< Prev 1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
... Next >
Rebellion Spreads to Planet Earth
Why didn’t God punish Lucifer immediately, at the first sign
of pride or rebellion?
God in His great mercy bore long with Lucifer. He was not
immediately degraded from his exalted station when he first indulged the spirit
of discontent, nor even when he began to present his false claims before the loyal
angels. Long was he retained in heaven. Again and again he was offered pardon
on condition of repentance and submission. Such efforts as only infinite love
and wisdom could devise were made to convince him of his error. The spirit of
discontent had never before been known in heaven. Lucifer himself did not at
first see whither he was drifting; he did not understand the real nature of his
feelings. But as his dissatisfaction was proved to be without cause, Lucifer
was convinced that he was in the wrong, that the divine claims were just, and
that he ought to acknowledge them as such before all heaven. Had he done this,
he might have saved himself and many angels. He had not at this time fully cast
off his allegiance to God. Though he had forsaken his position as covering
cherub, yet if he had been willing to return to God, acknowledging the
Creator’s wisdom, and satisfied to fill the place appointed him in God’s great
plan, he would have been reinstated in his office. But pride forbade him to
submit. He persistently defended his own course, maintained that he had no need
of repentance, and fully committed himself, in the great controversy, against
his Maker. . . .
God in His wisdom permitted Satan to carry forward his work,
until the spirit of disaffection ripened into active revolt. It was necessary
for his plans to be fully developed, that their true nature and tendency might
be seen by all. Lucifer, as the anointed cherub, had been highly exalted; he
was greatly loved by the heavenly beings, and his influence over them was
strong. God’s government included not only the inhabitants of heaven, but of
all the worlds that He had created; and Satan thought that if he could carry
the angels of heaven with him in rebellion, he could carry also the other
worlds. He had artfully presented his side of the question, employing sophistry
and fraud to secure his objects. His power to deceive was very great, and by
disguising himself in a cloak of falsehood he had gained an advantage. Even the
loyal angels could not fully discern his character or see to what his work was
leading.
Satan had been so highly honored, and all his acts were so
clothed with mystery, that it was difficult to disclose to the angels the true
nature of his work. Until fully developed, sin would not appear the evil thing
it was.
The Great Controversy, p. 495-497
When Lucifer and the angels who sided with him persisted in
open rebellion against God’s authority, the Bible gives us a glimpse of what
happened in heaven:
“And war broke out in heaven:
Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels
fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any
longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil
and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his
angels were cast out with him.” Revelation 12:7-9.
And when war did break out in heaven, why did God cast Satan
to this earth instead of destroying him then?
Even when it was decided that he could no longer remain in
heaven, Infinite Wisdom did not destroy Satan. Since the service of love can
alone be acceptable to God, the allegiance of His creatures must rest upon a
conviction of His justice and benevolence. The inhabitants of heaven and of
other worlds, being unprepared to comprehend the nature or consequences of sin,
could not then have seen the justice and mercy of God in the destruction of
Satan. Had he been immediately blotted from existence, they would have served
God from fear rather than from love. The influence of the deceiver would not
have been fully destroyed, nor would the spirit of rebellion have been utterly
eradicated. Evil must be permitted to come to maturity. For the good of the
entire universe through ceaseless ages Satan must more fully develop his
principles, that his charges against the divine government might be seen in
their true light by all created beings, that the justice and mercy of God and
the immutability of His law might forever be placed beyond all question.
Satan’s rebellion was to be a lesson to the universe through all
coming ages, a perpetual testimony to the nature and terrible results of sin.
The working out of Satan’s rule, its effects upon both men and angels, would
show what must be the fruit of setting aside the divine authority. It would
testify that with the existence of God’s government and His law is bound up the
well-being of all the creatures He has made. Thus the history of this terrible
experiment of rebellion was to be a perpetual safeguard to all holy
intelligences, to prevent them from being deceived as to the nature of
transgression, to save them from committing sin and suffering its punishments.
The Great Controversy, p. 498-499
In the garden of Eden,
Satan would now attempt to infect the inhabitants of the newly created Planet
Earth with his doubts about God.
All Scriptures are quoted from the New King James Version,
including those originally quoted by Ellen White from the King James
Version.—Editors
< Prev 1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
... Next >
|
