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The Great Controversy
not aiming at self-exaltation, but was seeking to secure liberty for all
the inhabitants of heaven, that by this means they might attain to a
higher state of existence.
God in His great mercy bore long with Lucifer. He was not im-
mediately degraded from his exalted station when he first indulged
the spirit of discontent, nor even when he began to present his false
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claims before the loyal angels. Long was he retained in heaven. Again
and again he was offered pardon on condition of repentance and sub-
mission. Such efforts as only infinite love and wisdom could devise
were made to convince him of his error. The spirit of discontent had
never before been known in heaven. Lucifer himself did not at first
see whither he was drifting; he did not understand the real nature of
his feelings. But as his dissatisfaction was proved to be without cause,
Lucifer was convinced that he was in the wrong, that the divine claims
were just, and that he ought to acknowledge them as such before all
heaven. Had he done this, he might have saved himself and many
angels. He had not at this time fully cast off his allegiance to God.
Though he had forsaken his position as covering cherub, yet if he had
been willing to return to God, acknowledging the Creator’s wisdom,
and satisfied to fill the place appointed him in God’s great plan, he
would have been reinstated in his office. But pride forbade him to
submit. He persistently defended his own course, maintained that he
had no need of repentance, and fully committed himself, in the great
controversy, against his Maker.
All the powers of his master mind were now bent to the work of
deception, to secure the sympathy of the angels that had been under his
command. Even the fact that Christ had warned and counseled him was
perverted to serve his traitorous designs. To those whose loving trust
bound them most closely to him, Satan had represented that he was
wrongly judged, that his position was not respected, and that his liberty
was to be abridged. From misrepresentation of the words of Christ
he passed to prevarication and direct falsehood, accusing the Son of
God of a design to humiliate him before the inhabitants of heaven. He
sought also to make a false issue between himself and the loyal angels.
All whom he could not subvert and bring fully to his side he accused of
indifference to the interests of heavenly beings. The very work which
he himself was doing he charged upon those who remained true to God.
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And to sustain his charge of God’s injustice toward him, he resorted