Sabbath: Crisis in Heaven
Read for This Week’s Study: Isa. 14:4, 12-15; Ezek. 28:2, 12-19; John 12:31; Rev. 12:7-16; Luke 10:1-21.
Memory Text: “‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’” (Revelation 7:10, NKJV).
Image © Lars Justinen Goosalt.com
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 desires from all His creatures the service of love-service that springs from an appreciation of His character. He takes no pleasure in a forced obedience; and to all He grants freedom of will, that they may render Him voluntary service.”-Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 34.
So long as all created beings acknowledged the allegiance of love, there was perfect harmony throughout the universe. All it took was one rebel, and everything changed. Lucifer thought that he could do a better job than God did. He wanted God’s position and the prestige that went with it.
His lust for power resulted in a “war in heaven” (Rev. 12:7). By tricking Adam and Eve at the forbidden tree in Eden, Satan brought that war to earth, and we have been living with the consequences ever since. The plan of salvation is God’s way of dealing with the rebellion and restoring the order and harmony that Satan had disrupted.
Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, January 2.
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That iniquity should arise in the heart of Lucifer remains a mystery to human intelligence (Ezekiel 28:15). Since then the desire for independence and supremacy which leads to rebellion has created two opposing forces; one a cohesive group united by love, and the other a coalition of rebels, who are also rivals united by their opposition to the Creator’s authority (Luke 11:23).
All who are willingly disobedient to the Creator are on the side of Satan. Nevertheless the Old Serpent is not sympathetic to fellow rebels (Revelation 12:9). Satan does not hold sinners as friends, but as disposable slaves to be used and afterwards discarded or destroyed (Romans 6:16-21).
The goodies served up by the devil are merely to entice humans to strike a blow against Jehovah on the path to ruin (Genesis 3:4-13). Were Satan to be victorious in the conflict with the Creator his kingdom would produce an endless cycle of discontent, discord, competition and uprising. Whatever the short term gains misery would always attend the kingdom (1 Corinthians 15:19).
It is Satan’s resolve to make sin appear lovely and rewarding, and his efforts are aided by mankind’s fallen nature which does not readily distinguish between the holy and unholy (Isaiah 5:20), but has a propensity for evil (Genesis 8:21; Mark 7:21-22).
Through God’s permissive will the evidence is laid bare before all. Whatever one may believe it is apparent that riches and a few passing pleasures along with lawlessness, overthrow of authority, selfish ambition and everyone striving to outdo each other do not produce lasting peace and joy.
Unless there is a way to change the human heart there is no hope for permanent peace and perfection on this planet. Why not try it the Creator’s way, and let Him lead? (Mark 10:17-21)
Good material. I'm wondering though, about the statement that says, "by tricking Adam and Eve at the tree in Eden, Satan brought that war to earth..."
As a people we've generally taught that Adam was not at the tree while Eve was having the talk with the Serpent. In my view, this teaching is based on good ground. I'm happy to offer a brief explanation if anyone is interested, but part of the explanation is this :
"...Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression." (1Tim 2:14.) Adam was not deceived, or tricked, by the Devil at the tree. When Eve told him about what had happened, he understood immediately, and his subsequent reaction was knowingly done. I can accept that Adam was "deceived" in a sense (he thought he was about to lose his wife, and decided to go down with her), but the Devil was not the deceiver in that instance. It was Adam's own reasonings and emotions that deceived him, and his decision sealed the fate of the human family.
Could one say, then, that Adam's deception was more suttle as in his belief system was tampered! Adam was deceived into thinking he would lose "the love of his life". The issue was all about trusting God when all seemed to point to hopelessness! There is my focus trust God even when it appears to my "fallen senses" that all is hopeless! God's ways are not my ways and He has a 1,000 ways to work that I don't even understand!
Sharon,
Even after all the happy years in Eden, large areas remained outside of Adam and Eve's comprehension. When Adam was created he knew "in part" (1Cor 13:9). His understanding and knowledge were incomplete. Nevertheless, "all his faculties were capable of development; their capacity and vigor were continually to increase [throughout eternity]." (Education p.15)
In my view Adam's decision was made on the basis of incomplete knowledge. I don't think I'm able to agree that Adam's belief system was tampered with, Sharon. Yes, Adam WAS DECEIVED into thinking he would lose "the love of his life". Yes, "he resolved to share her fate; and if she must die, he would die with her." (Patriarchs & Prophets p.56)
But I suggest that Adam was confused. He expected that Eve should have died immediately when she ate that fruit. Yet even in his confusion, he felt that the situation was hopeless, just as you say.
Adam knew nothing of the plan that had been laid before the foundation of the earth. But "THE INSTANT man accepted the temptations of Satan... the Son of God stood between the Living and the dead, saying, "Let the punishment fall on Me. I will stand in man's place..."". Christ shielded them, "saving the race from IMMEDIATE DEATH." (1BC p.1085; 7BC p.912)
Adam and Eve should have both IMMEDIATELY dropped dead the moment Adam ate the forbidden fruit, but at that instant, Jesus stood in the breach, and took "the hit".
All very true! But still the issue remains TRUST GOD!
Agreed.
Thank you Steward for your very interesting explanation about diferent sins comitted by our first parentes: Adam and Eve. Another thing that attracted my attention was the frase "Even after all the happy years in Eden". Do you think that the first sin occurred many years after the creation? The forbidden tree which was a test for Adam and Eve would stay in Eden for so long time. I really appreciate your opinion because I saw by your explanation you have reflected about this event and maybe has faced this doubt of mine.
Thank you Hudson. Yes I have wondered about the length of time between the creation and the first sin too. We have a thought in Genesis 5:3, which says that Seth was born when ADAM WAS 130 YEARS OLD. With this 'marker' we can get an approximate time-frame. Of course Adam and Eve had two children (Cain and Abel) soon after the expulsion from Eden. And Abel was killed by his brother when he was "a youth full of life and vigor" (EGW).
From these things (and some other indicators suggesting that Seth was conceived shortly after Abel's death), I believe Adam's sin happened about 90-100 years after their creation.
Adam knew what he was doing and his act of going against God constitutes rebellion as opposed to deceit.
Obert, I agree. On the basis of 1Tim 2:14 we must say that "Adam was not deceived". Adam knew what he was doing, and he expected to die as a result.
And yet, as I wrote earlier,
"I can accept that Adam was "deceived" in a sense (he thought he was about to lose his wife, and decided to go down with her), but the Devil was not the deceiver in that instance. It was Adam's own reasonings and emotions that deceived him..."
The reasoning that Adam used was skewed, off target; it was based on faulty logic... and in that sense he misled, or tricked, himself. Yet Adam's self-deception could not be blamed on the Devil. "The heart is deceitful ABOVE ALL THINGS" (Jer 17:9), and how true this is, especially in our day! We are facing a far greater danger from self-deception than we are from the deceptions of the Devil's mouth. As Laodiceans we tend to think that we are "this" when in fact we are "that".
There has ever been one way to have any dealings with God: absolute faith on our part. Wherever that rule does not reign, there God does not reign and disquiet is a natural. I agree that Adam was not deceived and Even cannot really claim to have been beguiled because she KNEW what God had said. What happened at the tree was just a catastrophe making a simple point: we are safe away from temptation and Satan. Adam and Eve were overwhelmed not deceived. They should have known better than to play anywhere near anything Satan. That lesson should be learned by all of us. Anything that is not the strictest compliance to God's plain positions is dangerous.
Thank you saints for the valuable contributions. Help me with the following questions; since we say christ stood on Adam and Eve's behalf instantly how did God accept this offer before the incarnation? What saved Lucifer from meeting the Wrath of sin. Recently I was asked the Old question, why did the all knowing God create an Angel who would later sin?
Its a mystery how Adam's sinless mind become clouded with hopelessness while Eve stood before him. Should we assume that since Eve came out Adam, the moment Eve sinned, Adam's being became compromised? Marred with sin?
Gracios, I am not sure I understand the questions, however Genesis' account says that Eve was tempted by Satan in serpent form and ate the fruit and gave Adam the fruit to eat also. The sin was committed by Eve originally. If Adam had refused the fruit He would not have sinned at that time. Adam was deceived by Satan and Eve. The logic being that she ate the fruit and did not die so it must be good to eat. God's plans and time tables are not always in the realm of human understanding. Satan will not escape the Wrath of sin. If you mean his utter destruction. Hopefully this helps your understanding in some way.
Gracious, you have asked some big questions. I believe they deserve a much fuller response than is possible here. But I will try to briefly explain my views on those things.
#1.If we accept the Spirit of Prophecy statements that, in Eden, Jesus saved the human race "from immediate death", because "THE INSTANT man accepted the temptations of Satan... the Son of God stood between the Living and the dead, saying, 'Let the punishment fall on Me'" (7BCp.912; 1BC.1085) -- if we accept these things, then we are faced with the kind of question you've asked.
The answer is centred, I suggest, in the Scripture which says that the Lamb was "slain from the foundation of the world." (Rev 13:8).
Of course the normal understanding is, that at the foundation of the world Jesus committed Himself to die for us - i.e. a "promissory note" pledging His life for ours, was given to the fallen race. And it is thought that in some way this COMMITMENT would be enough to shield sinners from the "wages of sin", until such time as Jesus would literally come and die on the cross.
This might all sound rational/logical, and for some it is the only option they will ever allow, but I do not believe that it is based on Scripture.
When Paul used the illustration that "the wages of sin is death", he was working with the then commonly understood law, that wages were to be paid the same day that 'work' was done. (Lev 19:13.) Adam and Eve's "wages" were due them the same day they sinned - in fact as soon as they sinned, their wages were to be paid. It was not right [and in their case, 'not possible'] that the payment of wages be delayed; but the wages of sin, instead of being credited to the account of those that could not bear it, was credited to Christ's 'account'.
So in reply to your first question - Christ's offer [and His "immediate", literal, intervention in Eden,] were acceptable to God, prior to His incarnation, because His incarnation was not necessary to cover/shield us from the immediate results of sin. Christ's incarnation was certainly necessary, but it was not necessary for THAT reason.
"The cross is a revelation to our dull senses of the pain that, from its very inception, sin has brought to the heart of God." (EGW, Education p.263). Perhaps it will not mean anything to many of us here, but this same idea was taken up by our notable pioneers too:
"...the only reason why that man [Adam] did not die that day, even in the very hour when he sinned, is that there, at that moment, Jesus Christ offered himself in behalf of man, and took upon himself the death that would then have fallen upon the man; and thus [He] gave to man another chance, a probation, a breathing-space, that he might choose life." (Ecclesiastical Empire, A.T.Jones, p.110).
"The scene of Calvary was the manifestation of what has taken place as long as sin has existed" (Glad Tidings, E.J. Waggoner, p.47.)
Gracious, I'm mindful that I've already exceeded my allotment, but I hope there is something of interest here for you.
Dear Stewart,
Thank you so much for the elaborate response which has covered additional lessons and scriptural reference. I ready the posting several times and it helpful to our Sabbath School class too. God bless your ministry. I do believe we meet the incarnation lesson along this quarter.
\"why did the all knowing God create an Angel who would later sin?\" This is to do with free will and Love. We cannot truly love unless we have free will to choice to love or not to love.
Gracios, it is evident that these questions bring controversy and perplexities to us who are mortal and short of cosmic intelligence. However, I would like to put some answers across that might help us in the quest for truth. First, God did not 'make an Angel who could later sin'. Ezekiel 28:12-15 tells us that Lucifer sealed the sum and was perfect in his ways till iniquity was found in him. The arising of iniquity itself is a mystery (2Thess 2:7) and therefore it cannot be attributed to God but to Satan himself and is the reason why Christ was made manifest from the beginning (1 John 3:8, compare 1Peter 1:20, Rev 13:8, Gen 3:15). God, through infinite love, made an angel having a capacity for reason and self will and so ultimately, the decisions made by Lucifer turned Satan fall on himself. On the part of the assumption you make about Adam's form being compromised after Eve falling, it can be seen as faulty. 1Timothy 2:14 speaks to us about the individuality of sin. Eve being deceived erred, while Adam made a conscious decision to transgress. The transgression of Adam though partly based on his love for the woman in sin, was majorly attributed to his lack of trust in God's providence and an incomplete understanding of the Character of God. He did not see God as His Saviour in the crisis before him but the finality of the Doom condemned to the wife.
Eston, your response is highly appreciated and helpful to the newly baptized young people we study with and have so many questions. Getting different perspectives really help in enriching our discussions. God bless you as you bless others
I still hold to the fact that Adam was not deceived, according to 1 Tim. 2:14. Eve was deceived (beguiled) and Adam chose to suffer the consequence with her. Had Adam remained faithful God would have known what to do. But the all-knowing God who knows the beginning from the end knew what would happen so a provision was made for this breach in the person of Jesus. Praise His wonderful name!
Dear Paul,
Thank you for your response and I appreciate your quotation 'God's time table is not in the real of man's understanding', this helps in answering the question why Lucifer did not instantly die. I now also remember having read from EGW that had God instantly killed Satan, he would have been looked at by the unfallen world as a tyranny, vindictive God as opposed to his true attributes of Love, long suffering, merciful, full of kindness, Gracious, forgiving, slow to anger: Exod 34:6.
According to History, how long did it take between the day Man was created and the fall; approximately how many years?
Hello Mark,
I believe there is an aspect of history given in Genesis 5 that is the key. It says that Adam was 130 years old when Seth was born to him. (Gen 5:3.)
This figure is absolute; it refers, I assert, to Adam's age - not from the time of his expulsion from Eden, but from the day of his creation.
From this we can work backwards to give an approximate time-frame. We know that Cain and Abel were born to their parents AFTER the expulsion from the Garden.
And if we accept that Abel died when he was "a youth full of life and vigor" (EGW), (a young farmer still in his 20's?), and that Cain was older, then in my view we can arrive at an approximate figure. Adam and Eve lived in the Garden for about 90 to 100 years before the fall.