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Early Writings
with His Son Jesus, and with His disciples. But this blessed privilege
cost many of them their lives. If discovered, they were taken to the
headsman’s block, to the stake, or to the dungeon to die of starvation.
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Satan could not hinder the plan of salvation. Jesus was crucified,
and rose again the third day. But Satan told his angels that he would
make the crucifixion and resurrection tell to his advantage. He was
willing that those who professed faith in Jesus should believe that
the laws regulating the Jewish sacrifices and offerings ceased at the
death of Christ, if he could push them farther and make them believe
that the law of ten commandments also died with Christ.
I saw that many readily yielded to this device of Satan. All
heaven was moved with indignation as they saw the holy law of God
trampled underfoot. Jesus and all the heavenly host were acquainted
with the nature of God’s law; they knew that He would not change
or abrogate it. The hopeless condition of man after the fall caused
the deepest sorrow in heaven, and moved Jesus to offer to die for the
transgressors of God’s holy law. But if that law could be abrogated,
man might have been saved without the death of Jesus. Consequently
His death did not destroy the law of His Father, but magnified and
honored it and enforced obedience to all its holy precepts.
Had the church remained pure and steadfast, Satan could not
have deceived them, and led them to trample on the law of God. In
this bold plan, Satan strikes directly against the foundation of God’s
government in heaven and on earth. His rebellion caused him to be
expelled from heaven. After he rebelled, in order to save himself
he wished God to change His law, but was told before the whole
heavenly host that God’s law was unalterable. Satan knows that if
he can cause others to violate God’s law, he has gained them to his
cause; for every transgressor of that law must die.
Satan decided to go still farther. He told his angels that some
would be so jealous of God’s law that they could not be caught in this
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snare; the ten commandments were so plain that many would believe
that they were still binding, and therefore he must seek to corrupt
only one of the commandments. He then led on his representatives
to attempt to change the fourth, or Sabbath, commandment, thus
altering the only one of the ten which brings to view the true God,
the Maker of the heavens and the earth. Satan presented before them
the glorious resurrection of Jesus, and told them that by His rising on