Origin of Evil
31
he should yet have all the angels on his side, and that he would be
equal with God Himself, and his voice of authority would be heard in
commanding the entire host of heaven.
Again the loyal angels warned Satan and assured him what must be
the consequence if he persisted; that He who could create the angels,
could by His power overturn all their authority and terrible rebellion.
To think that an angel should resist the law of God which was as sacred
as Himself! They warned the rebellious to close their ears to Satan’s
deceptive reasonings, and advised Satan, and all who had been affected
by him, to go to God and confess their wrong for even admitting a
thought of questioning His authority.—
The Spirit of Prophecy 1:20
.
Satan was artful in presenting his side of the question. As soon as
he found that one position was seen in its true character, he changed it
for another. Not so with God. He could work with only one class of
weapons—truth and righteousness. Satan could use what God could
not—crookedness and deceit.—
The Review and Herald, March 9,
1886
.
[40]
The underworking [of Satan] was so subtle that it could not be
made to appear before the heavenly host as the thing that it really was
.... This condition of things had existed a long period of time before
Satan was unmasked.—
The S.D.A. Bible Commentary 4:1143
.
God in His great mercy bore long with Lucifer. He was not immedi-
ately degraded from his exalted station when he first indulged the spirit
of discontent, not even when he began to present his false claims before
the loyal angels. Long was he retained in heaven. Again and again he
was offered pardon on condition of repentance and submission.—
The
Great Controversy, 495, 496
.
The spirit of discontent and disaffection had never before been
known in heaven. It was a new element, strange, mysterious, unac-
countable. Lucifer himself had not at first been acquainted with the
real nature of his feelings; for a time he had feared to express the
workings and imaginings of his mind; yet he did not dismiss them. He
did not see whither he was drifting. But such efforts as infinite love
and wisdom only could devise, were made to convince him of his error.
His disaffection was proved to be without cause, and he was made
to see what would be the result of persisting in revolt. Lucifer was
convinced that he was in the wrong. He saw that the divine statutes are
just, and that he ought to acknowledge them as such before all heaven.