When Jesus walked among men, He gave a most wonderful discourse the day He ordained His twelve apostles to the work of the ministry. He had spent the night praying for wisdom to break the deceptive power that had come over the minds of men. Following this night of prayer, He gave His most famous sermon—the rule of life for all men: “The Sermon on the Mount.”
We are told in the book Thoughts from the Mount of Blessings, 13, that the twelve beatitudes, are an “advancing line of Christian experience.” The first step is, “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.” Matthew 5:3. The very first step toward Christ is to realize our own poverty and to have a humble view of ourselves. We must not only have this experience when we first come to the Lord, but we must daily retake this initial step in the Christian walk. Paul has instructed us, “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him.” Colossians 2:6
Sometimes a good way to understand the importance of humility is to think about the results of a life where it is lacking. In this article, we will look at the first beatitude by studying a story where pride was the ruling element instead of humility.
Rebellion in Heaven
A few thousand years ago there was a great rebellion in Heaven. Lucifer said in his heart, “I will ascend into Heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God . . . I will be like the Most High.” Isaiah 14:13, 14. This is no admission of humility. Lucifer was determined to be rich, and clothed with the same honor, authority and power as his Creator. Today we are living in a world that has been subtly sold on Lucifer’s deceptive philosophy.
“The same spirit that prompted rebellion in Heaven still inspires rebellion on earth. Satan has continued with men the same policy which he pursued with the angels.” Great Controversy, 500. What was this policy that Satan used to take a third of the angels in rebellion? How could he get angels out of a perfect Heaven where there was peace and joy, to accept strife, discord, and bitterness? And now, he has instilled his policy into the minds of men and deceived the world with it.
Lucifer, “was a high and exalted angel, next in honor to God’s dear Son. His countenance . . . was brighter and more beautiful” than all the other angels. Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 1, 17. In his heart he became envious of Christ, and the very first manifestation of his envy was that he “gradually assumed command” over the angels, which devolved on Jesus alone, Ibid. Beware when someone starts assuming command, over others, that does not belong to them.
God knew the heart of Lucifer. Before anything else was apparent, except that one “little” manifestation, God called a meeting. Before the assembled angelic host, He conferred special honor upon His Son. He explained that His Son was equal with Himself and the angels were all under His mild and gentle rulership. When this was stated, Lucifer bowed down and worshipped with the other angels, but in his heart there was a strange conflict. Fighting in his heart against love, joy, and peace were envy, jealousy, and hatred. This time, when he left the presence of God, he determined that he was not ever again going to bow in acknowledgment to the authority of God’s Son. Thus began the mystery of iniquity.
Lucifer gloried in his loftiness. This is not the result of “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” It is the result of pride. He questioned why Christ should be honored before himself. He did not like being in second place, and if we cannot take being less than in first place, we have the same problem. Lucifer wanted to take the place of Christ and be above Him. However, Lucifer carefully concealed his real purposes. A second meeting of the angelic hosts was called by Lucifer himself. He introduced his subject, which was himself, and indicated that it was not right for Jesus to be preferred above him.
Proofing the Bread
When a baker prepares to make bread, one of the first things he does is “proof” the yeast to make sure it is active. This is done by putting the yeast in warm water with some flour and sweetener. If the yeast is active, the “proof” mixture quickly starts fomenting and bubbling. Then you know the yeast, even though unseen, has the strength to raise the bread. This leaven of rebellion started fomenting and working among the angels in Heaven, just as a little yeast does when it is “proofed.” Satan “stated to them that he had called them together to assure them that he no longer would submit to this invasion of his rights and theirs.” Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 1, 18. He told them that they should not allow their rights to be invaded either.
The sure result of Satan’s leaven followed—”there was contention among the angels.” Ibid., 19. Whenever we see contention, there is some leaven working underneath that we cannot see. Contention is the “proof” that somewhere some of Satan’s leaven is at work. The angels were deceived by Satan’s leaven into thinking that they were only trying to make Heaven a better place. “They were discontented and unhappy because they could not look into God’s unsearchable wisdom and ascertain His purposes.” Ibid. “Oh”, they thought, “If only God would take us into His plans, how much better we could make things.”
“Taking advantage of the loving, loyal trust reposed in him by the holy beings under his command, he had so artfully instilled into their minds his own distrust and discontent that his agency was not discerned. Lucifer had presented the purposes of God in a false light, misconstruing and distorting them to excite dissent and dissatisfaction. He cunningly drew his hearers on to give utterance to their feelings; then these expressions were repeated by him when it would serve his purpose, as evidence that the angels were not in harmony with the government of God.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 38. Beware when anyone tries to draw you into saying words of distrust. This is some of the leaven of rebellion at work.
Satan made claims that were not in actuality the real situation. “While claiming for himself perfect loyalty to God . . . he urged that changes in the order and laws of Heaven were necessary for the stability of the divine government.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 38. This was his leaven working silently and imperceptibly. In reality Satan was working “to excite opposition to the law of God and to instill his own discontent into the minds of the angels under him.” However, he claimed to be “seeking to remove dissatisfaction and to reconcile disaffected angels to the order of Heaven.” The dissatisfaction he implanted, he now claimed he was trying to remove. “While secretly fomenting discord and rebellion, he with consummate craft caused it to appear as his sole purpose to promote loyalty and to preserve harmony and peace.” Ibid. Beware when someone claims to be doing the opposite of what is really happening.
“While there was no open outbreak, division of feeling imperceptibly grew among the angels . . . they were now discontented and unhappy because they could not penetrate His unsearchable counsels; they were dissatisfied with His purpose in exalting Christ.” The disloyal angels now “stood ready to second Lucifer’s demand for equal authority with the Son of God.” Ibid.
What Does the Leaven Represent?
At the Lord’s Supper, we eat unleavened bread. There is a reason. The leaven represents this subtle reasoning of Satan. He told them that “henceforth all the sweet liberty the angels had enjoyed was at an end.” That is some of his leaven. Paul admonishes us, “Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” 1 Corinthians 5:6-8
The leaven of rebellion once in the heart does a fearful work. One of its terrible deceptive manifestations is in complicating simple things by making them mysterious. “Everything simple Satan shrouded in mystery.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 41. The same thing is still happening today. Some of the simplest statements in the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy have been made complicated and then conveniently dispensed of. Beware when anyone takes plain statements of inspiration and makes them of none effect by making them complicated.
Hearing of Satan’s demand for equal authority, the loyal angels hastened to inform Jesus of the situation and found Him in counsel with His Father. The Lord saw that the seed of rebellion had grown so strong that there was no turning back. The disloyal angels had lived in the full light of the love of God. But now, their hearts were fully set in them to do evil. “They had learned the lesson of genuine rebellion against the unchangeable law of God; and this is incurable.” Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 1, 21
Loyal angels pled and reasoned with Lucifer, but he became angry and told them they were deluded slaves. A third meeting of the angels, vastly different from the first, was called by the Father. (Lucifer had, on his own, called the second meeting of the angels.) Instead of bowing low before His Creator, Lucifer “stood up proudly and urged that he should be equal with God and be taken into conference with the Father and understand His purposes.” Ibid., 22. The angels each displayed their hearts at that meeting; each case was decided. To make it plain to the angelic hosts what was in each heart, each angel had to join one army or the other. (There was no fence riding.) Then there was war in Heaven resulting in Satan and his angels being physically cast out of Heaven.
The disloyal angels were sorely disappointed at being cast out of Heaven. They “had become turbulent with disappointed hopes. Instead of greater good, they were experiencing the sad results of disobedience and disregard of law. Never more would these unhappy beings be swayed by the mild rule of Jesus Christ.” Ibid., 29
Forever too Late
After Satan was cast out of Heaven, he had time for reflection. A most interesting note is made about this by Ellen White. “Satan trembled . . . He was all alone in meditation upon the past, the present, and his future plans. His mighty frame shook as with a tempest. An angel from Heaven was passing. He called him, and entreated an interview with Christ.” This was granted him. As Satan and Jesus talked, Satan told Jesus “that he repented of his rebellion, and wished again the favor of God. He was willing to take the place God had previously assigned him, and be under his wise command. Christ wept at Satan’s woe, but told him, as the mind of God, that he could never be received into Heaven. Heaven must not be placed in jeopardy. All Heaven would be marred should he be received back; for sin and rebellion originated with him. The seeds of rebellion were still within him.” Ibid., 29
Satan was full of grief and anger when Jesus told him he would not be allowed back into Heaven. He went off alone in meditation to think about his wretched condition. “To be commander out of Heaven, was vastly different from being thus honored in Heaven. The loss he had sustained of all the privileges of Heaven seemed too much to be borne. He wished to regain these.” Ibid., 30. Satan determined to get back at God for not allowing him back into Heaven. He then talked to his angels and said, “We must overthrow Adam and Eve. That’s how we will get back at God. That’s what we’ll do.” He started right then to make his plans to get the leaven of sin into Adam and Eve. But even Satan “shuddered at the thought of plunging this holy, happy pair into the misery and remorse he was himself enduring.” Ibid., 32. Nevertheless, his rebellion was so great that he went right ahead with his plans for their fall.
The War
Are you fighting the good fight of faith against the leaven of rebellion in your own heart? The devil would like to trick people into thinking that they can stay on the fence and be safe, but there is no middle ground in this war. Before it is done, you are going to join an army and everyone is going to know which side you are on. The great issue is still the authority of the Creator, and His mark of creatorship is the seventh-day Sabbath. The initial fight in Heaven and the fight today have not changed. It is still over the authority of God.
The Lord says “I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed.” Genesis 3:15. This is an enmity that we must have—to hate with a perfect hatred this rebellion against God and His law. If the seeds of rebellion are not cast out, the leaven grows, silently and imperceptibly until it takes over the heart.
Satan’s Special Tool
Today there are all kinds of theories floating around. People are surmising this and that about many elements of God and His government that have never been revealed to us in inspiration. I cannot help but think of Satan’s first trick. “This has been his special work with great success ever since his fall, to lead men to pry into the secrets of the Almighty.” Ibid., 36. What has been revealed to us belongs to us and to our children to obey. But what has not been revealed, we had better leave alone or we may enter into the fomenting rebellion of Satan. There are things that God “has been pleased to withhold from mortals. They are elated with their ideas of progression, and charmed with their own vain philosophy; but grope in midnight darkness relative to true knowledge. They are ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” Ibid., 37
Do not think that Satan has forgotten this secret even in the ranks of Historic Adventists. He is working to instill this “irreverent curiosity,” to lead us to pry into things that God “has been pleased not to reveal to mortals.” Then he tempts men to disobey by leading them to believe that they are entering a wonderful “field of knowledge.” But all of this is a deception.
Satan uses very skillfully what God will not use—deceit. Deceit in the heart works like yeast does in the mixture when the baker “proofs” it—it foments and bubbles. Some of the elements of this fomenting and bubbling are seen in the following: evil curiosity about what somebody else is saying or doing, getting people to say things, then repeating it and using it as evidence against them, gossiping, backbiting, and flattering. You can see the results of this kind of leaven in the disunity and discontent that is sure to follow. Whenever you see contention, that is a sure sign that the leaven is at work.
A lesson that we would do well to ponder and copy is how God dealt with Satan’s rebellion. God could have easily destroyed Satan and his followers. But instead of using force, He chose to use love, kindness, and truth. He sent His Son who was the Truth to show the whole universe the evil of deceit. When Jesus came to deliver us from the deceptions of Satan, He emptied Himself and took one step after another in the path of humility. He showed us that He was not grasping for power. He walked among the lowly of this earth. He was despised and rejected of men. He took on our nature that He might expel the leaven of sin and rebellion from our hearts. It must be cast out of our heart or it will overtake us.
God has promised that with His stripes we will be healed. The prayer of David must become our own prayer. “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalms 139:23, 24. God will bring us the victory. We must begin having the victory by casting down our pride and by realizing our spiritual poverty. We must work out in our own experience the great principle, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.”
The End