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`11. Great Controversy & Origins of Sin.

  1. Cosmic Origins
  2. Revelation 12:7-10  war in heaven, where the great dragon, the ancient serpent took one third of angels with him against God, his work is accusing people and God
  3. Isaiah 14:4-21  king of Babylon – symbol (d[eAm-rh Har Moed= armagedon)
  4. Ezekiel 28:12-19  king of Tyre – symbol of archangel
  5. God was seen as the Ruler and King of Israel, even though human kings reigned, Israel was theocratic state, where God was behind the throne. Hence, behind the ruling powers of adversaries stood the adversary – satan (Isa. 41:21; Zeph.3;15)
  6. Implications 
  7. Paul warns regarding ordaining a new convert (1st Timothy 3:6)
  8. Sin self-originates (blameless=sinless initially (Ez.28:15)
  1. Challenge
  2. Mystery of iniquity – (2ndThess. 2:7) – how creation should aspire to the throne of self-existent Creator, an impossibility in the very nature, irrational….
  3. Law! Satan is introduced as in opposition to submission to God (James 4:7)
  4. Sin is lawlessness  1st John 3:4
  5. Law of God is the expressed viw of the Character of the Lawgiver. Law in our heart is the Image of God in us  (Psalm 40:8) Sin is independence, rebellion against the Law
  6. The challenge was a lie (John 8:44). The “tail” prophetically means “liar (Isaiah 9:15)
  7. To disobey is to destroy. To reject God’s order and truth is to murder.
  8. Independence from the Lifegiver is the primary sin. “Self” is the center of offence.
  9. Main question: “Whose Authority and governance is Best?”
  10. Expulsion from heaven  Luke 10:18 “I was seeing Satan fall”
  11. 2nd Peter 2:4: Jude 6  time is given until judgment, after expulsion
  12. tartarw,j Tartaros  subterranean prison, not “hell”  Peter means “Earth”
  13. Earth is the domain of satan now  Ephesians 6:12; Matthew 12:26; Colossians 1:13.
  14. Why is the execution delayed?
  15. Determined  Matthew 25:41
  16. Attoning death of Christ condemned for destruction (John 12:31; Heb.2:14)
  17. 1st Corinthians 4:9 qe,atron tw/| ko,smw| “theatre to the cosmos”  displaying God’s character to angels and humans; Job’s story also indicates a spectacle before heaven.
  18. 1st Peter 1:12  angels long to look, to understand
  19. Michael “Who is Like God?”
  20. Revelation 12 – leads God’s army
  21. Jude 9  archangel rebukes Satan’s claim for the body of Moses. Having resurrecting power and authority
  22. Joshua 5:13-15  commander (tsar) of Lord’s army is worshipped, Chief leader is not an angel but is Divine Being (Rev.19:10; 22:8-9)
  23. Daniel 10:13,21; 12:1  the Intercessor Prince of God’s people
  24. Son of God, the Christ pre-incarnate
  1. Fall of Humanity
  2. Herbert W. Armstrong (1979)  “The Plain truth about healing” Ch.6 teaches that God created angels and tested them on Earth, before employing them in the universe. Lucifer was the cherub in charge of the earth, God’s representative in the process of forming angels’ characters. His defection and rebellion produced chaos on Earth. God had to get involved fixing it. Psalm 104:30  “refacing” the earth  some suggested that Earth was in devils control as his “evil-genius” lab for awhile, until God erased the mess and created His Eden.
  3. This theory allows for death of animals to predate creation and fall of Adam. Yet, Biblical teaching is that even creation is affected by Adam’s sin, since Adam’s fall. Even creation anticipates redemption (Romans 8:22)
  1. Doubt planted (Genesis 3:4-5) inviting to know both – good and evil.
  2. Eve was deceived, but Adam sinned willingly (1st Timothy 2:14)
  3. Adam is held accountable by whole human race (Romans 5:12-19)
  4. Similarity between the fall of angels and fall of humans – doubt due deceit – questioning god’s character and commands, placing creaturely will above Creator’s expressed Will.
  5. Death - human lot, rulership of the Earth passed to Satan. (2nd Cor.4:4-5; John 12:31)
  6. Human nature affected in every aspect – Jeremiah 17:9; Ephesians 4:18
  7. human sin resulted in the distortion of the image of God in humanity, the disordering of the created world (Rom. 1:19-32)
  8. we are enticed by our own desire (James 1:14-15)
  9. Mind set on self, on the flesh is hostile to God (Romans 8:6-8)
  10. Sin separates humanity from God (Isaiah 59:2) – hence, removes the Image of God.
  11. God sets in motion the plan of Salvation – Genesis 3:15
  12. Enmity- war – between Satan and humanity
  13. Deliverer born from humanity
  14. The Seed promise continues: Genesis 12:3; 22:18; Galatians 3:16)
  1. Plan of Salvation
  2. The secret of how God of Love can deal with hostility
  3. Work of destruction is unnatural to God (Isaiah 28:21)
  4. Romans 16:25  mystery kept secret for long ages,
  5. 1st Corinthians 2:7  with God before the earth time began
  6. 1st Peter 1:18-20  Christ was destined to die before the foundation of the world
  7. Matthew 25:34  “rewards been prepared from the foundation of the world”
  8. Galatians 2:20; John 14:16-18; Romans 8:9-10  indwelling of Christ in the believer that produces Character Restoration
  9. The Grace is the operation of the Holy Spirit – new birth experience (John 3:5-8)
  10. Romans 9:1  through conscience Holy Spirit draws humanity to the Savior
  11. Holy Spirit engenders hostility toward evil and love for righteousness (John 16:8; Amos 5:14-15; Hebrews 1:9) – essential function is deliverance from slavery.
  1. Old Testament Controversy
  2. God warned humanity about the conflict and consequences of disobedience.
  3. God does not allow humanity to be tempted beyond their strength (1st Corinthians 10:13) he did not permit satan to appear with all his dazzling splendour, but through the medium of a serpent.
  4. Sacrificial System established (Genesis 4:4; Hebrews 11:4)
  5. Patriarchal sacrifices (Genesis 8:20; Job 1:5) expanded into Sanctuary system.
  6. The Sacrificial system was the Gospel for Israel (Hebrews 4:2)
  7. Satan’s work was to destroy the line of Promise, the Nation, the family of the Seed
  8. Progressive understanding of Satan
  9. Hebrew word !j'f'means “adversary” and was used widely in common language and court system: i.e. Numbers 22:22,32 (donkey, Balaam, angel) 1 Samuel 29:4 (David to Philistines); 2nd Samuel 19:22 (David’s generals); 1 Kings 11:14,23,25 (Kings of Edom & Syria against Solomon)
  10. post-exilic references imply THE SATAN, as the Cosmic enemy of God

1st Chronicles 21:1 (reinterpreting 2nd Samuel 24:1 “the anger of YHWH)

Job 1-2  addition to the original story, interpreting the cause of trouble

Zechariah 3:1-2  persecuting accuser

  1. New Testament Controversy
  2. God’s intended witness through the Nation of Israel to prepare world for the Redeemer failed. But the “eternal purpose” (Ephesians 3:11) of Divine Providence does not fail.
  3. “Back to the Bible” movement (Nehemiah 8-10)
  4. Temple restoration, Diaspora in dispersion, Translation of Scriptures into Greek
  5. “God-fearing” worshippers are around the world (Acts 10:1-2; 13:16,26; 16:14; 18:7)
  6. First Advent of Messiah – Revelation 12 “Christmas story”
  7. Attempts to destroy the baby Jesus (Matthew 2:1-18)
  8. Christ’s victory over temptations during the first direct conflict in the wilderness, based on the same principle of doubt and distrust (Matthew 4:1-11)
  9. Daily Victories over demons – by casting out and healing (Mark 3:11-12; Luke 4:33-35)
  10. Matthew 8:29  demons are aware of their time?!
  11. Cross is the Complete and Multiple Victory of God
  12. Judgment of the world and satan completed (John 12:31-32)
  13. Demonic powers participated in crucifixion (Luke 22:53)
  14. At the cross wickedness was exposed (John 14:30)
  15. Salvation is confirmed (Revelation 12:10-12)
  16. Substitutionary payment for all human sin was made (1st John 2:2)
  17. God’s character was vindicated (Romans 3;25-26; Hebrews 9:15)
  18. Satan is attacking the Church
  19. 1st Timothy 4;1  doctrines of demons corrupting
  20. Acts 20:29-31  “wolves” in leadership
  21. 2nd Peter 2:1  false teachers secretly
  22. 1st John 2:18-19  antichrists among church members
  23. 2nd Thess.2:1-4  men of perdition, seeking worship, calling self god

vv.5-8  apostasy remaining and continuing until the Second Coming

  • Revelation 12:17  beastly powers persecuting the church

Book of Acts describes early persecution

  • Daniel 7:25; 12:7; Revelation 12:6,14; 11:2-3; 13:5  time of severe persecution predicted as prophetic 3 ½ years, 42 month, 1260 days of war on the saints.
  1. Final Struggle
  2. Time of the end is identified after the 1260 years of persecution
  3. Revelation 13 – describes the final warring strategy of satan: Dragon, leopardlike beast from the sea, two-horned beast from the earth, image of the beast set up by people.
  4. Revelation 14 – the Three Angels message of the Judgment Hour Invitation
  5. Worship – the central theme in the Controversy.
  6. Satan will be arrested during the Millennium and then destroyed (Revelation 20)
  1. Perfect Harmony restored
  2. Nahum 1:9  sin will not arise again
  3. Revelation 21-22  the New Earth is recreated for the saved human race
  1. Historic Developments
  2. Origen – first universalist, suggesting that God will bring all into subjection. (ANF 4:260) he suggested that souls sinned in a previous existence, and entered the world already in sinful condition. Imprisoned in human bodies they begin pilgrimage to restoration.
  3. Pelagius (350-425) – British monk, teacher in Rome. Asserted that each human child is born innocent, as Adam before the fall, free from inherent depravity. Sin was explained as an influence and choice. His heresy extended to say that death was not result of sin.
  4. Augustine of Hippo (354-430) refuted Pelagius, wrote the City of God last 12 of 22 books presented the philosophy of history as a war between two cities – the heavenly and the earthly, starting the human enmity at the story of Cain and Abel. Augustine interpreted the Millennial binding of satan as the era of Christian Church, asserting that under the influence of the Church devil cannot exercise his powers. He suggested that Psalm 51:5 teaches about “seminal sin,” procreation propagates sin, and is sinful. The post-reformation Council of Trent (1545-1563) endorsed this view that Adam through propagation, not example, injured the whole human race (except Mary)
  5. Anselm (1033-1109) defined original sin as “absence of goodness/godliness”
  6. Thomas Aquinas (1224-1274) focused on defining mortal vs. venial sin.
  7. Martin Luther, Augustinian monk, continued to state that original sin make whole humanity a “lump of perdition” including lower nature and higher powers of will and nunderstanding, however, retaining the freedom of choice, the door of salvation
  8. John Calvin (1509-1564) suggested that God uses and controls satan for His purposes, thus developing the predestinarian view. (Romans 8:28…)
  9. Anabaptist movement focused on sin as breaking the Law of God, act of rebellion.
  10. John Milton (1608-1674) – poem Paradise Lost, placing pride and ambition as the cause of rebellion, perpetuating the idea of satan’s immortality.
  11. Dead Sea Scrolls discovery (1947) popularized the idea that Jewish worldview developed after the babylonia captivity and included Persian Zoroastrian dualism of cosmic war between Ahura Mazda And Angra Mainyu. Judaism does not know about vanquishing of Satan. Judaism alone without Christ – has no idea of the Victory over evil.
  12. C.S.Lewis comments on the difference: “Christian agreement with dualism in the universe stops at the fact of war. It differs because it does not think that this is a war between independent powers. It thinks it’s a rebellion and we are living in part of the universe occupied by rebels.”
  13. 1858  Ellen G. White first presented the perspective of the Cosmic Struggle ending with eradication of satan in the book “Spiritual gifts: the great Controversy between Christ and His Angels, and Satan and His Angels.” This booklet of 200 pages resulted after the Lovett’s Grove vision on March 14, 1858.
  14. 1888 Minneapolis Conference debated legalism as sin in action, vs sin as relationships.
  15. Adventists introduce the Sanctuary symbolism of the scapegoat Azazel as the prefigure of satan being destroyed, paying the final penalty as originator of sin.
  16. Since 1905 Adventists understand the segment of Revelation 11:19 to 14:20 as central focal point of the Vision, placing the doctrine of the Great Controversy as the central.
  17. Emil Bruner (1889-1966) taught that original sin is unbiblical, and each person sins individually, and must be saved individually through relationship with the Savior.
  18. Movements of the Social Gospel and Liberation theology see sin as social injustice.
  1. Sin. What is it?
  1. Luke 15:8-10  parable of the lost coin  an illustration of the “lost Image of God”
  2. Sin obscures the Image of God as it separates us from God.
  3. Biblical terminology:
  4. ha'J'x; khattat (293 times) – missing a target/mark, like in shooting arrows (Judges 20:16) or missing God’s standards (Leviticus 5:5), a mistake
  5. !w<a' awon (229 times) – deceit, falsehood, iniquity, “crooked” root (Lam 3:9), that which “twists” away from straightforwardness of God’s righteousness – theologically it carries a notion of wrongful intention
  6. [v;P' pasha (135 times) – rebellion, deliberate, premeditated, wilful (1King 12:19)
  7. [v'r' rasha (30 times) – wicked, restless, ungodly, incomplete, “out of joint,” “loosed,” guilty by condition (Isaiah 57:20)
  8. a`marti,a hamartia (175 times) – same as khattat – missing the mark, negative failure reather than a positive transgression, failure to reach God’s standard. It is universal (Romans 3:23); hostility (John 9:41; 19;11)
  9. parakoh, paracoē – literally “failure to hear, ” disobedience (Romans 5:19), closing ears from God, and listening to self.
  10. para,basij parabasis (7 times) – transgression, going across, passing beyond into forbidden territory, deliberate breach of the law (Romans 4;15; Heb. 2:2)
  11. para,ptwma paraptoma (23 times) – slip, fault, least deliberate, (Romans 4:25
  12. avnomi,a anomia (14 times) – lawlessness, iniquity, condition of one living out-law. (Romans 4:7; 1 John 3:4)
  13. avdiki,a adikia – injustice, unrighteousness, wickedness. (Romans 1:18-19) 1st John 3:4 & 5:17 equates adikia with hamartia.
  14. First consequence of sin – broken relationship, embarrassment of self-vulnerability, hiding from god (Genesis 3:8-10) and guilt (Isaiah 53:6) causing loss of peace (Isa.48:22) misery (Micah 7:1) and blame.
  15. Vertical relationship broken – leads to break in horizontal relationships, with all creation.
  16. 1stPeter 2;24  we must die to sin and live in righteousness