THE SABBATH SATAN’S OBJECT OF ATTACK

It being evident that the Sabbath is designed to turn men’s minds toward the true God and Jesus Christ as the agent in creation and in redemption, it follows that if any movement is to be made to defeat the plan of God in the salvation of man, in the re-creation of man, the first thing to be done is to turn men away from the Sabbath, the reminder of Jesus Christ as the only Saviour. If men’s minds can be turned away from Christ, they will fail of salvation. Christ’s power is the only power sufficient to save. If men can be led to trust in any other power, they will be disappointed in all hope of salvation. Therefore the most certain way to defeat the plan of God in Christ for the salvation of men, is to turn men’s minds away from Christ; and the first thing to be done, then, is to turn men’s minds away from that which reminds them of Christ. Therefore, if the Sabbath can be hidden, if men’s minds can be turned from the Sabbath, and the meaning of the Sabbath, a successful move has been made in turning men away from the plan of salvation in Jesus Christ.CAS 27.2

There is one being who has made it his purpose for these many years to oppose the work of Jesus Christ for the salvation of the human race. Created an angel of light, made an anointed cherub, standing in the immediate presence of God, one on whom the light of the glory of God shone in a most remarkable and special manner, Lucifer, filled with envy that he was not made equal to Christ, and that the honor which belonged to Christ was not given to him, rebelled against God. His heart was filled with pride and envy, and he turned against the government of God. In spite of every offer of mercy, he persisted in rebellion until his own course cast him out of heaven. Since that time Satan’s purpose has been to defeat the plan of God for the salvation of men. Having lured man into sin that he might involve him in the same penalty with himself, he has sought to keep man away from God’s plan to save him. He has sought to induce the human family to put their trust in him and his power, instead of in Christ and his power.CAS 27.3

The root of the trouble which caused Satan to be cast out of heaven, which brought rebellion into the government of God, and which has resulted in this earth being cursed by sin, was simply this: that Satan, given this exalted position in the presence of God, was not yet satisfied, but envied the position occupied by the Son of God, and desired that the honor which was bestowed upon Jesus Christ should be bestowed upon himself. God had given him an exalted position, yet it did not satisfy his ambition, and he sought the place occupied by Jesus Christ. Persisting in this, and refusing to give up his own way and his own selfish ambition, he was necessarily cast out of heaven. From that day he has worked on this same line. He has stirred up just that same feeling of self-exaltation in the hearts of the human family, and all these centuries, he has not given up that one plan and project of his, which is that, if possible, he should occupy the place which belongs to Christ; that, if possible, the homage due to Christ should be paid to himself instead of to Christ. And from that time to this he has tried to put himself in the place of Christ; he has tried to turn men away from God as manifested through Jesus Christ.CAS 28.1