GOD'S Sabbath Rest

       On earth tyrants are commonplace. They are found in the family setting, churches, corporations and governments. The Bible tells of the greatest tyrant of all, a self-imposed dictator that arose to prominence in heaven whose name was Lucifer (meaning Day Sun). One day, he made a decision, in which a million years of life would never have changed his mind: to engage in a campaign to overthrow the authority of GOD and substitute himself in His place.  To accomplish this he needed the vote of every intelligent being.  Through the art of lying this “cherub” (meaning, four-winged angel) began a revolt against the Moral Law of GOD: the Ten Commandments: GOD'S Emblem of Love and Liberty. His campaign speech was moving, declaring GOD'S Law is a prison house, and all need to escape its bondage and discover true happiness and freedom.

       This open rebellion, taking place in the Heavenly Courts then forced every living being in the universe whether of angels or men to take an active role, with only two choices available.  You can either serve GOD or choose to serve the devil.  You cannot serve both.  And you cannot avoid serving one or the other.  There is no neutral ground in this controversy.  Because of Lucifer's covert espionage against GOD’S Love and Truth he was given a new name, Satan (meaning Adversary). Now comes the question: Who is Satan? The Bible spells out every characteristic of this once holy angel. He is the perpetrator of a crusade against his own Creator. The Bible says that in the beginning “there was war in heaven” (Rev.12:7).  And after losing this battle for the supremacy of heaven he was cast out with his angelic army consisting of 1/3 of the angelic host whom he deceived through the open slander of GOD'S perfect character (Revelation 12:3,4,9). He then carried his rebellion to earth luring our Premier Father and Mother, Adam and Eve, into joining his war against GOD, of which the human race today is linked by inheritance, and would be therefore condemned to the same fatality that awaits the devil had not GOD intervened to save His innocent children.

          The rest of the universe is free from his moldering influence, for the earth is the only place of his throne.  Jesus called him, "the Prince of this world." And what is the result of his dominion and control over the natural forces of his realm? He has most of the creatures slaughtering and eating themselves! The Bible teaches that he has the legal right and aptitude to create hurricanes, tornados, floods, earthquakes, thorns, poison ivy, mosquitoes, ticks, lice and disease. All of these ravage the earth through his cruel manipulation.

       All of the afflictions and atrocities of this world are of Satan not of the GOD of heaven. His liberties include the exercise of mind control over his victims; for his presence is hidden from human view; and through his weaponry of deception through the avenues of temptation, impulse, and visions given to Biblically illiterate people he hardens men in their sinful ways.  He leads life to every form of degradation we see today. He exercises his rage against life through the creatures of earth to carry out every conceivable atrocity. The suffering of life is his only entertainment. All sadistic glee has its origin in him. Even those who openly worship him, from CEOs and bankers to spiritualists and musicians, (to receive "the master's blessings" of lust, wealth and a future kingdom in which they are told will be rewarded to them for their service), Satan cynically mocks them behind their backs for their foolish allegiance; for Satan knows full-well GOD'S unstoppable prophecy of his destruction in the "lake of fire:" "I [the LORD] will bring thee [Satan] to ashes on the earth...and never shalt thou be anymore," "and the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone." Eze.28:18; Rev.20:10. 

       No matter what despicable thing you can imagine it is being carried out every moment of every day. This is the system of government that has held sway since Satan seized the dominion of earth from our Premier father and mother, Adam and Eve, and then claimed it as his own. He is the quintessential tyrant.

       What then was GOD'S Intended purpose for Lucifer that guaranteed the greatest conceivable joy that Lucifer could experience in his life for all eternity?

1. GOD created Lucifer to be his right-hand man, "the anointed cherub" (Eze.28:14).

2. Lucifer was given abilities accompanied with an intellect that surpassed all the other created beings, "full of wisdom and perfect in beauty" (Eze.28:12).

3. This holy ministration gave Lucifer the superior comprehension to appreciate the supreme depths of GOD'S loving provision for all created life.

4. He was to use this masterful coordination to communicate the infinite value of GOD'S Love to both angels and men.

       This was GOD'S intended purpose for Lucifer.  But instead of honoring this most exalted of gifts, Lucifer, of his own free will, inaugurated a competitive greed for the power and worship that belongs to GOD alone: feeling himself worthy of worship.  To accomplish this he established a rebellion against GOD'S Holy Law declaring that the Ten Commandments hinder the joy of life's freedom.  GOD responded with the counsel that His Holy Law will always serve the peaceful joy and everlasting perpetuation of life, never its harm or destruction. The result of Lucifer's mutiny against GOD was the establishment of a domain that had never existed before in the whole of Creation: the domain of death.  The grave is the only thing the devil could create and call his own, and he refuses to become a subject of his kingdom, but he doesn't bat an eye when it comes to killing all others who oppose his government.  All tyranny is of Satan.  But in the end (the Bible is clear) GOD will make Satan a subject of the kingdom he alone created.  After which, "affliction shall not rise up the second time." Na.1:9. 

       In the legal framework of salvation the great issue of Satan’s objective in his relationship with mankind is really very simple: if he can lead you or me to violate any of the Ten Commandments, [the very same Law that condemns him (Ezekiel 28:16)], he demands, and rightly so, that we share his fate. This is the sole purpose of Satan’s accusations against man; & only the sinless history of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ stands between us and sin’s condemnation.  The righteousness of Christ covers the repentant sinner.  It can never cover the unrepentant, for the companionship of the Holy Spirit cannot dwell in the soul of a man who chooses sin over Him, and it is only through the power of GOD dwelling in the human soul that raises to everlasting life as the great apostle Paul stated, "But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you." Rom.8:11.