Was Lucifer the Worship leader in Heaven before his epic fall?

 Prophecy Against the Prince of Tyre 

The idea that Lucifer was the worship leader in heaven comes from Ezekiel 28. It reads, The word of the Lord came to me; “Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre, Thus says the Lord God, Because your heart is proud, and you have said, ‘I am a god, I sit in the seat of gods, in the heart of the seas, yet you are but a man, and no god, though you make your heart like the heart of a god – you are indeed wiser than Daniel; no secret is hidden from you; by your wisdom and your understanding you have made wealth for yourself, and have gathered gold and silver into your treasuries; by your great wisdom in your trade you have increased your wealth, and your heart has become proud in your wealth. 

Therefore, thus says the Lord God; because you make your heart like the heart of a god, therefore, behold I will bring foreigners upon you, the most ruthless of the nations; and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom and defile your splendor. They shall thrust you down into the pit, and you shall die the death of the slain in the heart of the seas.  

Will you still say, ‘I am a god; in the presence of those who kill you, and though you are but a man, and no god, in the hands of those who slay you? You shall die the death of the uncircumcised by the hand of foreigners. For I have spoken declares the Lord God” (Ezekiel 28:1-10). 

A Lament over the King of Tyre 

Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me, “Son of man, raise a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say to him, thus says the Lord God: “You were the signet of perfection, full of wisdom and beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God. Every precious stone was your covering, sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle; and crafted in gold were your settings and your engravings (NIV). On the day that you were created and were prepared. You were an anointed guardian cherub. I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God. In the midst of the stones of fire you walked. You were blameless in all your ways from the day you were created, till unrighteousness was found in you. In the abundance of your trade, you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned; so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God, and I destroyed you, O guardian cherub from the midst of the stones of fire. 

Your heart was proud because of your beauty. You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I exposed you before kings, to feast their eyes on you. By the multitude of your iniquities, in the unrighteousness of your trade you profaned your sanctuaries; so I brought fire out from your midst; it consumed you, and I turned you to the ashes on the earth in the sight of all who saw you. All who know you among the peoples are appalled at you; you have come to a dreadful end and shall be no more forever” (Ezekiel 28:11-19). 

First Ezekiel prophecies against the ruler of Tyre. Tyre was an ancient city on the Mediterranean coast.  

 

Ezekiel then prophecies against the king of Tyre; but the description of the king of Tyre is strange. Why? For example, the prophet says that he was in Eden, the garden of God (vs. 13). The only people that were ever in Eden was God, Adam and Eve and the serpent who we know is the devil. So, who is Ezekiel talking about? He is talking about-who is this king of Tyre? He is not a human king. The king of Tyre was the evil influence behind the prince of Tyre. That is who Ezekiel is prophesying against. Notice the king of Tyre is called the anointed cherub. A cherub is a high ranking angelic being in this case Lucifer whose name means shining one, son of the morning. God designed him with perfect wisdom and beauty. He was adorned with beautiful sparkling jewels (vs. 13). Of course, we knew he fell due to his sin (vs. 15).  

Why many believe Lucifer was the “heavenly choir director” before his fall is because of verse 13 that says, “the workmanship of your tabrets (tambourines) and of your pipes was prepared in thee in the day that you were created (KJV).” From these descriptions, Lucifer was a shining, bedazzled walking musical instrument – a magnificent angelic being. But do these descriptions mean he was heaven’s minister of music? I doubt it. Ezekiel described him as the anointed cherub that covers - perhaps a guardian of the throne of God (vs. 14). 

 

Keeping this in context Ezekiel is clearly telling us that the prince of Tyre was influenced by Satan. God by the Holy Spirit prophesied through Ezekiel to reveal the root cause of the prince of Tyre’s wickedness. Ezekiel was not describing the anointed cherub in detail just to reveal that he was a worship leader in heaven. The description of the anointed cherub was for the reader to be made aware that God made him perfect, but he chose to rebel, so God had to judge and reject him for his sin of treachery. 

The prince of Tyre regarded himself as a god – the sin of pride. The Lord told him that he was not a god, but a man – that he would die by the hand of strangers (vs.10).  

God also told the king of Tyre (Satan) that he would also face the judgment of death due to his pride (vs.19). 

The scholars tell us that we are to exegete1 the text of the Bible and not eisegete.2 

1 – Exegete means to interpret the text by the text 

2- Eisegete is when one misinterprets the biblical text. They add a foreign meaning to the text