The Great Controversy The Great Controversy | Page 500

mercy of God in the destruction of Satan. Had he been immediately
blotted from existence, they would have served God from fear rather
than from love. The influence of the deceiver would not have been
fully destroyed, nor would the spirit of rebellion have been utterly
eradicated. Evil must be permitted to come to maturity. For the good of
the entire universe through ceaseless ages Satan must more fully develop
his principles, that his charges against the divine government might be
seen in their true light by all created beings, that the justice and mercy
of God and the immutability of His law might forever be placed beyond
all question.
Satan’s rebellion was to be a lesson to the universe through all
coming ages, a perpetual testimony to the nature and terrible results of
sin. The working out of Satan’s rule, its effects upon both men and
angels, would show what must be the fruit of setting aside the divine
authority. It would testify that with the existence of God’s government
and His law is bound up the well-being of all the creatures He has made.
Thus the history of this terrible experiment of rebellion was to be a
perpetual safeguard to all holy intelligences, to prevent them from being
deceived as to the nature of transgression, to save them from committing
sin and suffering its punishments.
To the very close of the controversy in heaven the great usurper
continued to justify himself. When it was announced that with all his
sympathizers he must be expelled from the abodes of bliss, then the rebel
leader boldly avowed his contempt for the Creator’s law. He reiterated
his claim that angels needed no control, but should be left to follow
their own will, which would ever guide them right. He denounced the
divine statutes as a restriction of their liberty and declared that it was his
purpose to secure the abolition of law; that, freed from this restraint, the
hosts of heaven might enter upon a more exalted, more glorious state of
existence.
With one accord, Satan and his host threw the blame of their
rebellion wholly upon Christ, declaring that if they

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