God’s sorrow over this anointed Cherub. Why does God weep over the anointed Cherub? The reason for this weeping starts to unfold in Ezekiel 28:15, “You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you.”
This greatest and highest of God’s creatures, his special “heavenly prince,” his most beautiful and wisest creation, his seal of perfection, the one who was perfect in holiness and godliness, who was the representative of all the angels before God, sinned. Further, in that sin, he incited, and then led, a rebellion against God, which led to the fall of the angels. This was the origin of sin in the universe. God weeps over the fall of his highest creature.
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