Jesus' Plan.

CHAPTER 3

The Plan of Salvation

Sorrow filled heaven, as it was realized that man was lost, and the world that God created was to be filled with mortals doomed to misery, sickness and death, and there was no way of escape for the offender.  The whole family of Adam must die.  I saw the lovely Jesus, and beheld an expression of sympathy and sorrow upon his countenance.  Soon I saw him approach the exceeding bright light which enshrouded the Father.  Said my accompanying angel, He is in close converse with His Father.  The anxiety of the angels seemed to be intense while Jesus was communing with his Father.  Three times he was shut in by the glorious light about the Father, and the third time he came from the Father, his person could be seen.  His countenance was calm, free from all perplexity and trouble, and shone with benevolence and loveliness, such as words cannot express.  He then made known to the angelic host that a way of escape had been made for lost man.  He told them that he had been pleading with his Father, and had offered to give his life a ransom, and take the sentence of death upon himself, that through him man might find pardon.  That through the merits of his blood, and obedience to the law of God, they could have the favor of God, and be brought into the beautiful garden, and eat of the fruit of the tree of life.

 At first the angels could not rejoice, for their commander concealed nothing from them, but opened before them the plan of salvation.  Jesus told them that he would stand between the wrath of his Father and guilty man, that he would bear iniquity and scorn, and but few would receive him as the Son of God.  Nearly all would hate and reject him.  He would leave all his glory in heaven, appear upon earth as a man, humble himself as a man, become acquainted by His own experience with the various temptations with which man would be beset, that he might know how to succor those who should be tempted; and that finally, after his mission as a teacher should be accomplished, he would be delivered into the hands of men, and endure almost every cruelty and suffering that Satan and his angels could inspire wicked men to inflict; that he should die the cruelest of deaths, hung up between the heavens and the earth as a guilty sinner; that he should suffer dreadful hours of agony, which even angels could not look upon, but would vail their faces from the sight.  Not merely agony of body would he suffer; but mental agony, that with which bodily suffering could in no wise be compared.  The weight of the sins of the whole world would be upon him.  He told them he would die and rise again the third day, and should ascend to his Father to intercede for wayward, guilty man.

 The angels prostrated themselves before him.  They offered their lives.  Jesus said to them that he should by his death save many; that the life of an angel could not pay the debt.  His life alone could be accepted of his Father as a ransom for man.

 Jesus also told them that they should have a part to act, to be with him, and at different times strengthen him.  That he should take man’s fallen nature, and his strength would not be even equal with theirs.  And they should be witnesses of his humiliation and great sufferings.  And as they should witness his sufferings, and the hate of men towards him, they would be stirred with the deepest emotions, and through their love for him, would wish to rescue, and deliver him from his murderers; but that they must not interfere to prevent anything they should behold; and that they should act a part in his resurrection; that the plan of salvation was devised, and his Father had accepted the plan.

 With a holy sadness, Jesus comforted and cheered the angels, and informed them that hereafter those whom he should redeem would be with him, and ever dwell with him; and that by his death he should ransom many, and destroy him who had the power of death.  And his Father would give him the kingdom, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, and he should possess it forever and ever.  Satan and sinners should be destroyed, never more to disturb heaven, or the purified, new earth. Jesus bid the heavenly host be reconciled to the plan that his Father accepted, and rejoice that fallen man could be exalted again through his death, to obtain favor with God and enjoy heaven.

 Then joy, inexpressible joy, filled heaven.  And the heavenly host sung a song of praise and adoration.  They touched their harps and sung a note higher than they had done before, for the great mercy and condescension of God in yielding up his dearly Beloved to die for a race of rebels.  Praise and adoration were poured forth for the self-denial and sacrifice of Jesus; that he would consent to leave the bosom of his Father, and choose a life of suffering and anguish, and die an ignominious death to give life to others.

 Said the angel, Think ye that the Father yielded up his dearly beloved Son without a struggle?  No, no.  It was even a struggle with the God of heaven, whether to let guilty man perish, or to give his beloved Son to die for them.  Angels were so interested for man’s salvation that there could be found among them those who would yield their glory, and give their life for perishing man.  But, said my accompanying angel, that would avail nothing.  The transgression was so great that an angel’s life would not pay the debt.  Nothing but the death and intercessions of his Son would pay the debt, and save lost man from hopeless sorrow and misery.

 But the work of the angels was assigned them, to ascend and descend with strengthening balm from glory to soothe the Son of God in his sufferings, and administer unto him.  Also, their work would be to guard and keep the subjects of grace from the evil angels, and the darkness constantly thrown around them by Satan.  I saw that it was impossible for God to alter or change his law, to save lost, perishing man; therefore he suffered his beloved Son to die for man’s transgression.

Satan again rejoiced with his angels that he could, by causing man’s fall, pull down the Son of God from his exalted position.  He told his angels that when Jesus should take fallen man’s nature, he could overpower him, and hinder the accomplishment of the plan of salvation.

    I was then shown Satan as he was, a happy, exalted angel.  Then I was shown him as he now is.

He still bears His kingly form.  His features are still noble, for he is an angel fallen. But the expression of his countenance is full of anxiety, care, unhappiness, malice, hate, mischief, deceit, and every evil.  That brow which was once so noble, I particularly noticed.  His forehead commenced from his eyes to recede backward.  I saw that he had demeaned himself so long, that every good quality was debased, and every evil trait was developed.  His eyes were cunning, sly, and showed great penetration.  His frame was large, but the flesh hung loosely about his hands and face.  As I beheld him, his chin was resting upon his left hand.  He appeared to be in deep thought.  A smile was upon his countenance, which made me tremble, it was so full of evil, and Satanic slyness.  This smile is the one he wears just before he makes sure of his victim, and as he fastens the victim in his snare, this smile grows horrible. 

See Isaiah chap.53

Isa 53:1  Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? 

Isa 53:2  For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 

Isa 53:3  He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 

Isa 53:4  Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 

Isa 53:5  But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 

Isa 53:6  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 

Isa 53:7  He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. 

Isa 53:8  He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. 

Isa 53:9  And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. 

Isa 53:10  Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. 

Isa 53:11  He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. 

Isa 53:12  Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

*******

Joh_17:5  And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.

1Co_2:7  But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory

Tit_1:2  In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began

1Pe 1:19  But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 

1Pe 1:20  Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you

2Ti 1:9  Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, 

2Ti 1:10  But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel

Every single one of these verses, if I am to read them correctly, talk about our Savior being with God before the world began. He speaks of being glorified with the glory He had before the world was. We are told of the wisdom of God in a mystery- before the world. We read of the hope of eternal life promised before the world began. We learn that our precious Christ was foreordained before the foundation of the world.

Before the world begins.

The plan of salvation was in place before the fall of man, how can we read otherwise?

Speaking of Christ we read- Who has saved us, called us with a holy calling- not according to our works- but according to his own purpose and GRACE WHICH WAS GIVEN US IN CHRIST JESUS BEFORE THE WORLD BEGAN.

The plan was in place and when man fell in that garden, when Satan gained his victory over humankind, the plan had to be enacted.

We all make plans from time to time, and some of us make plans constantly. For some not a single day goes by without a plan. People often know the day before what their plan for the next day will be. Are all plans realized? Simply because a plan is in place does that mean it will be carried out? No. In fact there is preplanning, planning, plan finalized, plan enacted, things going as planned, and plan carried out. However there is also, plans thwarted, plans changed, things not going according to plans and so on. Having a plan is no guarantee of that plan being realized. The world is filled with people who have planned their lives only to live them out to their inevitable end without that plan being realized.

The plan of salvation was devised before the world began- and therefore, before our creation.

It was a plan- a contingency plan. 

When mankind chose to sin, encouraged by Satan to do so- not on their own, not without deceptive forces in play, for that there was a plan to save them should they choose salvation.

This plan was all very well and good, and according to Ellen White she was shown that Jesus went to His Father to plead for this plan to be allowed to go forth.  It was one thing to plan, another to let the plan go forth as made. Jesus was willing to allow the plan to be realized, Jesus wanted to redeem humankind even though it would mean His being made into the form of a slave, housed in human flesh, stripped of His Godly power not just for a short while, but from then on - through time without end. Oh, He would have power but it would no longer be the power He manifested as God with God, but rather He would receive all His power from the Father.  We truly do need to remember this stuff, to learn this stuff, to comprehend all of this because if we don't realize what Jesus gave up for us, what it meant for Him to come in the very flesh, the sinful flesh, the flesh tainted by the degradation of sin for centuries, then we can't truly believe He had the power, the right, to save us.  Satan could hold it over all that Jesus did not sacrifice anything, not really- but Satan can't do that because Jesus felt every temptation, every pain that we can possibly feel in the way that we feel them, not as one who is only seemingly playing at being human while holding fast to His Godly power. Of His own self, Jesus could do absolutely, positively, nothing!

Joh 5:30  I can of mine own self do nothing

Joh 5:19  Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. 

Jesus verified the plan of salvation with the Father and it was put into motion-

Gen 3:14  And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: 

Gen 3:15  And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. 

Gen 3:16  Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. 

Gen 3:17  And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; 

The ENMITY was put between mankind and Satan.

The ENMITY was between the SEED of mankind's and the seed of Satan.

The ENMITY would bruise the HEAD of Satan, even as the ENMITY had its HEEL bruised.

Our Savior stands between us and Satan. Our Savior had His heel bruised but Satan had his head bruised. Our Savior made the sacrifice greater than any that can be imagined, just so He could save us from Satan.

Please, Lord, we would be saved!

          Read this yet again---

Isa 53:1  Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? 

Isa 53:2  For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 

Isa 53:3  He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 

Isa 53:4  Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 

Isa 53:5  But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 

Isa 53:6  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 

Isa 53:7  He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. 

Isa 53:8  He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. 

Isa 53:9  And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. 

Isa 53:10  Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. 

Isa 53:11  He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. 

Isa 53:12  Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Choosing Self.

CHAPTER 2   (The Great Controversy)

The Fall of Man

I saw that the holy angels often visited the garden, and gave instruction to Adam and Eve concerning their employment, and also taught them concerning the rebellion of Satan and his fall. 

The angels warned them of Satan, and cautioned them not to separate from each other in their employment, for they might be brought in contact with this fallen foe. 

The angels enjoined upon them to closely follow the directions God had given them, for in perfect obedience only were they safe.  And if they were obedient, this fallen foe could have no power over them.

 Satan commenced his work with Eve, to cause her to disobey.  She first erred in wandering from her husband, next, in lingering around the forbidden tree, and next in listening to the voice of the tempter, and even daring to doubt what God had said -- In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.  She thought, Perhaps it does not mean just as the Lord said.  She ventured to disobey. 

She put forth her hand, took of the fruit, and ate.  It was pleasing to the eye, and pleasant to the taste.  She was jealous that God had withheld from them what was really for their good.  She offered the fruit to her husband, thereby tempting him.  She related to Adam all that the serpent had said, and expressed her astonishment that he had the power of speech.

 I saw a sadness came over Adam’s countenance.  He appeared afraid and astonished.  A struggle appeared to be going on in his mind.  He felt sure that this was the foe which they had been warned against, and that his wife must die.  They must be separated.  His love for Eve was strong.  And in utter discouragement he resolved to share her fate.  He seized the fruit, and quickly ate it.  Then Satan exulted.  He had rebelled in heaven, and had sympathizers who loved him, and followed him in his rebellion.  He fell, and caused others to fall with him.  And he had now tempted the woman to distrust God, to inquire into his wisdom, and to seek to penetrate his all-wise plans.  Satan knew the woman would not fall alone. Adam, through his love for Eve, disobeyed the command of God and fell with her.

 

 The news of man’s fall spread through heaven.  Every harp was hushed.  The angels cast their crowns from their heads in sorrow.  All heaven was in agitation.  A counsel was held to decide what must be done with the guilty pair.  The angels feared that they would put forth the hand, and eat of the tree of life, and be immortal sinners.  But God said that he would drive the transgressors from the garden.  Angels were commissioned immediately to guard the way of the tree of life.  It had been Satan’s studied plan that Adam and Eve should disobey God, receive his frown, and then be led on to partake of the tree of life, that they might live forever in sin and disobedience, and thus sin be immortalized.  But holy angels were sent to drive them out of the garden, while another company of angels were commissioned to guard the way to the tree of life.  Each of these mighty angels appeared to have something in their right hand, which looked like a glittering sword.

 Then Satan triumphed.  Others he had made to suffer by his fall.  He had been shut out of heaven, they out of Paradise.

See Genesis chap.3

Gen 3:1  Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 

Gen 3:2  And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 

Gen 3:3  But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. 

Gen 3:4  And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 

Gen 3:5  For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. 

Gen 3:6  And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. 

Gen 3:7  And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. 

Gen 3:8  And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. 

Gen 3:9  And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? 

Gen 3:10  And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. 

Gen 3:11  And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? 

Gen 3:12  And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. 

Gen 3:13  And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. 

Gen 3:14  And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: 

Gen 3:15  And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. 

Gen 3:16  Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. 

Gen 3:17  And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; 

Gen 3:18  Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; 

Gen 3:19  In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. 

Gen 3:20  And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living. 

Gen 3:21  Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them. 

Gen 3:22  And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: 

Gen 3:23  Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. 

Gen 3:24  So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life. 

The Great Controversy- by EG White

*******

Protected, not denied. We protect our children, yet often they tell us we are denying them freedom in life. At very young ages our children begin to show the first signs of defiance. From the innocent and in NO way malicious twisting and turning about on a changing table struggling not to be still while a diaper is changed, to the tossing of their heads back and forth so as not to take the milk you are offering them. Their first signs of independence, of self-awareness, of desiring different than what is offered them, even for innocent reasons because most assuredly their thoughts are not meant to be defiant. In fact we don't imagine an infant has much independent thought, the reasoning, the thought process just isn't there yet as they lay helpless, reliant upon someone to care for their every need. That helpless infant grows and as they grow they begin to show real reasoning, real knowing and by the time they are a year old most of the children have begun to learn to walk, and before that they crawl and as they gain their mobility they gain the ability to harm themselves with many things about them. So as they become mobile, caregivers will either change their environment to one that can't bring any harm - rugs on hard floors, protectors on sharp edges, locks on cabinets and so on Or they will confine the child to a protected area - a playpen, a play room, etc. The child is protected from themselves, their own curiosity. Then as the child gets older and begins to truly comprehend right from wrong, the protected areas are no longer needed because a caregiver trusts that the child knows if they do wrong they will suffer for it in some manner and that is something they don't want. And still as they continue their journey in humanity, they are protected from things they think they don't need protection from. Why can't they stay out all night? Why can't they drink alcohol and do drugs? Why can't they have intimate physical relationships with others? Why can't they just do as they want to do, simply because they desire to do so? The desire is there, so why don't parents just let the children indulge those desires? We tell them the desires aren't wrong (mostly) if treated in certain ways (modest, conservative ways), but they need to be older before they can fulfil those desires, often desires to emulate things they see and hear, others do. We want them to be old enough to take responsibility for their actions should they abuse the desired longings. We tell them only aging will give them such responsibility.  My cousin and I were just emailing each other the other day about the memories of longing to be grown up, to become of legal age so the restrictions on our lives would cease.  I digress a bit though.  The point I think I'm trying to make is as a parent what we often call protection our children call denying.  The struggle is real as most parents will attest to. It starts young, very young and only multiplies as time goes on. We want to protect, they want to do as they please. 

God wanted to protect.

After Satan rebelled in heaven and the horrors of sin were fully manifested, God knew Satan could not be allowed to live. However, simply blotting him out of existence would not destroy sin. Just as killing a single person riddled with a contagious disease does not kill the disease. Sin must be destroyed. Sin couldn't be hidden, and creature after creature showing the least inkling towards sin destroyed. What am I saying, sure God could have reacted that way to sin. God could have set up an endless blotting out whenever sin appeared. Lucifer (Satan) could have been poofed from existence along with any other angel inclined towards sin, but what then?

Could God sin? No. God could not sin. But God realized there existed the ability to do so.

We have no way of knowing how many years of time existed before Lucifer, a covering cherub, an angel closest to God decided to yield to the thought of not simply being content being an angel. He saw God with God, He saw the plan unfold for creatures unlike angels, yet those to be created as counterparts to God and therefore to live an existence different from his own. He witnessed a part of the plan that changed God with God, as one God agreed to be declared a Son to the other, as one was begotten not created. He watched as the Begotten of God, still God with God recognized a need that as yet did not exist, a need only the Begotten of God could ever fulfil. As he witnessed the creating power possessed by God and the Begotten even when it had not yet been fully realized, Lucifer yielded to the desire to no longer wanting to be an angel- no matter how cherished he was as one, he wanted to be changed in another God.  He witnessed God with God the Begotten and he witness God in Spirit different from God, different than God the Begotten. Lucifer could watch as these three Gods undertook their creation of humanity plans and was no longer satisfied to watch from the sidelines. Lucifer wanted to join their rank, a created being wanted to alter his own existence into the impossible of no longer being created but beyond that to being a God.

Why? He had all things to please him, he wasn't wanting for anything, yet he didn't want to simply look on as new and different creatures were brought into existence that could possibly replace him? That spark of temptation that the three Gods allowed simply because there is absolutely no freedom without that ability, but rather a bunch of automated puppets. That bit of themselves they allowed in giving the knowledge of simply knowing a choice exists, that something horrific could exist was there and Lucifer chose to indulge that temptation, he chose to embrace the self-serving and ultimately self-serving leads to complete destruction of life.  We are taught to believe otherwise, but it is truth.

God would protect His newly created creatures, humans, from Satan's path. They were taught from their very beginning of existence that they were to live their lives content in comprehension that their Creator loved them and there was no need for more than that love. Yet, Satan wasn't content to allow them that existence uncontested. These new creatures were no better than he was and he'd prove it,

Warned of the existence of straying, of losing all they had, wasn't enough after they were put to Satan's test. Eve yielded.

Yes, we know parents do a lot to protect their children- endless warnings, admonishing's, punishments to keep the child from harm after harm. We also know that a child has to make its own choices especially after that child has matured to adulthood. While we may wish we could sit back and make every single choice, leaving no possibility for our child to go astray, that strips a child of individuality- of that ability to choose. There is no love - no choosing to serve others, if you are forced to do so.

God help us to choose to serve, to love.

Satan A Rebellious Angel.

Once more I would like to go through the Great Controversy Book, why? Honestly I feel Spirit led to do so. My sister is reading the book again, she mentioned it to me the other night, and while I did a little study on it back in July 2018, I need to do more.

It is so incredibly important that we comprehend what our Lord would have us comprehend and not remain in the dark. We need to pray for a discerning heart, for eyes covered in eye salve so we can see only truth amid any and all error that will surround us. If I present any error that causes anyone to lose their way with God, with our Savior, please … God forgive me!

I'm seeking truth and I know truth is highly unpopular. We have an entire Bible filled with truth seekers, truth followers who are never in the majority, who are never popular with all people, who while being favored of God- through their own sin inclined frailty- they stumble along the way and usually paid quite a high price for their wrong choices. While some of the famous Biblical figures seem to have great popularity it is seldom with the entire population, there seems to always be those who would try to destroy them- some with success, others without. Jesus, Himself, our Lord and Savior, was highly popular for a short while as He walked our earth in ministry for three years. Yet, He obviously was not popular with all people. He met an horrific end upon a cross, beaten and bloody. Jesus' favored apostles all suffered horrifically as they lived in a world being unpopular with the masses.

I know the things I put here in my study (blog/notes) can be highly unpopular. I imagine most people who have read and found things unfavorable to their beliefs, simply stop reading and ignore future studies I put online. I do not ever seek out confrontation with anyone. If anyone reads the things I write and it incites their need for confrontation, I cringed. For all I know, not a single other person reads the things I write and that's okay too. I leave it all in God's hands. I do not do my studies for popularity, for favor-ability, for a pat on the back. I'm seeking truth. I have looked back and found myself in error, and I know I need to study more, pray more and by the grace of God correct my errors.

I've rambled on long enough here, I am going to go through The Great Controversy book once more, asking prayerfully to take from it the truth and only the truth, and if any error is found may I not be deceived by that error.

May the Holy Spirit guide us into truth now and forever! All through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior!

1 The Great Controversy 1858 By Ellen G. White

(((I am using what I am led to believe is the 1858 Edition of the Great Controversy. There are several later versions and if I believe what I read, the later versions mostly occur because of further light being given on subjects. However in some instance I've read that a few things are omitted in later versions due to their not being able to be substantiated - the author saying that which would substantiate them has been destroyed by those it exposes in error. If those things are still in this early version, so be it. May it be called unsubstantiated now and may the author be held to blame for spreading lies and rumors and subsequently - me for reproducing them. If they were included as truth once until the proof of that truth was destroyed, it makes in no less truthful. If it is falsehood that was innocently included, may we know it for what it is and God protect us from being deceived by it. If we need the additional information included in later versions, may we be led to that information as well. God help us, save us, keep us in YOU.))))

CHAPTER 1

The Fall of Satan

The Lord has shown me that Satan was once an honored angel in heaven, next to Jesus Christ. His countenance was mild, expressive of happiness like the other angels. His forehead was high and broad, and showed great intelligence. His form was perfect. He had a noble, majestic bearing.

And I saw that when God said to his Son, Let us make man in our image, Satan was jealous of Jesus. He wished to be consulted concerning the formation of man. He was filled with envy, jealousy and hatred. He wished to be the highest in heaven, next to God, and receive the highest honors. Until this time all heaven was in order, harmony and perfect subjection to the government of God.

It was the highest sin to rebel against the order and will of God. All heaven seemed in commotion. The angels were marshaled in companies with a commanding angel at their head. All the angels were astir. Satan was insinuating against the government of God, ambitious to exalt himself, and unwilling to submit to the authority of Jesus. Some of the angels sympathized with Satan in his rebellion, and others strongly contended for the honor and wisdom of God in giving authority to his Son. And there was contention with the angels. Satan and his affected ones, who were striving to reform the government of God, wished to look into his unsearchable wisdom to ascertain his purpose in exalting Jesus, and endowing him with such unlimited power and command. They rebelled against the authority of the Son of God, and all the angels were summoned to appear before the Father, to have their cases decided. And it was decided that Satan should be expelled from heaven, and that the angels, all who joined with Satan in the rebellion, should be turned out with him. Then there was war in heaven. Angels were engaged in the battle; Satan wished to conquer the Son of God, and those who were submissive to his will. But the good and true angels prevailed, and Satan, with his followers, was driven from heaven.

After Satan was shut out of heaven, with those who fell with him, he realized that he had lost all the purity and glory of heaven forever. Then he repented and wished to be reinstated again in heaven. He was willing to take his proper place, or any place that might be assigned him. But no, heaven must not be placed in jeopardy. All heaven might be marred should he be taken back; for sin originated with him, and the seeds of rebellion were within him. Satan had obtained followers, those who sympathized with him in his rebellion. He and his followers repented, wept and implored to be taken back into the favor of God. But no, their sin, their hate, their envy and jealousy, had been so great that God could not blot it out. It must remain to receive its final punishment.

When Satan became fully conscious that there was no possibility of his being brought again into favor with God, then his malice and hatred began to be manifest. He consulted with his angels, and a plan was laid to still work against God's government. When Adam and Eve were placed in the beautiful garden, Satan was laying plans to destroy them. A consultation was held with his evil angels. In no way could this happy couple be deprived of their happiness if they obeyed God. Satan could not exercise his power upon them unless they should first disobey God, and forfeit his favor. They must devise some plan to lead them to disobedience that they might incur God's frown and be brought under the more direct influence of Satan and his angels. It was decided that Satan should assume another form, and manifest an interest for man. He must insinuate against God's truthfulness, create doubt whether God did mean as he said, next, excite their curiosity, and lead them to pry into the unsearchable plans of God, which Satan had been guilty of, and reason as to the cause of his restrictions in regard to the tree of knowledge.

See Isaiah 14:12-20; Ezekiel 28:1-19; Revelation 12:7-9

Isa 14:12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

Isa 14:13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:

Isa 14:14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

Isa 14:15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

Isa 14:16 They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;

Isa 14:17 That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?

Isa 14:18 All the kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, every one in his own house.

Isa 14:19 But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcase trodden under feet.

Isa 14:20 Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, and slain thy people: the seed of evildoers shall never be renowned.

Eze 28:1 The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,

Eze 28:2 Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God:

Eze 28:3 Behold, thou art wiser than Daniel; there is no secret that they can hide from thee:

Eze 28:4 With thy wisdom and with thine understanding thou hast gotten thee riches, and hast gotten gold and silver into thy treasures:

Eze 28:5 By thy great wisdom and by thy traffick hast thou increased thy riches, and thine heart is lifted up because of thy riches:

Eze 28:6 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast set thine heart as the heart of God;

Eze 28:7 Behold, therefore I will bring strangers upon thee, the terrible of the nations: and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of thy wisdom, and they shall defile thy brightness.

Eze 28:8 They shall bring thee down to the pit, and thou shalt die the deaths of them that are slain in the midst of the seas.

Eze 28:9 Wilt thou yet say before him that slayeth thee, I am God? but thou shalt be a man, and no God, in the hand of him that slayeth thee.

Eze 28:10 Thou shalt die the deaths of the uncircumcised by the hand of strangers: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.

Eze 28:11 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

Eze 28:12 Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.

Eze 28:13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.

Eze 28:14 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.

Eze 28:15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.

Eze 28:16 By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.

Eze 28:17 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.

Eze 28:18 Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.

Eze 28:19 All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.

Rev 12:7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,

Rev 12:8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.

Rev 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Christ Took the Form of a Servant...a Slave....

 Chapter 9 -- CONCLUSION

In the Form of a Slave

Php 2:7  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant (KJV)

But Himself He made void a form of a slave taking Philippians 2:7 (Translated from Greek)

Php 2:7 But emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave… (LITV)

William H. Grotheer

January, 1974

 Chapter 9 -- CONCLUSION

Without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness for by it God was manifest in the flesh. God-like-ness - godliness - is God manifest in human flesh. This Christ revealed even in the slave-form of man. Those who partake of the "divine nature" again manifest God in their slave-forms. God dwells in them, and walks in them.  1

2Co 6:16  And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 

"Higher than the highest human thought can reach is God's ideal for His children. Godliness - godlikeness - is the goal to be reached."  2  "All who long to bear the likeness of the character of God shall be satisfied. The Holy Spirit never leaves unassisted the soul who is looking unto Jesus. He takes the things of Christ [the life-giving energies] and shows them unto him. If the eye is kept fixed on Christ, the work of the Spirit ceases not until the soul is conformed to His image. The pure element of love will expand the soul, giving it capacity for higher attainments, for increased knowledge of heavenly things, so that it will not rest short of the fulness."  3

There is revealed in the Bible another mystery, the mystery of iniquity.  4 

2Th 2:7  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 

2Th 2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 

2Th 2:9  Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 

2Th 2:10  And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 

2Th 2:11  And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 

2Th 2:12  That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. 

The power of this mystery is declared to be "the working of Satan" (enrgian tou satana), and because of a "strong delusion" (enrgian planhV), permitted by God. The Greek word in both instances for "working" and "strong" transliterated is "energy". The mystery of iniquity has energy, but instead of being life-giving, it produces death. Fenton has translated these verses well. They read:        This outlaw's arrival will be accompanied by the energy of Satan with all powers, and signs, and terrors of falsehood; and with all the deceit of injustice among the perishing, who accepted not the love of the truth, so that they themselves might be saved. And, because of this, God will send to them an energy of error, for themselves to make the Falsehood credible; so that in every way those who do not trust to the truth, but on the contrary, approve falsehood, may be condemned.   5

p 69 -- When each mystery has run its course in time, certain results will become manifest. Of those who have yielded to the energies of Satan, it is prophesied:        Through yielding to satanic influences, men will be transformed into fiends; and those who were created in the image of God, who were formed to honor and glorify their Creator, will become the habitation of dragons, and Satan will see in an apostate race his masterpiece of evil, - men who reflect his own image.  6

Of those who have yielded to the life-giving energies which Christ brought with Him into humanity, and which through the Holy Spirit are ministered to each believer, it is written:        We must learn of Christ. We must know what He is to those He has ransomed. We must realize that through belief in Him it is our privilege to be partakers of the divine nature, and so escape the corruption that is in the world through lust. Then we are cleansed from all sin, all defects of character. We need not retain one sinful propensity.

As we partake of the divine nature, hereditary and cultivated tendencies to wrong are cut away from the character, and we are made a living power for good. Ever learning of the divine Teacher, daily partaking of His nature, we cooperate with God in overcoming Satan's temptations. God works, and man works, that man may be one with Christ as Christ is one with God. Then we sit together with Christ in heavenly places. The mind rests with peace and assurance in Jesus.  7

Again:        The true Christian obtains an experience which brings holiness. He is without a spot of guilt upon the conscience, or a taint of corruption upon the soul. The spirituality of the law of God, with its limiting principles, is brought into his life. The light of truth irradiates his understanding. A glow of perfect love for the Redeemer clears away the miasma which has interposed between his soul and God. The will of God has become his will, pure, elevated, refined, and sanctified. His countenance reveals the light of heaven. His body is a fit temple for the Holy Spirit. Holiness adorns his character. God can commune with him; for soul and body are in harmony with God.  8

p 70 --

1   II Corinthians 6:16

2   Ellen G. White, Education, p. 18

3   Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 302

4   II Thessalonians 2:7-12

5   II Thessalonians 2:9-12 Translation by Farrar Fenton 

6   EIlen G. White, Review & Herald, April 14, 1896

7   Ibid., April 14, 1900

8  Ellen G. White, Letter 139, 1898 (7BC:909)

p 71 -- Appendix A -- 

Theories of the Incarnation -- Roman Catholic -- The Roman Catholic concept of the Incarnation is expressed in the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception enunciated by Pope Pius IX. It was stated thus:        We define that the Blessed Virgin Mary in the first moment of her conception, by the singular grace and privilege of Almighty God, in virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the human race, was preserved free from every stain of original sin. 1

Commenting on the meaning of this dogma, Cardinal Gibbons has written:        Unlike the rest of the children of Adam, the soul of Mary was never subject to sin, even in the first moment of its infusion into the body. She alone was exempt from the original taint.  2

The meaning of this doctrine to the individual sinner in need of the saving grace of Jesus Christ can be best illustrated in a contrasting diagram:

There is a gap between the level to which Christ came in the Catholic Dogma of the Incarnation, and where man is. This "gap" had to be bridged, and so between the Catholic church member and Jesus has been placed priests, cannonized saints, angels, and finally Mary herself. A sainted doctor of the church has stated "that all graces are dispensed by Mary, and that all who are saved are saved only by the means of this Divine Mother, it is a necessary consequence that the salvation of all depends upon preaching Mary, and exciting all

p 72 -- to confidence in her intercession." 3  Thus the instrumentalities created by the church become the door to heaven rather than Jesus Christ being the way, the truth and the life.

The Evangelical -- The position held by the Evangelicals in general is expressed by the authorities cited by William G. T. Shedd in his Dogmatic Theology.  a  

 a  The section of Shedd's Dogmatic Theology regarding the Incarnation was abbreviated in the Ministry, December, 1957, at the time thatQuestions on Doctrine was published. In a preface note to the article, it was stated that an Evangelical publishing house had provided "a classic three-volume reprint edition of Dr. Shedd's very helpful work." Then the suggestion was made - "These volumes provide much valuable material which could be used by our [Seventh-day Adventist] workers."

 Pearson is quoted as believing:      "The original and total sanctification of the human nature was first necessary to fit it for the personal union with the Word, who out of His infinite love humbled Himself to become flesh, and at the same time out of His infinite purity could not defile Himself by becoming sinful flesh. Therefore the human nature, in its first original, without any precedent merit, was formed by the Spirit, and in its formation sanctified, and in its sanctification united to the Word; so that grace was co-existent and in a manner co-natural with it."

Owen is also quoted as follows:         "The human nature of Christ, being thus formed in the womb by a creating act of the Holy Spirit, was in the instant of its conception sanctified and filled with grace according to the measure of its receptivity."  4

Shedd himself then comments:       The quickening of a portion of the human nature in the Virgin Mother was by the creative energy of God the Holy Ghost. This miraculous conception, consequently, was as pure from all sensuous quality as the original creation of Adam's body from the dust of the ground, or of Eve's body from the rib of Adam. As the dust of the ground was enlivened by a miraculous act, and the result was the individual body of Adam, so the substance of

p 73 -- Mary was quickened and sanctified by a miraculous act, and the result was the human soul and body of Jesus Christ.  5

Between this doctrine and the Catholic Dogma, there is but a "generation gap". While the entire "soul" of Mary, according to Catholic dogma, was preserved free from the fallen nature of mankind, the Evangelical doctrine teaches that the "human soul" of Christ was thus preserved. While the distance between Jesus and man is narrowed in the Evangelical theory, there is still a gulf to be bridged. This is bridged by the concept that man solely by faith - sola fide - accepts what was done in his behalf by Christ. This becomes primary in emphasis, because if there is no experimental model of what God can do in fallen human flesh, then there is no example for the Holy Spirit to emulate in working out the victory in the fallen human nature of each believer.

Such teaching makes impossible the doctrine of perfection, for if the Holy Spirit achieved the goal of the righteousness of Christ in the fallen nature of any human being, then there would be a victory obtained such as Christ only obtained in a sanctified, unfallen state. How then could Christ in all things have preeminence?   6  Thus the true doctrine of perfection of character, and the doctrine of the incarnation are inseparably linked.

If the doctrine of the incarnation - that Christ came in the likeness of sinful flesh - is altered, then the doctrine of perfection of character in our fallen nature becomes only a theory, impossible of realization.

The Neo-Seventh-day Adventist -- As a result of the conference between Evangelical representatives and certain leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist church, Questions on Doctrine was published.  7  In this book, there appeared a different teaching on the

p 74 -- Incarnation than the church had previously held and taught.  8  It borrowed the very word, "exempt" as used by Cardinal Gibbons in his comments on the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception, and applied it to the nature that Christ assumed in becoming man. The statement reads:        Although born in the flesh, He[Christ] was nevertheless God, and was exempt from the inherited passions and pollutions that corrupt the natural descendants of Adam.  9

While the book, Questions on Doctrine, does not teach that Christ took the nature of Adam before the Fall in so many words [the concept is implied], an article written the same year of the book's publication and directed to the ministry of the church by the head of the Ministerial Association of the General Conference so stated. It read:       When the incarnate God broke into human history and became one with the race, it is our understanding that He possessed the sinlessness of the nature with which Adam was created in Eden.  10

The Neo-Adventist teaching paralleling the Evangelical theory was fully published in the book, Movement of Destiny. In this book, Dr Froom tells of an exchange of correspondence with Dr. Schuyler English, editor of the Evangelical publication, Our Hope. The editor had written:       "He [Christ] was perfect in His humanity, but He was none the less God, and His conception in His incarnation was overshadowed by the Holy Spirit so that He did not partake of the fallen sinful nature of other men."  11   In response to this concept, Froom wrote - "That, we in turn assured him, is precisely what we [Seventh-day Adventists] likewise believe."  12   In another section of the book, Froom asserted - "Christ was like Adam before the Fall - 'a pure, sinless being, without a taint of sin upon Him."'  13

Thus a gap is created in the new Adventist theology between Jesus, and the individual member of the church. At the present writing, it has not yet

p 75 -- been clarified what the church will substitute to fill the "gap", but ever since the introduction of this new doctrine on the incarnation, along with other doctrinal deviations, the emphasis has been placed on the infallibility of the organization and its leadership. The laity have been told that the incorporated church is going through so stay with the organization. The concept of "organization", and "church" has been made to appear as one. Thus verily as the Roman Catholic church substituted human mediators between the individual and Jesus, so likewise there is being substituted a human organization between the laity of the Seventh-day Adventist church and the Saviour of mankind. Indeed as the prophet to the church declared, the leadership is following "in the track of Romanism."  14

Addendum -- At the time when the masthead of the Review & Herald carried the notation - "Devoted to the Proclamation of 'the Faith which was once delivered unto the Saints'" - the editor, W. W. Prescott, wrote:        In order that the character of God might be manifested in sinful men who would believe on Him, it was necessary that Jesus should unite divinity and humanity in Himself, and that the flesh which He bore should be the same as the other men in whom God was thus to be manifested....

This is not a mere matter of theory. It is intensely practical in all its bearings. If the son of God did not dwell in sinful flesh when He was born into the world, then the ladder has not been let down from heaven to earth, and the gulf between a holy God and fallen humanity has not been bridged.  15

p 76 --

1   Pii Papae IX, Bulla Dogmat., quoted in The Faith of Our Fathers, 88th Edition, p. 171.

2   James Cardinal Gibbons, The Faith of Our Fathers, 88th Edition, p. 171.

3   St. Alphonsius Maria DeLigouri, The Glories of Mary, 2nd Edition, p. 8.

4   The Mininstry, December, 1957, p. 14

5   1bid, p. 39 

6    Colossians 1:18

7    See Movement of Destiny, Chapter 21

8   Wm. H. Grotheer, An Interpretive History of the Doctrine of the Incarnation as Taught by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. This is documentary manuscript on the subject. 

9    Questions on Doctrine, p.p. 383

10  R. Allan Anderson, "'God with Us'", The Ministry, April, 1957, p. 34

11   L. E. Froom, Movement of Destiny, p. 469

12  Ibid., p. 470

13  Ibid., p. 497 Emphasis his.

14  Ellen G. White, Testimonies to Ministers, p. 363

15  Editorial, "'In... Sinful Flesh'", Review & Herald, December 21, 1905

p 77 -- Appendix B --

Diagram Illustrating Science of Divine Culture --

Jesus made Himself void in His "slave-form" so that the Father alone appeared in His life. He humbled Himself still further, and became "obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." (Phil. 2:8) He who would be a follower of Christ must likewise accept his cross, thus denying his-self. (Luke 9:23) The life that one lives who has accepted the cross, and who continues to die daily, is a life in which the Holy Spirit alone operates. Through the working of the Holy Spirit, the "divine nature" appears in the life as the "life-giving energies" are imparted. This is the science of that experience which is life unto eternal life - the divine culture that leads to perfection.

Luk 9:23  And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. 

Php 2:8  And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.