05/26/2022
Story of Francois-Xavier St-Pierre Jean "Lucifer's story!"
God is love." Its nature, its law, is love. This has always been the case; it will never be. Every manifestation of creative power is an expression of infinite love. The story of the great controversy between good and evil from the time it began in heaven is also a demonstration of God's unchanging love.
The Universal Sovereign was not alone in His charitable work. He had a partner who could appreciate his purpose and share his joy in bringing happiness to created beings. See John 1:1, 2.
Christ the Word was one with the Eternal Father, one in nature, in character, in purpose. "His name will be called Admirable, Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6. His "outings have been for a long time, since eternal." Micah 5:2.
The Father wrought through His Son in the creation of all heavenly beings. “By him were all things created, . . . whether thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers. Colossians 1:16. angels are God's ministers in a hurry to carry out His will. But the Son, "the express image of his person", "the brightness of his glory", "upholding all things by the word of his power", holds supremacy over them all. See Hebrews 1:3, 8.
God desires of all his creatures the service of love, the service that flows from an appreciation of his character. He does not delight in forced obedience; and to all he grants freedom of will, that they may render him voluntary service.
As long as all created beings acknowledged the allegiance of [10] love, there was perfect harmony throughout God's universe. There was no note of discord to disturb the celestial harmonies.
But a change has come upon this happy state. There was one that perverted the freedom that God had granted to his creatures. Sin came from him who, after Christ, had been most honored by God and was highest among the inhabitants of heaven. Lucifer, "son of the morning" (Isaiah 14:12) was holy and undefiled. “Thus saith the Lord God: Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.... Thou art the anointed cherub that covers; and so I have placed thee. you walked back and forth among the stones of fire. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created until iniquity was found in you. Gradually Lucifer gave himself up to desire of self-exaltation. "Your heart is lifted up because of your beauty; you have corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor" Ezekiel 28:12-15, 17. "You said in your heart,... I will raise my throne above the stars of God; ...I will be like the most High. Isaiah 14:13, 14. Although honored above the heavenly host, he ventured to covet the homage due to the Creator alone. This prince of angels aspired to power which was the prerogative of Christ alone.
Now the perfect harmony of heaven was broken. In heaven council the angels pleaded with Lucifer. The Son of God presented before him the goodness and justice of the Creator and the changeless nature of his law. By deviating from it, Lucifer would dishonor his Creator and ruin himself. But the warning given in infinite love and mercy aroused only resistance. Lucifer allowed his jealousy of Christ to prevail, and became all the more determined.
The King of the universe summoned the heavenly hosts before Him, so that in their presence He could expose the true position of His Son and show the relationship He had with all created beings. [11] The Son of God shared the throne of the Father, and the glory of
An eternal, existing by itself, surrounded the two. About the throne gathered the holy angels, "ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands. Revelation 5:11. Before the inhabitants of heaven, the King declared that no one but Christ could fully enter into His purposes and execute the mighty counsels of his will. Christ was yet to exercise divine power in the creation of the earth and its inhabitants.
The Battle in Lucifer's Heart
The angels joyfully acknowledged the supremacy of Christ and poured out their love and adoration. Lucifer bowed with them; but in his heart there was a strange and fierce conflict. Truth and loyalty struggled against envy and jealousy. The influence of the holy angels seemed for a time to prevail with them. As songs of praise rose, the spirit of evil seemed overcome; unspeakable love shook his whole being; his soul came out in harmony with the sinless worshipers in love with the Father and the Son. But again his desire for supremacy returned, and the envy of Christ was once more indulged. The high honors conferred on Lucifer did not bring any recognition to his Creator. He gloried in his brilliance and yearned to be equal to God. Angels delighted to carry out his commands, and he was clothed in glory above them all. Yet the Son of God was exalted above him. “Why,” asked this mighty angel, “should Christ have supremacy?
Lucifer came out to spread the spirit of discontent among the angels. For a time he hid his true purpose under a guise of reverence for God. He insinuated doubts about the laws governing celestial beings, implying that the angels needed no such restraint, as their own wisdom was a sufficient guide. All their thoughts were holy; it was no more possible for them than for God to be wrong. The exaltation of the Son of God as equal to the Father was represented as an injustice to Lucifer. If this prince of [12] angels could only attain his true exalted position, great good would accrue to all the host of heaven, for it was his purpose to secure freedom for all. Subtle deceptions by the wiles of Lucifer were quickly getting in the heavenly courts.
The true position of the Son of God had been the same from the beginning. Many angels were however blinded by Lucifer. He so skillfully instilled in their minds his own distrust and discontent that his agency was not discerned. Lucifer had misrepresented God's purposes to stir up dissent and dissatisfaction. While claiming perfect loyalty to God, he insisted that changes were necessary for the stability of divine government. While secretly fomenting discord and rebellion, he made it appear as his sole purpose to promote loyalty and preserve harmony and peace.
Although there was no open outbreak, the division of helplessness noticeably grew among the angels. Some looked with favor on Lucifer's insinuations. They were discontented and unhappy, discontented With eternity Forsaken from God's purpose to exalt Christ. But faithful angels upheld the wisdom and justice of divine decree. Christ was the Son of God, one with Him before the angels were called into existence. He had always stood at the right hand of the Father.
Why would there be discord now?
God endured a long time with Lucifer. The spirit of discontent was a new element, strange, inexplicable. Lucifer himself couldn't see where he was drifting. But such efforts as infinite love and wisdom could conceive were made to convince him of his error. It was done to see what would be the result of persisting in revolt. Lucifer was convinced he was wrong. He saw that
“The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works” (Psalm 145:17), that the divine statutes are righteous and that he must acknowledge them as such before all heaven. If he had done that, he could have saved himself and many angels. Had he wanted to return to God, content to fill his assigned place in the great plan, he would have been reinstated in his office. The hour had come for a final decision; he must yield to divine sovereignty or place himself in open rebellion. He almost made the decision to come back, but pride forbade him. It was too great a sacrifice for the one who had been so honored to admit that he was wrong! Lucifer pointed to God's long-suffering as proof of his own superiority, an indication that the King of the universe would still accept his terms. If the angels stood firm with him, he declared, they could still gain whatever they desired. He fully engaged in the great controversy against his Creator. So it is that Lucifer, "the bringer of light", has become Satan, the "adversary" of God and the holy beings. Scornfully rejecting the entreaties of loyal angels, he denounced them as deceived slaves. He would never again recognize the supremacy of Christ. He had resolved to reclaim the honor which should have been rendered to him. And he promised those who entered his ranks a new and better government under which all would enjoy freedom. A large number of angels signified their intention to accept him as their leader. He hoped to win all the angels to his side, to become equal to God himself, and to be obeyed by the whole host of heaven.
Yet loyal angels admonished him and his followers to submit to God; they lay before them the inevitable result if they refuse. They warned everyone to cover their ears against Lucifer's deception. ringing and urged him and his followers to seek the presence of God without delay and confess the error of questioning his wisdom and authority.
Many were willing to repent of their disaffection and seek to be received again into grace with the Father and His Son. But Lucifer now declared that the angels who united with him had gone too far to return; God would not forgive. For himself, he was determined never again to recognize the authority of Christ. The only course remained to assert their freedom and to conquer by force the rights which had not been granted to them.
Satan cast out of heaven
God allowed Satan to continue his work until the spirit of disaffection matured into active rebellion. It was necessary for his plans to be fully developed, that their true nature could be seen by all. God's government included not only the inhabitants of heaven, but everyone He had created; and Lucifer concluded that if he could take angels with him in rebellion, he could take worlds too. All of his deeds were so shrouded in mystery that it was difficult to divulge the true nature of his work. Even the faithful angels could not fully discern his character or see what his primary work was. All that was simple he shrouded in mystery, and by shrewd gestures perversion cast doubt on the clearest statements of God. And his high position gave more strength to his performances.
Why God Didn't Destroy Satan
God could only use means consistent with truth and justice. Satan could use what God could not—flattery and deceit. It was therefore necessary to demonstrate before the inhabitants of heaven and of the whole world that the government of God is just, His law perfect. Satan had made believe that he himself was seeking to promote the good of the universe. The true character of the usurper must be understood by all. He must have time to manifest himself through his evil works.
All evil, he declared, was the result of divine administration. It was his own purpose to improve the statutes of God. So God allowed him to demonstrate the nature of his claims, to show the elaboration of his proposed changes in divine law. His own work must condemn him. The whole universe must see the deceiver unmasked. Even when Satan was cast out of heaven, the Infinite Wisdom failed to destroy him. The allegiance of his creatures must rest on a conviction of his justice and benevolence. The inhabitants of heaven and the world could not then have seen the justice of
God in the destruction of Satan. Had he been immediately erased from existence, some would have served God out of fear rather than love. The influence of the deceiver would not have been completely destroyed, and the spirit of rebellion would not have been completely eradicated. For the good of the whole universe through everlasting ages, he must more fully develop his principles, that his charges against divine government might be seen in their true light, and that the justice of God and the immutability of his law be placed forever out of the question.
Satan's rebellion was to be a lesson to the universe through all ages to come - a perpetual testimony to the nature of sin and its terrible results. So the story of this experience of rebellion was to be a perpetual safeguard for all holy beings to keep them from being deceived about the nature of the transgression. “His work is perfect; for all his ways are judgment: a God will do, and without iniquity he is just and upright.” Deuteronomy 32:4.
