spect. This was not accorded him. Jesus Christ was to rule the earthly
kingdom; under God He engaged to take the world with all its probabili-
ties “ Ms 43b, 1891.
What kind of rulership would Lucifer exercise over this world if
God had granted his request to be prince to govern it? After
6000 years of being prince of this world, the whole universe can
see the wisdom and justice of God in refusing Lucifer’s request.
Having his request to govern the world denied, Lucifer became
more and more defiant, even though Christ did everything possi-
ble to reconcile him to his former allegiance.
God knew what was going on in the heart of Lucifer. His schem-
ing was all open to Him. But He had to let Lucifer manifest his
disaffection before the angels and the other worlds before He
could safely deal with him. Inspiration gives us more details in
the developments in heaven before Lucifer and his angels were
eventually cast out,
“God in His great mercy bore long with Lucifer. He was not immediate-
ly degraded from his exalted station when he first indulged the spirit of
discontent, nor even when he began to present his false claims before
the loyal angels. Long was he retained in heaven. Again and again he
was offered pardon on condition of repentance and submission. Such
efforts as only infinite love and wisdom could devise were made to con-
vince him of his error “ GC p.495.
“ The Lord saw the use Satan was making of his powers, and he set be-
fore him truth in contrast with falsehood. Time and time again dur-
ing the controversy, Satan was ready to be convinced, ready to
admit that he was wrong. But those he had deceived were also
ready to accuse him of leaving them. What should he do? — submit
to God, or continue in a course of deception? He chose to deny truth, to
take refuge in misstatements and fraud” RH Sept. 7, 1897.
“ The time had come for a final decision; he must fully yield to the di-
8
sins of the wicked. However, if Christ endured the punishment
for the sins of the whole world, why are the sins of the whole
world punished again in the lake of fire? Does that mean that
sins are punished twice? Would God be just in doing that?
Where is the solution to this problem? We get a clue from the fol-
lowing statements found in TM p. 38-39. “ The whole world
stands charged today with the deliberate rejection and murder of
the Son of God. .. God has a controversy with the world. When the
judgment shall sit, and the books shall be opened, He has an awful ac-
count to settle, which would now make the world fear and tremble were
men not blinded and bewitched by satanic delusions and deceptions.
God will call the world to account for the death of His only-
begotten Son, whom to all intents and purposes the world has crucified
afresh, and put to open shame in the persecution of His people. *
Who will pay the penalty for the death and suffering of the Son
of God? Since Christ suffered the punishment for all the sins
committed in the world, someone will have to atone for the suf-
ferings of the innocent Son of God. In the final judgment, the
wicked will have to atone for their part in the sufferings of Christ
when he bore their sins on the cross. In ST Sept.24, 1894 we read,
“although Christ has died for man's transgression, those who continue
in disobedience will suffer the penalty of their sin. “
The sins of the righteous have also contributed to Christ’s suffer-
ing on the cross. However, because they have repented and for-
saken their sins, their sins are transferred to the scapegoat, Satan,
57