The Great Controversy Between Christ & Satan

The Great Controversy Between Christ & Satan

Why Did God Create Man - Priests & Judges

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WHY DID GOD CREATE MAN, PRIEST AND JUDGES

In order find out why God created man, we first have to answer one of the frequently asked questions, why didn’t God destroy Lucifer immediately after he rebelled against him?

Why didn’t God destroy Lucifer immediately after his rebellion?

A. God’s principle of dealing with controversy

i. Deuteronomy 19:16-20 If a false witness rise up against any man to testify against him [that which is] wrong; [17] Then both the men, between whom the controversy [is], shall stand before the LORD, before the priests and the judges, which shall be in those days; [18] And the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and, behold, [if] the witness [be] a false witness, [and] hath testified falsely against his brother; [19] Then shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother: so shalt thou put the evil away from among you. [20] And those which remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil among you.

Controversy demands that both men between whom the controversy is, stand before the LORD, priests and judges. Then the judges shall make a diligent inquisition. What is an “inquisition”?

Inquisition: examination; a searching or search. With “inquisition” we see a picture of judgment. This is to say, both the men between whom the controversy is, shall stand in judgment, a diligent one for that matter.

B. After the inquisition the one man that is found guilty shall be put away from among the people

i. Deuteronomy 13:5, 17:7, 21:21, 22,21 - describes putting away the evil as putting the person found guilty to death

None of the two men can be declared guilty before the judges had made a diligent inquisition, then after that one who is found guilty is put to death. I believe we have found our answer to the second question, why didn’t God destroy Lucifer immediately after he rebelled against him? It is because, in order to exercise justice, both the men (Christ and Lucifer, as we will later find out) had to stand before the LORD, the priests and the judges, as a diligent inquisition is made. Then after that one who is found guilty is destroyed.

The Controversy between Christ and Satan

Perhaps one of the sad depictions of heaven given in the entire Bible is the one found in Revelation 12.


Revelation 12:7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, [8] And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven

The Bible says there was war in heaven, Michael (Christ) and his angels fought against the dragon (Lucifer) and his angels. It is clear from this verse that the controversy was between Michael and the dragon, and that controversy led to the war in heaven.

We find the same sad story of the fall of Lucifer recorded elsewhere in Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28.

Isaiah 14: 12-18 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! [how] art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! …[15] Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. [16] They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, [and] consider thee, [saying, Is] this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; [17] [That] made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; [that] opened not the house of his prisoners? [18] All the kings of the nations, [even] all of them, lie in glory, every one in his own house.

Lets look at some few things from this depiction of the fall of Lucifer

i. Lucifer wanted to ascend above the heights of the clouds and be like the most high

ii. But instead of doing that, we are told that he shall be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit

iii. Why is he brought down to the sides of the pit? That they may see him and consider him. We have here another picture of judgment- people looking and considering Lucifer. We can conclude that the reason why he is brought to the sides of the pit is that he be judged. Keep this in mind; we are going to see it again.

The same story is recorded in by the prophet Ezekiel, but am going to look at only one verse.

Ezekiel 28:17 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.

Lets compare this verse with what we found out in Isaiah.

In Isaiah we found out that instead of Lucifer ascending above the clouds of heaven and being like the most high, he will be cast to hell, to the sides of the pit. Why? That they may see and look him and consider him. But we are not told who those who will see and look upon him are. Their identity is however given in Ezekiel 28:17, they are the kings that shall behold him. We still see that the reason why he is cast out is that they may behold him. (Picture of judgment)


God made us both priests and judges to make a diligent inquisition in the controversy between Christ and Lucifer, but not only that, kings also.

A. Priests and kings

i. 1 Peter 2:9 But ye [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

ii. Revelation 5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

B. Judges

i. 1 Corinthians 6:2,3 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? And if you shall judge the world, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? [3] Know ye not that we shall judge angels? How much more things that pertain to this life?

Right here we have the answer to our first question, why did God create man? Because he needed us to be both priests and judges, not only that but kings during the judgment of Lucifer.

Making a diligent inquisition, the investigative judgment

In Revelation chapter twenty, the judgment of Lucifer is recorded faithfully.

Revelation 20:1-3 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. [2] And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, [3] And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season

Remember in Isaiah 14: 15 that we saw Lucifer been cast to the sides of the pit that he can be judged? I did mention that we were going to see it again! This is what we see here. Satan is cast into the bottomless pit and immediately after that, in verse 4, we see the picture of judgment. What we saw as the reason why Lucifer is cast down to the sides of the pit to be judged is still maintained even here, because the judgment starts immediately after he is cast into the pit.

Revelation 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and [I saw] the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received [his] mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.


Who are them that are given the judgment? Note that they are not only judges, but they reign with Christ. Only a king reign, so they are kings also as we have seen already (Revelation 5:10)

Daniel 9:22 Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.

The judgment is given to the saints. To us who have overcame and now are granted to sit with Christ on his throne as he overcame (Revelation 3:21)

Put away the evil away from among you

In Deuteronomy we learnt that no one can be declared guilty of the men between whom the controversy is, until they have both stood before the LORD, the priest and the judges and a diligent inquisition is made. Then it is after that the one found guilty should be put away from among the people. We found out that the phrase “put away evil from among” is used in Deuteronomy to refer to putting to death anyone found guilty of transgression.

In Revelation 20:3-6, we find out that the inquisition would be diligently made for thousand years by the priests and the judges in heaven. Then in verse 7, we see Lucifer loosed out from the bottomless pit. Why? Because the judgment is finished.

In verse 9 and 10 we see the evil being put away from among God’s people as Satan and all that he deceived are cast into the lake of fire. It is done, the controversy has ended.

I would like to go Deuteronomy 19:20 now.

Deuteronomy 19:20 And those which remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil among you.

Who will remain? Those who reigned with Christ in heaven as priests and judges. Why would they no commit no more such evil form henceforth? Because they have heard and fear. They have seen the nature of sin fully develop, the have seen how sin demanded the death of Christ and how miserable sin has made they lives, and because of that, they will fear and not commit such evil again. This is powerful to me. If what will keep us from sinning after heaven and the new earth is our understanding of the nature of sin, should we not now earnestly ask God to fully reveal the truth nature of sin now?

Who qualifies to be priests and judges?

The role that God has given us to play in the great controversy is similar to that of been a jury. I felt impressed to find out who can be jury in the United States. The following are my findings:

i. The person should not currently (when serving as jury) under any charges of law breaking


ii. The person should never have been convicted of any law breaking (unless legal rights restored)

None but those who fit these qualifications can be jury in the United States (of course there are other things considered, but for the sake of the subject under consideration, I chose these two)

The Bible’s definition of sin is breaking the law of God (1 John 3:4) Therefore we cannot be part of God’s jury when under sin (chargers of breaking the law). But the Bible says all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23) that means all of us have been convicted of sin (breaking the law). That is true, but I pleasure in that even when we have sinned, when confess our sins and turn away from them, God is able to restore our rights as he makes us just as if we have never sinned. (1 John 1:9, Romans 5:18) This is the Gospel of Christ, that though we have transgressed God’s law, he still can make us priest and judges, our role from creation!

How then are we to life our lives?

There is only one verse that to me sets everything in perspective:

Titus 2:12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

Why should we live like this?

Titus 2:14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

Because Christ made us a peculiar people. Remember 1 Peter 2:9?

Once we understand the reason for our existence, we can no longer exist but live!


The Great Controversy Between Christ & Satan

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