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Treason in Heaven, January 5
Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? ... or who laid its
cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God
shouted for joy?
Job 38:4-7
, RSV.
Many of Lucifer’s sympathizers were inclined to heed the counsel of the loyal
angels and repent of their dissatisfaction and be again received to the confidence
of the Father and His dear Son. The mighty revolter then declared that he was
acquainted with God’s law, and if he should submit to servile obedience, his honor
would be taken from him. No more would he be entrusted with his exalted mission.
He told them that himself and they also had now gone too far to go back, and he
would brave the consequences, for to bow in servile worship to the Son of God he
never would; that God would not forgive, and now they must assert their liberty and
gain by force the position and authority which was not willingly accorded to them.
The loyal angels hastened speedily to the Son of God and acquainted Him with
what was taking place among the angels. They found the Father in conference
with His beloved Son, to determine the means by which, for the best good of the
loyal angels, the assumed authority of Satan could be forever put down. The great
God could at once have hurled this archdeceiver from heaven; but this was not His
purpose. He would give the rebellious an equal chance to measure strength and
might with His own Son and His loyal angels. In this battle every angel would
choose his own side and be manifested to all. It would not have been safe to suffer
any who united with Satan in his rebellion to continue to occupy heaven. They had
learned the lesson of genuine rebellion against the unchangeable law of God, and
this is incurable....
Then there was war in heaven. The Son of God, the Prince of heaven, and His
loyal angels engaged in conflict with the archrebel and those who united with him.
The Son of God and true, loyal angels prevailed; and Satan and his sympathizers
were expelled from heaven. All the heavenly host acknowledged and adored the
God of justice. Not a taint of rebellion was left in heaven. All was again peaceful
and harmonious as before....
The Father consulted His Son in regard to at once carrying out their purpose to
make man to inhabit the earth (
The Story of Redemption, 16-19
).
Satan’s rebellion was to be a lesson to the universe through all coming ages—a
perpetual testimony to the nature of sin and its terrible results. 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 is bound up the well-being of all the creatures He has made
(
Patriarchs and Prophets, 42, 43
).
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