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31 - Agency of Evil Spirits - The Great Controversy · Philosophy and Faith

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  Speaker 1: Chapter thirty one. Agency of evil spirits, the connection of
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  Speaker 1: the visible with the invisible world. The ministration of angels
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  Speaker 1: of God, and the agency of evil spirits are plainly
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  Speaker 1: revealed in the scriptures and inseparably interwoven with human history.
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  Speaker 1: There is a growing tendency to disbelief in the existence
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  Speaker 1: of evil spirits, while the holy angels that minister for
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  Speaker 1: them who shall be heirs of salvation are regarded by
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  Speaker 1: many as the spirits of the dead. But the scriptures
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  Speaker 1: not only teach the existence of angels, both good and evil,
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  Speaker 1: but present on a questionable proof that these are not
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  Speaker 1: the disembodied spirits of dead men. Before the creation of Man,
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  Speaker 1: angels were in existence. For when the foundations of the
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  Speaker 1: earth were laid, the morning stars sang together, and all
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  Speaker 1: the sons of God shouted for joy. After the fall
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  Speaker 1: of Man, angels are sent to guard the tree of life,
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  Speaker 1: and this before a human being had died. Angels are
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  Speaker 1: in nature superior to men, for the the Psalmist says
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  Speaker 1: that man was made a little lower than the angels.
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  Speaker 1: We are informed in scripture as to the number and
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  Speaker 1: the power and glory of the heavenly beings, of their
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  Speaker 1: connection with the government of God, and also of their
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  Speaker 1: relation to the work of redemption. The Lord hath prepared
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  Speaker 1: his throne in the heavens and his kingdom ruleth over all,
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  Speaker 1: And says the prophet, I heard the voice of many
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  Speaker 1: angels round about the throne in the presence chamber of
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  Speaker 1: the King of kings. They wait angels that excel in strength,
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  Speaker 1: ministers of his that do his pleasure, hearkening unto the
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  Speaker 1: voice of his word. Ten thousand times, ten thousand and
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  Speaker 1: thousands of thousands were the heavenly messengers beheld by the
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  Speaker 1: prophet Daniel. The apostle Paul declared them an innumerable company
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  Speaker 1: as God's messengers. They go forth like the appearance of
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  Speaker 1: a flash of lightning, so dazzling their glory, and so
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  Speaker 1: swift their flight. The Angel that appeared at the Saviour's tomb,
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  Speaker 1: his countenance like life, tightning, and his raiment white as snow,
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  Speaker 1: caused the keepers, for fear of him, to quake, and
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  Speaker 1: they became as dead men. When Snacharib, the haughty Assyrian,
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  Speaker 1: reproached and blasphemed God and threatened Israel with destruction, it
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  Speaker 1: came to pass that night that the Angel of the
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  Speaker 1: Lord went out and smote in the camp of the Assyrians.
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  Speaker 1: A hundred fourscore and five thousand there were cut off
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  Speaker 1: all the mighty men of Valor, and the leaders and
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  Speaker 1: captains from the army of Snacarib. So he returned with
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  Speaker 1: shame of faith to his own land. Angels are sent
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  Speaker 1: on missions of mercy to the children of God. To
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  Speaker 1: Abraham with promises of blessing, to the gates of Sodom,
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  Speaker 1: to rescue Righteous Lot from its fiery doom. To Elijah
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  Speaker 1: as he was about to perish from weariness and hunger
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  Speaker 1: in the desert. To Elisha with chariots and horses of
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  Speaker 1: fire surrounding the little town where he was shut in
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  Speaker 1: by his foes. To Daniel while seeking to find wisdom
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  Speaker 1: in the court of a heathen king, or abandoned to
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  Speaker 1: become the lion's prey. To Peter doomed to death in
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  Speaker 1: Herod's dungeon. To the prisoners at Philippi, to Pall and
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  Speaker 1: his companions in the night of tempest on the sea,
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  Speaker 1: to open the mind of Cornelius to receive the Gospel,
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  Speaker 1: to dispatch Peter with the message of salvation to the
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  Speaker 1: gentile stranger. Thus Holy angels have in all ages ministered
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  Speaker 1: to God's people. A guardian angel is appointed to every
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  Speaker 1: follower of Christ. These heavenly watchers shield the righteous from
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  Speaker 1: the power of the wicked one. This Satan himself recognized
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  Speaker 1: when he said, doth job fear God? For naught? Hast
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  Speaker 1: not thou made a hedge about him and about his house,
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  Speaker 1: and about all that he hath on every side. The
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  Speaker 1: agency by which God protects his people is presented in
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  Speaker 1: the words of the Psalmist. The Angel of the Lord
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  Speaker 1: in campethround about them that fear him and delivereth them,
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  Speaker 1: said the Savior, speaking of those that believe in him,
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  Speaker 1: Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones.
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  Speaker 1: For I say unto you that in Heaven their angels
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  Speaker 1: to always behold the face of my Father. The angels
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  Speaker 1: appointed to minister to the children of God have at
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  Speaker 1: all times access to His presence. Thus God's people, exposed
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  Speaker 1: to the deceptive power and unsleeping malice of the Prince
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  Speaker 1: of darkness, and in conflict with all the forces of evil,
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  Speaker 1: are assured of the unceasing guardianship of heavenly angels. Nor
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  Speaker 1: is such assurance given without need. If God has granted
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  Speaker 1: to his children promise of grace and protection. It is
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  Speaker 1: because there are mighty agencies of evil to be met,
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  Speaker 1: agencies numerous, determined and untiring, of whose malignity and power
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  Speaker 1: none can safely be ignorant or unheeding. Evil spirits, in
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  Speaker 1: the beginning created sinless, were equal in nature, power, and
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  Speaker 1: glory with the holy beings that are now God's messengers,
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  Speaker 1: but fallen through sin, they are leagued together for the
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  Speaker 1: dishonor of God and the destruction of men. United with
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  Speaker 1: Satan and his rebellion, and with him cast out from heaven,
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  Speaker 1: they have, through all succeeding ages, co operated with him
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  Speaker 1: in his warfare against the divine authority. We are told
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  Speaker 1: in scripture of their confederacy and government, of their various orders,
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  Speaker 1: of their intelligence and subtlety, and of their malicious designs
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  Speaker 1: against the peace and happiness of men. Old Testament history
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  Speaker 1: presents occasional mentions of their existence and agency. But it
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  Speaker 1: was during the time when Christ was upon the earth
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  Speaker 1: that evil spirits manifested their power in the most striking manner.
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  Speaker 1: Christ had come to enter upon the plan devised for
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  Speaker 1: man's redemption, and Satan determined to assert his right to
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  Speaker 1: control the world. He had succeeded in establishing idolatry in
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  Speaker 1: every part of the earth except the land of Palestine.
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  Speaker 1: To the only land that had not fully yielded to
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  Speaker 1: the tempter's sway, Christ came to shed upon the people
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  Speaker 1: the light of heaven. Here two rival powers claimed supremacy.
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  Speaker 1: Jesus was stretching out his arms of love, inviting all
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  Speaker 1: who would to find pardon and peace in his The
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  Speaker 1: hosts of darkness saw that they did not possess unlimited control,
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  Speaker 1: and they understood that if Christ's mission should be successful,
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  Speaker 1: their rule was soon to end. Satan raged like a
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  Speaker 1: chained lion, and defiantly exhibited his power over the bodies
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  Speaker 1: as well as the souls of men. The fact that
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  Speaker 1: men have been possessed with demons is clearly stated in
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  Speaker 1: the New Testament. The persons thus afflicted were not merely
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  Speaker 1: suffering with disease from natural causes. Christ had perfect understanding
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  Speaker 1: of that with which he was dealing, and he recognized
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  Speaker 1: the direct presence and agency of evil spirits. A striking
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  Speaker 1: example of their number, power and malignity, and also of
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  Speaker 1: the power and mercy of Christ, is given in the
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  Speaker 1: scripture account of the healing of the demoniacs at Gadara.
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  Speaker 1: Those wretched maniacs, spurning all restraint, writhing, foaming, raging, were
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  Speaker 1: filling the air with their cries, doing violence to themselves
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  Speaker 1: and endangering all who should approach them. Their bleeding and
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  Speaker 1: disfigured bodies and distracted minds presented a spectacle well pleasing
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  Speaker 1: to the Prince of Darkness. One of the demons controlling
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  Speaker 1: the sufferers declared, my name is Legion, for we are
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  Speaker 1: many in the Roman army. A legion consisted of from
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  Speaker 1: three to five thousand men. Satan's hosts also are marshaled
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  Speaker 1: in companies, and the single company to which these demons
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  Speaker 1: belonged numbered no less than a legion. At the command
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  Speaker 1: of Jesus, the evil spirits departed from their victims, leaving
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  Speaker 1: them calmly sitting at the Savior's feet, subdued, intelligent, and gentle.
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  Speaker 1: But the demons were permitted to sweep a herd of
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  Speaker 1: swine into the sea and to the dwellers of Gadara.
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  Speaker 1: The loss of these outweighed the blessings which Christ had bestowed,
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  Speaker 1: and the divine healer was entreated to depart. This was
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  Speaker 1: the result which Satan designed to secure. By casting the
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  Speaker 1: blame of their loss upon Jesus, he aroused the selfish
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  Speaker 1: fears of the people and prevented them from listening to
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  Speaker 1: his words. Satan is constantly accusing Christians as the cause
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  Speaker 1: of loss, misfortune, and suffering, instead of allowing the reproach
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  Speaker 1: to follower belongs upon himself and his agents. But the
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  Speaker 1: purposes of Christ were not thwarted. He allowed the evil
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  Speaker 1: spirits to destroy the herd of swine as a rebuke
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  Speaker 1: to those Jews who were raising these unclean beasts for
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  Speaker 1: the sake of gain. Had not Christ restrained the demons,
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  Speaker 1: they would have plunged into the sea, not only the swine,
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  Speaker 1: but also their keepers and owners. The preservation of both
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  Speaker 1: the keepers and the owners was due alone to his power,
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  Speaker 1: mercifully exercised for their deliverance. Furthermore, this event was permitted
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  Speaker 1: to take place that the disciples might witness the cruel
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  Speaker 1: power of Satan upon both man and beast. The Savior
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  Speaker 1: desired his followers to have a knowledge of the foe
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  Speaker 1: whom they were to meet, that they might not be
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  Speaker 1: deceived and overcome by his devices. It was also his
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  Speaker 1: will that the people of that region should behold his
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  Speaker 1: power to break the bones of Satan and release his captives.
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  Speaker 1: And though Jesus himself departed, the men so marvelously delivered,
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  Speaker 1: remained to declare the mercy of their benefactor. Other instances
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  Speaker 1: of a similar nature are recorded in the scriptures. The
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  Speaker 1: daughter of the Syrophoenician woman was grievously vexed to the devil,
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  Speaker 1: whom Jesus cast out by his word, one possessed of
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  Speaker 1: the devil, blind and dumb, a youth who had a
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  Speaker 1: dumb spirit, that ofttimes cast him into the fire and
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  Speaker 1: into the waters to destroy him. The maniac, who tormented
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  Speaker 1: by a spirit of an unclean devil, disturbed the Sabbath
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  Speaker 1: quiet of the synagogue at Copernium. All were healed by
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  Speaker 1: the compassionate Savior. In nearly every instance, Christ addressed the
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  Speaker 1: demon as an intelligent entity, commanding him to come out
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  Speaker 1: of his victim and to torment him no more. The worshippers
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  Speaker 1: at Capernium, beholding his mighty power, were all amazed and
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  Speaker 1: spake among themselves, saying, what a word is this? For
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  Speaker 1: with authority and power he commanded the unclean spirits and
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  Speaker 1: they come. Those possessed with devils are usually represented as
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  Speaker 1: being in a condition of great suffering. Yet there were
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  Speaker 1: exceptions to this rule. For the sake of obtaining supernatural power,
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  Speaker 1: some welcomed the Satanic influence. These, of course, had no
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  Speaker 1: conflict with the demons. Of this class were those who
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  Speaker 1: possessed the spirit of divination Simon Magus, Elimus, the Sorcerer,
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  Speaker 1: and the damsel who followed Paul and Silas at Philippi.
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  Speaker 1: None are in greater danger from the influence of evil
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  Speaker 1: spirits than those who, notwithstanding the direct and ample testimony
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  Speaker 1: of the scriptures, deny the existence and agency of the
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  Speaker 1: devil and his angels. So long as we are ignorant
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  Speaker 1: of their wiles, they have almost inconceivable advantage. Many give
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  Speaker 1: heed to their suggestions while they suppose themselves to be
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  Speaker 1: following the dictates of their own wisdom. This is why,
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  Speaker 1: as we approach the close of time, when Satan is
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  Speaker 1: to work with greatest power to deceive and destroy, he
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  Speaker 1: spreads everywhere the belief that he does not excit. It
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  Speaker 1: is his policy to conceal himself and his manner of working.
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  Speaker 1: There is nothing that the great deceiver fears so much
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  Speaker 1: as that we shall become acquainted with his devices, the
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  Speaker 1: better to disguise his real character and purposes. He has
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  Speaker 1: caused himself to be so represented as to excite no
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  Speaker 1: stronger emotion than ridicule or contempt. He is well pleased
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  Speaker 1: to be painted as a ludicrous or loathsome object, misshapen,
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  Speaker 1: half animal and half human. He is pleased to hear
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  Speaker 1: his name used in sport and mockery by those who
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  Speaker 1: think themselves intelligent and well informed. It is because he
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  Speaker 1: has masked himself with consummate skill that the question is
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  Speaker 1: so widely asked, does such a being really exist? It
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  Speaker 1: is an evidence of his success that theories giving the
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  Speaker 1: lie to the plainest testimony of the scriptures are so
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  Speaker 1: generally received in the religious world. And it is because
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  Speaker 1: Satan can most readily control the minds of those who
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  Speaker 1: are unconscious of his influence, that the Word of God
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  Speaker 1: gives us so many examples of his malignant work, unveiling
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  Speaker 1: before us his secret forces, and thus placing us on
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  Speaker 1: our guard against his assaults. The power and malice of
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  Speaker 1: Satan and his host might justly alarm us, were it
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  Speaker 1: not that we may find shelter and deliverance in the
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  Speaker 1: superior power of our redeemer. We carefully secure our houses
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  Speaker 1: with bolts and locks to protect our property in our
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  Speaker 1: lives from evil men. But we seldom think of the
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  Speaker 1: evil angels who are constantly seeking access to us, and
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  Speaker 1: against whose attacks we have in our own strength no
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  Speaker 1: method of defense. If permitted, they can distract our minds,
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  Speaker 1: disorder and torment our bodies, destroy our possessions and our lives.
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  Speaker 1: Their only delight is in misery and destruction. Fearful is
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  Speaker 1: the condition of those who resist the divine claims and
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  Speaker 1: yield to Satan's temptations until God gives them up to
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  Speaker 1: the control of evil spirits. But those who follow Christ
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  Speaker 1: are ever safe under his watch. Care angels that excel
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  Speaker 1: in strength are sent from heaven to protect them. The
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  Speaker 1: wicked one cannot break through the guard which God has
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  Speaker 1: stationed about his people. End of Chapter thirty one.