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TOPIC: Gordon, Samuel Dickey - Quiet Talks About the Tempter (Other Topics in this Collection)
SUBJECT: 014. The Break with God
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The Break with God
That is the first chapter in this strange biography. Then follows the second: "Thy heart was lifted up because of thy beauty; thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness." "Unrighteousness was found in thee." "Thou hast sinned." Here is put simply the root of his sin, and you will note keenly that it is the root of all sin. His sin and ours are of closest kin.
He preferred himself to God. He thought of his beauty and wisdom as something that belonged to himself independently of God. And more yet, he thought of these as for himself, instead of being only for God, and His glory. They came from God, their source; they were dependent upon God, their life; they were for God, their purpose. Satan thought only of himself. The whole core of sin is here, preferring one's self to our wondrous Lover-God.
The words spoken by his underling, whom he has so dominated, puts yet more keenly the innermost purpose of his heart: "Thou hast said, 'I am a god, I sit in the seat of God'"; "thou hast set thy heart as the heart of God." "Wilt thou yet say, 'I am God'?"
This is the very core of sin. It is rebellion against God. It is dethroning Him, and taking the throne for one's self. It is nothing short of startling to find how common is this very thought about God and one's self. Rarely indeed is it put on human lips so plainly and bluntly and openly. But it is lived as truly as this old prince spoke it. And quickly upon the heels of that came the natural logical result: "I have cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God; and I have destroyed thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire."
Such is this striking Ezekiel passage, which came to the prophet as a word spoken by God Himself. It puts simply, and concisely, and clearly, the first two stages of this prince's career. First, the great beauty, rare wisdom and close fellowship with God Himself; then the sad break-away.
Our Lord's thrice-repeated phrase, (Joh_12:31; Joh_14:30; Joh_16:11.) "The prince of this world," suggests in this connection that this earth was the realm over which he was set as administrator. He seems to have been the rightful prince of this earth, but he has become the traitor-prince through being untrue to the trust; and the usurper-prince through seeking to retain control of the earth as his own dominion, through deceiving man, to whom the earth's dominion was given, into obeying him, and in utter defiance of God.
The third chapter of Satan's career is the present one, a very long one, beginning from the time of that break-away, on through these centuries of our earth's history, and to continue until the close of the present order of things. His whole purpose is to swing the earth and man wholly away from God, and wholly for himself. In this chapter, two-thirds of the way on, occurs the great crisis of his present career –the stupendous event of Calvary, where his fate, so far as this earth and our race is concerned, was settled forever.
The fourth chapter is the one following this present time, when our Lord shall return to establish His kingdom, and Satan shall be "chained," in the simple language of the Book, (Rev_20:1-3.) and kept in restraint for a long period, a thousand years.
The fifth chapter tells of his being "loosed again." (Rev_20:7-9.) That seems very startling. It would seem that once he is securely fastened up he should nevermore be permitted any freedom again. But our God is a wondrous sovereign. He is a love-God. He wants our love, pure and glad, and freely given. That millennial kingdom will contain many who render only a "feigned allegiance." They go with the crowd and the current of their time, but at heart do not prefer God's way.
There is to be a final sifting time, a testing time. Those who at heart prefer the reign of this coming pretender-prince, and it is startling how many even within Church lines do, these will be given free choice to do as they prefer. Our God wants only a love-following, only heart-followers. And so the final testing time is allowed—an awful time of sifting.
Then will come the final chapter, (Rev_20:10.) when the last crisis is over, and Satan is finally judged, and put away for ever and ever. Such is a brief story of the sad career, past and future, of this great spirit.