Satan, had centuries to introduce errors into the Christian Church—and then carefully cover them over with the passing of years, —until tradition was palmed off in the place of clear-cut Scriptural statements.

But in these last days, God sent a prophet. Opening the past to the messenger of His choice, He revealed not only the final crisis just ahead of us, but also the errors of the past that it will be based upon.

And the Bible truth, given so clearly in the book of Hebrews, was also revealed: that there is a Sanctuary in heaven that the earthly sanctuary was patterned after (Exodus 25:8-9,40; Hebrews 8:5), and that Christ is our High Priest within that Sanctuary (Hebrews 8:1-2; 4:14-16; 7:25, etc.). Knowing where Jesus is and what He is doing for us right now, can wonderfully deepen hope and courage as we face not only the trials of daily life but the uncertainties of the future.

(Bracketed additions, below—as, well as else. where in this book—are supplied by the present writer.)

"The Lord gave me the following view in 1847; while the brethren were assembled on the Sabbath, at Topsham, Maine.

"We felt an unusual spirit of prayer. And as we prayed, the Holy Ghost fell upon us. We were very happy. Soon I was lost to earthly things and was wrapped in a vision of God's glory. I saw an angel flying swiftly to me. He quickly carried me from the earth to the Holy City. [Rev 21:1] In the city I saw a temple, which I entered. [Heb 8:1-2] I passed through a door before I came to the first veil [Heb 9:2] This veil was raised, and I passed into the holy place. Here I saw the altar of incense, the candlestick with seven lamps, and the table on which was the shewbread. After viewing the glory of the holiest, Jesus raised the second veil and I passed into the holy of holies. [Heb 9:3-5]

"In the holiest I saw an ark; on the top and sides of it was purest gold. On each end of the ark was a lovely cherub, with its wings spread out over it. Their faces were turned toward each other, and they looked downward. Between the angels was a golden censer. Above the ark, where the angels stood, was an exceeding bright glory, that appeared like a throne where God dwelt. Jesus stood by the ark, and as the saints' prayers came up to Him, the incense in the censer would smoke, and He would offer up their prayers with the smoke of the incense to His Father. [Rev 4:2; 8:3-4; Heb 4:14-16; 7:25-26; 8:1-3,5,6,10; 9:11; 10:16-25,32-39] In the ark was the golden pot of manna, Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of stone which folded together like a book. Jesus opened them, and I saw the Ten Commandments written on them with the finger of God. On one table were four, and on the other six. The four on the first table shone brighter than the other six. But the fourth, the Sabbath commandment, shone above them all; for the Sabbath was set apart to be kept in honor of God's holy name. [Gen 2:1-3; Ezek 20:12,20] The holy Sabbath looked glorious—a halo of glory was all around it. I saw that the Sabbath commandment was not nailed to the cross. [Matt 24: 20] If it was, the other nine commandments were; and we are at liberty to break them all, as well as to break the fourth. [1John 3:4; James 1:22-25; 2:10-14; Rom 3:31; 6:12-16, 23] I saw that God had not changed the Sabbath, for He never changes. [Mal 3:6] But the pope had changed it from the seventh to the first day of the week; for he was to change times and laws [Dan 7:25].

"And I saw that if God had changed the Sabbath from the seventh to the first day, He would have changed the writing of the Sabbath commandment, written on the tables of stone, which are now in the ark in the most holy place of the temple in heaven; and it would read thus: The first day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God. But I saw that it read the same as when written on the tables of stone by the finger of God, and delivered to Moses on Sinai. [Ex 31:18,13-17; Deut 9:9-11] ‘But the Seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God.' [Ex 20:8-11] I saw that the holy Sabbath. . is the great question to unite the hearts of God's dear, waiting saints. [Isa 58:12-14: Rev 12:17;14:12]."—Early Writings, 32-33.

In 1848, Ellen White had a preview of the important 1858 vision (Life Sketches, 162). Here is a part of what she was shown, down through history:

"I was carried forward to the time when heathen idolaters cruelly persecuted and killed the Christians [after the time of Christ's life on earth]. Blood flowed in torrents. The noble, the learned, and the common people were alike slain without mercy. Wealthy families were reduced to poverty, because they would not yield their religion. Notwithstanding the persecution and sufferings, which these Christians endured, they would not lower the standard. They kept their religion pure. I saw that Satan exulted and triumphed over their sufferings. But God looked upon His faithful martyrs with great approbation [approval]. The Christians who lived in that fearful time were greatly beloved of Him, because they were willing to suffer for His sake. Every suffering endured by them increased their reward in heaven.

"Although Satan rejoiced because of the suffering of the saints, yet he was not satisfied. He wanted control of the mind as well as the body. The sufferings that they endured only drove them closer to the Lord, leading them to love one another, and causing them to fear more than ever to offend Him. Satan wished to lead them to displease God; then they would lose their strength, fortitude, and firmness. Although thousands were slain, yet others were springing up to supply their places. Satan saw that he was losing his subjects; for although they suffered persecution and death, yet they were secured to Jesus Christ, to be the subjects of His kingdom. Satan therefore laid his plans to fight more successfully against the government of God and overthrow the church. He led the heathen idolaters to embrace a part of the Christian faith. They professed to believe in the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, and proposed to unite with the followers of Jesus, without a change of heart. Oh, the fearful danger of the church. It was a time of mental anguish. Some thought that if they should come down and unite with those idolaters who had embraced a portion of the Christian faith, it would be the means of their full conversion. Satan was seeking to corrupt the doctrines of the Bible.

"I saw that at last the standard was lowered, and that the heathen were uniting with the Christians. Although these worshipers of idols professed to be converted, they brought their idolatry with them into the church, only changing the objects of their worship to images of saints, and even of Christ and of Mary His mother. As the followers of Christ gradually united with them, the Christian religion became corrupted and the church lost its purity and power. Some refused to unite with them; such preserved their purity and worshiped God.

"I saw the company of idolaters consulting together. Failing to make the Christians yield, they agreed to another plan. I saw them lower their banner and then approach that firm Christian company and make propositions to them. At first their propositions were utterly refused. Then I saw the Christian company consulting together. Some said that they would lower the banner, accept the propositions, and save their lives, and at last they could gain strength to raise, their banner among the heathen. A few, however, would not yield to this plan, but firmly chose to die holding their banner rather than to lower it. Then I saw many lower the banner and unite with the heathen; but the firm and steadfast would again seize it and bear it on high. I saw that persons were continually leaving the company of those who bore the pure banner, and were uniting with the idolaters under the black banner, to persecute those bearing the white banner. Many were slain, yet the white banner was held high, and believers were raised up to rally around it..

"It has ever been the design of Satan to draw the minds of the people from Jesus to man, and to destroy individual accountability. Satan failed in his design when he tempted the Son of God; but he succeeded better when he came to fallen man. Popes and priests presumed to take an exalted position, and taught the people to look to them for the pardon of their sins, instead of looking to Christ for themselves.

"The people were wholly deceived. They were taught that the popes and priests were Christ's representatives, when in fact they were the representatives of Satan, and those who bowed to them worshiped Satan. The people called for the Bible; but the priests considered it dangerous to let them have it to read for themselves, lest they should become enlightened and expose the sins of their leaders. The people were taught to receive every word from these deceivers as from the mouth of God. They held that power over the mind, which God alone should hold. If any dared to follow their own convictions, the same hate which Satan and the Jews exercised toward Jesus would be kindled against them, and those in authority would thirst for their blood.

"Satan could not hinder the plan of salvation. Jesus was crucified, and rose again the third day. But Satan told his angels that he would make the crucifixion and resurrection tell to his advantage. He was willing that those who professed faith in Jesus should believe that the laws regulating the Jewish sacrifices and offerings ceased at the death of Christ, if he could push them farther and make them believe that the law of ten commandments also died with Christ.

"I saw that many yielded to this device of Satan. All heaven was moved with indignation as they saw the holy law of God trampled underfoot. Jesus and all the heavenly host were acquainted with the nature of God's law; they knew that He would not change or abrogate it. The hopeless condition of man after the fall caused the deepest sorrow in heaven, and moved Jesus to offer to die for the transgressors of God's holy law. But if that law could be abrogated, man might have been saved without the death of Jesus. Consequently His death did not destroy the law of His Father, but magnified and honored it and enforced obedience to all its holy precepts.

"Had the church remained pure and steadfast, Satan could not have deceived them, and led them to trample on the law of God. In this bold plan, Satan strikes directly against the foundation of God's government in heaven and on earth. His rebellion caused him to be expelled from heaven. After he rebelled, in order to save himself he wished God to change His law, but was told before the whole heavenly host that God's law was unalterable. Satan knows that if he can cause others to violate God's law, he has gained them to his cause; for every transgressor of that law must die.

"Satan decided to go still farther. He told his angels that some would be so jealous of God's law that they could not be caught in this snare; the Ten Commandments were so plain that many would believe that they were still binding, and therefore he must seek to corrupt only one of the commandments. He then led on his representatives to attempt to change the fourth, or Sabbath, commandment, thus altering the only one of the ten, which brings to view the true God, the Maker of the heavens and the earth. Satan presented before them the glorious resurrection of Jesus, and told them that by His rising on the first day of the week, He changed the Sabbath from the seventh day to the first day of the week.

"Thus Satan used the resurrection to serve his purpose. He and his angels rejoiced that the errors they had prepared took so well with the professed friends of Christ. What one looked upon with religious horror, another would receive. Thus, different errors were received and defended with zeal. The will of God, so plainly revealed in His Word, was covered up with errors and traditions, which have been taught as the commandments of God. Although this heaven-daring deception will be suffered to be carried on until the second appearing of Jesus, yet through all this time of error and deception, God has not been left without witnesses. Amid the darkness and persecution of the church there have always been true and faithful ones who kept all of God's commandments.

"I saw that the angelic host were filled with amazement as they beheld the sufferings and death of the King of glory. But I saw that it was no marvel to them that the Lord of life and glory, He who filled all heaven with joy and splendor, should break the bands of death, and walk forth from His prison house, a triumphant conqueror. Therefore, if either of these events should be commemorated by a day of rest, it is the crucifixion. But I saw that neither of these events was designed to alter or abrogate God's law; on the contrary, they give the strongest proof of its immutability.

"Both of these important events have their memorials. By partaking of the Lord's Supper, the broken bread and the fruit of the vine, we show forth the Lord's death until He comes. The scenes of His sufferings and death are thus brought fresh to our minds. The resurrection of Christ is commemorated by our being buried with Him by baptism, and raised out of the watery grave, in likeness of His resurrection, to live in newness of life.

"I was shown that the law of God would stand fast forever, and exist in the new earth to all eternity. At the creation, when the foundations of the earth were laid, the sons of God looked with admiration upon the work of the Creator, and all tile heavenly host shouted for joy. It was then that the foundation of the Sabbath was laid. At the close of the six days of creation, God rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made and He blessed the seventh day and "sanctified it, because that in it  'He had rested from all His work.' The Sabbath was instituted in Eden before the fall, and was observed by Adam and Eve, and all the heavenly host. God rested on the seventh day, and blessed and hallowed it. I saw that the Sabbath never will be done away; but that the redeemed saints, and all the angelic host, will observe it in honor of the great Creator to all eternity."—Early Writings, pages 210-217.

All of this is but a paraphrase of two powerful chapters in the Bible: Daniel 7 and Revelation 12, where important prophecies are given about this organization that made the Dark Ages as dark as they were—Roman Babylon. Daniel 7:25 summarizes the problem; Revelation 12:13-16 describes the flight of the true church into wilderness areas in the Dark Ages—in order to escape death at the hands of men who neither wished to obey the Bible, nor permit others to obey it. Revelation 12:17 and 14:12 identifies those, the final "remnant" of the 6,000-year-old true church, who, down at the end of time, will continue to obey the Bible by faith in Jesus Christ their Savior.

"And he [the "little horn" power that ruled and destroyed during the Dark Ages] shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.

"But the Judgment shall sit and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.

"And the kingdom and dominion and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him."—Daniel 7:25-27.

"And when the dragon [Satan] saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted [through Mysterious Babylon, his counterfeit church] the woman [the true church] which had brought forth the man child [Christ, see verses 1-5]. And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

"And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood [water symbolizes peoples (soldiers): Rev 17:15]. And the earth [rural, desolate areas] helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.

"And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ."—Revelation 12:13-17.

"Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the Commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus."—Revelation 14:12.

But now, in the book, "Great Controversy," we are shown still more of this apostasy and crisis, as it was revealed to Ellen in that 1858 Lovett's Grove vision:

"Royal edicts, general councils, and church ordinances sustained by secular power were the steps by which the pagan festival attained its position of honor in the Christian world.  The first public measure enforcing Sunday observance was the law enacted by Constantine (AD. 321). This edict required townspeople to rest on "the venerable day of the sun," but permitted countrymen to continue their agricultural pursuits. Though virtually a heathen statute, it was enforced by the emperor after his nominal acceptance of Christianity.

"The royal mandate not proving a sufficient substitute, for divine authority, Eusebius, a bishop who sought the favor of princes, and who was the special friend and flatterer of Constantine, advanced the claim that Christ had transferred the Sabbath to Sunday. Not a single testimony of the Scriptures was produced in proof of the new doctrine. Eusebius himself unwittingly acknowledges its falsity and points to the real authors of the change. 'All things,' he says, 'whatever that it was duty to do on the Sabbath, these we have transferred to the Lord's Day.'—Robert Cox, Sabbath Laws and Sabbath Duties, 538. But the Sunday argument, groundless as it was, served to embolden men in trampling upon the Sabbath of the Lord. All who desired to be honored by the world accepted the popular festival.

"As the papacy became firmly established, the work of Sunday exaltation was continued. For a time the people engaged in agricultural labor when not attending church, and the seventh day was still regarded as the Sabbath. But steadily a change was effected. Those in holy office were forbidden to pass judgment in any civil controversy on the Sunday. Soon after, all persons, of whatever rank, were commanded to refrain from common labor on pain of a fine for freemen and stripes in the case of servants. Later it was decreed that rich men should be punished with the loss of half of their estates; and finally, that if still obstinate they should be made slaves. The lower classes were to suffer perpetual banishment.

"Miracles also were called into requisition. Among other wonders it was reported that as a husbandman who was about to plow his field on Sunday cleaned his plow with an iron, the iron stuck fast in his hand, and for two years he carried it about with him, 'to his exceeding great pain and shame.' “—­Francis West, Historical and Practical Discourse on the Lord's Day, 174.

"The decrees of councils proving insufficient, the secular authorities were besought to issue an edict that would strike terror to the hearts of the people and force them to refrain from labor on the Sunday. At a synod held in Rome, all previous decisions were reaffirmed with greater force and solemnity. They were also incorporated into the ecclesiastical law and enforced by the civil authorities throughout nearly all Christendom. (See Heylyn, History of the Sabbath, pt. 2, ch. 5, sec. 7)

"Still the absence of Scriptural authority for Sunday keeping occasioned no little embarrassment. The people questioned the right of their teachers to set aside the positive declaration of Jehovah, 'The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God,' in order to honor the day of the sun. To supply the lack of Bible testimony; other expedients were necessary. A zealous advocate of Sunday, who about the close of the twelfth century visited the churches of England, was resisted by faithful witnesses for the truth; and so fruitless were his efforts that he departed from the country for a season and cast about him for some means to enforce his teachings. When he returned, the lack was supplied, and in his after labors he met with greater success. He brought with him a roll purporting to be from God Himself, which contained the needed command for Sunday observance, with awful threats to terrify the disobedient. .

 "But notwithstanding all the efforts to establish Sunday sacredness, papists themselves publicly confessed the divine, authority of the Sabbath and the human origin of the institution by which it had been supplanted. In the sixteenth century a papal council plainly declared: 'Let all Christians remember that the seventh day was consecrated by God, and hath been received and observed, not only by the Jews, but by all others who pretend to worship God; though we Christians have changed their Sabbath into the Lord's Day.'—Ibid., pages 281,282. Those who were tampering with the divine law, were not ignorant of the character of their work. They were deliberately setting themselves above God.

"A striking illustration of Rome's policy toward those who disagree with her was given in the long and bloody persecution of the Waldenses, some of whom were observers of the Sabbath. Others suffered in a similar manner for their fidelity to the fourth commandment. The history of the churches of Ethiopia and Abyssinia is especially significant. Amid the gloom of the Dark Ages, the Christians of Central Africa were lost sight of and forgotten by the world, and for many centuries they enjoyed freedom in the exercise of their faith. But at last Rome learned of their existence, and the emperor of Abyssinia was soon beguiled into an acknowledgment of the pope as the vicar of Christ. Other concessions followed.

"An edict was issued forbidding the observance of the Sabbath under the severest penalties (See M. Geddes, Church History of Ethiopia, pages 311,312). But papal tyranny soon became a yoke so galling that the Abyssinians determined to break it from their necks. After a terrible struggle the Romanists were banished from their dominions, and the ancient faith was restored. The churches rejoiced in their freedom, and they never forgot the lesson they had learned concerning the deception, the fanaticism, and the despotic power of Rome. Within their solitary realm in they were content to remain, unknown to the rest of Christendom.

"The churches of Africa held the Sabbath as it was held by the papal church before her complete apostasy. . Upon obtaining supreme power, Rome had trampled upon the Sabbath of God to exalt her own; but the churches of Africa, hidden for nearly a thousand years, did not share, in this apostasy. When brought under the sway of Rome, they were forced to set aside the true and exalt the false sabbath; but no sooner had they regained, their independence than they returned to obedience to the fourth commandment.

"These records of the past clearly reveal the enmity of Rome toward the 'true Sabbath and its defenders, and the means which she employs to honor the institution of her creating. The word of God teaches that these scenes are to be repeated. .

“The prophecy of Revelation 13 declares that the power represented by the beast with lamblike horns shall cause 'the earth and them which dwell therein' to worship the papacy —there symbolized by the beast 'like unto a leopard.' The beast with two horns is also to say to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast;' and, furthermore it is to command all, 'both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond,' to receive the mark of the beast. .

"Paul states plainly that the 'man of sin' will continue until the second advent. 2 Thessalonians 2:3-8. To the very close of time he will carry forward the work of deception. And the revelator declares, also referring to the papacy: 'All that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life,' Revelation 13:8. in both the Old and the New World, the papacy will receive homage in the honor paid to the Sunday institution, that rests solely upon the authority of the Roman Church…

"And let it be remembered, it is the boast of Rome that she never changes. The principles of Gregory Vll and Innocent III are still the principles of the Roman Catholic Church. And had she but the power, she would put them in practice with as much vigor now as in past centuries. Protestants little know what they are doing when they propose to accept the aid of Rome in the work of Sunday exaltation. While they are bent upon the accomplishment of their purpose, Rome is aiming to re-establish her power, to recover her lost supremacy. Let the principle once be established in the United States that the church may employ or control the power of the state; that the authority of church and state is to dominate the conscience, and the triumph of Rome in this country is assured.

"God's word has given warning of the impending danger; let this be unheeded, and the Protestant world will learn what the purposes of Rome really are, only when it is too late to escape tile snare. She is silently growing into power. Her doctrines are exerting their influence in legislative halls, in the churches, and in the hearts of men.

“From the very beginning of the great controversy in heaven, it has been Satan’s purpose to overthrow the law of God. It was to accomplish this that he entered upon his rebellion against the Creator, and though he was cast out of heaven he has continued the same warfare upon the earth. To deceive men, and thus lead them to transgress God's law, is the object which he has steadfastly pursued. Whether this be accomplished by casting aside the law altogether, or by rejecting one of its precepts, the result will be ultimately the same. He that offends ‘in one point,' manifests contempt for the whole law; his influence and example are on the side of transgression; he becomes 'guilty of all.’—James 2:10.

"In seeking to cast contempt upon the divine statutes Satan has perverted the doctrines of the Bible, and errors have thus become incorporated into the faith of thousands who profess to believe the Scriptures. The last great conflict between truth and error is but the final struggle of the long-standing controversy concerning the law of God. Upon this battle we are now entering—a battle between the laws of men and the precepts of Jehovah, between the religion of the Bible and the religion of fable and tradition."—Great Controversy, pages 574-582.

Thus, through the efforts of Satan for long centuries, we have come down to a time when men openly teach that no one need keep the commandments of God anymore. And such talk is even heard from the pulpits of the land and its theological seminaries.

We have, indeed, come into serious times. We are facing the end, and the crisis of the end. Modern Spiritualism, that finds its origin in the Fox cottage in Hydesville, New York in 1848, claims that there is no death, that all are their own god, and need only obey themselves. Political Atheism (world Communism) that began in 1848 in the European rooming house where Karl Marx wrote "Communist Manifesto," teaches that there is no God anywhere to be obeyed. Evolutionary Theory, the third great false religion of our, time, which began in 1859 with the writing of "Origin of the Species" by Charles Darwin, teaches that the gods that made us are the forces of nature and these alone are we to bow before.

But, hand in hand, we find "Mystery, Babylon, the mother of harlots" (Rev 17:5), working under the direction of the same master, Satan, and teaching the same basic error: The Commandments of God need not be obeyed; we only need obey the laws of men. The great tragedy is that the Protestant Churches—the last bastion of Bible truth for a dying world on the brink of the end of time—are accepting this error of Rome and urging it as though it were a Scriptural fact.

But the Scriptural facts are far different: God never abolished the Ten Commandments, the Moral Law of mankind. Intentional adulterers, murderers and liars are not going to heaven (Rev 21:8). We should walk as Jesus walked (1 Jn 2:6) and follow in His steps (1 Pet 2:21), for He faithfully kept His Father's commandments (In 15:10), and left us an example that we should keep the commandments also (1 Jn 5:3). And Jesus has not changed—He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb 13:8). We are to live clean lives just as He did, while here on earth. And the great standard of heart and life purity is the Ten Commandments (Ex 20:1-17). But it is only through His enabling grace that we can be empowered to obey His will for our lives.

"We ought to obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29) was the great principle upon which the Protestant Reformation was founded. And this is the principle upon which our personal religion should be based today. God is calling us to the obedience of faith—the obedience that works by faith and purifies the soul. We have been called to be His representatives for the obedience of the faith (Romans 1:5 R.V.), and we are to make it known to all nations (Rom 16:26; Acts 6:7; Rom 15:18). In the sight of Heaven, "to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry." (1 Samuel 15:22-23) Jesus was fully obedient (Heb 5:8) and He is the "Author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him" (Heb 5:9). Through His empowering grace, we are to bring "into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ" (2 Cor 10:5). For the Bible teaches that it is "by works was faith made perfect" [good works done through Christ's strength, not dead works done separately] (James 2:22). We are to purify our "souls by obeying the truth through the Spirit with unfeigned love" (1 Pet 1:22), for if we "be willing and obedient," we "shall eat the good of the land" (Isa 1:19). "We ought to obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29), and not be as those that Christ spoke of who "reject the commandment of, God, that ye may keep your own tradition" (Mark 7 :9).

We live in the hour of judgment, when men are called to worship their Creator. "Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment is come, and worship Him that made heaven and earth." (Rev 14:7) But Jesus said to those who worshiped Him falsely: "In vain they do worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." (Matt 15:9) We are to obey God's commandments, not invent new ones to take their place. "Every plant which My heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up." (Matt 15:13)

If we but understood and remembered the first lies spoken by Satan in the Garden of Eden, we would the more easily recognize his errors when they are presented to us.  

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

IDENTIFYING SATAN’S LIES

This world would have been a happy place if our first parents had believed God and disbelieved the devil. It was through the first lies spoken by Satan to mankind that a floodgate of misery was opened upon us. And it has been by believing those first lies, on down through history, that the misery has deepened. The opposite is true also: It is in recognizing those first lies of Satan that we can resist his errors when he presents them to us now.

Here are those first lies of Satan:

(1) It is all right to disobey the commands of God.

(2) Sinners will not die.

(3) Sin will bring us to a higher level of living.

(4) We are god, and need only obey our own impulses; they will ever lead us aright.

"And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? . . 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." —Genesis 3: 1,4-5.

Thus, we find that there are actually two basic errors:

(1)   It is not necessary to obey what God says.

(2)   We shall not die if we do disobey Him.

The Final Crisis in this earth's history will be based on these two errors!

(1) In earlier centuries, men tried to change the moral law of Ten Commandments. In the end-time of history they will confederate together in their religions, and try through governmental decrees to require all the earth to disobey God's Law.

(2) Satan's masterpiece of deception, through all the ages, has been through Spiritualism. And this terrible danger is based on the error that the dead are not dead. Spiritualists pretend to be able to contact dead spirits, whereas they are really talking with devils. In the final wind-up of history, it will be the power of Spiritualism that will suddenly emerge as an almost overwhelming force by which men will be coerced into Satan's last effort to cause all the world to disobey God.

“It was a marvel to me that Satan could succeed so well in making men believe that the words of God, 'The soul that sinneth, it shall die,' mean that the soul that sinneth it shall not die, but live eternally in misery. Said the angel, "Life is life, whether it is in pain or happiness. Death is without joy, without hatred.'

"Satan told his angels to make a special effort to spread the lie first repeated to Eve in Eden, 'Ye shall not surely die.' And as the error was received by the people, and they were led to believe that man was immortal, Satan led them on to believe that the sinner would live in eternal misery. Then the way was prepared for Satan to work through his representatives and hold up God before the people as a revengeful tyrant—one who plunges all those into hell who do not please Him, and causes them ever to feel His wrath; and while they suffer unutterable anguish, and writhe in the eternal flames, He is represented as looking down upon them with satisfaction. Satan knew that if this error should be received, God would be hated by many, instead of being loved and adored; and that many would be led to believe that the threatenings of God's Word would not be literally fulfilled, for it would be against His character of benevolence and love to plunge into eternal torments the beings whom He had created.

"Another extreme which Satan has led the people to adopt is entirely to overlook the justice of God, and the threatenings in His Word, and to represent Him as being all mercy, so that not one will perish, but that all, both saint and sinner, will at last be saved in His kingdom.

"Inconsequence of the popular errors of the immortality of the soul and endless misery, Satan takes advantage of another class and leads them to regard the Bible as an uninspired book. They think it teaches many good things; but they can not rely upon it and love it, because they have been taught that it declares the doctrine of eternal misery.

"Another Class Satan leads on still further, even to deny the existence of God. They can see no consistency in the character of the God of the Bible, if He will inflict horrible tortures upon a portion of the human family to all eternity. Therefore they deny the Bible and its Author and regard death as an eternal sleep.

"There is still another class who are fearful and timid. These Satan tempts to commit sin, and after they have sinned, he holds up before them that the wages of sin is not death but life in horrible torments, to be endured throughout the endless ages of eternity. By thus magnifying before their feeble minds the horrors of an endless hell, he takes possession of their minds, and they lose their reason. Then Satan and his angels exult, and the infidel and atheist join in casting reproach upon Christianity. They claim that these evils are the natural results of believing in the Bible and its Author, whereas they are the results of the reception of popular heresy."—Early Writings, pages 218.220..

"With the earliest history of man, Satan began his efforts to deceive our race. He who had incited rebellion in heaven desired to bring the inhabitants of the earth to unite with him in his warfare against the government of God. Adam and Eve had been perfectly happy in obedience to the law of God, and this fact was a constant testimony against the claim which Satan had urged in heaven, that God's law was oppressive and opposed to the good of His creatures. And furthermore, Satan's envy was excited as he looked upon the beautiful home prepared for the sinless pair. He determined to cause their fall, that, having separated them from God and brought them under his own power, he might gain possession of the earth and here establish his kingdom in opposition to the Most High.

"Had Satan revealed himself in his real character, he would have been repulsed at once, for Adam and Eve had been warned against this dangerous foe; but he worked in the dark, concealing his purpose, that he might more effectually accomplish his object. Employing as his medium the serpent, then a creature of fascinating appearance, he addressed himself to Eve: 'Hath God said, ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?' Genesis 3:1. Had Eve refrained from entering into argument with the tempter, she would, have been safe; but she ventured to parley with him and fell victim to his wiles. It is thus that many are still overcome, They doubt and argue concerning the requirements of God; and instead of obeying the divine commands, they accept human theories, which, but disguise the devices of Satan.'

" 'The woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: but of the fruit of the tree 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.' Verse 2.5. He declared that they would become like God, possessing greater wisdom than before and being capable of a higher state of existence. Eve yielded to temptation; and through her influence, Adam was led into sin. They accepted the words of the serpent, that God did not mean what He said; they distrusted their Creator and imagined that He was restricting their liberty and that they might obtain great wisdom and exaltation by transgressing His law.

"But what did Adam, after his sin, find to be the meaning of the words, 'In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die?' Did he find them to mean, as Satan had led him to believe, that he was to be ushered into a more exalted state of existence? Then indeed there was great good to be gained by transgression, and Satan was proved to be a benefactor of the race. But Adam did not find this to be the meaning of the divine sentence. God declared that as a penalty for his sin, man should return to the ground whence he was taken: 'Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.' Verse 19. The words of Satan, 'Your eyes shall be opened,’ proved to be true in this sense only: After Adam and Eve had disobeyed God, their eyes were opened to discern their folly; they did know evil, and they tasted the bitter fruit of transgression.

"In the midst of Eden grew the tree of life, whose fruit had the power of perpetuating life. Had Adam remained obedient to God, he would have continued to enjoy free access to this tree and would have lived forever. But when he sinned he was cut off from partaking of the tree of life; and he became subject to death. The divine sentence, 'Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return,' points to the utter extinction of life.

"Immortality, promised to man on condition of obedience, had been forfeited by transgression. Adam could not transmit to his posterity that which he did not possess; and there could have been no hope for the fallen race had not God, by the sacrifice of His Son, brought immortality within their reach. While 'death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned,' Christ 'hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel' Romans 5:12; 2 Timothy 1:10. And only through Christ can immortality be obtained. Said Jesus: 'He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life: John 3:36. Every man may come into possession of this priceless blessing if he will comply with the conditions. All 'who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality,' will receive 'eternal life.' Romans 2:7.

"The only one who promised Adam life in disobedience was the great deceiver. And the declaration of the serpent to Eve in Eden—'Ye shall not surely die'—was the first sermon ever preached upon the immortality of the soul. Yet this declaration, resting solely upon the authority of Satan, is echoed from the pulpits of Christendom and is received by the majority of mankind as readily as it was received by our first parents. The divine sentence, 'The soul that sinneth, it shall die' (EzekieI18:20), is made to mean: The soul that sinneth, it shall not die, but live eternally. We cannot but wonder at the strange infatuation which renders men so credulous concerning the words of Satan and so unbelieving in regard to the words of God.

"Had man after the fall been allowed free access to the tree of life, he would have lived forever, and thus sin would have been immortalized. But cherubim and a flaming sword kept 'the way of the tree of life' (Genesis 3:24), and not one of the family of Adam had been permitted to pass that barrier and partake of the life-giving fruit. Therefore there is not an immortal sinner.

"But after the Fall, Satan bade his angels make a special effort to inculcate the belief in man's natural immortality; and having induced the people to receive this error, they were to lead them on to conclude that the sinner would live in eternal misery. Now the prince of darkness, working through his agents, represents God as a revengeful tyrant, declaring that He plunges into hell all those who do not please Him, and causes them ever to feel His wrath; and that while they suffer unutterable anguish and writhe in the eternal flames, their Creator looks down upon them with satisfaction.'

"Thus the archfiend clothes with his own attributes the Creator and Benefactor of mankind. Cruelty is satanic. God is love; and all that He created was pure, holy, and lovely, until sin was brought in by the first great rebel. Satan himself is the enemy who tempts man to sin, and then destroys him if he can; and when he has made sure of his victim, then he exults in the ruin he has wrought. If permitted, he would sweep the entire race into his net. Were it not for the interposition of divine power, not one son or daughter of Adam would escape. .

"It is beyond the power of the human mind to estimate the evil which has been wrought by the heresy of eternal torment. The religion of the Bible, full of love and goodness, and abounding in compassion, is darkened by superstition and clothed with terror. When we consider in what false colors Satan has painted the character of God, can we wonder that our merciful Creator is feared, dreaded, and even hated? The appalling views of God which have spread over the world from the teachings of the pulpit have made thousands, yes, millions, of skeptics and infidels. .

"A large class to whom the doctrine of eternal torment is revolting are driven, to the opposite error. They see that the Scriptures represent God as a being of love and compassion, and they cannot believe that He will consign His creatures to the fires of an eternally burning hell. But holding that the soul is naturally immortal, they see no alternative but to conclude that all mankind will finally be saved. Many regard the threatenings of the Bible as designed merely to frighten men into obedience, and not to be literally fulfilled. Thus the sinner can live in selfish pleasure, disregarding the requirements of God, and yet expect to be finally received into His favor. Such a doctrine, presuming upon God's mercy, but ignoring His justice, pleases the carnal heart and emboldens the wicked in their Iniquity . .

"Like the waters of the Flood the fires of the great day declare God's verdict that the wicked are incurable. They have no disposition to submit to divine authority. Their will has been exercised in revolt; and when life is ended, it is too late to turn the current of their thoughts in the opposite direction, too late to turn from transgression to obedience, from hatred, to love. .

"Upon the fundamental error of natural immortality rests the doctrine of consciousness in death—a doctrine, like eternal torment, opposed to the teachings of the Scriptures, to the dictates of reason, and to our feelings of humanity. According to the popular belief, the redeemed in heaven are acquainted with all that takes place on the earth and especially with the lives of the friends whom they have left behind. But how could it be a source of happiness to the dead to know the troubles of the living, to witness the sins committed by their own loved ones, and to see them enduring all the sorrows, disappointments, and anguish of life? How much of heaven’s bliss would be enjoyed by those who were hovering over their friends on earth? And how utterly revolting is the belief that as soon as the breath leaves the body the soul of the impenitent is consigned to the flames of hell! To what depths of anguish must those be plunged who see their friends passing to the grave unprepared, to enter upon an eternity of woe, and sin! Many have been driven to insanity by this harrowing thought. .

"It is an undeniable fact that the hope of immortal blessedness at death has led, to a widespread neglect of the Bible doctrine of the resurrection..

"This has continued until the glorious truth of the resurrection has been almost wholly obscured and lost sight of by the Christian World. .

"Before any can enter the mansions of the blessed, their cases must be investigated, and their characters and their deeds must pass in review before God. All are to be judged according to the things written in the books and to be rewarded as their works have been. This judgment does not take place at death. .

"But if the dead are already enjoying the bliss of heaven or writhing in the flames of hell, what need of a future judgment?”—Great Controversy, pages 531-549.

These are among the great facts unveiled in the 1858 vision at Lovett's Grove. And yet they were but truths already given in the Bible, though obscured by the traditions of men in the centuries that followed. Briefly, let us see what the Bible says about this:

Man was originally made "a little lower than the angels" (Ps 8:5), and if he had not sinned, would have lived forever—would have been immortal.

Man is mortal—subject to death: "Shall mortal man be more just than his Maker?" (Job 4:17) The word "immortal" is only found once, and it is applied to God (1 Tim 1:17). The word "immortality" is given only five times in Scripture. Here they are: Only God has it—"who only hath immortality" (1 Tim 6:15.16). It is revealed through the gospel—Jesus "who hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel" (2 Tim 1:10). We are to seek it by obedience to Him—"To them who by patient continuance in 'well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life." (Rom 2:7). We need not seek that which we already have. It will be bestowed upon the righteous at Christ's Second Advent —" . . this mortal, shall have put on immortality" (1 Cor 15:51.54,57).

The resurrection of the dead does not take place until the Second Coming of Christ (1 Cor 15:51.55), and God's faithful at that time will be "the children of the resurrection" and will never again die: "Neither can they die any more; for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection." (Luke 20:36) Man is a combination of the breath of God and the dust of the earth; this makes him a living soul: "God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul" (Gen 2:7). .Thus, man is alive: "All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils." Job 27:3. When God's spirit leaves, man is dead: "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return to God who gave it." (Eccl 12:7) And man ceases to exist. "For the living know that they shall die, but the dead know not any thing." (Eccl 9:5) "His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish." (Ps 146:4) "His sons come to honour, and he knoweth it not; and they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them." (Job 14:21) "For in death there is no remembrance of Thee." (Ps 6:5) "The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down into silence." Ps 115:17...

"In Adam all die." (1 Cor. 15:22) "All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again." (Eccl 3:20) "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave, whither thou goest." (Eccl 9:10) "For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing." (Eccl 9:5) "If I wait, the grave is mine house: I have made my bed in the darkness." (Job 17:13) "If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change comes." (Job 14:14) "His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish." (Ps 146:4)

The Bible calls the time spent in the grave a "sleep." This is how Paul described it (1 Thess 4:13; 1 Cor 15:18,20), and how Christ described it (John 11:11-14). Our beloved dead "sleep in the dust of the earth" (Dan 12:2), for there is "no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest" (Eccl9:10).

But at the resurrection of the righteous, they shall "awake" (Job 14:12; Ps 17:15) and be "raised out of their sleep" (Job 14:12), and "live again" (Job 14:14) and "arise" (Isa 26:19) and be "changed" (1Cor 15:51-55; Job 14:14). For God shall "redeem" them “from the power of the grave" (Ps 49:15) and "ransom" them" from its power (Hos 13:14). For in that day death will be swallowed up "in victory" (Isa 25:8). God will "redeem them from death" (Hos 13:14).

The great truth of the Bible is that it is only through Christ that we can have life; apart from Him humanity can only perish. "He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." (1 Jn 5:12) It is only through Christ and at the final resurrection at His Second Advent that we can have eternal life. "He that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." (John 3:36) As soon as man sinned in the Garden, he was not allowed to eat of the tree of life:

"And now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever." (Gen 3:22) Satan wants men to forget the fact that "the wages of sin is death." (Rom 6:23) But if we accept Christ as our Saviour and repent of our sins and obey the Father's law by faith in the Son's righteousness, we shall inherit eternal life at His Coming. "This is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son." (1 John 5:11) "I am the way, the truth, and the life." (John 14:6) "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me, and I give unto them eternal life." (John 10:27-28)

"For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first." (1 Thess 4:16) "For 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) "Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice, and shall come forth." (John 5:28-29)

There will be two resurrections—one of the righteous and one of the wicked (Acts 24:15; John 5:28-29). The resurrection of the just is described in Luke 14:14; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18; 1 Corinthians 15:42-44 and elsewhere. The resurrection of the wicked is mentioned in Revelation 20:4-5. And the final destruction of the wicked is spoken of in Revelation 20:9; 21:8 and a number of other passages.

This final destruction of the wicked is "death" (Rom 6:23) and "everlasting destruction" (2 Thessalonians 1:9.The wicked will "perish” (Luke 13:3; 2 Pet 2:12), not live on, shrieking and moaning through eternal ages, to come. The wicked “shall perish" and "consume into smoke" and "consume away" (Ps 37:20). They shall be "burned up" (Mal 4:1), "cut off" (Ps 37:22,34; 94:23) and "not be" (Ps 37:10,36). They shall be "like the chaff" which "the wind carried away" (Dan 2:35).

The fire that destroys them is “unquenchable” (Matt 3:12) for no one can put it out until its work is done. The wicked are like "stubble" that will be "burned up" and left "neither root nor branch" (Mal 4:1).

After it is all over, "they shall be as though they had not been" (Obadiah 16). The wicked shall be "no more" (Prov 10:25). They will no longer be there —­they are gone (Ps 37:10). They will have been entirely destroyed in hellfire (Matt 10:28). And we can be  thankful for this, since the Bible teaches that the wicked will be destroyed in hellfire on the surface of the earth (Rev 20:9). Yet the "meek shall inherit the earth" (Matt 5:5; Ps 37:11,29), and if the wicked are eternally burned on the earth's surface the meek could never obtain their inheritance. Instead, the righteous will go forth, from the Holy City and the wicked will be as "ashes under the soles of" their "feet" (Mal 4: 3). The fire that came down from God out of heaven has devoured them and they are no more (Rev 20:9). The "second death" has taken place (Rev 20: 14), and God's "strange act" and "strange work" is forever completed (Isa 28:21). Even death itself (Rev 20:14) and sorrow, crying and pain (Rev 21:4) will be a thing of the past.

God's plan is the best plan. It is full of mercy. The wicked, who could not be happy in the peace of heaven, will only suffer in hellfire a brief time, in proportion to their evil-doings, and then they will mercifully cease to exist. We can be deeply thankful for the character of God. He is just, yet merciful. And we can be thankful that we can know the truth about His plan. The righteous will have a life that measures with the life of God—deathless happiness (Isa 66:22; Dan 7:18,27; Ps 37:9-11; 16:11).

"For 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. .

How very thankful we can be for the love of God to His children! Clinging to Jesus by faith, we can overcome.

Yes, how thankful we can be for the love of God —for we are on the edge of the final crisis of earth's history.

Continue chapter  15