24
The Desire of Ages
Himself had appointed were made the means of blinding the mind and
hardening the heart. God could do no more for man through these
channels. The whole system must be swept away.
The deception of sin had reached its height. All the agencies for
depraving the souls of men had been put in operation. The Son of
God, looking upon the world, beheld suffering and misery. With pity
He saw how men had become victims of satanic cruelty. He looked
with compassion upon those who were being corrupted, murdered, and
lost. They had chosen a ruler who chained them to his car as captives.
Bewildered and deceived, they were moving on in gloomy procession
toward eternal ruin,—to death in which is no hope of life, toward night
to which comes no morning. Satanic agencies were incorporated with
men. The bodies of human beings, made for the dwelling place of
God, had become the habitation of demons. The senses, the nerves,
the passions, the organs of men, were worked by supernatural agencies
in the indulgence of the vilest lust. The very stamp of demons was
impressed upon the countenances of men. Human faces reflected the
expression of the legions of evil with which they were possessed. Such
was the prospect upon which the world’s Redeemer looked. What a
spectacle for Infinite Purity to behold!
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Sin had become a science, and vice was consecrated as a part of
religion. Rebellion had struck its roots deep into the heart, and the
hostility of man was most violent against heaven. It was demonstrated
before the universe that, apart from God, humanity could not be up-
lifted. A new element of life and power must be imparted by Him who
made the world.
With intense interest the unfallen worlds had watched to see Je-
hovah arise, and sweep away the inhabitants of the earth. And if God
should do this, Satan was ready to carry out his plan for securing to
himself the allegiance of heavenly beings. He had declared that the
principles of God’s government make forgiveness impossible. Had
the world been destroyed, he would have claimed that his accusations
were proved true. He was ready to cast blame upon God, and to spread
his rebellion to the worlds above. But instead of destroying the world,
God sent His Son to save it. Though corruption and defiance might
be seen in every part of the alien province, a way for its recovery was
provided. At the very crisis, when Satan seemed about to triumph, the
Son of God came with the embassage of divine grace. Through every