In the last of the Last Days, let us especially deal with deep-seated pride!
The first recorded sin is pride! The details of this first sin are recorded in both Ezekiel and Isaiah.
It is recorded by THE SPIRIT in Ezekiel chapter 28:
11 Moreover the Word of the LORD came to me, saying,
12 “Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “You were the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The sardius, topaz, and diamond, Beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes Was prepared for you on the day you were created.
14 “You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones.
15 You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in you.
16 “By the abundance of your trading You became filled with violence within, And you sinned; Therefore I cast you as a profane thing Out of the mountain of God; And I destroyed you, O covering cherub, From the midst of the fiery stones.
17 “Your heart was lifted up with pride because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; I cast you to the ground, I laid you before kings, That they might gaze at you.
18 “You defiled your sanctuaries By the multitude of your iniquities, By the iniquity of your trading; Therefore I brought fire from your midst; It devoured you, And I turned you to ashes upon the earth In the sight of all who saw you.
19 All who knew you among the peoples are astonished at you; You have become a horror, And shall be no more forever.”‘”
The cherub now known as satan was in the garden where he tempted Eve. In Heaven, he was known for his beauty and his musical ability (timbrels and pipes). He had access to the Throne Room where there are fiery stones of sapphires as the floor.
Once pride arose in this cherub, he was immediately cast out of the Thid Heaven.
We are provided with further details as recorded by THE SPIRIT in Isaiah chapter 14:
12 “How you are fallen from Heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations!
13 For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into Heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north;
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’
15 Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the Pit.
16 “Those who see you will gaze at you, And consider you, saying: ‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, Who shook kingdoms,
17 Who made the world as a wilderness And destroyed its cities, Who did not open the house of his prisoners?’
The adversary spoke five “I will’s” which describes the essence of pride. He successfully tempted Eve with pride, and he continues using this primary sin in the world today. Pride attempts to exalt oneself through arrogance, money, power, etc.
It is recorded by THE SPIRIT in Psalm chapter 10:
2 The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined.
3 For the wicked boasteth of his heart’s desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD abhorreth.
4 The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.
5 His ways are always grievous; thy judgments are far above out of his sight: as for all his enemies, he puffeth at them.
6 He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved: for I shall never be in adversity.
7 His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud: under his tongue is mischief and vanity.
Those who are lifted up in pride shall be brought low when they are judged by FATHER. Each of us must brutally assess our words and actions to see if there is any pride found. If so, purpose to change and remove this primary sin.
Wisdom recorded in Proverbs chapter 8:
13 Wisdom pours into you when you begin to hate every form of evil in your life, for that’s what worship and fearing God is all about. Then you will discover that your pompous pride and perverse speech are the very ways of wickedness that I THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY hate!”
FATHER hates pride and we should hate it too! Let each of us rid ourselves of pride.