The first effort of Satan to overthrow God’s law, which started among the sinless inhabitants of heaven, seemed to succeed for a while. A huge number of the angels were deceived. But Satan’s apparent triumph resulted in defeat and loss, separation from God, and banishment from heaven.
When the conflict was renewed on earth, Satan again seemed to win an advantage. By disobedience, the human race became his captive. Now the way seemed open for Satan to establish an independent kingdom and to defy the authority of God and His Son. But the plan of salvation made it possible for sinners to be brought back into harmony with God.
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Again Satan was defeated, and again he resorted to deception in the hope of changing defeat into victory. He now portrayed God as unfair in having permitted our first parents to transgress His law. The tempter said, “When God knew what would be the result, why did He allow His creatures to be given a test and bring in misery and death?” The children of Adam willingly listened to the tempter and complained against the only Being who could save them from Satan’s destructive power.
Thousands of people today are echoing the same rebellious complaint against God. They do not see that to not give human beings freedom of choice would make them mere robots. Like the inhabitants of all other worlds, we must undergo the test of obedience; but we are never brought into a position where yielding to evil becomes necessary. No temptation or trial is permitted that we are unable to resist.
As the population increased, almost the whole world joined the rebellion. Once more Satan seemed to have gained the victory, but the earth was cleansed by the Flood from its moral pollution.
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