EDEN

"The wages of sin is death." Rom. 6:23.]

THE ORIGIN OF EVIL

The Beginning of the Great Controversy Between Christ and Satan

The great controversy between good and evil, that has been waged on
earth ever since man's fall, had its origin in heaven. Certain angels
rebelled against God and His government.

"There was war in heaven: Michael and His angels fought against the
dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither
was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast
out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the
whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast
out with him." Rev. 12:7-9.

Thus came the forces of evil into this world, which have been working
through all the ages to draw men from allegiance to God, and to infuse
into human hearts the same spirit of disobedience which wrought the ruin
of Satan and his angels.

The Cause of the Downfall

Christ stated the principle: "If therefore the light that is in thee be
darkness, how great is that darkness!" Matt. 6:23.

The principle finds its utmost application in the great reversal, by
which Lucifer, the light bearer in heaven, became Satan, the adversary,
the prince of darkness.

[Illustration: CHRIST AND NICODEMUS

"Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." John
3:3.]

In the pride and self-exaltation of Tyre, of old, the Lord saw
manifested the spirit of the god of this world; so, in declaring His
message of rebuke to the prince of Tyre, the Lord describes the cause
and history of Satan's fall:

"Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God.... Thou art the anointed
cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy
mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones
of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast
created, till iniquity was found in thee.... Thine heart was lifted up
because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy
brightness." Eze. 28:13-17.

Likewise, in the swelling pride of Babylon the Lord recognized the
spirit of the leader of the rebellious angels. In one of the messages to
Babylon is this reference to the vaulting ambition of Lucifer in heaven:

"How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer ["day-star," margin], son of
the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the
nations! For thou hast sa