Cosmic Conflict
the origin of evil
Contents
Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
One Why Was Sin Permitted? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Two The Creation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Three The Temptation and Fall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Four The Plan of Redemption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Foreword
The completion of the Cosmic Conflict: The Origin of Evil DVD documentary has been a great dream of the Amazing Facts ministry . The project took more than two years to develop, and a huge amount of time was spent studying the Scriptures to ensure that the film portrays an accurate account of these awe-inspiring biblical events .
The origin of evil is a profound, universal theme that so many souls seek to understand . That first struggle in heaven, which occurred long before our time, continues to raise questions for us today . Many of these mysteries have been addressed in the documentary . And now, this companion book provides even more detail that will help clarify the deeper truths of this war between good and evil .
Asking questions is how we learn best, and for many “why?” is an honest inquiry coming from a seeker of truth . To be sure, there is much good and beauty in the world, yet these people have seen the capricious evil pervading the planet and naturally ques- tion the existence of God . Children are kidnapped and murdered . Millions are exterminated in a Holocaust . Not to mention the daily lies, the theft, the rape, and the violence against the innocent . If God really is loving and all-powerful, why would He allow these terrible things to happen?
The good news is that all these “whys” do have a logical answer that will satisfy your search for meaning and truth . And this short book is going to help you begin that journey of discovery .
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Within these pages, you’re going to read familiar stories about how this world began and how people came to be here, yes . But now, with so much more detail, you will also be able to read be- tween the lines of world history and even your own history — and understand with clarity why things are the way they are .
As you read through this book, I want you to keep in mind the concept of God’s character . You’re going to discover that the question of “why” ultimately boils down to “Who is God?” What is He really like? What does He want for the world and for you personally?
Finally, you will recognize that God has implanted within you this question of “why?” He wants you to know that things aren’t supposed to be this way . God’s original plan for humanity was “very good .” Something has gone horribly wrong . By asking “why?” you are searching for a promised paradise that we have yet to experience .
Thankfully, this book pulls aside the spiritual veil and reveals everything you need to know about what happened to paradise and how we are going to find it again . It is going to inspire you and give you hope . And it’s going to do all that by helping you trust God with your whole heart .
Pastor Doug Batchelor President, Amazing Facts
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Chapter One
Why Was Sin Permitted?
“God is love .” 1 John 4:16 . His nature, His law, is love . It ever has been; it ever will be . “The high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity,” whose “ways are ever- lasting,” changeth not . With Him “is no variableness, neither
shadow of turning .” Isaiah 57:15; Habakkuk 3:6; James 1:17 . Every manifestation of creative power is an expression of infinite love . The sovereignty of God involves fullness of blessing
to all created beings . The psalmist says:
“Strong is Thy hand, and high is Thy right hand . Righteousness and judgment
are the foundation of Thy throne:
Mercy and truth go before Thy face .
Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound:
They walk, O Lord, in the light of Thy countenance .
In Thy name do they rejoice all the day:
And in Thy righteousness are they exalted .
For Thou art the glory of their strength: ...
For our shield belongeth unto Jehovah,
And our king to the Holy One .”
Psalm 89:13-18, R .V .
The history of the great conflict between good and evil, from the time it first began in heaven to the final overthrow of rebellion and the total eradication of sin, is also a demonstration of God’s unchanging love .
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The Sovereign of the universe was not alone in His work of beneficence . He had an associate—a co-worker who could appreciate His purposes, and could share His joy in giving happi- ness to created beings . “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God . The same was in the beginning with God .” John 1:1, 2 . Christ, the Word, the only begotten of God, was one with the eternal Father—one in nature, in character, in purpose—the only being that could enter into all the counsels and purposes of God . “His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace .” Isaiah 9:6 . His “goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting .” Micah 5:2 . And the Son of God declares concerning Himself: “The Lord possessed Me in the beginning of His way, before His works of old . I was set up from everlasting . ... When He appointed the foundations of the earth: then I was by Him, as one brought up with Him: and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him .” Proverbs 8:22-30 .
The Father wrought by His Son in the creation of all heav- enly beings . “By Him were all things created, ... whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him .” Colossians 1:16 . Angels are God’s ministers, radiant with the light ever flowing from His presence and speeding on rapid wing to execute His will . But the Son, the anointed of God, the “express image of His person,” “the brightness of His glory,” “upholding all things by the word of His power,” holds supremacy over them all . Hebrews 1:3 . “A glorious high throne from the beginning,” was the place of His sanctu- ary (Jeremiah 17:12); “a scepter of righteousness,” the scepter of His kingdom . Hebrews 1:8 . “Honor and majesty are before Him: strength and beauty are in His sanctuary .” Psalm 96:6 . Mercy and truth go before His face . Psalm 89:14 .
The law of love being the foundation of the government of God, the happiness of all intelligent beings depends upon their perfect accord with its great principles of righteousness . God
Why Was Sin Permitted? 7
desires from all His creatures the service of love—service that springs from an appreciation of His character . He takes no plea- sure in a forced obedience; and to all He grants freedom of will, that they may render Him voluntary service .
So long as all created beings acknowledged the allegiance of love, there was perfect harmony throughout the universe of God . It was the joy of the heavenly host to fulfill the purpose of their Creator . They delighted in reflecting His glory and showing forth His praise . And while love to God was supreme, love for one another was confiding and unselfish . There was no note of discord to mar the celestial harmonies . But a change came over this happy state . There was one who perverted the freedom that God had granted to His creatures . Sin originated with him who, next to Christ, had been most honored of God and was high- est in power and glory among the inhabitants of heaven . Lucifer, “son of the morning,” was first of the covering cherubs, holy and undefiled . He stood in the presence of the great Creator, and the ceaseless beams of glory enshrouding the eternal God rested upon him . “Thus saith the Lord God; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty . Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering . ... Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire . Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee .” Ezekiel 28:12-15 .
Little by little Lucifer came to indulge the desire for self- exaltation . The Scripture says, “Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness .” Ezekiel 28:17 . “Thou hast said in thine heart, ... I will exalt my throne above the stars of God . ... I will be like the Most High .” Isaiah 14:13, 14 . Though all his glory was from God, this mighty angel came to regard it as pertaining to himself . Not con- tent with his position, though honored above the heavenly host,
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he ventured to covet homage due alone to the Creator . Instead of seeking to make God supreme in the affections and allegiance of all created beings, it was his endeavor to secure their service and loyalty to himself . And coveting the glory with which the infi- nite Father had invested His Son, this prince of angels aspired to power that was the prerogative of Christ alone .
Now the perfect harmony of heaven was broken . Lucifer’s disposition to serve himself instead of his Creator aroused a feel- ing of apprehension when observed by those who considered that the glory of God should be supreme . In heavenly council the angels pleaded with Lucifer . The Son of God presented before him the greatness, the goodness, and the justice of the Creator, and the sacred, unchanging nature of His law . God Himself had established the order of heaven; and 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 a spirit of resistance . Lucifer allowed his jealousy of Christ to prevail, and became the more determined .
To dispute the supremacy of the Son of God, thus impeach- ing the wisdom and love of the Creator, had become the purpose of this prince of angels . To this object he was about to bend the energies of that master mind, which, next to Christ’s, was first among the hosts of God . But He who would have the will of all His creatures free, left none unguarded to the bewildering soph- istry by which rebellion would seek to justify itself . Before the great contest should open, all were to have a clear presentation of His will, whose wisdom and goodness were the spring of all their joy .
The King of the universe summoned the heavenly hosts before Him, that in their presence He might set forth the true position of His Son and show the relation He sustained to all created beings . The Son of God shared the Father’s throne, and the glory of the eternal, self-existent One encircled both . About the throne gath- ered the holy angels, a vast, unnumbered throng—“ten thousand
Why Was Sin Permitted? 9
times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands” (Revelation 5:11), the most exalted angels, as ministers and subjects, rejoicing in the light that fell upon them from the presence of the Deity . Before the assembled inhabitants of heaven the King declared that none but Christ, the Only Begotten of God, could fully enter into His purposes, and to Him it was committed to execute the mighty counsels of His will . The Son of God had wrought the Father’s will in the creation of all the hosts of heaven; and to Him, as well as to God, their homage and allegiance were due . Christ was still to exercise divine power, in the creation of the earth and its inhab- itants . But in all this He would not seek power or exaltation for Himself contrary to God’s plan, but would exalt the Father’s glory and execute His purposes of beneficence and love .
The angels joyfully acknowledged the supremacy of Christ, and prostrating themselves before Him, poured out their love and adoration . Lucifer bowed with them, but in his heart there was a strange, fierce conflict . Truth, justice, 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 ascended in melodious strains, swelled by thousands of glad voices, the spirit of evil seemed vanquished; unutterable love thrilled his entire being; his soul went out, in harmony with the sinless worshippers, in love to the Father and the Son . But again he was filled with pride in his own glory . His desire for supremacy returned, and envy of Christ was once more indulged . The high honors conferred upon Lucifer were not appreciated as God’s special gift, and therefore called forth no gratitude to his Creator . He gloried in his brightness and exaltation and aspired to be equal with God . He was beloved and reverenced by the heavenly host, angels delighted to execute his commands, and he was clothed with wisdom and glory above them all . Yet the Son of God was exalted above him, as one in power and authority with the Father . He shared the Father’s counsels, while Lucifer did not thus enter into the purposes of God . “Why,” questioned
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this mighty angel, “should Christ have the supremacy? Why is He honored above Lucifer?”
Leaving his place in the immediate presence of the Father, Lucifer went forth to diffuse the spirit of discontent among the angels . He worked with mysterious secrecy, and for a time con- cealed his real purpose under an appearance of reverence for God . He began to insinuate doubts concerning the laws that governed heavenly beings, intimating that though laws might be necessary for the inhabitants of the worlds, angels, being more exalted, needed no such restraint, for their own wisdom was a sufficient guide . They were not beings that could bring dishonor to God; all their thoughts were holy; it was no more possible for them than for God Himself to err . The exaltation of the Son of God as equal with the Father was represented as an injustice to Lucifer, who, it was claimed, was also entitled to reverence and honor . If this prince of angels could but attain to his true, exalted position, great good would accrue to the entire host of heaven; for it was his object to secure freedom for all . But now even the liberty which they had hitherto enjoyed was at an end; for an absolute Ruler had been appointed them, and to His authority all must pay homage . Such were the subtle decep- tions that through the wiles of Lucifer were fast obtaining in the heavenly courts .
There had been no change in the position or authority of Christ . Lucifer’s envy and misrepresentation and his claims to equality with Christ had made necessary a statement of the true position of the Son of God; but this had been the same from the beginning . Many of the angels were, however, blinded by Lucifer’s deceptions .
Taking advantage of the loving, loyal trust reposed in him by the holy beings under his command, he had so artfully instilled into their minds his own distrust and discontent that his agency was not discerned . Lucifer had presented the purposes of God in a false light—misconstruing and distorting them to excite
Why Was Sin Permitted? 11
dissent and dissatisfaction . He cunningly drew his hearers on to give utterance to their feelings; then these expressions were repeated by him when it would serve his purpose, as evidence that the angels were not fully in harmony with the government of God . While claiming for himself perfect loyalty to God, he urged that changes in the order and laws of heaven were nec- essary for the stability of the divine government . Thus while working to excite opposition to the law of God and to instill his own discontent into the minds of the angels under him, he was ostensibly seeking to remove dissatisfaction and to reconcile dis- affected angels to the order of heaven . While secretly foment- ing discord and rebellion, he with consummate craft caused it to appear as his sole purpose to promote loyalty and to preserve harmony and peace .
The spirit of dissatisfaction thus kindled was doing its bale- ful work . While there was no open outbreak, division of feeling imperceptibly grew up among the angels . There were some who looked with favor upon Lucifer’s insinuations against the govern- ment of God . Although they had heretofore been in perfect har- mony with the order which God had established, they were now discontented and unhappy because they could not penetrate His unsearchable counsels; they were dissatisfied with His purpose in exalting Christ . These stood ready to second Lucifer’s demand for equal authority with the Son of God . But angels who were loyal and true maintained the wisdom and justice of the divine decree and endeavored to reconcile this disaffected being to the will of God . Christ was the Son of God; He had been one with Him before the angels were called into existence . He had ever stood at the right hand of the Father; His supremacy, so full of bless- ing to all who came under its benignant control, had not here- tofore been questioned . The harmony of heaven had never been interrupted; wherefore should there now be discord? The loyal angels could see only terrible consequences from this dissension, and with earnest entreaty they counseled the disaffected ones to
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renounce their purpose and prove themselves loyal to God by fidelity to His government .
In great mercy, according to His divine character, God bore long with Lucifer . The spirit of discontent and disaffection had never before been known in heaven . It was a new element, strange, mysterious, unaccountable . 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 Lord is righteous in all His ways, and holy in all His works” (Psalm 145:17); that the divine statutes are 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 that time fully cast off his allegiance to God . Though he had left his position as covering cherub, yet if he had been willing to return to God, acknowledg- ing 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 . The time had come for a final decision; he must fully yield to the divine sovereignty or place himself in open rebellion . He nearly reached the decision to return, but pride forbade him . It was too great a sacrifice for one who had been so highly honored to confess that he had been in error, that his imaginings were false, and to yield to the authority which he had been working to prove unjust .
A compassionate Creator, in yearning pity for Lucifer and his followers, was seeking to draw them back from the abyss of ruin into which they were about to plunge . But His mercy was misinterpreted . Lucifer pointed to the long-suffering of God as an evidence of his own superiority, an indication that the King
Why Was Sin Permitted? 13
of the universe would yet accede to his terms . If the angels would stand firmly with him, he declared, they could yet gain all that they desired . He persistently defended his own course, and fully committed himself to the great controversy against his Maker . Thus it was that Lucifer, “the light bearer,” the sharer of God’s glory, the attendant of His throne, by transgression became Satan, “the adversary” of God and holy beings and the destroyer of those whom Heaven had committed to his guidance and guardianship .
Rejecting with disdain the arguments and entreaties of the loyal angels, he denounced them as deluded slaves . The prefer- ence shown to Christ he declared an act of injustice both to him- self and to all the heavenly host, and announced that he would no longer submit to this invasion of his rights and theirs . He would never again acknowledge the supremacy of Christ . He had deter- mined to claim the honor which should have been given him, and take command of all who would become his followers; and he promised those who would enter his ranks a new and better gov- ernment, under which all would enjoy freedom . Great numbers of the angels signified their purpose to accept him as their leader . Flattered by the favor with which his advances were received, he hoped to win all the angels to his side, to become equal with God Himself, and to be obeyed by the entire host of heaven .
Still the loyal angels urged him and his sympathizers to submit to God; and they set before them the inevitable result should they refuse: He who had created them could overthrow their power and signally punish their rebellious daring . No angel could successfully oppose the law of God, which was as sacred as Himself . They warned all to close their ears against Lucifer’s deceptive reasoning, and urged him and his followers to seek the presence of God without delay and confess the error of question- ing His wisdom and authority .
Many were disposed to heed this counsel, to repent of their disaffection, and seek to be again received into favor with the
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Father and His Son . But Lucifer had another deception ready . The mighty revolter now declared that the angels who had united with him had gone too far to return; that he was acquainted with the divine law, and knew that God would not forgive . He declared that all who should submit to the authority of Heaven would be stripped of their honor, degraded from their position . For him- self, he was determined never again to acknowledge the authority of Christ . The only course remaining for him and his followers, he said, was to assert their liberty, and gain by force the rights which had not been willingly accorded them .
So far as Satan himself was concerned, it was true that he had now gone too far to return . But not so with those who had been blinded by his deceptions . To them the counsel and entreaties of the loyal angels opened a door of hope; and had they heeded the warning, they might have broken away from the snare of Satan . But pride, love for their leader, and the desire for unrestricted freedom were permitted to bear sway, and the pleadings of divine love and mercy were finally rejected .
God permitted Satan to carry forward his work until the spirit of disaffection ripened into active revolt . It was necessary for his plans to be fully developed, that their true nature and tendency might be seen by all . Lucifer, as the anointed cherub, had been highly exalted; he was greatly loved by the heavenly beings, and his influence over them was strong . God’s government included not only the inhabitants of heaven, but of all the worlds that He had created; and Lucifer had concluded that if he could carry the angels of heaven with him in rebellion, he could carry also all the worlds . He had artfully presented his side of the question, employing sophistry and fraud to secure his objects . His power to deceive was very great . By disguising himself in a cloak of false- hood, he had gained an advantage . All his acts were so clothed with mystery that it was difficult to disclose to the angels the true nature of his work . Until fully developed, it could not be made to appear the evil thing it was; his disaffection would not be seen
Why Was Sin Permitted? 15
to be rebellion . Even the loyal angels could not fully discern his character or see to what his work was leading .
Lucifer had at first so conducted his temptations that he him- self stood uncommitted . The angels whom he could not 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 the loyal angels . It was his policy to perplex with subtle arguments concerning the purposes of God . Everything that was simple he shrouded in mystery, and by artful perversion cast doubt upon the plainest statements of Jehovah . And his high position, so closely connected with the divine government, gave greater force to his representations .
God could employ only such means as were consistent with truth and righteousness . Satan could use what God could not— flattery and deceit . He had sought to falsify the word of God and had misrepresented His plan of government, claiming that God was not just in imposing laws upon the angels; that in requir- ing submission and obedience from His creatures, He was seek- ing merely the exaltation of Himself . It was therefore necessary to demonstrate before the inhabitants of heaven, and of all the worlds, that God’s government is just, His law perfect . Satan had made it appear that he himself was seeking to promote the good of the universe . The true character of the usurper and his real object must be understood by all . He must have time to manifest himself by his wicked works .
The discord which his own course had caused in heaven, Satan charged upon the government of God . All evil he declared to be the result of the divine administration . He claimed that it was his own object to improve upon the statutes of Jehovah . Therefore God permitted him to demonstrate the nature of his claims, to show the working out of his proposed changes in the divine law . His own work must condemn him . Satan had claimed from the first that he was not in rebellion . The whole universe must see the deceiver unmasked .
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Even when he was cast out of heaven, Infinite Wisdom did not destroy Satan . Since only the service of love can be acceptable to God, the allegiance of His creatures must rest upon a convic- tion of His justice and benevolence . The inhabitants of heaven and of the worlds, being unprepared to comprehend the nature or consequences of sin, could not then have seen the justice of God in the destruction of Satan . Had he been immediately blotted out of existence, some would have served God from fear rather than from love . The influence of the deceiver would not have been fully destroyed, nor would the spirit of rebellion have been utterly eradicated . For the good of the entire universe through ceaseless ages, he must more fully develop his principles, that his charges against the divine government might be seen in their true light by all created beings, and that the justice and mercy of God and the immutability of His law might be forever placed beyond all question .
Satan’s rebellion was to be a lesson to the universe through all coming ages—a perpetual testimony to the nature of sin and its terrible results . The working out of Satan’s rule, its effects upon both men and angels, would show what must be the fruit of set- ting aside the divine authority . It would testify that with the exis- tence of God’s government is bound up the well-being of all the creatures He has made . Thus the history of this terrible experi- ment of rebellion was to be a perpetual safeguard to all holy beings, to prevent them from being deceived as to the nature of transgression, to save them from committing sin, and suffering its penalty .
He that ruleth in the heavens is the one who sees the end from the beginning—the one before whom the mysteries of the past and the future are alike outspread, and who, beyond the woe and darkness and ruin that sin has wrought, beholds the accom- plishment of His own purposes of love and blessing . Though “clouds and darkness are round about Him: righteousness and judgment are the foundation of His throne .” Psalm 97:2, R .V . And
Why Was Sin Permitted? 17
this the inhabitants of the universe, both loyal and disloyal, will one day understand . “His work is perfect: for all His ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is He .” Deuteronomy 32:4 .
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Chapter Two
The Creation
“By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth .” “For He spake, and it was;” “He commanded, and it stood
fast .” Psalm 33:6, 9 . He “laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed forever .” Psalm 104:5 .
As the earth came forth from the hand of its Maker, it was exceedingly beautiful . Its surface was diversified with mountains, hills, and plains, interspersed with noble rivers and lovely lakes; but the hills and mountains were not abrupt and rugged, abounding in terrific steeps and frightful chasms, as they now do; the sharp, ragged edges of earth’s rocky framework were buried beneath the fruitful soil, which everywhere produced a luxuriant growth of verdure . There were no loathsome swamps or barren deserts . Graceful shrubs and delicate flowers greeted the eye at every turn . The heights were crowned with trees more majestic than any that now exist . The air, untainted by foul miasma, was clear and health- ful . The entire landscape outvied in beauty the decorated grounds of the proudest palace . The angelic host viewed the scene with delight, and rejoiced at the wonderful works of God .
After the earth with its teeming animal and vegetable life had been called into existence, man, the crowning work of the Creator, and the one for whom the beautiful earth had been fit- ted up, was brought upon the stage of action . To him was given dominion over all that his eye could behold; for “God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness: and let them have dominion over ... all the earth . ... So God created man in His
The Creation 19
own image; ... male and female created He them .” Here is clearly set forth the origin of the human race; and the divine record is so plainly stated that there is no occasion for erroneous conclusions . God created man in His own image . Here is no mystery . There is no ground for the supposition that man was evolved by slow degrees of development from the lower forms of animal or veg- etable life . Such teaching lowers the great work of the Creator to the level of man’s narrow, earthly conceptions . Men are so intent upon excluding God from the sovereignty of the universe that they degrade man and defraud him of the dignity of his origin . He who set the starry worlds on high and tinted with delicate skill the flowers of the field, who filled the earth and the heavens with the wonders of His power, when He came to crown His glorious work, to place one in the midst to stand as ruler of the fair earth, did not fail to create a being worthy of the hand that gave him life . The genealogy of our race, as given by inspiration, traces back its origin, not to a line of developing germs, mollusks, and quad- rupeds, but to the great Creator . Though formed from the dust, Adam was “the son of God .”
He was placed, as God’s representative, over the lower orders of being . They cannot understand or acknowledge the sovereignty of God, yet they were made capable of loving and serving man . The psalmist says, “Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of Thy hands; Thou hast put all things under his feet: ... the beasts of the field; the fowl of the air, ... and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas .” Psalm 8:6-8 .
Man was to bear God’s image, both in outward resemblance and in character . Christ alone is “the express image” (Hebrews 1:3) of the Father; but man was formed in the likeness of God . His nature was in harmony with the will of God . His mind was capa- ble of comprehending divine things . His affections were pure; his appetites and passions were under the control of reason . He was holy and happy in bearing the image of God and in perfect obedi- ence to His will .
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As man came forth from the hand of his Creator, he was of lofty stature and perfect symmetry . His countenance bore the ruddy tint of health and glowed with the light of life and joy . Adam’s height was much greater than that of men who now inhabit the earth . Eve was somewhat less in stature; yet her form was noble, and full of beauty . The sinless pair wore no artificial garments; they were clothed with a covering of light and glory, such as the angels wear . So long as they lived in obedience to God, this robe of light continued to enshroud them .
After the creation of Adam every living creature was brought before him to receive its name; he saw that to each had been given a companion, but among them “there was not found an help meet for him .” Among all the creatures that God had made on the earth, there was not one equal to man . And God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him .” Man was not made to dwell in solitude; he was to be a social being . Without companionship the beautiful scenes and delightful employments of Eden would have failed to yield perfect happiness . Even communion with angels could not have satisfied his desire for sympathy and companionship . There was none of the same nature to love and to be loved .
God Himself gave Adam a companion . He provided “an help meet for him”—a helper corresponding to him—one who was fitted to be his companion, and who could be one with him in love and sympathy . Eve was created from a rib taken from the side of Adam, signifying that she was not to control him as the head, nor to be trampled under his feet as an inferior, but to stand by his side as an equal, to be loved and protected by him . A part of man, bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh, she was his second self, showing the close union and the affectionate attach- ment that should exist in this relation . “For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it .” Ephesians 5:29 . “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife; and they shall be one .”
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God celebrated the first marriage . Thus the institution has for its originator the Creator of the universe . “Marriage is honorable” (Hebrews 13:4); it was one of the first gifts of God to man, and it is one of the two institutions that, after the Fall, Adam brought with him beyond the gates of Paradise . When the divine prin- ciples are recognized and obeyed in this relation, marriage is a blessing; it guards the purity and happiness of the race, it pro- vides for man’s social needs, it elevates the physical, the intellec- tual, and the moral nature .
“And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there He put the man whom He had formed .” Everything that God had made was the perfection of beauty, and nothing seemed wanting that could contribute to the happiness of the holy pair; yet the Creator gave them still another token of His love, by prepar- ing a garden especially for their home . In this garden were trees of every variety, many of them laden with fragrant and delicious fruit . There were lovely vines, growing upright, yet presenting a most graceful appearance, with their branches drooping under their load of tempting fruit of the richest and most varied hues . It was the work of Adam and Eve to train the branches of the vine to form bowers, thus making for themselves a dwelling from living trees covered with foliage and fruit . There were fragrant flowers of every hue in rich profusion . In the midst of the garden stood the tree of life, surpassing in glory all other trees . Its fruit appeared like apples of gold and silver, and had the power to perpetuate life .
The creation was now complete . “The heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them .” “And God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good .” Eden bloomed on earth . Adam and Eve had free access to the tree of life . No taint of sin or shadow of death marred the fair creation . “The morn- ing stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy .” Job 38:7 .
The great Jehovah had laid the foundations of the earth; He had dressed the whole world in the garb of beauty and had filled
22 Cosmic Conflict: The Origin of Evil
it with things useful to man; He had created all the wonders of the land and of the sea . In six days the great work of creation had been accomplished . And God “rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made . And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made .” God looked with satisfaction upon the work of His hands . All was perfect, worthy of its divine Author, and He rested, not as one weary, but as well pleased with the fruits of His wisdom and goodness and the manifestations of His glory .
After resting upon the seventh day, God sanctified it, or set it apart, as a day of rest for man . Following the example of the Creator, man was to rest upon this sacred day, that as he should look upon the heavens and the earth, he might reflect upon God’s great work of creation; and that as he should behold the evidences of God’s wisdom and goodness, his heart might be filled with love and reverence for his Maker .
In Eden, God set up the memorial of His work of creation, in placing His blessing upon the seventh day . The Sabbath was committed to Adam, the father and representative of the whole human family . Its observance was to be an act of grateful acknowl- edgment, on the part of all who should dwell upon the earth, that God was their Creator and their rightful Sovereign; that they were the work of His hands and the subjects of His authority . Thus the institution was wholly commemorative, and given to all mankind . There was nothing in it shadowy or of restricted appli- cation to any people .
God saw that a Sabbath was essential for man, even in Paradise . He needed to lay aside his own interests and pursuits for one day of the seven, that he might more fully contemplate the works of God and meditate upon His power and goodness . He needed a Sabbath to remind him more vividly of God and to awaken gratitude because all that he enjoyed and possessed came from the beneficent hand of the Creator .
The Creation 23
God designs that the Sabbath shall direct the minds of men to the contemplation of His created works . Nature speaks to their senses, declaring that there is a living God, the Creator, the Supreme Ruler of all . “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth His handiwork . Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge .” Psalm 19:1, 2 . The beauty that clothes the earth is a token of God’s love . We may behold it in the everlasting hills, in the lofty trees, in the opening buds and the delicate flowers . All speak to us of God . The Sabbath, ever pointing to Him who made them all, bids men open the great book of nature and trace therein the wisdom, the power, and the love of the Creator .
Our first parents, though created innocent and holy, were not placed beyond the possibility of wrongdoing . God made them free moral agents, capable of appreciating the wisdom and benevolence of His character and the justice of His require- ments, and with full liberty to yield or to withhold obedience . They were to enjoy communion with God and with holy angels; but before they could be rendered eternally secure, their loyalty must be tested . At the very beginning of man’s existence a check was placed upon the desire for self-indulgence, the fatal passion that lay at the foundation of Satan’s fall . The tree of knowledge, which stood near the tree of life in the midst of the garden, was to be a test of the obedience, faith, and love of our first parents . While permitted to eat freely of every other tree, they were for- bidden to taste of this, on pain of death . They were also to be exposed to the temptations of Satan; but if they endured the trial, they would finally be placed beyond his power, to enjoy perpetual favor with God .
God placed man under law, as an indispensable condition of his very existence . He was a subject of the divine government, and there can be no government without law . God might have created man without the power to transgress His law; He might have with- held the hand of Adam from touching the forbidden fruit; but in
24 Cosmic Conflict: The Origin of Evil
that case man would have been, not a free moral agent, but a mere automaton . Without freedom of choice, his obedience would not have been voluntary, but forced . There could have been no devel- opment of character . Such a course would have been contrary to God’s plan in dealing with the inhabitants of other worlds . It would have been unworthy of man as an intelligent being, and would have sustained Satan’s charge of God’s arbitrary rule .
God made man upright; He gave him noble traits of charac- ter, with no bias toward evil . He endowed him with high intel- lectual powers, and presented before him the strongest possible inducements to be true to his allegiance . Obedience, perfect and perpetual, was the condition of eternal happiness . On this condi- tion he was to have access to the tree of life .
The home of our first parents was to be a pattern for other homes as their children should go forth to occupy the earth . That home, beautified by the hand of God Himself, was not a gorgeous palace . Men, in their pride, delight in magnificent and costly edi- fices and glory in the works of their own hands; but God placed Adam in a garden . This was his dwelling . The blue heavens were its dome; the earth, with its delicate flowers and carpet of living green, was its floor; and the leafy branches of the goodly trees were its canopy . Its walls were hung with the most magnificent adornings—the handiwork of the great Master Artist . In the sur- roundings of the holy pair was a lesson for all time—that true hap- piness is found, not in the indulgence of pride and luxury, but in communion with God through His created works . If men would give less attention to the artificial, and would cultivate greater simplicity, they would come far nearer to answering the purpose of God in their creation . Pride and ambition are never satisfied, but those who are truly wise will find substantial and elevating pleasure in the sources of enjoyment that God has placed within the reach of all .
To the dwellers in Eden was committed the care of the garden, “to dress it and to keep it .” Their occupation was not wearisome,
The Creation 25
but pleasant and invigorating . God appointed labor as a bless- ing to man, to occupy his mind, to strengthen his body, and to develop his faculties . In mental and physical activity Adam found one of the highest pleasures of his holy existence . And when, as a result of his disobedience, he was driven from his beautiful home, and forced to struggle with a stubborn soil to gain his daily bread, that very labor, although widely different from his pleasant occu- pation in the garden, was a safeguard against temptation and a source of happiness . Those who regard work as a curse, attended though it be with weariness and pain, are cherishing an error . The rich often look down with contempt upon the working classes, but this is wholly at variance with God’s purpose in creating man . What are the possessions of even the most wealthy in comparison with the heritage given to the lordly Adam? Yet Adam was not to be idle . Our Creator, who understands what is for man’s happi- ness, appointed Adam his work . The true joy of life is found only by the working men and women . The angels are diligent workers; they are the ministers of God to the children of men . The Creator has prepared no place for the stagnating practice of indolence .
While they remained true to God, Adam and his companion were to bear rule over the earth . Unlimited control was given them over every living thing . The lion and the lamb sported peacefully around them or lay down together at their feet . The happy birds flitted about them without fear; and as their glad songs ascended to the praise of their Creator, Adam and Eve united with them in thanksgiving to the Father and the Son .
The holy pair were not only children under the fatherly care of God but students receiving instruction from the all-wise Creator . They were visited by angels, and were granted communion with their Maker, with no obscuring veil between . They were full of the vigor imparted by the tree of life, and their intellectual power was but little less than that of the angels . The mysteries of the vis- ible universe—“the wondrous works of Him which is perfect in knowledge” (Job 37:16)—afforded them an exhaustless source of
26 Cosmic Conflict: The Origin of Evil
instruction and delight . The laws and operations of nature, which have engaged men’s study for six thousand years, were opened to their minds by the infinite Framer and Upholder of all . They held converse with leaf and flower and tree, gathering from each the secrets of its life . With every living creature, from the mighty leviathan that playeth among the waters to the insect mote that floats in the sunbeam, Adam was familiar . He had given to each its name, and he was acquainted with the nature and habits of all . God’s glory in the heavens, the innumerable worlds in their orderly revolutions, “the balancings of the clouds,” the mysteries of light and sound, of day and night—all were open to the study of our first parents . On every leaf of the forest or stone of the mountains, in every shining star, in earth and air and sky, God’s name was written . The order and harmony of creation spoke to them of infinite wisdom and power . They were ever discovering some attraction that filled their hearts with deeper love and called forth fresh expressions of gratitude .
So long as they remained loyal to the divine law, their capac- ity to know, to enjoy, and to love would continually increase . They would be constantly gaining new treasures of knowledge, discov- ering fresh springs of happiness, and obtaining clearer and yet clearer conceptions of the immeasurable, unfailing love of God .
27
Chapter Three
The Temptation and Fall
No longer free to stir up rebellion in heaven, Satan’s enmity against God found a new field in plotting the ruin of the human race . In the happiness and peace of the holy pair in Eden he beheld a vision of the bliss that to him was forever lost . Moved by envy, he determined to incite them to disobedience, and bring upon them the guilt and penalty of sin . He would change their love to distrust and their songs of praise to reproaches against their Maker . Thus he would not only plunge these innocent beings into the same misery which he was him- self enduring, but would cast dishonor upon God, and cause grief in heaven .
Our first parents were not left without a warning of the danger that threatened them . Heavenly messengers opened to them the history of Satan’s fall and his plots for their destruction, unfolding more fully the nature of the divine government, which the prince of evil was trying to overthrow . It was by disobedi- ence to the just commands of God that Satan and his host had fallen . How important, then, that Adam and Eve should honor that law by which alone it was possible for order and equity to be maintained .
The law of God is as sacred as God Himself . It is a revela- tion of His will, a transcript of His character, the expression of divine love and wisdom . The harmony of creation depends upon the perfect conformity of all beings, of everything, animate and inanimate, to the law of the Creator . God has ordained laws for the government, not only of living beings, but of all the operations
28 Cosmic Conflict: The Origin of Evil
of nature . Everything is under fixed laws, which cannot be dis- regarded . But while everything in nature is governed by natu- ral laws, man alone, of all that inhabits the earth, is amenable to moral law . To man, the crowning work of creation, God has given power to understand His requirements, to comprehend the jus- tice and beneficence of His law, and its sacred claims upon him; and of man unswerving obedience is required .
Like the angels, the dwellers in Eden had been placed upon probation; their happy estate could be retained only on condi- tion of fidelity to the Creator’s law . They could obey and live, or disobey and perish . God had made them the recipients of rich blessings; but should they disregard His will, He who spared not the angels that sinned, could not spare them; transgression would forfeit His gifts and bring upon them misery and ruin .
The angels warned them to be on their guard against the devices of Satan, for his efforts to ensnare them would be unwea- ried . While they were obedient to God the evil one could not harm them; for, if need be, every angel in heaven would be sent to their help . If they steadfastly repelled his first insinuations, they would be as secure as the heavenly messengers . But should they once yield to temptation, their nature would become so depraved that in themselves they would have no power and no disposition to resist Satan .
The tree of knowledge had been made a test of their obedi- ence and their love to God . The Lord had seen fit to lay upon them but one prohibition as to the use of all that was in the gar- den; but if they should disregard His will in this particular, they would incur the guilt of transgression . Satan was not to follow them with continual temptations; he could have access to them only at the forbidden tree . Should they attempt to investigate its nature, they would be exposed to his wiles . They were admon- ished to give careful heed to the warning which God had sent them and to be content with the instruction which He had seen fit to impart .
The Temptation and Fall 29
In order to accomplish his work unperceived, Satan chose to employ as his medium the serpent—a disguise well adapted for his purpose of deception . The serpent was then one of the wisest and most beautiful creatures on the earth . It had wings, and while flying through the air presented an appearance of dazzling bright- ness, having the color and brilliancy of burnished gold . Resting in the rich-laden branches of the forbidden tree and regaling itself with the delicious fruit, it was an object to arrest the attention and delight the eye of the beholder . Thus in the garden of peace lurked the destroyer, watching for his prey .
The angels had cautioned Eve to beware of separating her- self from her husband while occupied in their daily labor in the garden; with him she would be in less danger from temptation than if she were alone . But absorbed in her pleasing task, she unconsciously wandered from his side . On perceiving that she was alone, she felt an apprehension of danger, but dismissed her fears, deciding that she had sufficient wisdom and strength to discern evil and to withstand it . Unmindful of the angels’ cau- tion, she soon found herself gazing with mingled curiosity and admiration upon the forbidden tree . The fruit was very beautiful, and she questioned with herself why God had withheld it from them . Now was the tempter’s opportunity . As if he were able to discern the workings of her mind, he addressed her: “Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” Eve was surprised and startled as she thus seemed to hear the echo of her thoughts . But the serpent continued, in a musical voice, with subtle praise of her surpassing loveliness; and his words were not displeasing . Instead of fleeing from the spot she lingered wonder- ingly to hear a serpent speak . Had she been addressed by a being like the angels, her fears would have been excited; but she had no thought that the fascinating serpent could become the medium of the fallen foe .
To the tempter’s ensnaring question she replied: “We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: but of the fruit of the tree
30 Cosmic Conflict: The Origin of Evil
which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die . And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil .”
By partaking of this tree, he declared, they would attain to a more exalted sphere of existence and enter a broader field of knowledge . He himself had eaten of the forbidden fruit, and as a result had acquired the power of speech . And he insinuated that the Lord jealously desired to withhold it from them, lest they should be exalted to equality with Himself . It was because of its wonderful properties, imparting wisdom and power, that He had prohibited them from tasting or even touching it . The tempter intimated that the divine warning was not to be actually fulfilled; it was designed merely to intimidate them . How could it be pos- sible for them to die? Had they not eaten of the tree of life? God had been seeking to prevent them from reaching a nobler devel- opment and finding greater happiness .
Such has been Satan’s work from the days of Adam to the present, and he has pursued it with great success . He tempts men to distrust God’s love and to doubt His wisdom . He is constantly seeking to excite a spirit of irreverent curiosity, a restless, inquisi- tive desire to penetrate the secrets of divine wisdom and power . In their efforts to search out what God has been pleased to withhold, multitudes overlook the truths which He has revealed, and which are essential to salvation . Satan tempts men to disobedience by leading them to believe they are entering a wonderful field of knowledge . But this is all a deception . Elated with their ideas of progression, they are, by trampling on God’s requirements, set- ting their feet in the path that leads to degradation and death .
Satan represented to the holy pair that they would be gain- ers by breaking the law of God . Do we not today hear similar reasoning? Many talk of the narrowness of those who obey God’s commandments, while they themselves claim to have broader
The Temptation and Fall 31
ideas and to enjoy greater liberty . What is this but an echo of the voice from Eden, “In the day ye eat thereof ”—transgress the divine requirement—“ye shall be as gods”? Satan claimed to have received great good by eating of the forbidden fruit, but he did not let it appear that by transgression he had become an outcast from heaven . Though he had found sin to result in infinite loss, he concealed his own misery in order to draw others into the same position . So now the transgressor seeks to disguise his true character; he may claim to be holy; but his exalted profession only makes him the more dangerous as a deceiver . He is on the side of Satan, trampling upon the law of God, and leading others to do the same, to their eternal ruin .
Eve really believed the words of Satan, but her belief did not save her from the penalty of sin . She disbelieved the words of God, and this was what led to her fall . In the judgment men will not be condemned because they conscientiously believed a lie, but because they did not believe the truth, because they neglected the opportunity of learning what is truth . Notwithstanding the sophistry of Satan to the contrary, it is always disastrous to dis- obey God . We must set our hearts to know what is truth . All the lessons which God has caused to be placed on record in His word are for our warning and instruction . They are given to save us from deception . Their neglect will result in ruin to ourselves . Whatever contradicts God’s word, we may be sure proceeds from Satan .
The serpent plucked the fruit of the forbidden tree and placed it in the hands of the half-reluctant Eve . Then he reminded her of her own words, that God had forbidden them to touch it, lest they die . She would receive no more harm from eating the fruit, he declared, than from touching it . Perceiving no evil results from what she had done, Eve grew bolder . When she “saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat .” It was grateful to the taste, and as she ate, she seemed
32 Cosmic Conflict: The Origin of Evil
to feel a vivifying power, and imagined herself entering upon a higher state of existence . Without a fear she plucked and ate . And now, having herself transgressed, she became the agent of Satan in working the ruin of her husband . In a state of strange, unnatu- ral excitement, with her hands filled with the forbidden fruit, she sought his presence, and related all that had occurred .
An expression of sadness came over the face of Adam . He appeared astonished and alarmed . To the words of Eve he replied that this must be the foe against whom they had been warned; and by the divine sentence she must die . In answer she urged him to eat, repeating the words of the serpent, that they should not surely die . She reasoned that this must be true, for she felt no evidence of God’s displeasure, but on the contrary realized a deli- cious, exhilarating influence, thrilling every faculty with new life, such, she imagined, as inspired the heavenly messengers .
Adam understood that his companion had transgressed the command of God, disregarded the only prohibition laid upon them as a test of their fidelity and love . There was a terrible struggle in his mind . He mourned that he had permitted Eve to wander from his side . But now the deed was done; he must be separated from her whose society had been his joy . How could he have it thus? Adam had enjoyed the companionship of God and of holy angels . He had looked upon the glory of the Creator . He understood the high destiny opened to the human race should they remain faithful to God . Yet all these blessings were lost sight of in the fear of losing that one gift which in his eyes outvalued every other . Love, gratitude, loyalty to the Creator—all were over- borne by love to Eve . She was a part of himself, and he could not endure the thought of separation . He did not realize that the same Infinite Power who had from the dust of the earth created him, a living, beautiful form, and had in love given him a com- panion, could supply her place . He resolved to share her fate; if she must die, he would die with her . After all, he reasoned, might not the words of the wise serpent be true? Eve was before him, as
The Temptation and Fall 33
beautiful and apparently as innocent as before this act of disobe- dience . She expressed greater love for him than before . No sign of death appeared in her, and he decided to brave the consequences . He seized the fruit and quickly ate .
After his transgression Adam at first imagined himself enter- ing upon a higher state of existence . But soon the thought of his sin filled him with terror . The air, which had hitherto been of a mild and uniform temperature, seemed to chill the guilty pair . The love and peace which had been theirs was gone, and in its place they felt a sense of sin, a dread of the future, a nakedness of soul . The robe of light which had enshrouded them, now disap- peared, and to supply its place they endeavored to fashion for themselves a covering; for they could not, while unclothed, meet the eye of God and holy angels .
They now began to see the true character of their sin . Adam reproached his companion for her folly in leaving his side and per- mitting herself to be deceived by the serpent; but they both flattered themselves that He who had given them so many evidences of His love, would pardon this one transgression, or that they would not be subjected to so dire a punishment as they had feared .
Satan exulted in his success . He had tempted the woman to distrust God’s love, to doubt His wisdom, and to transgress His law, and through her he had caused the overthrow of Adam .
But the great Lawgiver was about to make known to Adam and Eve the consequences of their transgression . The divine pres- ence was manifested in the garden . In their innocence and holi- ness they had joyfully welcomed the approach of their Creator; but now they fled in terror, and sought to hide in the deepest recesses of the garden . But “the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard Thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself . And He said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?”
34 Cosmic Conflict: The Origin of Evil
Adam could neither deny nor excuse his sin; but instead of manifesting penitence, he endeavored to cast the blame upon his wife, and thus upon God Himself: “The woman whom Thou gav- est to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat .” He who, from love to Eve, had deliberately chosen to forfeit the approval of God, his home in Paradise, and an eternal life of joy, could now, after his fall, endeavor to make his companion, and even the Creator Himself, responsible for the transgression . So terrible is the power of sin .
When the woman was asked, “What is this that thou hast done?” she answered, “The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat .” “Why didst Thou create the serpent? Why didst Thou suffer him to enter Eden?”—these were the questions implied in her excuse for her sin . Thus, like Adam, she charged God with the responsi- bility of their fall . The spirit of self-justification originated in the father of lies; it was indulged by our first parents as soon as they yielded to the influence of Satan, and has been exhibited by all the sons and daughters of Adam . Instead of humbly confessing their sins, they try to shield themselves by casting the blame upon oth- ers, upon circumstances, or upon God—making even His bless- ings an occasion of murmuring against Him .
The Lord then passed sentence upon the serpent: “Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life .” Since it had been employed as Satan’s medium, the serpent was to share the visitation of divine judgment . From the most beautiful and admired of the creatures of the field, it was to become the most groveling and detested of them all, feared and hated by both man and beast . The words next addressed to the serpent applied directly to Satan himself, pointing forward to his ultimate defeat and destruction: “I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel .”
The Temptation and Fall 35
Eve was told of the sorrow and pain that must henceforth be her portion . And the Lord said, “Thy desire shall be to thy hus- band, and he shall rule over thee .” In the creation God had made her the equal of Adam . Had they remained obedient to God—in harmony with His great law of love—they would ever have been in harmony with each other; but sin had brought discord, and now their union could be maintained and harmony preserved only by submission on the part of the one or the other . Eve had been the first in transgression; and she had fallen into tempta- tion by separating from her companion, contrary to the divine direction . It was by her solicitation that Adam sinned, and she was now placed in subjection to her husband . Had the principles enjoined in the law of God been cherished by the fallen race, this sentence, though growing out of the results of sin, would have proved a blessing to them; but man’s abuse of the supremacy thus given him has too often rendered the lot of woman very bitter and made her life a burden .
Eve had been perfectly happy by her husband’s side in her Eden home; but, like restless modern Eves, she was flattered with the hope of entering a higher sphere than that which God had assigned her . In attempting to rise above her original position, she fell far below it . A similar result will be reached by all who are unwilling to take up cheerfully their life duties in accordance with God’s plan . In their efforts to reach positions for which He has not fitted them, many are leaving vacant the place where they might be a blessing . In their desire for a higher sphere, many have sacrificed true womanly dignity and nobility of character, and have left undone the very work that Heaven appointed them .
To Adam the Lord declared: “Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; in the sweat of thy face shalt
36 Cosmic Conflict: The Origin of Evil
thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return .”
It was not the will of God that the sinless pair should know aught of evil . He had freely given them the good, and had with- held the evil . But, contrary to His command, they had eaten of the forbidden tree, and now they would continue to eat of it— they would have the knowledge of evil—all the days of their life . From that time the race would be afflicted by Satan’s temptations . Instead of the happy labor heretofore appointed them, anxiety and toil were to be their lot . They would be subject to disappoint- ment, grief, and pain, and finally to death .
Under the curse of sin all nature was to witness to man of the character and results of rebellion against God . When God made man He made him ruler over the earth and all living creatures . So long as Adam remained loyal to Heaven, all nature was in subjec- tion to him . But when he rebelled against the divine law, the infe- rior creatures were in rebellion against his rule . Thus the Lord, in His great mercy, would show men the sacredness of His law, and lead them, by their own experience, to see the danger of setting it aside, even in the slightest degree .
And the life of toil and care which was henceforth to be man’s lot was appointed in love . It was a discipline rendered needful by his sin, to place a check upon the indulgence of appetite and pas- sion, to develop habits of self-control . It was a part of God’s great plan for man’s recovery from the ruin and degradation of sin .
The warning given to our first parents—“In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Genesis 2:17)—did not imply that they were to die on the very day when they partook of the forbidden fruit . But on that day the irrevocable sentence would be pronounced . Immortality was promised them on condition of obedience; by transgression they would forfeit eternal life . That very day they would be doomed to death .
In order to possess an endless existence, man must continue to partake of the tree of life . Deprived of this, his vitality would
The Temptation and Fall 37
gradually diminish until life should become extinct . It was Satan’s plan that Adam and Eve should by disobedience incur God’s displeasure; and then, if they failed to obtain forgiveness, he hoped that they would eat of the tree of life, and thus perpetuate an existence of sin and misery . But after man’s fall, holy angels were immediately commissioned to guard the tree of life . Around these angels flashed beams of light having the appearance of a glittering sword . None of the family of Adam were permitted to pass that barrier to partake of the life-giving fruit; hence there is not an immortal sinner .
The tide of woe that flowed from the transgression of our first parents is regarded by many as too awful a consequence for so small a sin, and they impeach the wisdom and justice of God in His dealings with man . But if they would look more deeply into this question, they might discern their error . God created man after His own likeness, free from sin . The earth was to be peopled with beings only a little lower than the angels; but their obedience must be tested; for God would not permit the world to be filled with those who would disregard His law . Yet, in His great mercy, He appointed Adam no severe test . And the very lightness of the prohibition made the sin exceedingly great . If Adam could not bear the smallest of tests, he could not have endured a greater trail had he been entrusted with higher responsibilities .
Had some great test been appointed Adam, then those whose hearts incline to evil would have excused themselves by saying, “This is a trivial matter, and God is not so particular about little things .” And there would be continual transgression in things looked upon as small, and which pass unrebuked among men . But the Lord has made it evident that sin in any degree is offensive to Him .
To Eve it seemed a small thing to disobey God by tasting the fruit of the forbidden tree, and to tempt her husband also to transgress; but their sin opened the floodgates of woe upon the world . Who can know, in the moment of temptation, the terrible consequences that will result from one wrong step?
38 Cosmic Conflict: The Origin of Evil
Many who teach that the law of God is not binding upon man, urge that it is impossible for him to obey its precepts . But if this were true, why did Adam suffer the penalty of transgres- sion? The sin of our first parents brought guilt and sorrow upon the world, and had it not been for the goodness and mercy of God, would have plunged the race into hopeless despair . Let none deceive themselves . “The wages of sin is death .” Romans 6:23 . The law of God can no more be transgressed with impunity now than when sentence was pronounced upon the father of mankind .
After their sin Adam and Eve were no longer to dwell in Eden . They earnestly entreated that they might remain in the home of their innocence and joy . They confessed that they had forfeited all right to that happy abode, but pledged themselves for the future to yield strict obedience to God . But they were told that their nature had become depraved by sin; they had lessened their strength to resist evil and had opened the way for Satan to gain more ready access to them . In their innocence they had yielded to temptation; and now, in a state of conscious guilt, they would have less power to maintain their integrity .
In humility and unutterable sadness they bade farewell to their beautiful home and went forth to dwell upon the earth, where rested the curse of sin . The atmosphere, once so mild and uniform in temperature, was now subject to marked changes, and the Lord mercifully provided them with a garment of skins as a protection from the extremes of heat and cold .
As they witnessed in drooping flower and falling leaf the first signs of decay, Adam and his companion mourned more deeply than men now mourn over their dead . The death of the frail, deli- cate flowers was indeed a cause of sorrow; but when the goodly trees cast off their leaves, the scene brought vividly to mind the stern fact that death is the portion of every living thing .
The Garden of Eden remained upon the earth long after man had become an outcast from its pleasant paths . The fallen race were long permitted to gaze upon the home of innocence, their
The Temptation and Fall 39
entrance barred only by the watching angels . At the cherubim- guarded gate of Paradise the divine glory was revealed . Hither came Adam and his sons to worship God . Here they renewed their vows of obedience to that law the transgression of which had banished them from Eden . When the tide of iniquity over- spread the world, and the wickedness of men determined their destruction by a flood of waters, the hand that had planted Eden withdrew it from the earth . But in the final restitution, when there shall be “a new heaven and a new earth” (Revelation 21:1), it is to be restored more gloriously adorned than at the beginning .
Then they that have kept God’s commandments shall breathe in immortal vigor beneath the tree of life; and through unending ages the inhabitants of sinless worlds shall behold, in that gar- den of delight, a sample of the perfect work of God’s creation, untouched by the curse of sin—a sample of what the whole earth would have become, had man but fulfilled the Creator’s glorious plan .
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Chapter Four
The Plan of Redemption
The fall of man filled all heaven with sorrow . The world that God had made was blighted with the curse of sin and inhabited by beings doomed to misery and death .
There appeared no escape for those who had transgressed the law . Angels ceased their songs of praise . Throughout the heavenly courts there was mourning for the ruin that sin had wrought .
The Son of God, heaven’s glorious Commander, was touched with pity for the fallen race . His heart was moved with infinite compassion as the woes of the lost world rose up before Him . But divine love had conceived a plan whereby man might be redeemed . The broken law of God demanded the life of the sin- ner . In all the universe there was but one who could, in behalf of man, satisfy its claims . Since the divine law is as sacred as God Himself, only one equal with God could make atonement for its transgression . None but Christ could redeem fallen man from the curse of the law and bring him again into harmony with Heaven . Christ would take upon Himself the guilt and shame of sin—sin so offensive to a holy God that it must separate the Father and His Son . Christ would reach to the depths of misery to rescue the ruined race .
Before the Father He pleaded in the sinner’s behalf, while the host of heaven awaited the result with an intensity of inter- est that words cannot express . Long continued was that mysteri- ous communing—“the counsel of peace” (Zechariah 6:13) for the fallen sons of men . The plan of salvation had been laid before the creation of the earth; for Christ is “the Lamb slain from the
The Plan of Redemption 41
foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8); yet it was a struggle, even with the King of the universe, to yield up His Son to die for the guilty race . But “God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life .” John 3:16 . Oh, the mystery of redemption! the love of God for a world that did not love Him! Who can know the depths of that love which “passeth knowl- edge”? Through endless ages immortal minds, seeking to com- prehend the mystery of that incomprehensible love, will wonder and adore .
God was to be manifest in Christ, “reconciling the world unto Himself .” 2 Corinthians 5:19 . Man had become so degraded by sin that it was impossible for him, in himself, to come into har- mony with Him whose nature is purity and goodness . But Christ, after having redeemed man from the condemnation of the law, could impart divine power to unite with human effort . Thus by repentance toward God and faith in Christ the fallen children of Adam might once more become “sons of God .” 1 John 3:2 .
The plan by which alone man’s salvation could be secured, involved all heaven in its infinite sacrifice . The angels could not rejoice as Christ opened before them the plan of redemption, for they saw that man’s salvation must cost their loved Commander unutterable woe . In grief and wonder they listened to His words as He told them how He must descend from heaven’s purity and peace, its joy and glory and immortal life, and come in contact with the degradation of earth, to endure its sorrow, shame, and death . He was to stand between the sinner and the penalty of sin; yet few would receive Him as the Son of God . He would leave His high position as the Majesty of heaven, appear upon earth and humble Himself as a man, and by His own experience become acquainted with the sorrows and temptations which man would have to endure . All this would be necessary in order that He might be able to succor them that should be tempted . Hebrews 2:18 . When His mission as a teacher should be ended, He must be
42 Cosmic Conflict: The Origin of Evil
delivered into the hands of wicked men and be subjected to every insult and torture that Satan could inspire them to inflict . He must die the cruelest of deaths, lifted up between the heavens and the earth as a guilty sinner . He must pass long hours of agony so terrible that angels could not look upon it, but would veil their faces from the sight . He must endure anguish of soul, the hiding of His Father’s face, while the guilt of transgression—the weight of the sins of the whole world—should be upon Him .
The angels prostrated themselves at the feet of their Commander and offered to become a sacrifice for man . But an angel’s life could not pay the debt; only He who created man had power to redeem him . Yet the angels were to have a part to act in the plan of redemption . Christ was to be made “a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death .” Hebrews 2:9 . As He should take human nature upon Him, His strength would not be equal to theirs, and they were to minister to Him, to strengthen and soothe Him under His sufferings . They were also to be minister- ing spirits, sent forth to minister for them who should be heirs of salvation . Hebrews 1:14 . They would guard the subjects of grace from the power of evil angels and from the darkness constantly thrown around them by Satan .
When the angels should witness the agony and humiliation of their Lord, they would be filled with grief and indignation and would wish to deliver Him from His murderers; but they were not to interpose in order to prevent anything which they should behold . It was a part of the plan of redemption that Christ should suffer the scorn and abuse of wicked men, and He consented to all this when He became the Redeemer of man .
Christ assured the angels that by His death He would ransom many, and would destroy him who had the power of death . He would recover the kingdom which man had lost by transgression, and the redeemed were to inherit it with Him, and dwell therein forever . Sin and sinners would be blotted out, nevermore to dis- turb the peace of heaven or earth . He bade the angelic host to be
The Plan of Redemption 43
in accord with the plan that His Father had accepted, and rejoice that, through His death, fallen man could be reconciled to God .
Then joy, inexpressible joy, filled heaven . The glory and bless- edness of a world redeemed, outmeasured even the anguish and sacrifice of the Prince of life . Through the celestial courts echoed the first strains of that song which was to ring out above the hills of Bethlehem—“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men .” Luke 2:14 . With a deeper gladness now than in the rapture of the new creation, “the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy .” Job 38:7 .
To man the first intimation of redemption was communi- cated in the sentence pronounced upon Satan in the garden . The Lord declared, “I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel .” Genesis 3:15 . This sentence, uttered in the hearing of our first parents, was to them a promise . While it foretold war between man and Satan, it declared that the power of the great adversary would finally be broken . Adam and Eve stood as criminals before the righteous Judge, awaiting the sen- tence which transgression had incurred; but before they heard of the life of toil and sorrow which must be their portion, or of the decree that they must return to dust, they listened to words that could not fail to give them hope . Though they must suffer from the power of their mighty foe, they could look forward to final victory .
When Satan heard that enmity should exist between himself and the woman, and between his seed and her seed, he knew that his work of depraving human nature would be interrupted; that by some means man would be enabled to resist his power . Yet as the plan of salvation was more fully unfolded, Satan rejoiced with his angels that, having caused man’s fall, he could bring down the Son of God from His exalted position . He declared that his plans had thus far been successful upon the earth, and that when Christ should take upon Himself human nature, He also might
44 Cosmic Conflict: The Origin of Evil
be overcome, and thus the redemption of the fallen race might be prevented .
Heavenly angels more fully opened to our first parents the plan that had been devised for their salvation . Adam and his companion were assured that notwithstanding their great sin, they were not to be abandoned to the control of Satan . The Son of God had offered to atone, with His own life, for their transgres- sion . A period of probation would be granted them, and through repentance and faith in Christ they might again become the chil- dren of God .
The sacrifice demanded by their transgression revealed to Adam and Eve the sacred character of the law of God; and they saw, as they had never seen before, the guilt of sin and its dire results . In their remorse and anguish they pleaded that the pen- alty might not fall upon Him whose love had been the source of all their joy; rather let it descend upon them and their posterity .
They were told that since the law of Jehovah is the foundation of His government in heaven as well as upon the earth, even the life of an angel could not be accepted as a sacrifice for its trans- gression . Not one of its precepts could be abrogated or changed to meet man in his fallen condition; but the Son of God, who had created man, could make an atonement for him . As Adam’s trans- gression had brought wretchedness and death, so the sacrifice of Christ would bring life and immortality .
Not only man but the earth had by sin come under the power of the wicked one, and was to be restored by the plan of redemp- tion . At his creation Adam was placed in dominion over the earth . But by yielding to temptation, he was brought under the power of Satan . “Of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage .” 2 Peter 2:19 . When man became Satan’s captive, the dominion which he held, passed to his conqueror . Thus Satan became “the god of this world .” 2 Corinthians 4:4 . He had usurped that dominion over the earth which had been originally given to Adam . But Christ, by His sacrifice paying the penalty of sin,
The Plan of Redemption 45
would not only redeem man, but recover the dominion which he had forfeited . All that was lost by the first Adam will be restored by the second . Says the prophet, “O tower of the flock, the strong- hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion .” Micah 4:8 . And the apostle Paul points forward to the “redemption of the purchased possession .” Ephesians 1:14 . God created the earth to be the abode of holy, happy beings . The Lord “formed the earth and made it; He hath established it, He created it not in vain, He formed it to be inhabited .” Isaiah 45:18 . That purpose will be fulfilled, when, renewed by the power of God, and freed from sin and sorrow, it shall become the eternal abode of the redeemed . “The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein forever .” “And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and His servants shall serve Him .” Psalm 37:29; Revelation 22:3 .
Adam, in his innocence, had enjoyed open communion with his Maker; but sin brought separation between God and man, and the atonement of Christ alone could span the abyss and make possible the communication of blessing or salvation from heaven to earth . Man was still cut off from direct approach to his Creator, but God would communicate with him through Christ and angels .
Thus were revealed to Adam important events in the history of mankind, from the time when the divine sentence was pro- nounced in Eden, to the Flood, and onward to the first advent of the Son of God . He was shown that while the sacrifice of Christ would be of sufficient value to save the whole world, many would choose a life of sin rather than of repentance and obedience . Crime would increase through successive generations, and the curse of sin would rest more and more heavily upon the human race, upon the beasts, and upon the earth . The days of man would be shortened by his own course of sin; he would deteriorate in physical stature and endurance and in moral and intellectual power, until the world would be filled with misery of every type .
46 Cosmic Conflict: The Origin of Evil
Through the indulgence of appetite and passion men would become incapable of appreciating the great truths of the plan of redemption . Yet Christ, true to the purpose for which He left heaven, would continue His interest in men, and still invite them to hide their weakness and deficiencies in Him . He would supply the needs of all who would come unto Him in faith . And there would ever be a few who would preserve the knowledge of God and would remain unsullied amid the prevailing iniquity .
The sacrificial offerings were ordained by God to be to man a perpetual reminder and a penitential acknowledgment of his sin and a confession of his faith in the promised Redeemer . They were intended to impress upon the fallen race the solemn truth that it was sin that caused death . To Adam, the offering of the first sacrifice was a most painful ceremony . His hand must be raised to take life, which only God could give . It was the first time he had ever witnessed death, and he knew that had he been obedient to God, there would have been no death of man or beast . As he slew the innocent victim, he trembled at the thought that his sin must shed the blood of the spotless Lamb of God . This scene gave him a deeper and more vivid sense of the greatness of his trans- gression, which nothing but the death of God’s dear Son could expiate . And he marveled at the infinite goodness that would give such a ransom to save the guilty . A star of hope illumined the dark and terrible future and relieved it of its utter desolation .
But the plan of redemption had a yet broader and deeper purpose than the salvation of man . It was not for this alone that Christ came to the earth; it was not merely that the inhabitants of this little world might regard the law of God as it should be regarded; but it was to vindicate the character of God before the universe . To this result of His great sacrifice—its influence upon the intelligences of other worlds, as well as upon man—the Saviour looked forward when just before His crucifixion He said: “Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out . And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw
The Plan of Redemption 47
all men unto Me .” John 12:31, 32 . The act of Christ in dying for the salvation of man would not only make heaven accessible to men, but before all the universe it would justify God and His Son in their dealing with the rebellion of Satan . It would establish the perpetuity of the law of God and would reveal the nature and the results of sin .
From the first the great controversy had been upon the law of God . Satan had sought to prove that God was unjust, that His law was faulty, and that the good of the universe required it to be changed . In attacking the law he aimed to overthrow the author- ity of its Author . In the controversy it was to be shown whether the divine statutes were defective and subject to change, or per- fect and immutable .
When Satan was thrust out of heaven, he determined to make the earth his kingdom . When he tempted and overcame Adam and Eve, he thought that he had gained possession of this world; “because,” said he, “they have chosen me as their ruler .” He claimed that it was impossible that forgiveness should be granted to the sinner, and therefore the fallen race were his rightful sub- jects, and the world was his . But God gave His own dear Son— one equal with Himself—to bear the penalty of transgression, and thus He provided a way by which they might be restored to His favor, and brought back to their Eden home . Christ undertook to redeem man and to rescue the world from the grasp of Satan . The great controversy begun in heaven was to be decided in the very world, on the very same field, that Satan claimed as his .
It was the marvel of all the universe that Christ should hum- ble Himself to save fallen man . That He who had passed from star to star, from world to world, superintending all, by His provi- dence supplying the needs of every order of being in His vast cre- ation—that He should consent to leave His glory and take upon Himself human nature, was a mystery which the sinless intelli- gences of other worlds desired to understand . When Christ came to our world in the form of humanity, all were intensely interested
48 Cosmic Conflict: The Origin of Evil
in following Him as He traversed, step by step, the bloodstained path from the manger to Calvary . Heaven marked the insult and mockery that He received, and knew that it was at Satan’s instiga- tion . They marked the work of counteragencies going forward; Satan constantly pressing darkness, sorrow, and suffering upon the race, and Christ counteracting it . They watched the battle between light and darkness as it waxed stronger . And as Christ in His expiring agony upon the cross cried out, “It is finished” (John 19:30), a shout of triumph rang through every world and through heaven itself . The great contest that had been so long in progress in this world was now decided, and Christ was con- queror . His death had answered the question whether the Father and the Son had sufficient love for man to exercise self-denial and a spirit of sacrifice . Satan had revealed his true character as a liar and a murderer . It was seen that the very same spirit with which he had ruled the children of men who were under his power, he would have manifested if permitted to control the intelligences of heaven . With one voice the loyal universe united in extolling the divine administration .
If the law could be changed, man might have been saved without the sacrifice of Christ; but the fact that it was necessary for Christ to give His life for the fallen race, proves that the law of God will not release the sinner from its claims upon him . It is demonstrated that the wages of sin is death . When Christ died, the destruction of Satan was made certain . But if the law was abolished at the cross, as many claim, then the agony and death of God’s dear Son were endured only to give to Satan just what he asked; then the prince of evil triumphed, his charges against the divine government were sustained . The very fact that Christ bore the penalty of man’s transgression is a mighty argument to all cre- ated intelligences that the law is changeless; that God is righteous, merciful, and self-denying; and that infinite justice and mercy unite in the administration of His government .