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He was not immediately dethroned when he first ventured to indulge the spirit of discontent and insubordination, nor even when he began to present his false claim and lying representations before the loyal angels. Long was he retained in Heaven. Again and again was he offered pardon on condition of repentance and submission. Such efforts as God alone could make, were made to convince him of his error, and restore him to the path of rectitude. God would preserve the order of the heavens, and had Lucifer been willing to return to his allegiance, humble and obedient, he would have been re-established in his office as covering cherub. (4SP 319)

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If sin requires, in and of itself, death, then Christ should have had to die for Satan. However, Satan could have been restored without Christ's death. Why couldn't man have also been restored without Christ's death? It can't be because sin requries an arbitrary punishment, because then Satan's sin would also have required Christ's death -- but it didn't.

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But even as a sinner, man was in a different position from that of Satan. Lucifer in heaven had sinned in the light of God's glory. To him as to no other created being was given a revelation of God's love.

Understanding the character of God, knowing His goodness, Satan chose to follow his own selfish, independent will. This choice was final. There was no more that God could do to save him. But man was deceived; his mind was darkened by Satan's sophistry. The height and depth of the love of God he did not know. For him there was hope in a knowledge of God's love. By beholding His character he might be drawn back to God. (DA 761, 762)

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Satan's position was different than man's because he knew God's love much more than did man, having dwelled for who knows how long in the very presence of God. So there was nothing more that God could do for Satan regarding a revelation of His character, since Satan rebelled already knowing God's character.

Man however did not know, so the revelation of God's character through the life and death of Christ was able to save man.

My point in posting this topic is to point out that sin does not in and of itself require the death of a substitute, because Satan could have been restored without any death, even though he had been committing sin for quite some time (he had been lying).

The reason the death of Christ was necessary for man was that man's position was different than Satan's, and a revelation of God's love *could* restore man. There was no arbitrary, legal adjustment necessary (just as there wasn't for Satan), but a necessity that man *himself* be brought back into harmony with God. And this is exactly what the atonement does.

(We can surmise some things from what the Scriptures tells us about Satan, but are limited in what we know, compared to the Spirit of Prophesy. Milton apparently divined quite a bit of it however, either from Scripture or special revelation. The argument I have been presenting is based on the Spirit of Prophesy.

Thanks for moving the topic to the proper location.)

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Name correction only. - Daryl

[ March 09, 2005, 10:20 PM: Message edited by: Daryl Fawcett ]

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He was not immediately dethroned when he first ventured to indulge the spirit of discontent and insubordination, nor even when he began to present his false claim and lying representations before the loyal angels. Long was he retained in Heaven. Again and again was he offered pardon on condition of repentance and submission. Such efforts as God alone could make, were made to convince him of his error, and restore him to the path of rectitude. (4SP 319)

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