The Issue Defined
"A great controversy is going on in the world. Satan is determined to have the human race as his subjects, but Christ has paid an infinite price that man may be redeemed from the enemy, and that the moral image of God may be restored to the fallen race." Te 274.
"We must inevitably be under the control of the one or the other of the two great powers that are contending for the supremacy of the world." DA 324.
"Satan will use every opportunity to seduce men from their allegiance to God." LDE 160.
"Satan is trying to lead men and women . . . to turn away from their allegiance to the King of heaven." CT 494.
"It has been the special work of Satan to lead fallen men to rebel against God's government." LHU 59.
"There are only two parties upon the earth – those who stand under the blood-stained banner of Jesus Christ and those who stand under the black banner of rebellion. In the twelfth chapter of Revelation is represented the great conflict between the obedient and the disobedient." 7BC 974.
"The contest is between the commandments of God and the commandments of men." 5T 81.
"The contest [is] between righteousness and sin." GC 488.
The Issue at Its Origin
"Instead of seeking to make God supreme in the affections and allegiance of His creatures, it was Lucifer's endeavor to win their service and homage to himself. And coveting the honor which the infinite Father had bestowed upon His Son, this prince of angels aspired to power which it was the prerogative of Christ alone to wield." GC 494.
"Satan was insinuating against the government of God, ambitious to exalt himself, and unwilling to submit to the authority of Jesus." 1SG 17, 18
"Satan . . . refused to obey . . . God's law." UL 228.
Not a Question of God's Character
"Understanding the character of God, knowing His goodness, Satan chose to follow his own selfish, independent will." DA 762.
"The knowledge which Satan, as well as the angels who fell with him, had of the character of God, of His goodness, His mercy, wisdom, and excellent glory, made their guilt unpardonable." TA 44.
Satan Denied the True Issue
"Satan had claimed from the first that he was not in rebellion." GC 498.
The Issue Before the Flood
"They yielded their minds to the control of Satan rather than of God." YSRP 254.
The Issue at the Tower of Babel
"Those who desired to cast off the restraint of God's law decided to separate from the worshipers of Jehovah. They determined . . . to found a monarchy which would eventually embrace the whole earth. . . . They hoped to . . . make themselves independent of God. This confederacy was born of rebellion against God." 8T 213.
The Issue in the Book of Job
"And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job?" Job 1:8; 2:3.
The Issue in the Exodus
"Let my people go, that they may serve me." Exodus 8:1.
"And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the Lord am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine." Leviticus 20:26.
The First Commandment Addresses the Issue
"I am the Lord thy God. . . . Thou shalt have no other gods before me." Exodus 20:2, 3.
The Fourth Commandment Addresses the Issue
"Satan was seeking to exalt himself and to draw men away from Christ, and he worked to pervert the Sabbath, because it is the sign of the power of Christ." DA 283, 284.
"In all ages the Sabbath has been the test of loyalty to God." GW 148.
"All who keep the seventh day, signify by this act that they are worshippers of Jehovah. Thus the Sabbath is the sign of man's allegiance to God as long as there are any upon the earth to serve Him." PP 307.
"This is what distinguishes them from the disloyal, who have accepted a man-made institution in the place of the true Sabbath. The observance of God's rest day is the mark of distinction between him that serveth God and him that serveth Him not." 7BC 970.
"The Sabbath is a sign of the relationship existing between God and His people, a sign that they are His obedient subjects, that they keep holy His law. The observance of the Sabbath is the means ordained by God of preserving a knowledge of Himself and of distinguishing between His loyal subjects and the transgressors of His law." 8T 198.
"In this manner was it to be a sign - all who should observe the Sabbath, signified by such observance that they were worshipers of the living God, the creator of the heavens and the earth." SR 141.
The Issue on the Plain of Dura
"All should show their supreme loyalty to the Babylonian power by bowing before the image. . . . But firmly the Hebrews testified to their allegiance to the God of heaven. . . . The king . . . could not turn the men from their allegiance to the Ruler of the universe." PK 506-508.
"These men, O king, . . . serve not thy gods."
"Do not ye serve my gods?"
"Our God whom we serve. . ."
"We will not serve thy gods."
"Ye servants of the most high God."
"God . . . hath . . . delivered his servants . . . that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God." Daniel 3:12, 14, 17, 18, 26, 28.
The Issue When Jesus Came to Earth
"Mighty issues for the world were at stake in the conflict between the Prince of light and the leader of the kingdom of darkness. . . . Satan claimed the earth as his, and styled himself the prince of this world. . . . He thought to establish here his empire. He declared that men had chosen him as their sovereign. Through his control of men, he held dominion over the world. Christ had come to disprove Satan's claim. As the Son of man, Christ would stand loyal to God. Thus it would be shown that Satan had not gained complete control of the human race, and that his claim to the world was false." DA 114, 115.
"At the birth of Jesus, Satan knew that One had come with a divine commission to dispute his dominion." DA 115.
"Jesus came to our world to dispute the authority of Satan, who claimed supremacy over the earth. . . . The earth is the field of battle in which the powers of light and darkness are in controversy over the human souls for whom Christ died." RH May 8, 1894 par. 1.
"Satan . . . came to the Son of God in the wilderness of temptation, and showing Him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them, offered to give all into His hands if He would but acknowledge the supremacy of the prince of darkness." GC 50.
"`If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.' Such an act of creative power, urges the tempter . . . would bring the controversy to an end. . . . But the Son of God was not to prove His divinity to Satan. . . . Evidence would have been worthless to break the power of rebellion in his heart." DA 119.
How the Death of Christ Affected the Issue
"Satan saw that his disguise was torn away. His administration was laid open before the unfallen angels and before the heavenly universe. . . . By shedding the blood of the Son of God . . . the last link of sympathy between Satan and the heavenly world was broken. Yet Satan was not then destroyed. The angels did not even then understand all that was involved in the great controversy. . . . Man as well as angels must see the contrast between the Prince of light and the prince of darkness. He must choose whom he will serve." DA 761.
The Issue in the Early Church
"The subjects of Satan were leaving his service and enlisting under the banner of Christ. Satan therefore laid his plans to war more successfully against the government of God, by planting his banner in the Christian church." SR 321, 322.
"The church . . . was induced to yield allegiance to the representative of Satan - the bishop of Rome." GC 50.
The Issue in the Papacy
"That gigantic system of false religion is a masterpiece of Satan's power - a monument of his efforts to seat himself upon the throne to rule the earth according to his will." GC 50.
"The pope . . . demands the homage of all men. The same claim urged by Satan in the wilderness of temptation is still urged by him through the Church of Rome, and vast numbers are ready to yield him homage." GC 50.
"The spirit of concession to paganism opened the way for a still further disregard of Heaven's authority. Satan, working through unconsecrated leaders of the church, tampered with the fourth commandment." GC 52.
The Issue in the Last Days
"The controversy between Christ and Satan is not yet ended. The latter is constantly seeking to establish his own power and authority." OHC 110.
"Satan's agents are constantly working under his direction to establish his authority and build up his kingdom in opposition to the government of God. To this end they seek to deceive Christ's followers, and allure them from their allegiance. Like their leader, they misconstrue and pervert the Scriptures to accomplish their object. As Satan endeavored to cast reproach upon God, so do his agents seek to malign God's people. The spirit which put Christ to death moves the wicked to destroy his followers. All this is foreshadowed in that first prophecy, 'I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed.' Such is the work that will be carried forward in the great controversy between Christ and Satan to the close of time." 4SP 326.
"It was because the law was changeless, because man could be saved only through obedience to its precepts, that Jesus was lifted up on the cross. Yet the very means by which Christ established the law Satan represented as destroying it. Here will come the last conflict of the great controversy between Christ and Satan." DA 763.
"That the law which was spoken by God's own voice is faulty, that some specification has been set aside, is the claim which Satan now puts forward. It is the last great deception that he will bring upon the world. . . . By consenting to break one precept, men are brought under Satan's power. By substituting human law for God's law, Satan will seek to control the world." DA 763.
"Satan strives to turn men from their allegiance to God, and from rendering obedience to His law; therefore he directs his efforts especially against that commandment which points to God as the Creator." GC 54.
"Those who fear God cannot accept an institution that violates a precept of the Decalogue. On this battlefield comes the last great conflict of the controversy between truth and error. And we are not left in doubt as to the issue." 5T 451.
"The Sabbath will be the great test of loyalty, for it is the point of truth especially controverted. When the final test shall be brought to bear upon men, then the line of distinction will be drawn between those who serve God and those who serve Him not. While the observance of the false sabbath in compliance with the law of the state, contrary to the fourth commandment, will be an avowal of allegiance to a power that is in opposition to God, the keeping of the true Sabbath, in obedience to God's law, is an evidence of loyalty to the Creator. While one class, by accepting the sign of submission to earthly powers, receive the mark of the beast, the other, choosing the token of allegiance to divine authority, receive the seal of God." GC 605.
"The warfare against God's law, which was begun in heaven, will be continued until the end of time. Every man will be tested. Obedience or disobedience is the question to be decided by the whole world. All will be called to choose between the law of God and the laws of men. Here the dividing line will be drawn. There will be but two classes. Every character will be fully developed; and all will show whether they have chosen the side of loyalty or that of rebellion." DA 763.
"For six thousand years Satan has struggled to maintain possession of the earth." PP 342.
"Satan is contending for the souls of men." Mar 357.
"Not all in this world have taken sides with the enemy against God. Not all have become disloyal. There are a faithful few who are true to God. . . . Soon the battle will be waged fiercely between those who serve God and those who serve Him not." 9T 15.
"Angels are belting the world, refusing Satan his claims to supremacy, made because of the vast multitude of his adherents." 7BC 967.
"A great test is coming: it will be upon obedience or disobedience to the commandments of God." YSRP 140.
"To every soul will come the searching test: Shall I obey God rather than men?" GC 594.
"In the last great conflict of the controversy with Satan those who are loyal to God will see every earthly support cut off. Because they refuse to break His law in obedience to earthly powers, they will be forbidden to buy or sell. It will finally be decreed that they shall be put to death." DA 121, 122.
The Issue in the Advent Message
"Satan numbers the world as his subjects, he has gained control of the apostate churches; but here is a little company that are resisting his supremacy." Mar 32.
"He numbers the world as his subjects; but the little company who keep the commandments of God are resisting his supremacy." GC 618.
"Each sabbath institution bears the name of its author, an ineffaceable mark that shows the authority of each. It is our work to lead the people to understand this. We are to show them that it is of vital consequence whether they bear the mark of God's kingdom or the mark of the kingdom of rebellion, for they acknowledge themselves subjects of the kingdom whose mark they bear." 6T 325.
"Willing subjects will be brought to allegiance to God. The rebellion which took place in heaven . . . opened the floodgates of woe upon our world; but . . . through the power of the truth . . . fallen man may become loyal to his Maker." 6T 190.
The Issue After the 1000 Years
"Now Satan prepares for a last mighty struggle for the supremacy. . . . He determines not to yield the great controversy. . . . The wicked . . . have accepted the rule of the rebel leader. . . . He claims to be the prince who is the rightful owner of the world. . . . He . . . declares that as their leader he is well able to overthrow the city and regain his throne and his kingdom." GC 663.
"The time has now come when the rebellion is to be finally defeated and the history and character of Satan disclosed. In his last great effort to dethrone Christ, destroy His people, and take possession of the City of God, the archdeceiver has been fully unmasked." GC 670.
The Issue Obscured
"Far more than we do, we need to understand the issues at stake in the conflict in which we are engaged. We need to understand more fully the value of the truths that God has given for this time and the danger of allowing our minds to be diverted from them by the great deceiver." 8T 312.
"The Sunday movement is now making its way in darkness. The leaders are concealing the true issue." 5T 452.
"The manner in which the Pharisees sought to evade the truth, and to turn the attention of the people away from vital lessons – by starting questions that did not bear upon the subject – is one in which the opposers of truth in all ages have taken refuge. Satan . . . incites the opposers of truth to start false issues, to discuss questions that are not to the point." RH Oct. 18, 1892.
"He has lost none of his tact, and through his agents, manifests the same diplomacy and skill in evading truth, in creating false issues, in misrepresenting the message." Ibid.
"He hopes so to destroy their faith that they will yield to his temptations and turn from their allegiance to God." GC 619.
"We should bring before them the real question at issue." 5T 452.
The Issue for Each of Us
"The Bible is its own expositor. Scripture is to be compared with scripture. The student should learn to view the word as a whole, and to see the relation of its parts. He should gain a knowledge of its grand central theme, of God’s original purpose for the world, of the rise of the great controversy, and of the work of redemption. He should understand the nature of the two principles that are contending for supremacy, and should learn to trace their working through the records of history and prophecy, to the great consummation. He should see how this controversy enters into every phase of human experience; how in every act of life he himself reveals the one or the other of the two antagonistic motives; and how, whether he will or not, he is even now deciding upon which side of the controversy he will be found." Ed 190.
"Many look on this conflict between Christ and Satan as having no special bearing on their own life; and for them it has little interest. But within the domain of every human heart this controversy is repeated. Never does one leave the ranks of evil for the service of God without encountering the assaults of Satan." DA 116.
"The great conflict that Satan created in the heavenly courts is soon, very soon, to be forever decided. Soon all the inhabitants of the earth will have taken sides, either for or against the government of heaven. . . . We are called upon to arouse the people to prepare for the great issues before them. . . . To every human being in the wide world who will give heed, we are to make plain the principles at stake in the great controversy – principles upon which hangs the eternal destiny of the soul. To the people far and near we are to bring home the question: 'Are you following the great apostate in disobedience to God's law, or are you following the Son of God, who declared, "I have kept My Father's commandments"?'" 7T 141.
"It is God's purpose that all shall be tested and tried, that He may see whether they are loyal or disloyal to the laws that govern the kingdom of heaven." Mar 110.
"Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?" Romans 6:16.
"No man can serve two masters." Matthew 6:24.
"Choose you this day whom ye will serve." Joshua 24:15.
No comments:
Post a Comment