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Plan of Salvation
155
and condescension of God in yielding up His dearly Beloved to die
for a race of rebels. Praise and adoration were poured forth for the
self-denial and sacrifice of Jesus; that He would consent to leave the
bosom of His Father, and choose a life of suffering and anguish, and
die an ignominious death to give life to others.
Said the angel, “Think ye that the Father yielded up His dearly
beloved Son without a struggle? No, no. It was even a struggle with
the God of heaven, whether to let guilty man perish, or to give His
beloved Son to die for him.” Angels were so interested for man’s
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salvation that there could be found among them those who would
yield their glory and give their life for perishing man, “But,” said my
accompanying angel, “that would avail nothing. The transgression
was so great that an angel’s life would not pay the debt. Nothing but
the death and intercessions of His son would pay the debt and save
lost man from hopeless sorrow and misery.”
But the work of the angels was assigned them, to ascend and
descend with strengthening balm from glory to soothe the Son of
God in His sufferings, and minister unto Him. Also, their work
would be to guard and keep the subjects of grace from the evil
angels and the darkness constantly thrown around them by Satan.
I saw that it was impossible for God to alter or change His law to
save lost, perishing man; therefore He suffered His beloved Son to
die for man’s transgression.
Satan again rejoiced with his angels that he could, by causing
man’s fall, pull down the Son of God from His exalted position. He
told his angels that when Jesus should take fallen man’s nature, he
could overpower Him and hinder the accomplishment of the plan of
salvation.
I was shown Satan as he once was, a happy, exalted angel. Then
I was shown him as he now is. He still bears a kingly form. His
features are still noble, for he is an angel fallen. But the expression
of his countenance is full of anxiety, care, unhappiness, malice, hate,
mischief, deceit, and every evil. That brow which was once so noble,
I particularly noticed. His forehead commenced from his eyes to
recede. I saw that he had so long bent himself to evil that every
good quality was debased, and every evil trait was developed. His
eyes were cunning, sly, and showed great penetration. His frame
was large, but the flesh hung loosely about his hands and face. As I
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