Lineage Journey

Adam Ramdin

The Great Controversy

01 The Destruction of Jerusalem

02 Persecution in the First Centuries

03 An Era of Spiritual Darkness

04 The Waldenses

05 John Wycliffe

06 Huss and Jerome

07 Luther’s Separation from Rome

08 Luther Before the Diet

09 The Swiss Reformer

10 Progress of Reform in Germany

11 Protest of the Princes

12 The French Reformation

13 The Netherlands & Scandinavia

14 Later English Reformers

15 The Bible & The French Revolution

16 The Pilgrim Fathers

17 Heralds of The Morning

18 An American Reformer

19 Light Through Darkness

20 A Great Religious Awakening

21 A Warning Rejected

22 Prophecies Fulfilled

23 What is the Sanctuary?

24 In the Holy of Holies

25 God’s Law Immutable

27 Modern Revivals

28 Facing Life’s Record

29 The Origin of Evil

30 Enmity Between Man and Satan

31 Agency of Evil Spirits


The Great Controversy Season 2 Episode 2 The Great Controversy 1 of the biggest questions that people have from every country, religious background, social class, and political persuasion is, where did evil come from? Why do bad things happen to good people? The great controversy in many ways revolves around this question, and the questions that were present at the start have continued throughout successive generations. 1 thing is clear, and it is that God is not responsible for sin. Whilst it's not possible to ever fully understand the reasons for the origin of evil, we can know enough about its origin and final disposition to understand the justice and goodness of God in how He deals with evil.

[♪ Music ♪ Before the entrance of sin, there was love, peace, and harmony existing in the universe. It was not something forced, but it came from the free will of the angelic hosts. Satan was called Lucifer, which means light bearer, and he was 1 of the exalted angels close to the very presence of God, 1 of the covering cherubs. Little by little he came to desire self-exaltation, and Isaiah 14 verse 6-14 brings out that he wanted to ascend higher and higher and sit on the very throne of God. Not content with his position, he became jealous of the position of God.

[♪ music ♪ As the rebellion festered and grew, as it deepened and hardened, God suffered long with this angel, but the more he was pled with, the more determined he became in the truth of his own ideas. Repentance was offered to him numerous times. The justice and goodness of God was laid before him again and again, but he was able to twist the situation with an evil genius to make it appear that he had been misjudged. His position had not been respected and his liberties had been curtailed. God permitted evil to develop until it grew into active and open rebellion.

It's natural to ask why. Unless sin was fully developed, then it would not appear as evil as it really was. Satan could use what God could not, flattery and deceit, and could mingle truth and error together, and if it was squashed and destroyed from the beginning, lingering questions would have remained that would have caused more damage. Even when the decision was made that Satan and his sympathizers had to leave heaven, they could not be destroyed. If they had, then they themselves would not have seen the justice and mercy of God in their own destruction.

The rebellion had to play its full course, and when Satan was told to leave, he once again reiterated his position to the angels, both those staying and those leaving. He said that angels did not need to follow God's law, that they could use their own will to guide them right. Ultimately, he wanted to abolish God's law and that once freed from its restraint, they would enter a more glorious existence. This reasoning though was fatally flawed, but at the time and at first glance it did not seem so bad, or that it would cause so much destruction. It was not until Calvary that the character of Satan was fully unmasked and revealed to the universe.

Here on full display, his jealousy, envy, and hatred was demonstrated, but so was the love, mercy, and goodness of God. In like manner, the characters of God and Satan were on full display. Love versus hatred, good versus evil, in stark contrast to each other. It was not just to save man that Jesus came to the world, but also to magnify the law and demonstrate to the universe that it was unchangeable. 🎵 Whilst we can never fully understand the reasons why sin started, we can know that 1 day evil will be destroyed.

Nahum 1, verse 9 tells us that affliction will not come back a second time when Satan, his evil angel, sin and sinners are destroyed. That will be it. It will not come back a second time, a promise in the Bible worth remembering. May we allow the overwhelming love of God to transform and subdue our hearts, and let us put away evil, hatred, envy, and jealousy from our lives. ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ you

Series

The Great Controversy

29 The Origin of Evil

Parent Series

Sponsor

Recorded

Other Teachings in Series

01 The Destruction of Jerusalem

6m

02 Persecution in the First Centuries

5m

03 An Era of Spiritual Darkness

5m

04 The Waldenses

7m

05 John Wycliffe

6m

06 Huss and Jerome

8m

07 Luther’s Separation from Rome

7m

08 Luther Before the Diet

7m

09 The Swiss Reformer

6m

10 Progress of Reform in Germany

4m

11 Protest of the Princes

5m

12 The French Reformation

6m

13 The Netherlands & Scandinavia

7m

14 Later English Reformers

7m

15 The Bible & The French Revolution

8m

16 The Pilgrim Fathers

7m

17 Heralds of The Morning

6m

18 An American Reformer

6m

19 Light Through Darkness

4m

20 A Great Religious Awakening

4m

21 A Warning Rejected

4m

22 Prophecies Fulfilled

5m

23 What is the Sanctuary?

5m

24 In the Holy of Holies

5m

25 God’s Law Immutable

6m

27 Modern Revivals

5m

28 Facing Life’s Record

5m

29 The Origin of Evil

5m

30 Enmity Between Man and Satan

5m

31 Agency of Evil Spirits

5m

Sound Doctrine