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The Beginning of the End
perfect in beauty. ... You were the anointed cherub who covers; I
established you. You were upon the holy mountain of God; you
walked back and forth in the midst of the fiery stones. You were
perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was
found in you.’”
[8]
Little by little, Lucifer indulged the desire to exalt himself. “Your
heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your
wisdom for the sake of your splendor” (
Ezekiel 28:12-15, 17
). “You
have said in your heart ... ‘I will exalt my throne above the stars of
God ... I will be like the Most High’” (
Isaiah 14:13, 14
). Though
honored above the heavenly host, he dared to covet worship due
only to the Creator. This prince of angels wanted power that was the
right of Christ alone.
Now the perfect harmony of heaven was broken. In heavenly
council the angels pleaded with Lucifer. The Son of God presented
before him the goodness and justice of the Creator and the unchang-
ing nature of His law. In departing from it, Lucifer would dishonor
his Maker and bring ruin upon himself. But the warning given in
infinite love and mercy only aroused resistance. Lucifer allowed his
jealousy of Christ to prevail, and he became even more determined.
The king of the universe called for the heavenly hosts to come
before Him, that in their presence He might explain the true position
of His Son and show His relationship to all created beings. The
Son of God shared the Father’s throne, and the glory of the eternal,
self-existent One surrounded both. The holy angels gathered around
the throne, “ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thou-
sands” (
Revelation 5:11
). In front of everyone in heaven, the King
declared that no one but Christ could fully enter into His purposes
and carry out the mighty counsels of His will. Soon Christ was to
exercise divine power in the creation of the earth and its inhabitants.
The Battle in Lucifer’s Heart
The angels joyfully acknowledged Christ as supreme, and they
poured out their love and adoration. Lucifer bowed with them; but
in his heart there was a strange, fierce conflict. Truth and loyalty
were struggling against envy and jealousy. The influence of the holy
angels seemed for a time to carry him with them. As songs of praise