essential to the plan of salvation as was His death upon the cross. By His
death He began that work which after His resurrection He ascended to
complete in heaven. We must by faith enter within the veil, “whither the
Forerunner is for us entered.”(869) There the light from the cross of
Calvary is reflected. There we may gain a clearer insight into the
mysteries of redemption. The salvation of man is accomplished at an
infinite expense to heaven; the sacrifice made is equal to the broadest
demands of the broken law of God. Jesus has opened the way to the Father’s
throne, and through His mediation the sincere desire of all who come to
Him in faith may be presented before God.
“He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and
forsaketh them shall have mercy.”(870) If those who hide and excuse their
faults could see how Satan exults over them, how he taunts Christ and holy
angels with their course, they would make haste to confess their sins and
to put them away. Through defects in the character, Satan works to gain
control of the whole mind, and he knows that if these defects are
cherished, he will succeed. Therefore he is constantly seeking to deceive
the followers of Christ with his fatal sophistry that it is impossible for
them to overcome. But Jesus pleads in their behalf His wounded hands, His
bruised body; and He declares to all who would follow Him, “My grace is
sufficient for thee.”(871) “Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I
am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My
yoke is easy, and My burden is light.”(872) Let none, then, regard their
defects as incurable. God will give faith and grace to overcome them.
We are now living in the great day of atonement. In the typical service,
while the high priest was making the atonement for Israel, all were
required to afflict their souls by repentance of sin and humiliation
before the Lord, lest they be cut off from among the people. In like
manner, all who would have their names retained in the book of life,
should now, in the few remaining days of their probation, afflict their
souls before God by sorrow for sin and true repentance. There must be
deep, faithful searching of heart. The light, frivolous spirit indulged by
so many professed Christians must be put away. There is earnest warfare
before all who would subdue the evil tendencies that strive for the
mastery. The work of preparation is an individual work. We are not saved
in groups. The purity and devotion of one will not offset the want of
these qualities in another. Though all nations are to pass in judgment
before God, yet He will examine the case of each individual with as close
and searching scrutiny as if there were not another being upon the earth.
Every one must be tested, and found without spot or wrinkle or any such
thing.
Solemn are the scenes connected with the closing work of the atonement.
Momentous are the interests involved therein. The judgment is now passing
in the sanctuary above. For many years this work has been in progress.
Soon—none know how soon—it will pass to the cases of the living. In the
awful presence of God our lives are to come up in review. At this time
above all others it behooves every soul to heed the Saviour’s admonition,
“Watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.”(873) “If therefore
thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not
know what hour I will come upon thee.”(874)
When the work of the investigative judgment closes, the destiny of all
will have been decided for life or death. Probation is ended a short time
before the appearing of the Lord in the clouds of heaven. Christ in the
Revelation looking forward to that time, declares: “He that is unjust, let
him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and
he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let
him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and My reward is with Me,
to give every man according as his work shall be.”(875)
The righteous and the wicked will still be living upon the earth in their
mortal state,—men will be planting and building, eating and drinking, all
unconscious that the final, irrevocable decision has been pronounced in
the sanctuary above. Before the flood, after Noah entered the ark, God
shut him in, and shut the ungodly out; but for seven days the people,
knowing not that their doom was fixed, continued their careless,
pleasure-loving life, and mocked the warnings of impending judgment. “So,”
says the Saviour, “shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”(876)
Silently, unnoticed as the midnight thief, will come the decisive hour
which marks the fixing of every man’s destiny, the final withdrawal of
mercy’s offer to guilty men.
“Watch ye therefore: ... lest coming suddenly He find you sleeping.”(877)
Perilous is the condition of those who, growing weary of their watch, turn
to the attractions of the world. While the man of business is absorbed in
the pursuit of gain, while the pleasure-lover is seeking indulgence, while
the daughter of fashion is arranging her adornments,—it may be in that
hour the Judge of all the earth will pronounce the sentence, “Thou art
weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.”(878)
29. THE ORIGIN OF EVIL.
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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 explain the origin of sin so as to give a reason for
its existence. Yet enough may be understood concerning both the origin and
the final disposition of sin, to make fully 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 no wise 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;”(879) 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.”(880)
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.”(881) 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.”(882) 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 practised
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.”(883)
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 no wise 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.