What caused Lucifer to fall and turn himself into Satan the devil? Why did God lament the downfall of this angel? How are Lucifer's gemstones related to the Lord's glory?
The Greatest Being
Out of all the angels brought into existence by God only one, Lucifer, has the details of their creation delineated in the Bible! He, like the rest of the angelic host, were given life even before the earth and the entire universe came into being (Job 38:1 - 7).
Lucifer's creation, and ultimate fall that involved gemstones, is revealed through a dirge recorded by the prophet Ezekiel. God commanded the prophet to write down his lamentation over the loss of the greatest being he could bring into existence by fiat.
The Measure of Perfection
Lucifer, when he was made, was blessed with unmatched wisdom, amazing abilities, and generously imbued with gemstones that made him perfectly beautiful in the eyes of God.
"Son of man, lift up a lamentation . . . 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "You seal up the measure of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty . . ." ' " (Ezekiel 28:12, HBFV unless noted).
Ezekiel 28:12 is a rare three-fold affirmation from God himself that he made Lucifer as perfect as he possibly could right from the start. Verse 15 of the chapter reiterates, an incredible fourth time, this flawless nature of the angel's existence.
"You were perfect in your ways from the day that you were created . . ." (verse 15).
What Made Him Beautiful?
Verse 13 of Ezekiel 28 informs us what made Lucifer "perfect in beauty" before he fell.
"You have been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering . . ." (Ezekiel 28:13).
God then lists the nine gemstones he specially created as a gift to Lucifer. These gems, based on the research in this series, were the carnelian, topaz, diamond, beryl, onyx stone, jasper, sapphire, turquoise and red garnet (carbuncle).
How special and one-of-a-kind were the radiant spiritual gemstones crafted for Lucifer? God made these stones BEFORE he created the physical universe which would make them through natural processes! No other angelic being in the Bible is recorded as coming into existence with gems as part of their creation.
Where Were They Located?
Ezekiel 28, unfortunately, does not reveal where God placed the gems he made for Lucifer or if they were set in any pattern. This is in contrast to the stones he commanded to be used in the High Priest's breastplate (Exodus 28). They were put in a particular order, in four rows of three stones each, embedded into the "breastplate of judgment" of the priest (Exodus 28:8 - 21, 39:5 - 14).
God may have permanently beautified Lucifer by embedding the gemstones he made as part of his spiritual body!
Rainbow Glory
God gave angels the ability to radiate light or "glory." The Bible contains examples of these spirit beings giving off an intense light.
And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire (Revelation 10:1, KJV).
And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. (Revelation 18:1, KJV).
Lucifer's name (Hebrew heylel, Strong's Concordance #H1966) means "light-bearer," shining one or morning star (Brown-Driver-Briggs' Hebrew Definitions). It is therefore certain, given his special duty of covering God's presence on his throne, that he also radiated light.
You were the anointed cherub that covers, and I set you so; you were upon the holy mountain of God; you have walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. (Ezekiel 28:14, HBFV).
Lucifer's beauty did not come strictly from the light he radiated like other righteous angels. His perfection came from the gemstones he received that produced manifold colors when pure light was shined through them!
The nine gemstones given to God's greatest creation would have produced colors such as deep red, pale and classic blue, golden brown, pink, yellow, variations of green and so on. Lucifer was able to uniquely produce the colors of the rainbow!
What Went Wrong?
Ezekiel 28:17 is the key verse that reveals how Lucifer literally lost his mind and fell from his perfection.
"Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you have corrupted your wisdom by reason of your brightness . . . " (Ezekiel 28:17, HBFV).
God's greatest spirit being chose to believe his beauty and "brightness," manifested through his gemstones, made him better than everyone else including his Maker! His unrepented of vanity destroyed his sound mind and corrupted his ability to think straight.
"You were perfect in your ways from the day that you were created, until iniquity was found in you." (Ezekiel 28:15, HBFV)
Lucifer, blinded by vanity and lusting to be worshipped, then storms heaven with his demons in an attempt to force God off of his throne (Isaiah 14:12 - 14)!
Conclusion
The gemstones used to beautify Lucifer were not, of themselves, the cause of his sin and fall. They were, however, an integral part of justifying to himself why he was greater than all others. His failed attempt to take control of the universe sealed his fate as Satan the devil, the adversary of all that is good.
Lucifer Gem Facts
Carnelians, red garnets, beryls and onyx stones were used both to beautify Lucifer and in the breastplate used by Israel's High Priest.
One of the stones that showcased Lucifer's beauty and perfection was a sapphire. In Ezekiel's two "wheel in a wheel" visions (Ezekiel 1, 10), God's glory and throne also appear to shine like this precious stone!
And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it . . . (Ezekiel 1:26, see also 10:1, HBFV).
God adorned Lucifer with four of the six hardest gemstones used in the Bible. These gems were diamonds, sapphires, topaz and beryl. The average Mohs hardness of all nine stones that beautified Lucifer was between 7.3 and 7.7 (out of 10). This compares to an average hardness of between 6.2 and 7.1 for the High Priest's gemstones.