It all began before the earth was created. In the heavenly courts, next to the throne of God, stood an angel who possessed great beauty and wisdom. He was a leader of angels and the “covering cherub.” Ezekiel 28: 14 describes him this way: “You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; you were on the holy mountain of God; you walked back and forth in the midst of the fiery stones.” The God of heaven had established this angel in a position of great honor in His kingdom. He had created him to be one of the leading angels in heaven. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created . . .” verses 12,15. This angel’s name was Lucifer. Unfortunately, terrible changes started to occur in Lucifer. He became dissatisfied with his position. He wanted to be part of the inner circle. He wanted to become “as God,” to be part of the counsel with Christ.
Lucifer became jealous of Christ and the relationship He had with the Father and believed that he was just as qualified to give counsel as Christ. His dissatisfaction led him to murmur about his misfortune to some of his fellow angels, causing them to doubt God’s fairness. Isaiah 14:12–14 describes this sad event.
The First War
The first war did not start here on planet Earth, as many people believe, but originated in heaven. As Lucifer (now called Satan, which means deceiver and accuser) rallied his angels to battle for his so-called “rights,” Michael (which means “one who is like God,” or another name for Christ), and His angels fought against this once glorious angel. “And war broke out in heaven: Michael and His angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” Rev. 12:7– 9.
Satan’s Plan for Our Earth
Satan lost the first battle and was cast out of heaven to the earth. “Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.” Revelation 12:12.
Rebellion spread across the earth as Satan went forth to deceive the nations. He encouraged pride in the hearts of men and caused them to covet wealth and power. God’s people were even ensnared in the traps of Satan as he used lust to cause the downfall of the sons of God. Soon God’s people were becoming as corrupt as the descendants of Cain. The “thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Genesis 6:5. They became so wicked that God decided that the only way to purify the earth was to destroy it with water. God started over with mankind, but found again that “the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.” Jeremiah 17:9.
The result of the first sin in heaven was the spread of greed, pride and selfishness. This resulted in war, poverty and the suppression of people. Kings were set who ruled without mercy or compassion. Misery became the handmaiden of injustice, and poverty the result of war. Satan set himself on a path to bring pain and suffering to all mankind. He used wars of his own creation, in which he controlled all sides, in order to fulfill his mission—the greatest amount of suffering for the greatest number.
Gods Soulution
God, on the other hand, had a plan to bring Satan and sin to an end. He saw the rise and fall of nations, and the course that each man would take. He gives us free choice to live as we want, but He is ever at hand to guide and lead if we will submit to His will. He wants to bring happiness and peace to those who will allow Him to work in their lives.
“The central theme of the Bible, the theme about which every other in the whole book clusters, is the redemption plan, the restoration in the human soul of the image of God. … The burden of every book and every passage of the Bible is the unfolding of this wondrous theme—man’s uplifting—the power of God, ‘Which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.’ I Corinthians 15:57 KJV “He who grasps this thought … has the key that will unlock to him the whole treasure house of God’s word.” Education, 126
Christ our Ultimate Hope
On the day when Jesus comes, as we look back over our lives at the things we’ve done, what will we see? A lot of things that are important today will then seem unimportant and worthless. But before that day, Satan is, and will be, working with great power (2 Thessalonians 2:9,10) to keep us from seeing the truth. However, God is working with a greater power than is Satan.
This great controversy, this all-out war, between God and Satan for the souls of mankind, is being fought beyond the sight of mortal eyes, but we must not be fooled, for the enemy of God and man is a great strategist. He has many plans with which to deceive and tempt every man, woman, and child to follow him, but God will make the hidden visible.
At Calvary, Satan’s disguise was torn away and his administration was laid open before the unfallen worlds and the angels of heaven. Satan revealed himself to be a murderer. “By shedding the blood of the Son of God, he had uprooted himself from the sympathies of the heavenly beings. Henceforth his work was restricted.”
The Desire of Ages, 761
Lucifer became jealous of Christ and the relationship He had with the Father and believed that he was just as qualified to give counsel as Christ. His dissatisfaction led him to murmur about his misfortune to some of his fellow angels, causing them to doubt God’s fairness. Isaiah 14:12–14 describes this sad event.
The First War
The first war did not start here on planet Earth, as many people believe, but originated in heaven. As Lucifer (now called Satan, which means deceiver and accuser) rallied his angels to battle for his so-called “rights,” Michael (which means “one who is like God,” or another name for Christ), and His angels fought against this once glorious angel. “And war broke out in heaven: Michael and His angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” Rev. 12:7– 9.
Satan’s Plan for Our Earth
Satan lost the first battle and was cast out of heaven to the earth. “Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.” Revelation 12:12.
Rebellion spread across the earth as Satan went forth to deceive the nations. He encouraged pride in the hearts of men and caused them to covet wealth and power. God’s people were even ensnared in the traps of Satan as he used lust to cause the downfall of the sons of God. Soon God’s people were becoming as corrupt as the descendants of Cain. The “thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Genesis 6:5. They became so wicked that God decided that the only way to purify the earth was to destroy it with water. God started over with mankind, but found again that “the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.” Jeremiah 17:9.
The result of the first sin in heaven was the spread of greed, pride and selfishness. This resulted in war, poverty and the suppression of people. Kings were set who ruled without mercy or compassion. Misery became the handmaiden of injustice, and poverty the result of war. Satan set himself on a path to bring pain and suffering to all mankind. He used wars of his own creation, in which he controlled all sides, in order to fulfill his mission—the greatest amount of suffering for the greatest number.
Gods Soulution
God, on the other hand, had a plan to bring Satan and sin to an end. He saw the rise and fall of nations, and the course that each man would take. He gives us free choice to live as we want, but He is ever at hand to guide and lead if we will submit to His will. He wants to bring happiness and peace to those who will allow Him to work in their lives.
“The central theme of the Bible, the theme about which every other in the whole book clusters, is the redemption plan, the restoration in the human soul of the image of God. … The burden of every book and every passage of the Bible is the unfolding of this wondrous theme—man’s uplifting—the power of God, ‘Which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.’ I Corinthians 15:57 KJV “He who grasps this thought … has the key that will unlock to him the whole treasure house of God’s word.” Education, 126
Christ our Ultimate Hope
On the day when Jesus comes, as we look back over our lives at the things we’ve done, what will we see? A lot of things that are important today will then seem unimportant and worthless. But before that day, Satan is, and will be, working with great power (2 Thessalonians 2:9,10) to keep us from seeing the truth. However, God is working with a greater power than is Satan.
This great controversy, this all-out war, between God and Satan for the souls of mankind, is being fought beyond the sight of mortal eyes, but we must not be fooled, for the enemy of God and man is a great strategist. He has many plans with which to deceive and tempt every man, woman, and child to follow him, but God will make the hidden visible.
At Calvary, Satan’s disguise was torn away and his administration was laid open before the unfallen worlds and the angels of heaven. Satan revealed himself to be a murderer. “By shedding the blood of the Son of God, he had uprooted himself from the sympathies of the heavenly beings. Henceforth his work was restricted.”
The Desire of Ages, 761
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