Family Religion
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power to a wonderful degree upon the present generation, who are far
inferior in wisdom to their Lord, and who are almost wholly ignorant
of his subtlety and strength.
In a marvelous manner will he affect the bodies of those who are
naturally inclined to do his bidding. Satan exults for his own sake that
he is regarded as a fiction. When he is made light of, and is represented
by some childish illustration, or as some animal, it suits him well. He
is thought so inferior that minds are wholly unprepared for his wisely-
laid plans, and he almost always succeeds well. If his power and
subtlety were understood, minds would be prepared to successfully
resist him.
All should understand that Satan was once an exalted angel. His
rebellion shut him out of Heaven, but did not destroy his powers and
make him a beast. Since his fall he has turned his mighty strength
against the government of Heaven. He has been growing more artful,
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and has learned the most successful manner to come to the children of
men with his temptations.
Satan has originated fables with which to deceive. He commenced
in Heaven to war against the foundation of God’s government, and
since his fall has carried on his rebellion against the law of God, and
has brought the mass of professed Christians to trample under their
feet the fourth commandment, which brings to view the living God.
He has torn down the original Sabbath of the decalogue, and instituted
in its place one of the laboring days of the week.
The great original lie which he told to Eve in Eden, “Thou shalt not
surely die,” was the first sermon ever preached on the immortality of
the soul. This sermon was crowned with success, and terrible results
followed. He has brought minds to receive that sermon as truth, and
ministers preach it, sing it, and pray it. No literal Devil, and probation
after the coming of Christ, are fast becoming popular fables. The
Scriptures plainly declare every person’s destiny forever fixed at the
coming of the Lord.
Revelation 22:11, 12
. “He that is unjust, let him
be unjust still; and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still; and he that
is righteous, let him be righteous still; and he that is holy, let him be
holy still. And behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to
give every man according as his work shall be.”
Satan has taken advantage of these popular fables to hide himself.
He comes to poor, deceived, mortals, through modern Spiritualism,