Page 19 - The Divine Unfolding of God's Plan of Redemption

both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and
His ways past finding out!”

Judgment swift and sure overtook the author of death, discord, and darkness, the
originator of an alien will. He was “cast as profane out of the mountain of God,
destroyed from the midst of the stone of fire.” With him were hurled into the heavenly
spaces a myriad of angels “who kept not their first estate” and participated with him in

the great conspiracy. The erstwhile cherub first experienced the essence of
death—separation and banishment from the presence and fellowship of the living
God.

Many have wondered why Jehovah God permitted the anointed cherub, who now
became Satan, the adversary, to remain at large. “Why,” the question is asked, ”were
not he and his minions immediately incarcerated in the bottomless pit, or the lake of
fire, so that all the trouble that he has caused might have been avoided?” We do not

presume to be able to explain every action of an omniscient God. We are well aware
that there are many mysteries of the divine nature and of the divine working that we
shall be unable to explain as long as we are tabernacled in this mortal flesh and
possess these finite minds. The Apostle Paul, however, gives us a little light on this

question in the passage reading, “Nay, but, O man , who art thou that repliest against
God?...What if God, willing to show His wrath, and to make His power known,
endured with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: and that
He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had

afore prepared unto glory, even us, whom He hath called, not of the Jews only, but
also of the Gentiles?”(Rom. 9:20, 22-24). He permits the “vessels of wrath” to exist
for a while that the riches of His glory may be increased and enhanced toward those
who are the “vessels of mercy.” It is inherent in the divine dealings that He never

exercises compulsion upon the wills of His creatures during any period of testing, He
permits untrammeled free-agency. We may even go farther and say that He demands
that there shall be a definite exercise of this will, with which He has endowed all
God-conscious creatures, in choosing whether they will serve Him or His adversary.

Jehovah God desires the voluntary love and obedience of His creatures, from which
He gets His glory. Enforced obedience could bring no satisfaction to His heart. Did He
admit no opportunity for disobedience, the result would be enforced submission since

no avenue of escape was provided; had there been no tree of knowledge of good and
evil, nothing forbidden, nothing prohibited, there would have been no exit from the
circle of the divine will. He provided a test of obedience in the tree and one to exploit
it in the person of the author of the alien will. The tree was planted and the tempter
temporarily endured in order that the riches of His grace and glory might be showered

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