Sunday
March 26
1. A HARMONIOUS HEAVENLY GOVERNMENT
a. What has characterized God’s law and government from eternity? Psalm 119:142.
“The angels had been created full of goodness and love. They loved one another impartially and their God supremely, and they were prompted by this love to do His pleasure. The law of God was not a grievous yoke to them, but it was their delight to do His commandments, to hearken unto the voice of His Word.”-The Signs of the Times, April 28, 1890.
b. What points should we keep in mind about the Creator and Governor of the universe? Psalm 102:25-27; Isaiah 48:12, 13.
“God, the Governor of the universe, has made all things subject to law; things apparently insignificant, and things of the greatest magnitude, are all governed by laws adapted to their natures. Nothing that God has made has been forgotten or left to blind chance.”-The Signs of the Times, January 23, 1879.
Monday
March 27
2. A TRAGEDY STRIKES IN SUBTLETY
a. How has Christ always been different from all the angelic host? Hebrews 1:1-12.
b. What is one of the various names of Christ? Revelation 22:16 (last part). What beautiful name did He bestow upon the highest angel He created-and shockingly, what did this creature do in the face of the love showered upon him? Isaiah 14:12-14.
“Lucifer was the covering cherub, the most exalted of the heavenly created beings; he stood nearest the throne of God, and was most closely connected and identified with the administration of God’s government, most richly endowed with the glory of His majesty and power.”-The Signs of the Times, April 28, 1890.
“Pride in his own glory nourished the desire for supremacy. The high honors conferred upon Lucifer were not appreciated as the gift of God and called forth no gratitude to the Creator. He gloried in his brightness and exaltation, and aspired to be equal with God.”-The Great Controversy, p. 495.
c. What made Lucifer’s attitude so appalling-and damaging-to heaven? Job 34:17.
“All heaven had rejoiced to reflect the Creator’s glory and to show forth His praise. And while God was thus honored, all had been peace and gladness. But a note of discord now marred the celestial harmonies. The service and exaltation of self, contrary to the Creator’s plan, awakened forebodings of evil in minds to whom God’s glory was supreme.”-The Great Controversy, p. 494.
d. What did Lucifer’s rebellion undermine, and what came as a result? 1 John 3:4.
“Evil originated with the rebellion of Lucifer. It was brought into heaven when he refused allegiance to God’s law. Satan was the first lawbreaker.”-The Review and Herald, June 4, 1901.
Tuesday
March 28
3. THE INSURRECTION GROWS
a. What did Lucifer evidently choose to overlook about Christ? Isaiah 64:8.
“The Son of God was the acknowledged Sovereign of heaven, one in power and authority with the Father. In all the counsels of God, Christ was a participant, while Lucifer was not permitted thus to enter into the divine purposes. ‘Why,’ questioned this mighty angel, ‘should Christ have the supremacy? Why is He thus honored above Lucifer?’ ”-The Great Controversy, p. 495.
b. Describe Lucifer’s initial strategy and what made him come to be known as “Satan.” Many centuries later, how did the psalmist pray to be spared from facing such evil? Psalm 62:2-5.
“Working with mysterious secrecy, and for a time concealing his real purpose under an appearance of reverence for God, [Lucifer] endeavored to excite dissatisfaction concerning the laws that governed heavenly beings, intimating that they imposed an unnecessary restraint. Since their natures were holy, he urged that the angels should obey the dictates of their own will. He sought to create sympathy for himself by representing that God had dealt unjustly with him in bestowing supreme honor upon Christ. He claimed that in aspiring to greater power and honor he was not aiming at self-exaltation, but was seeking to secure liberty for all the inhabitants of Heaven, that by this means they might attain to a higher state of existence.”-The Great Controversy, p. 495.
“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 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.”-Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 39, 40.
Wednesday
March 29
4. OPEN WARFARE
a. Why was Lucifer successful in stealing the sympathies of many? Ezekiel 28:14, 15. How did he spread his lie that obedience to God implies unpleasant restriction?
“Rejecting with disdain the arguments and entreaties of the loyal angels, [Lucifer] denounced them as deluded slaves. The preference shown to Christ he declared an act of injustice both to himself 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 determined 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 government, under which all would enjoy freedom.”-Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 40.
b. What warnings come to us from this rebellion? Isaiah 14:15, 16, 19; Proverbs 16:18.
“The evil continued to work until the spirit of disaffection ripened into active revolt. Then there was war in heaven, and Satan, with all who sympathized with him, was cast out. Satan had warred for the mastery in heaven, and had lost the battle. God could no longer trust him with honor and supremacy, and these, with the part he had taken in the government of heaven, were taken from him.
“Since that time Satan and his army of confederates have been the avowed enemies of God in our world, continually warring against the cause of truth and righteousness. Satan has continued to present to men, as he presented to the angels, his false representations of Christ and of God, and he has won the world to his side. Even the professedly Christian churches have taken sides with the first great apostate.”-Selected Messages, bk. 1, p. 222.
“Satan in his rebellion in heaven sought to find some flaw in the law of God in order to support his argument that the law of God must be changed; but his efforts were in vain. He did not succeed, and after he had deceived thousands of angels and had drawn them to his side, he was cast out of heaven. But the law of God was not changed in one jot or tittle. God is wise and unchangeable.”-The Signs of the Times, November 14, 1895.
Thursday
March 30
5. OUR RESPONSE
a. What should we keep in mind about God? Psalms 19:7; 93:2, 5; 100:5; Daniel 4:3.
“As Creator of all, God is governor over all, and He is bound to enforce His law throughout the universe. To require less from His creatures than obedience to His law would be to abandon them to ruin. To fail to punish transgression of His law would be to place the universe in confusion. The moral law is God’s barrier between the human agent and sin. Thus infinite wisdom has placed before men the distinction between right and wrong, between sin and holiness.”-The Signs of the Times, June 5, 1901.
“By his own course of action Satan has forged a chain by which he will be bound. The inhabitants of the heavenly universe will bear witness to God’s justice in his destruction. Heaven itself has seen what heaven would be, if he were allowed to remain in it. All the unfallen beings are now united in regarding God’s law as changeless.”-Ibid., August 27, 1902.
b. In view of this history, what should be our heart’s desire? Psalm 119:41-44, 144.
“With the history of sin before us, how dare we disregard and ignore any one of the commandments that God has given us? The law of God is the foundation of His government and is exactly what is needed to preserve life and righteousness. Every principle of the law emanates from the Infinite God, and man will fail in his duty to God and his neighbor unless he believes and weaves the principles of the law into his life. Without faith it is impossible to please God, for it is through faith that we may render obedience to the law.”-The Signs of the Times, February 26, 1894.
Friday
March 31
PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. How are our churches to reflect the attitude of the unfallen beings?
2. What are the various ways in which Satan was wrong?
3. Why is God’s law such a blessing?