Chapter 5—The Ministry of Christ
After Satan had ended his temptations, he departed from Jesus
for a season, and angels prepared him food in the wilderness, and
strengthened him, and the blessing of his Father rested upon him.
Satan had failed in his fiercest temptations, yet he looked forward to
the period of Jesus’ ministry, when he should at different times try his
cunning against him. He still hoped to prevail against him by stirring
up those who would not receive Jesus, to hate and seek to destroy him.
Satan held a special counsel with his angels. They were disappointed
and enraged that they had prevailed nothing against the Son of God.
They decided that they must be more cunning, and use their power
to the utmost to inspire unbelief in the minds of his own nation as
to his being the Saviour of the world, and in this way discourage
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Jesus in his mission. No matter how exact the Jews might be in their
ceremonies and sacrifices, if they could keep their eyes blinded as to
the prophecies, and make them believe that it was a mighty, worldly
king who was to fulfill these prophecies, they would keep their minds
on the stretch for a Messiah to come.
I was then shown that Satan and his angels were very busy during
Christ’s ministry, inspiring men with unbelief, hate and scorn. Often
when Jesus uttered some cutting truth reproving their sins, they would
become enraged. Satan and his angels urged them on to take the life
of the Son of God. Once they took up stones to cast at him, but angels
guarded him, and bore him away from the angry multitude to a place
of safety. Again as the plain truth dropped from his holy lips, the
multitude laid hold of him, and led him to the brow of a hill, intending
to thrust him down. A contention arose among themselves as to what
they should do with him, when the angels again hid him from the sight
of the multitude, and he, passing through the midst of them, went his
way.
Satan still hoped the great plan of salvation would fail. He exerted
all his power to make the hearts of all people hard, and their feelings
bitter against Jesus. He hoped that the number who would receive
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