The Great Controversy The Great Controversy | Page 495
first of the covering cherubs, holy and undefiled. “Thus saith the Lord
God; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.
Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was
thy covering....Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set
thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked
up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy
ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.”
Ezekiel 28:12-15.
Lucifer might have remained in favor with God, beloved and honored
by all the angelic host, exercising his noble powers to bless others and
to glorify his Maker. But, says the prophet, “Thine heart was lifted
up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason
of thy brightness.” Verse 17. Little by little, Lucifer came to indulge
a desire for self-exaltation. “Thou hast set thine heart as the heart of
God.” “Thou hast said, ... I will exalt my throne above the stars of God:
I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation....I will ascend above
the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High.” Verse 6; Isaiah
14:13, 14. 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.
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 heavenly councils pleaded with Lucifer. The Son of God
presented before him the greatness, the goodness, and the justice of the
Creator, and the sacred, unchanging nature of His law. God Himself had
established the order of heaven;
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