(Chapter 1 - The End
"End it all
now," he whispered. "Please, you know you have to."
"No." Came
the raspy voice, a forced reply.
"Not yet."
"You must end
it, you’ve no choice. It's a failure." Another whisper, barely audible.
"No." The
guttural reply held a deep note of agony as the speaker raised his long fingers
to his own head and sank them deeply into a thick mane of pure white hair. The
gesture was an uncommon one. The LORD wasn't often visibly distressed. As he brought his fingers out from his hair
in a quick, almost angry motion, he spun around and stared at the shorter, dark
haired one trying to comfort him. "It is not a failure, it can never be
considered a failure and we both know it."
Being on the
receiving end of an unfamiliar glare, the angel Gabriel
slowly lowered his eyes, acquiescing easily enough. They'd talked about
this numerous times and each time it was the same. The inevitable end of world
seemed anything but inevitable.
"Sin cannot
last forever, why not end it now?" He
had to ask, gaze downcast not daring to risk the wrath he knew the LORD was
capable of producing.
Searching for even a
glimmer of challenge in Gabriel, the LORD
found none. This one was intelligent, but then again he'd known that and now,
even if he wished to vent some of his frustration there was no means to justify
it and he would not, could not, act without justification. Bringing his large hand to rest upon the other’s shoulder, the LORD's voice softened
and he whispered his reply, "I
cannot end it now, there are more. The
cup is not yet full, it has to be full…” he paused, the ache in his voice
unmistakable. “It has to be completely full.”
Gabriel's response was spoken in kind as he fought
the desire to either move closer to the LORD, or back away, the ambivalent
feelings were common enough and strangely comforting. "There are always more, the cup is never
full."
Thick, strong
fingers tightened on the thinner one's shoulder but only for a moment and then
the warmth and weight of the LORD's hand was taken away and Gabriel felt its
absence instantly. He should have remained silent, silence would have bought
more time to feel the strange, almost addictive comforting touch.
"No, you're
wrong about that. Soon there won't be any left, the cup full to overflowing,
and then…" the LORD waved one hand as if brushing away an annoying pest,
his callous action failing to harmonize with the tone of his words. "…the
end."
"You make it
sound as if it's something bad, but just think of what will come next," Gabriel had to at least try to make amends for
initiating the contentious conversation.
Walking away, his
back suddenly to Gabriel, the LORD's parting
words were left to echo behind him finding their way easily to saddened the
archangel. "So many more will be lost than saved, we must wait for every
single one." And with that the LORD
was gone, leaving the dark haired one sighing heavily. To Be Continued…)
'The Great
Controversy- Chapter XXIX - The Origin of Evil
To many minds, the
origin of sin and the reason for its existence are a source of great
perplexity. They see the work of evil, with its terrible results of woe and
desolation, and they question how all this can exist under the sovereignty of
One who is infinite in wisdom, in power, and in love. Here is a mystery, of
which they find no explanation. And in their uncertainty and doubt, they are
blinded to truths plainly revealed in God’s Word, and essential to salvation.
There are those who, in their inquiries concerning the existence of sin,
endeavor to search into that which God has never revealed; hence they find no
solution of their difficulties; and such as are actuated by a disposition to
doubt and cavil, seize upon this as an excuse for rejecting the words of Holy
Writ. Others, however, fail of a satisfactory understanding of the great
problem of evil, from the fact that tradition and misinterpretation have
obscured the teaching of the Bible concerning the character of God, the nature
of his government, and the principles of his dealing with sin. It is impossible
to so explain the origin of sin as to give a reason for its existence. Yet
enough may be understood concerning both the origin and the final disposition
of sin, to fully make manifest the justice and benevolence of God in all his
dealings with evil. Nothing is more plainly taught in Scripture than that God
was in nowise responsible for the entrance of sin; that there was no arbitrary
withdrawal of divine grace, no deficiency in the divine government, that gave
occasion for the uprising of rebellion.
Sin is an intruder,
for whose presence no reason can be given. It is mysterious, unaccountable; to
excuse it, is to defend it. Could excuse for it be found, or cause be shown for
its existence, it would cease to be sin. Our only definition of sin is that
given in the Word of God; it is “the transgression of the law;” it is the
outworking of a principle at war with the great law of love which is the
foundation of the divine government.
Before the entrance
of evil, there was peace and joy throughout the universe. All was in perfect
harmony with the Creator’s will. Love for God was supreme, love for one another
impartial. Christ the Word, the only begotten of God, was one with the eternal
Father,—one in nature, in character, and in purpose,—the only being in all the
universe that could enter into all the counsels and purposes of God. By Christ,
the Father wrought in the creation of all heavenly beings. “By him were all
things created, that are in Heaven, ... whether they be thrones, or dominions,
or principalities, or powers;” [Colossians 1:16.] and to Christ, equally with
the Father, all Heaven gave allegiance. The law of love being the foundation of
the government of God, the happiness of all created beings depended upon their
perfect accord with its great principles of righteousness.
God desires from all
his creatures the service of love,—homage that springs from an intelligent
appreciation of his character. He takes no pleasure in a forced allegiance, and
to all he grants freedom of will, that they may render him voluntary service. But
there was one that chose to pervert this freedom. Sin originated with him, who,
next to Christ, had been most honored of God, and who stood highest in power
and glory among the inhabitants of Heaven. Before his fall, Lucifer was first
of the covering cherubs, holy and undefiled. “Thus saith the Lord God: Thou
sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in
Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering.”
“Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth;
and I have set thee so; thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast
walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy
ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.”
[Ezekiel 28:12-15, 17.] Lucifer might have remained in favor with God, beloved
and honored by all the angelic host, exercising his noble powers to bless
others and to glorify his Maker. But, says the prophet, “Thine heart was lifted
up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy
brightness.” [Ezekiel 28:12-15, 17.]
Little by little,
Lucifer came to indulge a desire for self-exaltation. “Thou hast set thine
heart as the heart of God.” “Thou hast said: ... I will exalt my throne above
the stars of God; I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation.” “I will
ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High.” [Ezekiel
28:6; Isaiah 14:13, 14.] Instead of seeking to make God supreme in the
affections and allegiance of his creatures, it was Lucifer’s endeavor to win
their service and homage to himself. And, coveting the honor which the infinite
Father had bestowed upon his Son, this prince of angels aspired to power which
it was the prerogative of Christ alone to wield.
All Heaven had
rejoiced to reflect the Creator’s glory and to show forth his praise. And while
God was thus honored, all had been peace and gladness. But a note of discord
now marred the celestial harmonies. The service and exaltation of self,
contrary to the Creator’s plan, awakened forebodings of evil in minds to whom
God’s glory was supreme. The heavenly councils pleaded with Lucifer. The Son of
God presented before him the greatness, the goodness, and the justice of the
Creator, and the sacred, unchanging nature of his law. God himself had
established the order of Heaven; and in departing from it, Lucifer would
dishonor his Maker, and bring ruin upon himself. But the warning, given in
infinite love and mercy, only aroused a spirit of resistance.
Lucifer allowed
jealousy of Christ to prevail, and he became the more determined. Pride in his
own glory nourished the desire for supremacy. The high honors conferred upon
Lucifer were not appreciated as the gift of God, and called forth no gratitude
to the Creator. He gloried in his brightness and exaltation, and aspired to be
equal with God. He was beloved and reverenced by the heavenly host. Angels
delighted to execute his commands, and he was clothed with wisdom and glory
above them all. Yet the Son of God was the acknowledged sovereign of Heaven,
one in power and authority with the Father.
In all the counsels
of God, Christ was a participant, while Lucifer was not permitted thus to enter
into the divine purposes. “Why,” questioned this mighty angel, “should Christ
have the supremacy? Why is he thus honored above Lucifer?” Leaving his place in
the immediate presence of God, Lucifer went forth to diffuse the spirit of
discontent among the angels. Working with mysterious secrecy, and for a time
concealing his real purpose under an appearance of reverence for God, he
endeavored to excite dissatisfaction concerning the laws that governed heavenly
beings, intimating that they imposed an unnecessary restraint. Since their
natures were holy, he urged that the angels should obey the dictates of their
own will. He sought to create sympathy for himself, by representing that God
had dealt unjustly with him in bestowing supreme honor upon Christ. He claimed
that in aspiring to greater power and honor he was not aiming at
self-exaltation, but was seeking to secure liberty for all the inhabitants of Heaven,
that by this means they might attain to a higher state of existence.
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 re-instated 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.
All the powers of
his master-mind were now bent to the work of deception, to secure the sympathy
of the angels that had been under his command. Even the fact that Christ had
warned and counseled him, was perverted to serve his traitorous designs. To
those whose loving trust bound them most closely to him, Satan had represented
that he was wrongly judged, that his position was not respected, and that his
liberty was to be abridged. From misrepresentation of the words of Christ, he
passed to prevarication and direct falsehood, accusing the Son of God of a
design to humiliate him before the inhabitants of Heaven. He sought also to
make a false issue between himself and the loyal angels. All whom he could not
subvert and bring fully to his side, he accused of indifference to the
interests of heavenly beings. The very work which he himself was doing, he
charged upon those who remained true to God. And to sustain his charge of God’s
injustice toward him, he resorted to misrepresentation of the words and acts of
the Creator. It was his policy to perplex the angels with subtle arguments
concerning the purposes of God. Everything that was simple he shrouded in
mystery, and by artful perversion cast doubt upon the plainest statements of
Jehovah. His high position, in such close connection with the divine
administration, gave greater force to his representations, and many were
induced to unite with him in rebellion against Heaven’s authority.
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. Heretofore it had had no place in
the universe of God, and holy beings had no conception of its nature and
malignity. They could not discern the terrible consequences that would result
from setting aside the divine law. Satan had, at first, concealed his work
under a specious profession of loyalty to God. He claimed to be seeking to
promote the honor of God, the stability of his government, and the good of all
the inhabitants of Heaven. While instilling discontent into the minds of the
angels under him, he had artfully made it appear that he was seeking to remove
dissatisfaction. When he urged that changes be made in the order and laws of
God’s government, it was under the pretense that these were necessary in order
to preserve harmony in Heaven.
In his dealing with
sin, God could employ only righteousness and truth. Satan could use what God
could not—flattery and deceit. He had sought to falsify the word of God, and
had misrepresented his plan of government before the angels, claiming that God
was not just in laying laws and rules upon the inhabitants of Heaven; that in
requiring submission and obedience from his creatures, he was seeking merely
the exaltation of himself. Therefore it must be demonstrated before the
inhabitants of Heaven as well as of all the worlds, that God’s government was
just, his law perfect. Satan had made it appear that he himself was seeking to
promote the good of the universe. The true character of the usurper, and his
real object, must be understood by all. He must have time to manifest himself
by his wicked works. The discord which his own course had caused in Heaven,
Satan charged upon the law and government of God. All evil he declared to be
the result of the divine administration. He claimed that it was his own object
to improve upon the statutes of Jehovah. Therefore it was necessary that he
should demonstrate the nature of his claims, and show the working out of his
proposed changes in the divine law. His own work must condemn him. Satan had
claimed from the first that he was not in rebellion. The whole universe must
see the deceiver unmasked. 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 punishment.
To the very close of
the controversy in Heaven, the great usurper continued to justify himself. When
it was announced that with all his sympathizers he must be expelled from the
abodes of bliss, then the rebel leader boldly avowed his contempt for the Creator’s
law. He reiterated his claim that angels needed no control, but should be left
to follow their own will, which would ever guide them right. He denounced the
divine statutes as a restriction of their liberty, and declared that it was his
purpose to secure the abolition of law; that, freed from this restraint, the
hosts of Heaven might enter upon a more exalted, more glorious state of
existence.
With one accord,
Satan and his host threw the blame of their rebellion wholly upon Christ,
declaring that if they had not been reproved, they would never have rebelled.
Thus stubborn and defiant in their disloyalty, seeking vainly to overthrow the
government of God, yet blasphemously claiming to be themselves the innocent
victims of oppressive power, the arch-rebel and all his sympathizers were at
last banished from Heaven.
The same spirit that
prompted rebellion in Heaven, still inspires rebellion on earth.
Satan has continued
with men the same policy which he pursued with the angels. His spirit now
reigns in the children of disobedience. Like him they seek to break down the
restraints of the law of God, and promise men liberty through transgression of
its precepts.
Reproof of sin still
arouses the spirit of hatred and resistance. When God’s messages of warning are
brought home to the conscience, Satan leads men to justify themselves, and to
seek the sympathy of others in their course of sin.
Instead of
correcting their errors, they excite indignation against the reprover, as if he
were the sole cause of difficulty. From the days of righteous Abel to our own
time, such is the spirit which has been displayed toward those who dare to
condemn sin. By the same misrepresentation of the character of God as he had
practiced in Heaven, causing him to be regarded as severe and tyrannical, Satan
induced man to sin. And having succeeded thus far, he declared that God’s
unjust restrictions had led to man’s fall, as they had led to his own
rebellion. But the Eternal One himself proclaims his character: “The Lord God,
merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and
that will by no means clear the guilty.” [Exodus 34:6, 7.]
In the banishment of
Satan from Heaven, God declared his justice, and maintained the honor of his
throne. But when man had sinned through yielding to the deceptions of this
apostate spirit, God gave an evidence of his love by yielding up his only
begotten Son to die for the fallen race.
In the atonement the
character of God is revealed. The mighty argument of the cross demonstrates to
the whole universe that the course of sin which Lucifer had chosen was in
nowise chargeable upon the government of God.
In the contest
between Christ and Satan, during the Saviour’s earthly ministry, the character
of the great deceiver was unmasked. Nothing could so effectually have uprooted
Satan from the affections of the heavenly angels and the whole loyal universe
as did his cruel warfare upon the world’s Redeemer.
The daring blasphemy
of his demand that Christ should pay him homage, his presumptuous boldness in
bearing him to the mountain summit and the pinnacle of the temple, the
malicious intent betrayed in urging him to cast himself down from the dizzy
height, the unsleeping malice that hunted him from place to place, inspiring
the hearts of priests and people to reject his love, and at the last to cry,
“Crucify him! crucify him!”—all this excited the amazement and indignation of
the universe. It was Satan that prompted the world’s rejection of Christ. The
prince of evil exerted all his power and cunning to destroy Jesus; for he saw
that the Saviour’s mercy and love, his compassion and pitying tenderness, were
representing to the world the character of God.
Satan contested
every claim put forth by the Son of God, and employed men as his agents to fill
the Saviour’s life with suffering and sorrow. The sophistry and falsehood by
which he had sought to hinder the work of Jesus, the hatred manifested through
the children of disobedience, his cruel accusations against Him whose life was
one of unexampled goodness, all sprung from deep-seated revenge. The pent-up
fires of envy and malice, hatred and revenge, burst forth on Calvary against
the Son of God, while all Heaven gazed upon the scene in silent horror.
When the great
sacrifice had been consummated, Christ ascended on high, refusing the adoration
of angels until he had presented the request, “I will that they also, whom thou
hast given me, be with me where I am.” [John 17:24.] Then with inexpressible love
and power came forth the answer from the Father’s throne, “Let all the angels
of God worship him.” [Hebrews 1:6.] Not a stain rested upon Jesus. His
humiliation ended, his sacrifice completed, there was given unto him a name
that is above every name.
Now the guilt of
Satan stood forth without excuse. He had revealed his true character as a liar
and a murderer. It was seen that the very same spirit with which he ruled the
children of men, who were under his power, he would have manifested had he been
permitted to control the inhabitants of Heaven. He had claimed that the
transgression of God’s law would bring liberty and exaltation; but it was seen
to result in bondage and degradation. Satan’s lying charges against the divine
character and government appeared in their true light. He had accused God of
seeking merely the exaltation of himself in requiring submission and obedience
from his creatures, and had declared that while the Creator exacted self-denial
from all others, he himself practiced no self-denial, made no sacrifice. Now it
was seen that for the salvation of a fallen and sinful race, the Ruler of the
universe had made the greatest sacrifice which love could make; for “God was in
Christ, reconciling the world unto himself.” [2 Corinthians 5:19.]
It was seen, also,
that while Lucifer had opened the door for the entrance of sin, by his desire
for honor and supremacy, Christ had, in order to destroy sin, humbled himself,
and become obedient unto death.
God had manifested
his abhorrence of the principles of rebellion. All Heaven saw his justice
revealed, both in the condemnation of Satan and in the redemption of man.
Lucifer had declared that if the law of God was changeless, and its penalty
could not be remitted, every transgressor must be forever debarred from the
Creator’s favor. He had claimed that the sinful race were placed beyond
redemption, and were therefore his rightful prey. But the death of Christ was
an argument in man’s behalf that could not be overthrown. The penalty of the
law fell upon him who was equal with God, and man was free to accept the
righteousness of Christ, and by a life of penitence and humiliation to triumph,
as the Son of God had triumphed, over the power of Satan.
Thus God is just,
and yet the justifier of all who believe in Jesus. But it was not merely to
accomplish the redemption of man that Christ came to the earth to suffer and to
die. He came to “magnify the law” and to “make it honorable.” Not alone that
the inhabitants of this world might regard the law as it should be regarded;
but it was to demonstrate to all the worlds of the universe that God’s law is
unchangeable. Could its claims have been set aside, then the Son of God need
not have yielded up his life to atone for its transgression. The death of
Christ proves it immutable. And the sacrifice to which infinite love impelled
the Father and the Son, that sinners might be redeemed, demonstrates to all the
universe—what nothing less than this plan of atonement could have sufficed to
do—that justice and mercy are the foundation of the law and government of God.
In the final
execution of the Judgment it will be seen that no cause for sin exists.
When the Judge of
all the earth shall demand of Satan, “Why hast thou rebelled against me, and
robbed me of the subjects of my kingdom?” the originator of evil can render no
excuse.
Every mouth will be
stopped, and all the hosts of rebellion will be speechless. The cross of
Calvary, while it declares the law immutable, proclaims to the universe that
the wages of sin is death. In the Saviour’s expiring cry, “It is finished,” the
death-knell of Satan was rung. The great controversy which had been so long in
progress was then decided, and the final eradication of evil was made certain.
The Son of God passed through the portals of the tomb, that “through death he
might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.” [Hebrews
2:14.]
Lucifer’s desire for
self-exaltation had led him to say, “I will exalt my throne above the stars of
God.... I will be like the Most High.” God declares, “I will bring thee to
ashes upon the earth, ... and never shalt thou be any more.” [Isaiah 14:13, 14;
Ezekiel 28:18, 19.] When “the day cometh that shall burn as an oven,” “all the
proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble; and the day that cometh
shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither
root nor branch.” [Malachi 4:1.]
The whole universe
will have become witnesses to the nature and results of sin. And its utter
extermination, which in the beginning would have brought fear to angels and
dishonor to God, will now vindicate his love and establish his honor before a
universe of beings who delight to do his will, and in whose heart is his law.
Never will evil again be manifest. Says the Word of God, “Affliction shall not
rise up the second time.” [Nahum 1:9.] The law of God, which Satan has
reproached as the yoke of bondage, will be honored as the law of liberty. A
tested and proved creation will never again be turned from allegiance to Him
whose character has been fully manifested before them as fathomless love and
infinite wisdom.'
