Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 10 (1895)

Lt 43, 1895

Kellogg, J. H.

Norfolk Villa, Prospect St., New South Wales, Australia

June 14, 1895

Portions of this letter are published in MM 252; ChL 6; FLB 66; 4BC 1153; 5BC 1094, 1095, 1133, 1144; 6BC 1117; 7BC 942, 943; PCP 45-49; 4MR 131; 9MR 371; 12MR 120; 17MR 308-309; YI 10/24/1895, 10/31/1895; RH 10/22/1895, 10/29/1895. +^Note

Dear Brother:

I thank you for the letters you have sent, and will now try to reply to them as best I can. The first American mail for this month was sent off yesterday, but another mail goes by the Vancouver on the 20th, by which you will receive this letter. Brother McCoy wrote me in reference to enlarging some of your buildings, and especially mentioned the enlarging of your bakery, saying that this was very much needed. I must leave you to settle the matter as you think best, for your necessities are known to yourselves and to God. I have given you the light that God has given me in regard to investing means in erecting buildings, and I must have no voice in saying anything further about the matter. 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 1

I have been much pained because means have been invested in putting up additional school buildings at Battle Creek, when this investment was uncalled for. The college was large enough to accommodate the students that could be managed successfully in the school. The fact of the matter was that those in charge were not able to manage the students that were already in attendance as they should be managed, and the money invested in putting up new buildings was greatly needed in planting the standard of truth in cities in America, and in opening new fields to the living minister. We have great need of means in this far off portion of the Lord’s vineyard. But I dare not counsel you on the matter of which you have spoken, for I know that much depends on the wise decisions you will make. 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 2

All I can say to you is, Go to God, and talk with Him about this matter. Ask Him that the Holy Spirit may work upon you. View the necessities of the field and present your petitions to God, and let Him impress your mind. You know that I have had light to the effect that there are altogether too many interests centered in Battle Creek. Progress ought to be made elsewhere. How many cities there are in America which have been left untouched! Why not let some of your energies be devoted to setting men at work in different localities? Let the influence of truth be far-reaching. Let the knowledge of how to preserve health be widely disseminated. Let work be begun where scarcely anything has been accomplished. 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 3

In your letter of April 18 you speak of the work that is being done in Chicago. I am in full sympathy with the work that is being done there. I believe in helping along every line in which it is possible to help, following in the steps of Christ. Those who take hold of this Christian Help Work, who will consecrate themselves to God, will find that He will be a present help to them in every hour of need. I know that the Lord will use those who will submit themselves to Him, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, they will be enabled to do the work that needs to be done. 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 4

Visiting the sick, comforting the poor and the sorrowful for Christ’s sake, will bring to the workers the bright beams of the Sun of Righteousness, and even the countenance will express the peace that dwells in the soul. The faces of men and women who talk with God, to whom the invisible world is a reality, express the peace of God. They carry with them the soft and genial atmosphere of heaven, and diffuse it in deeds of kindness and works of love. Their influence is of a character to win souls to Christ. If all could see and understand, and be doers of the words of God, what peace, what happiness, what health of body and peace of soul, would be the result! A warm, kindly atmosphere of love, the pitying tenderness of Christ in the soul cannot be estimated. The price of love is above gold and silver and precious stones, and makes human agents like Him who lived not to please Himself. 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 5

I am sorry that there are those in positions of trust who very sparingly cultivate the sympathy and tenderness of Christ. They do not even <cultivate and> manifest love toward their brethren and sisters who are in the faith. They do not exercise the precious tact that should bind and heal those who go astray, but instead they exhibit cruelty of spirit, that drives the wanderer still further into the dark, and makes angels weep. Some seem to find a sort of pleasure in bruising and wounding souls who are ready to die. As I look upon men who handle sacred truth, who bear sacred responsibilities, and who are failing to cultivate a spirit of love and tenderness, I feel like crying out, “Turn ye, turn ye; for why will ye die?” [Ezekiel 33:11.] 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 6

When I consider the fact that as probationers we are now forming characters that will either fit us for the society of heavenly angels or delegate us to a place with those who are outside the city of God, I tremble for these men. O if there were no rousing up of evil passions in the hearts of those who claim to be God’s agents, how much more reasonable consideration would be given to questions of serious importance! How does heaven look upon human agents who are void of the milk of human kindness? 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 7

“Put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to deceitful lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness ... Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: and be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” [Ephesians 4:22-24, 29-32.] Could a more favorable appeal be made? 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 8

We are counseled to let no corrupt communication proceed out of our mouth, but a corrupt communication is not simply something that is vile and vulgar. It is any communication that will eclipse from the mind the view of Christ, that will blot from the soul true sympathy and love. It is a communication in which the love of Christ is not expressed, but rather sentiments of an unchristlike character. It is often the decisions that are arrived at in council meetings [that] bring oppression upon men, women, youth, and children for whom Christ has given His life. It is in the decisions that are formulated against those who need help, and who will perish if they are left to die. 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 9

There is but one power that can bring us into conformity to the likeness of Christ, that can make us steadfast and keep us constant. It is the grace of God which leads us to obey the law of God, the transcript of the divine character. It is a knowledge of Christ Jesus which we should cultivate to the uttermost of our power, in order that we may be doers of His Word. “Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him: let him know, that he which converteth a sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.” [James 5:19, 20.] Is not this a work that pays? Will we make Jesus glad? Will we cause rejoicing among the angels of God? We can do so by co-operating with God in seeking and saving that which was lost. “There is more joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, than over the ninety and nine who need no repentance.” [Luke 15:7.] Shall we not co-operate with heavenly angels in the work of saving fallen humanity? 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 10

We are not our own, we are the property of Christ. We are to be laborers together with God. We are to do the work that Christ has laid out in the following verses: “Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven. For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. How think ye? If a man have a hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which was gone astray? And if so be that he find it, he rejoiceth more over that sheep than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.” [Matthew 18:10-14.] 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 11

We are to follow the example of Jesus, who says, “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” [Mark 2:17.] We are to be wide awake, so that we may know what we can do to bless and save those around us. The moral image of God has been lost, but those who are laborers together with God are to restore in men the likeness of Christ. They are to impart ideas that will work their salvation, and that will prepare them to be temples of the Holy Ghost. 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 12

You refer to some letter that I wrote sometime ago in reference to the danger of sending young men to the Medical College at Ann Arbor, and say that you are more and more impressed with the danger as students return from their year’s work at the Medical College, and you can see that some have been affected by the influences with which they have been surrounded. You also say that some of them are standing up nobly against these contaminating influences. Thank the Lord for this. If our youth understood their own weakness, they would go to God for strength, but if they give their minds up almost wholly to study, and do not make Christ their all in all, even while pursuing a course of education, they will lose all that enriches life. 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 13

The first chapter of second Peter is full of instruction, and strikes the keynote of victory. The truth is impressively forced upon the mind by the way it is presented in this chapter. Let us more abundantly recommend the study of these words, and the practicing of these precepts. The apostle writes, “To them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and Jesus Christ our Lord, according as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who hath called us to glory and virtue.” [Verses 1-3.] What a grand theme this is for contemplation—the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. Contemplating Christ and His righteousness leaves no room for self-righteousness, for the glorifying of self. In this chapter there is no stand still. There is continual advancement in every stage of the knowledge of Christ. 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 14

Through the knowledge of Christ is life eternal. In His prayer Jesus says, “And this is life eternal that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.” [John 17:3.] In God we are to glory. The prophet says, “Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth; for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.” [Jeremiah 9:23, 24.] 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 15

“But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption that according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.” [1 Corinthians 1:30, 31.] “Not boasting of things without our measure, that is, of other men’s labors, but having hope, when your faith is increased, that we shall be enlarged by you according to our rule abundantly. To preach the gospel in regions beyond you, and not to boast in another man’s line of things made ready to our hand. But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but he whom the Lord commendeth.” [2 Corinthians 10:15-18.] The testimony of prophets and apostles is in full accord on this subject. We are to glory in the Lord our God. 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 16

Peter continues, saying, “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these we might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” [2 Peter 1:4.] We have been called to the knowledge of Christ, and that is to the knowledge of glory and virtue. It is a knowledge of the perfection of the divine character, manifested to us in Jesus Christ that opens up to us communion with God. It is by <appropriating> the great and precious promises that we are to become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 17

What possibilities are opened up to the youth who lay hold of the divine assurances of God’s Word! Scarcely can the human mind comprehend what is the breadth and depth and height of the spiritual attainments that can be reached by becoming partakers of the divine nature. The human agent who <daily> yields obedience to God, who becomes a partaker of the divine nature, finds pleasure <daily> in keeping the commandments of God, for he is one with God. <It is essential that> he holds as vital a relation with God as does the Son to the Father. He understands the oneness that Christ prayed might exist between the Father and the Son. 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 18

Jesus prayed, “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; that they all may be one; as Thou, Father art in me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me, I have given them; that they may be one even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them as thou hast loved me.” [John 17:20-23.] 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 19

What privileges and blessings are granted to those who have obtained like precious faith with the disciples of Christ. Nothing is withheld from them. The apostle says, “His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us unto glory and virtue.” [2 Peter 1:3.] The standard is lifted up, and yet we are to reach it individually. We may attain unto glory and virtue, though weak, sinful mortals, by learning daily lessons in the school of Christ, by becoming conformed to the divine image, by manifesting his excellency of character, by adding grace to grace, by climbing round by round the ladder heavenward, by becoming complete in the Beloved. As we shall work upon the plan of addition, by faith adding grace to grace, God will work upon the plan of multiplication, and multiply <His> grace and peace unto us. We are to be diligent students in the school of Christ, having a knowledge of His will, and becoming active laborers in His vineyard. 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 20

The apostle describes to us the plan on which we are to work. He says, “Giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.” [Verses 5-12.] 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 21

If our youth would take heed to and practice the rules laid down in this chapter, what an influence they would exert on the side of <righteousness,> whether they were at Ann Arbor, or in our institutions, or in any place of responsibility! They would see this truth, and their life work would be successful. They would realize the need of being much in prayer, of being rooted and grounded in the truth, so that by precept and example they might be living witnesses for Christ. They would then be like Paul, who after his conversion was a channel through which bright beams of light were shed upon the great plan of salvation. They would be workers together with God in re-shaping moral character, and would be instruments through which the image of God might be retraced in man. They would respond to the working of the Holy Spirit and become one with Christ in God. No longer would the law which they have transgressed be a yoke of bondage, but it would be the law of liberty, the freedom of sonship. Having repented toward God, having exercised faith in Christ, they have experienced forgiveness, and [they] esteem the law of God above gold, yea, above fine gold. 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 22

Jesus is the Sin-bearer. He takes away our sins, and makes us partakers of His holiness. O what tender, pitying love dwells in the heart of Christ toward the purchase of His blood! He is able to save unto the uttermost all who come unto God by Him. There is power in these precious promises, and we should co-operate with the working of Christ, devoting all our God-given talents to the service of the Master, that the Holy Spirit may work through us to the glory and honor of Christ. 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 23

Students should have a growing, expanding idea of what it means to be a Christian. To be a Christian means to be a learner in the school of Christ. It means the connecting of soul, mind, and body with divine wisdom. When this union exists between the soul and God, we are taught of God who gives wisdom and knowledge. His Spirit imparts thoughts that are clear and holy, and gives the knowledge that lives through eternal ages. Those who are consecrated, diligent, persevering laborers, putting to use every capability, employing all their faculties for the glory of God, who are not slothful in business, but are fervent in spirit, serving the Lord, will reap an eternal reward. But it is our part to be courageous, to exercise firm faith in God. 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 24

The end is near, and students should make most diligent effort to carry forward the work <intelligently> of acquiring knowledge that they may impart to others. Dr. Kellogg, I had no idea of writing as I have, but I could not forbear. I felt impelled by the Spirit of God to lift up the standard of Christian character. <If we> will <take heed and> be true one to another as the needle to the pole, <we will be laborers together with God.> 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 25

I thank you for all the pains you have taken in writing to me and in sending those things which you think will be of service to me. You have been kind to do this, and I thank you for seeking to help me in my need. I pray the Lord to bless you and yours. 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 26

You write concerning letters that W. C. White has written to others in regard to the students. I do not know what he has done, neither can I ask him whether or not any one has communicated to him as you suppose. I have written to him in regard to the students, and have impressed upon him the necessity of expediency in the matter of gaining an education in any scientific lines. This has all been opened up to me for some time, and I have spoken to several concerning the necessity of waking up on this matter. 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 27

<One> great cause of perplexity to us all has been the dearth of means in this conference. We are not so favorably situated as we were in America in this matter, and cannot call upon our brethren to arouse and meet the financial emergency. We have no moneyed men upon whom to call. We must study and plan how we shall contrive to carry on the work. If it had not been for the royalties on my foreign books <sold in America,> the work would have been far behind what it now is. Willie depended upon me to advance means, and at the outset to say what I would do in the way of providing funds for the education of students and for providing for the expenses of camp meetings and so forth. It was necessary that the workers should be educated so that they might work in an entirely different way from what they had in the past, and live upon different principles. We are called upon to lift to the utmost of our ability. We have had to practice economy, and Willie would take steerage passage on the boats in company with the students who were to attend school on the money furnished by my royalties, or by the generosity of Sister Caro, in order that the most might be done with the least means. 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 28

When land had to be purchased for the school, I donated $1,000 from the principal, and gave money that I depended upon to pay my workers for preparing my books, and that I needed for the support of my household. I invested 100 pounds ($500) in the student’s fund, another 100 pounds ($500) for buildings on the land, and have given hundreds of dollars for the transporting of persons to America. I donated 60 pounds for the education of students who have gone to America, and have sent money to maintain those who are there. Willie has been urging that these students stay another year in America and perfect their education. 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 29

This was his plan, but when I laid out before him the light which I had in regard to the danger of prolonging their stay, which I have sent to you at Battle Creek, and told him that I could not conscientiously advise them to stay, or give them money that has been entrusted to me as God’s steward to carry forward their education, he saw the necessity of changing his plans. The letter did not reach him in time to prevent his writing according to his own ideas, and his letter crossed mine in the mail. He told me that he saw that Sister Caro was carrying a heavy load, and that she was placed in perplexing circumstances. 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 30

He knew that I had given her encouragement to hope that I would share her expenses in the case of Brother Pomare, and he desired that I would send a draft for 60 pounds for the completion of his education. Afterwards he received my letter stating my convictions about the matter of educating students for such a length of time. I had told him that I could not invest means in educating students in America, but must invest what funds I could in helping the students in Australia. The light that God has given me was sufficient to cause me to change my plan of action, and I told him in my letter that I was writing to Battle Creek along these lines. Then he wrote to Bro. Olsen, asking him to investigate the matter of prolonging <the> education <of students.> 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 31

Some of the students have made much complaint as to the way they have been treated in America. <As the Lord has presented the case to me,> some of them have cause for complaint, and others by their own course of action have brought about a condition of things that has not been pleasant either for themselves or for their teachers. But I have plainly written to both parties concerning this matter, and I need not dwell upon it further. There certainly must be a change. We cannot afford to expend means in travelling expenses and tuition in sending students to America to be educated. In doing this we limit our facilities here, and bind ourselves about so that we cannot possibly meet the necessities that are continually coming to our notice, and which it seems impossible to turn from. 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 32

We are in a new country where the people are in a poverty stricken condition, and to all intents and purposes this is missionary ground. In spite of all our difficulties, the work is advancing, the number of believers is increasing, and our courage is good. I know that our brethren in America are not fully intelligent in regard to this field. 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 33

But we do not want to lay one particle of burden upon you. We greatly desire that you shall be sustained and strengthened and upheld by the power of God in carrying the tremendous burden that <you are bearing.> Let us not in any degree weaken each other’s hands. I think Willie has advised too many to go to Battle Creek, and he has counseled others not to leave Battle Creek until they have finished a medical course. But when I presented the situation before him, and laid out before him the poverty of the people in this country, he has still held to the idea that I should do all that I possibly could in creating a fund to educate students in Battle Creek, and to give them the advantages of a medical education. 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 34

But now this matter has been so clearly laid out before me that I cannot feel it is my duty to take money from this poverty stricken country, and invest it in sending students to Battle Creek, especially when it is evident that the sacrifice is little appreciated, and that the money is often expended in vain, because students to not consecrate themselves to God so that they may have a knowledge of His will, and [do] not become channels through whom the Lord can communicate the precious truth. <Some> do not, and they never have, dug deep to find the hidden treasure. They are satisfied with superficial knowledge, and do not labor to become thoroughly furnished unto every good work. They are willing to be carried, and are and ever will be inefficient and incomplete, unless something shall cross their track which will arouse them from their indolent, superficial practices. 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 35

If the converting power of God would come upon these souls, if they should come to realize that they need a power out of and above themselves, they would not remain a day longer like mere machines, but would have a desire to work for God. Has the truth been lodged in the soul? Has the love of souls for whom Christ died become a living principle in their hearts? Unless they become vitally connected with God, they can never resist the unhallowed effects of self-love and self-indulgence and temptation to sin. If they were soundly converted to God, they would experience the love that dwells in the heart of Jesus, and under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit it would well up like an irrepressible stream, refreshing their own sterile life, and refreshing all those who are connected with them. 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 36

I long to address the young men and women who are so willing to reach only cheap standards. O that the Lord might influence their minds to see what perfection of character is. O that they might know the faith that works by love and purifies the soul. We are living in days of peril. Christ alone can help us and give us the victory. Christ must be all in all to us, he must dwell in the heart, his life must circulate through us as the blood circulates through the veins. His Spirit must be a vitalizing power that will cause us to influence others to become Christlike and holy. 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 37

Speaking of Satan, our Lord says that “he abode not in the truth.” [John 8:44.] He was once the covering cherub, glorious in beauty and holiness. He was next to Christ in exaltation and character. It was with Satan that self-exaltation had its origin. He became jealous of Christ, and falsely accused Him, and then laid blame upon the Father. He was envious of the position that was held by Christ and the Father, and he turned from his allegiance to the high Commander of heaven, and lost his high and holy estate. 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 38

Though the angels had a knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ, though they were happy in the glorious service which they did for the King of heaven, yet through the deceptive power of the evil one, through his crooked representations of Christ and the Father, he deceived a great company of angels, drew them into sympathy with himself, and associated them with himself in rebellion. Satan and his sympathizers became the avowed antagonists of God, established their own infernal empire, and set up a standard of rebellion against the God of heaven. All the principalities and powers of evil rallied to the work of overthrowing the government of God. 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 39

Satan accomplished the fall of man, and since that time it has been his work to efface in man the image of God, and to stamp upon human hearts his own image. Possessing supremacy in guilt, he claims supremacy for himself, and exercises over his subjects the power of royalty. He cannot expel God from His throne, but through the system of idolatry, he plants his own throne between heaven and the earth, between God and the human worshiper. He intercepts every ray of light that comes from God to man, and appropriates the worship due to God. 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 40

Satan has wrought with deceiving power, bringing in a multiplicity of errors that obscure the truth. Error could not stand alone, and would soon become extinct if it did not fasten itself like a parasite upon the tree of truth. Error draws its like from the truth of God. The traditions of men, like floating germs, attach themselves to the truth of God, and men regard them as a part of the truth. Through false doctrines Satan gains a foothold, and captivates the minds of men, causing them to hold theories that have no foundation in truth. Men boldly teach for doctrines the commandments of men, and as traditions pass on from age to age, they acquire a power over the human mind. But age does not make error truth, neither does its burdensome weight cause the plant of truth to become a parasite. The tree of truth bears its own genuine fruit, showing its true origin and nature. The parasite of error also bears its own fruit, and makes manifest that its character is diverse from the plant of heavenly origin. 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 41

It is through false theories and traditions that Satan gains his power over the human mind. We can see the extent to which he exercises his power by the disloyalty that is in the world. Even the churches that profess to be Christian have turned from the law of Jehovah, and have erected a false standard. Satan has had his hand in all this; for by directing men to false standards, he misshapes the human character, and causes humanity to acknowledge him as supreme. He works counter to the holy law of God, and denies God’s jurisdiction. It is at <Lucifer’s> throne that every evil work finds its starting point and obtains its support. 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 42

Satan has charged injustice upon God, and at various times has set in motion all his supernatural agencies in order to shut off from men the knowledge of God, to turn their attention from the temple of God, and to establish his own kingdom in the earth. At different times he has almost succeeded in spreading idolatry throughout the world. The history of the past shows that he has striven to obtain the mastery upon earth, and that his strife for supremacy has seemed to be almost wholly successful. He has worked in such a manner that the Prince of heaven has seemed to be lost sight of. 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 43

It has seemed that the confederacy of idolatry has borne supreme sway, and that Satan had indeed become the god of this world. But the only begotten Son of God has looked upon the scene, [and] has beheld human suffering and misery. With pity he has seen how his human agencies have been blinded by the deceptions of the enemy, and have become victims of satanic cruelty. He has seen how Satan has exalted men simply for the purpose of casting them down, how he has flattered them in order to draw them into his net and destroy them. He looked upon the schemes of Satan by which he works to blot from the human soul every trait of likeness to God. How he led them into intemperance so as to destroy the moral powers which God gave to man as a most precious, priceless endowment. He saw how, through indulgence in appetite, brain power was destroyed, and the temple of God was in ruins. 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 44

He looked with compassion upon men who were becoming corrupted, ruined, murdered, and lost through choosing a ruler who chained them to his car as captives. And yet these slaves were so bewildered, so beguiled and deceived, that they were actually pleased with their slavery as they moved on in gloomy procession toward eternal ruin—to death in which is no hope of life—toward night to which cometh no morning. He saw human beings possessed by devils, saw satanic agencies incorporated with men, saw the bodies of men become the habitations for the degrading indwelling of demons. 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 45

Men made for the dwelling place of God became the habitation of dragons. The senses, the nerves, the passions, the organs of man were worked by supernatural agencies in the indulgence of the grossest, vilest lust. The very stamp of demons was impressed upon the countenances of men, and human faces reflected the expression of the legions of evil with which they were possessed. Such was the prospect upon which the world’s Redeemer looked. What a horrible spectacle for the eyes of infinite Purity to behold! Wherein can He behold His image? And yet God, the infinite God, so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son (for such a world!), that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 46

Christ came to our world, sent of God to take human nature upon Him. The mysterious union was to be formed between human nature and the divine nature. Christ was to become a man, in order that He might unfold to men as fully as possible the mysteries of the science of redemption. But the scheme of redemption far exceeds the comprehension of the human mind. The great condescension on the part of God is a mystery that is beyond our fathoming. The greatness of the plan cannot be fully comprehended, nor could infinite Wisdom devise a plan that would surpass it. It could only be successful by the clothing of divinity with humanity, by Christ becoming man, and suffering the wrath which sin has made because of the transgression of God’s law. Through this plan the great, the dreadful God can be just, and yet be the justifier of all who believe in Jesus, and who receive him as their personal Saviour. This is the heavenly science of redemption, of saving men from eternal ruin, and can be carried out through the incarnation of the Son of God in humanity through his triumph over sin and death; and in seeking to fathom this plan all finite intelligences are baffled. 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 47

Before the world was created, infinite Wisdom provided for the terrible possibility of man’s disloyalty. Though man transgressed God’s law, yet the law was not weakened in the slightest particular. It stands fast for ever and ever as His eternal throne. No hope could be found for man through the alteration of God’s law, but God so loved the world that He gave Himself in Christ to the world to bear the penalty of man’s transgression. God suffered with His Son as the divine Being alone could suffer, in order that the world might be reconciled to Him. 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 48

From the moment that Christ entered the world, the whole confederacy of satanic agencies were set at work to deceive and overthrow Him as Adam had been deceived and overthrown. Could he win the victory over Christ, the world that God had created would become his empire. 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 49

When Christ was born in Bethlehem the angels of God appeared to the shepherds who were watching their flocks by night, and gave divine credentials of the authority of the newborn babe. Satan knew that one had come to the earth with a divine commission to dispute His authority. He heard the angels as they sang, “Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.” [Luke 2:10-14.] 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 50

The heavenly heralds aroused all the wrath of the synagogue of Satan. He followed the steps of those who had charge of the infant Jesus. He heard the prophecy of Simeon in the temple courts, who had long been waiting for the consolation of Israel. The Holy Ghost was upon him and he came by the Spirit into the temple. Taking the infant Saviour in his arms, he blessed God, and said, “Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace according to thy word: for mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people. A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.” [Verses 29-32.] Satan was filled with frenzy as he saw that the aged Simeon recognized the divinity of Christ. 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 51

The Commander of heaven was assailed by the tempter. He had no clear unobstructed passage through the world. He was not left free, and without hindrance, to win to His kingdom the souls of men by His gracious mercy and lovingkindness. From the time that He was a helpless babe in Bethlehem, when the agencies of hell sought to destroy Him in His infancy through the jealousy of Herod, until He came to Calvary’s cross He was continually assailed by the evil one. In the councils of Satan it was determined that He must be overcome. No human being had come into the world and escaped the power of the deceiver. The whole forces of the confederacies of evil were set upon His track to engage in warfare against Him, and if possible to prevail over Him. 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 52

The fiercest and most inveterate enmity was put between the seed of the woman and the serpent. The serpent himself made Christ the mark of every weapon of hell. Satan knew that he must either conquer or himself be conquered. Success or failure involved too much for him to leave the work with any one of his agents of evil. The prince of evil himself must personally conduct the warfare, since all other enterprises were inferior to this. He came in determined opposition against Christ from the very beginning of His work. “But the child grew and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him ... And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” [Verses 40, 52.] 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 53

Satan saw the image of God in the character and person of Jesus Christ. He knew that if Christ carried out His plan, his satanic authority would be at an end. Therefore the life of Christ was a perpetual warfare against satanic agencies. The conflict increased in fierceness and malignity, as again and again the prey was taken out of his hands. He rallied the whole energies of apostasy against the Son of God. Satan assailed Christ through every conceivable form of temptation. 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 54

Christ had come to die for the world, and Satan finally offered to Him the kingdoms of the world, surrendering them to Him without His striking a blow to obtain them. But the condition upon which this offer was made was one with which Christ could not comply. “Taking him up into a high mountain, he showed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.” [Luke 4:5-7.] He presented the world to Christ as a most dazzling, enchanting spectacle. 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 55

But Christ saw that which Satan tried to veil from his eyes, and that which he flattered himself that he had done. Christ had not exchanged His divinity for humanity; but He had clothed His divinity in humanity, and he gave Satan the evidence for which he had asked—showed him that He was the Son of God. Divinity flashed through humanity, and the evil one could not resist the authority of the divine voice, as Jesus said, “Get thee behind me, Satan; for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” [Verse 8.] 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 56

Failing to lead Christ into sin, the prince of darkness gathered together his human agencies in the religious world, and instilled into men the enmity which he felt against the Champion of truth. He led them to reject Christ, to expel the Prince of truth from his territory. For a time success seemed to attend his efforts. “Christ came unto his own, and his own received him not.” “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” [John 1:11, 12.] 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 57

Just previous to His crucifixion the Saviour said, “The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.” [John 14:30.] Though it was the hour of the power of darkness, yet in anticipation of His triumph, Christ could say, “The prince of the world is judged.” “Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.” [John 16:11; 12:31.] Viewing the work of redemption as completed, He could even in death speak, of the great final deliverance, and represent things that were future as if present. The only begotten Son of the Infinite God could successfully carry through the great plan which made man’s salvation sure. 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 58

The condition of the world at the time of Christ is well described by the prophet Isaiah. He says that the people were found “transgressing and lying against the Lord, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood. And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter. Yea, truth faileth, and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment. And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his own arm brought salvation unto him, and his righteousness it sustained him. For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation upon his head.” [Isaiah 59:13-17.] 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 59

The condition of the world previous to the first appearing of Christ is a picture of the condition of the world just previous to His second advent. The same iniquity will exist; Satan manifests the same delusive power upon the minds of men. He is setting his trained agents at work and moving them to intense activity. He is securing his army of human agents to engage in the last conflict against the Prince of life, to overthrow the law of God, which is the foundation of His throne. Satan will work with miraculous presentations to confirm men in the belief that he is what he claims to be—the prince of this world, and that victory is his. He will turn his forces against those who are loyal to God, but though he may cause pain, distress, and human agony, he cannot defile the soul. He may cause affliction to the people of God as he did to Christ, but he cannot cause one of Christ’s little ones to perish. The people of God in these last days must expect to enter into the thick of the conflict, for the prophetic Word says, “The dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” [Revelation 12:17.] 10LtMs, Lt 43, 1895, par. 60