In trying to make sense of the horrors of what is going on in the world around us, it helps if we understand the drama that has been playing out for over 6000 years between Christ and Satan. As we understand the nature of this conflict, we can better appreciate the forces that are striving against each other in our world today. It also helps us to understand how there can be so much suffering in the world when God is all-powerful and all-loving.
Most people have a basic understanding of who Jesus is, but not everyone is as familiar with Satan and where he comes from. Even fewer have considered why he rebelled against God and the way in which he has brought this same spirit of rebellion to the Earth.
Satan was not always the archenemy of God. Prior to his revolt in heaven, he was known as Lucifer, the son of the morning (Isaiah 14:12). He held the position of the anointed covering cherub that stood beside the throne of God; the most honoured of all the angels (Ezekiel 28:14). God tells us that when Lucifer was created, he was perfect in all his ways; he was full of wisdom and perfect in beauty (Ezekiel 28:12, 15). However, Satan became dissatisfied with his rank and position. He started to believe that he was deserving of honour and praise. He began to harbour a spirit of pride and desired to be reverenced and worshipped above God.
“For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’” Isaiah 14:13-14
In order to achieve this desire, Satan cunningly went about deceiving his fellow angels to turn against God and give their allegiance to him. In Revelation 12:4 we read that the dragon (Satan) drew a third of the stars (angels) from heaven with him. Hebrews 12:22 describes that there are countless angels, so we are dealing with an exceptionally large number. To convince so many of these holy beings to join him in his insurrection, he must have presented the most convincing arguments against God. The Bible does not specifically outline the nature of the political debate that divided heaven, but if we look closely at the way in which Satan has used worldly institutions and systems to bring war upon God and His people throughout history in our world, we can find out what this whole controversy is about.
Satan’s fight against God is a political one. If it were simply about who is stronger God would have settled the score a long time ago. The fact that Satan has made false claims against God is the reason why God has allowed Satan’s rebellion to continue as long as it has. If God had immediately destroyed Satan, this would have made him a martyr for a false cause and planted the seed for ongoing rebellion in heaven.
Satan held a high rank among the angels and was much loved and trusted by them. When he presented his lies to the other angels, they were not quick to perceive his selfish intentions. He led the angels to believe that he was on their side, fighting against an injustice in God’s government. Before Satan sinned, lies and trickery were unknown, all was peace and harmony in heaven. Blinded by Satan’s deception, the other angels would not have understood God’s justice if He had immediately destroyed Satan for his rebellion. Love for God would have been replaced by dissatisfaction, questioning, and fear. To them, God would have become a tyrant and further sin and rebellion amongst the angels would have been guaranteed. God was not willing to risk all of His creation by acting rashly in dealing with Satan, even though He would have been perfectly justified in doing so.
"And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born." Revelation 12:4
The tail of the dragon represents the lies he used to deceive the angels.
"The ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail." Isaiah 9:15
For all creation to understand God's love and justice in destroying Satan, it was necessary for Satan’s false charges and selfish system of government to be allowed to manifest itself. God would forever settle the question as to whether His law and government are righteous and just, and whether love was truly the foundation of His Kingdom. There is truth to the saying that if you give a man enough rope, he will eventually hang himself. God exercised this same wisdom in allowing Satan to manifest his true nature before the entire universe. Our world stands as a spectacle to what happens when we rebel against God’s law and government. You end up with a world full of hatred, pride, selfishness, murder, rape, and every other kind of evil you can imagine. The controversy is now settled in heaven, Satan has been revealed as a liar and murderer from the start and God’s divine government has been vindicated before all of His creation. Time continues in our world so that God can give as many as possible the opportunity to turn to Him and be saved.
When Satan deceived Adam and Eve and led them to distrust God’s love for them and eat from the forbidden tree, humanity became infected with the same spirit of rebellion that started with Satan in heaven. His false claims against God and His government are the same now as they have ever been, and deceit remains the key weapon in his armoury against us. Worship is Satan’s objective; to be adored and reverenced like God is his goal. In order to achieve this, he has attacked the very foundation of God’s government, His Law. What better way to usurp authority over God than to change the law that governs His Kingdom? We can find this sentiment expressed in the works of the little horn of Daniel 7; a religious system that at its core embodies the ideals of Satan.
“He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time.” Daniel 7:25
We give our allegiance to whoever we obey. If we follow God’s law, we show that we belong to Him. If we obey Satan’s law, we show that our allegiance and worship belong to Satan. What law did the little horn change? In 364 A.D., at the Council of Laodicea, the Catholic Church attempted to change the sanctity of the Sabbath from the seventh day (Saturday) to the first day (Sunday). This is why most Christians now worship on Sunday. Note that the little horn could only ‘intend’ (other versions of the Bible use the word ‘think’) to change the law of God. None but the One who created the law has the right or ability to change it. If you go to the Catholic Catechism you will also find that the second commandment has been removed, while the tenth has been separated into two commandments to maintain the number ten.
The duty to worship God is based on the fact that He is our Creator, and that to Him all things owe their existence.
“Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.” Psalms 95:6
“You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created.” Revelation 4:11
The Sabbath stands as a memorial of the creative work of God. It stands as an eternal reminder that God is worthy of our worship. For in six days, He created the heavens and the earth and all that is in them, and on the seventh day He rested. Satan attacks this commandment as a direct insult to the majesty of God as our Creator, then he replaces it with a day of his own choosing to redirect our loyalty and worship to him.
Although Sunday observance is an affront to God’s law, God accepts the sincerity of the millions of Christians who keep this day ignorantly. Many do not understand the claims of the seventh-day Sabbath and the importance of keeping this commandment. God judges us on what we know, but He also expects us to change when we hear the truth. The time is soon coming when Sunday observance will be enforced by law, and the true Gospel will spread across the globe with blinding light. All will be made aware of the claims of God’s law and made to choose a side.
Satan does not come to us as an ugly creature with horns and a pitchfork, he presents himself as a powerful and magnificent angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). Satan concealed himself as a serpent to deceive Eve, today he works in the same way under the guise of apostate Christianity to lead the entire world astray. What better way to fool people who claim to follow the Bible than under the semblance of Christianity?
Satan has perfected the art of mixing truth with error. When Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness, he tried to deceive him through misapplied scripture. Jesus overcame this deception by standing on the truth of God's word. We too must do the same if we expect not to be deceived.
The final crisis will be one of worship. This is the great object of Satan’s obsession and he has been working tirelessly to develop a kingdom on the Earth in which all people will worship him. This battle is described in Revelation 13. Will we worship the beast and its image and thereby worship Satan? Or will we worship God and keep His commandments? Will we choose the side of rebellion or loyalty?
Many have asked the question, "why didn't God destroy Satan at the start, or not create him at all?" The answer to this lies in 'free will'. Love can only exist when we have the freedom to choose to love or not. A robot that is pre-programmed to say "I love you" is not truly showing love, it is only repeating those words that it has been programmed to say. God desires real love from His creatures and for this to exist He must give us the freedom to choose. However, with free choice comes the risk of sin and rebellion. The free choice that God has given to each of us is also why we see crimes of every kind. God does not control us like puppets but gives us the freedom to choose our path, whether it be good or evil. This is not to say that evil will go unpunished. All who continue in sin, rejecting the saving grace of God, will suffer the final punishment in the lake of fire. While we all must experience suffering to some degree in this world because of the sin and rebellion that has now been continuing for over 6,000 years, God promises that He will make all things right.
God allows this final battle to take place so that every human being on the earth will be given equal opportunity to hear the truth and pick a side. God does not force the will as Satan does. He has revealed His love to us through the offering up of His Son on the cross of Calvary for our salvation. He appeals to our hearts to recognise that He alone is worthy of our love and adoration. He alone can bring true joy and peace into our lives. Only by the precious blood of Christ can we be saved from ourselves and a sin-darkened world. A time is soon coming where every soul will have decided to stand either for God or Satan. When this time comes the destiny of all will be eternally decided and Jesus will return to the earth to reward everyone according to their works. Accept the sacrifice that Jesus made for you and stand loyally by God. There is a heaven and eternal life to be won. We have hope for the future only as we abide safely with Christ.
But as it is written:
“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”
1 Corinthians 2:9
For more information explaining how the Catholic Church is the little horn of Daniel 7 and the first beast of Revelation 13 please read ‘The Final Crisis’ tract which you can download from the home page of this website or click here to read our next article 'Unmasking the Antichrist.'
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