Where It All Started – And Where It’s Going

Seventh-day Adventists hold a rather unique belief that is summed up in the phrase, "The Great Controversy Between Christ and Satan." This belief provides a level of understanding of why the earth exists and what is going on in the world today that cannot be found in other religion's statements of belief. We believe that the human race is currently involved in the great controversy between Christ and Satan that began in heaven and ultimately will conclude in Christ's Second Coming and the destruction of evil.

It all began when Lucifer, a created angel of God who possessed free will, became self-seeking and rebellious and attempted to become first in heaven. He recruited other angels into his own following and ultimately there was war in heaven. Christ and His angels fought Lucifer and his angels and Christ and His cast Lucifer and his out of heaven to earth. Lucifer then became known as Satan.

Satan, in the form of the serpent, introduced sin and rebellion into the human race through his deception of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Satan triumphed in that he got Adam and Eve to doubt God, His law, His character, and His sovereignty over the universe. However, God placed a sense of enmity between man and Satan and declared that ultimately the Son of Man (Jesus) would crush Satan and destroy him. Earth is in the midst of this controversy today and the battles are fought each day between God and Satan in each human's heart for dominion.

We believe that the angels of heaven and other universes created by God are observing this battle between good and evil. As they observe, they are deciding for themselves whether or not God is a fair and loving God or an unfair and dictatorial God. God could have destroyed Lucifer and the rebelling angels in an instant but the angels of heaven and all other created beings would forever doubt God's fairness and would serve Him out of fear rather than love. Sin has to "play out" its role here on earth to the very end. At the time of this end, God will prove triumphant and ultimately vindicated in the eyes of all His creation.

Those of us here on earth that are attempting to follow God's law and Jesus' teachings and ultimately regain our heavenly home with God are helped by the Bible, God's word, and by the Holy Spirit.

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