"Angel" of Light

There are two things that Satan fears:

One is a committed Christian.

"All who seek to follow Jesus will be brought into conflict with this relentless foe. The more nearly the Christian imitates the divine Pattern, the more surely will he make himself a mark for the attacks of Satan."[1]

The second is the crescendoing awareness of the devil has that his time is running out:

"The apostle John in vision heard a loud voice in heaven exclaiming: "Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time" (Revelation 12:12). Fearful are the scenes which call forth this exclamation from the heavenly voice. The wrath of Satan increases as his time grows short, and his work of deceit and destruction will reach its culmination in the time of trouble."[2]

As we approach the Time of the End, calamities of every hue will become a helpless concern of the worlds inhabitants. Concern for desecration of moral standards will become acute. All this is part of Satan's master plan.

"Satan puts his interpretation upon events, and they think, as he would have them, that the calamities which fill the land are a result of Sunday-breaking. Thinking to appease the wrath of God these influential men make laws enforcing Sunday observance.10MR 239 (1899)."[3]

After the first set of Sunday laws, strange powerful deluding forces begin their work through spiritualism.

"Little by little he has prepared the way for his master-piece of deception in the development of Spiritualism. He has not yet reached the full accomplishment of his designs; but it will be reached in the last remnant of time, and the world will be swept into the ranks of this delusion. They are fast being lulled into a fatal security, to be awakened only by the outpouring of the wrath of God."[4]

"The miracle-working power manifested through spiritualism will exert its influence against those who choose to obey God rather than men. Communications from the spirits will declare that God has sent them to convince the rejecters of Sunday of their error, affirming that the laws of the land [laws already in existence] should be obeyed as the law of God. They will lament the great wickedness in the world and second the testimony of religious teachers that the degraded state of morals is caused by the desecration of Sunday. Great will be the indignation excited against all who refuse to accept their testimony."[5]

The time of the end (after laws to enforce the Sunday laws are passed) brings the worst scenes of Satan's wrath the world will ever see. This is depicted in devastation on land and sea through the Trumpets. Around this time he will appear as an angel of light. Then his master deception will be revealed when he convinces the world that the calamities have come through Sunday desecration. Later, as the calamities continue, he will convince the world that the natural disasters are due to the very existence of Seventh-day Adventists. When and how does this occur?

John was told by a loud voice coming from heaven, "Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you; having great wrath" (Revelation 12:12).

When is he permitted to hurt the land and the sea? The sealing angel that came from the east told the four angels who were holding back the winds of strife, "Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of God in their foreheads" (Revelation 7:3). The fury of Satan against the world and Seventh-day Adventists is after the sealing.

"As men depart further and further from God, Satan is permitted to have power over the children of disobedience. He hurls destruction among men. There is calamity by land and sea. Property and life are destroyed by fire and flood. Satan resolves to charge this upon those who refuse to bow to the idol which he has set up. His agents point to Seventh-day Adventists as the cause of the trouble. These people stand out in defiance of law, they say. They desecrate Sunday. Were they compelled to obey the law for Sunday observance, there would be a cessation of these terrible judgments."[6]

The issue here is important to grasp. The focus now is on a particular group of people. The Sunday laws are already in existence and enforced. The Adventists are not adhering to those laws. That becomes Satan's excuse to bring the world's hatred (because of the devastation) against this people.

 "Persecution will again be kindled against those who are true to God; their motives will be impugned, their best efforts misinterpreted, their names cast out as evil. Then will it come to pass, as foretold by Christ, that whoever shall seek to destroy the faithful, will think that he is doing God service. Then Satan will work with all his fascinating power, to influence the heart and becloud the understanding, to make evil appear good, and good evil."[7]

The crowning act of Satan's spiritualistic power comes when he actually appears as Christ.

"As the crowning act in the great drama of deception, Satan himself will personate Christ. The church has long professed to look to the Saviour's advent as the consummation of her hopes. Now the great deceiver will make it appear that Christ has come. In different parts of the earth, Satan will manifest himself among men as a majestic being of dazzling brightness, resembling the description of the Son of God given by John in the Revelation. Revelation 1:13-15. The glory that surrounds him is unsurpassed by anything that mortal eyes have yet beheld. The shout of triumph rings out upon the air: 'Christ has come! Christ has come!' The people prostrate themselves in adoration before him, while he lifts up his hands and pronounces a blessing upon them, as Christ blessed His disciples when He was upon the earth. His voice is soft and subdued, yet full of melody. In gentle, compassionate tones he presents some of the same gracious, heavenly truths which the Saviour uttered; he heals the diseases of the people, and then, in his assumed character of Christ, he claims to have changed the Sabbath to Sunday, and commands all to hallow the day which he has blessed. He declares that those who persist in keeping holy the seventh day are blaspheming his name by refusing to listen to his angels sent to them with light and truth."[8]

A fascinating sequence is now suggested. We are given strategic sensitivity into prophecy now relative to the sea and land beast.

"In the last days Satan will appear as an angel of light, with great power and heavenly glory, and claim to be the Lord of the whole earth. He will declare that the Sabbath has been changed from the seventh to the first day of the week; and as lord of the first day of the week he will present this spurious sabbath as a test of loyalty to him. Then will take place the final fulfillment of the Revelator's prophecy. [Rev. 13:4-18, quoted.]"[9]

This is a timing statement. When Satan makes his first appearance, the issues noted in those verses follow. In general: 

      1.   Papacy is highly honored and worshiped

      2.   He blasphemes God for 42 months

      3.   Persecutes saints

      4.   The United States supports and promotes the image to the papacy

      5.   It aides in the persecution by:

           a. Blocking buying and selling of Gods people

           b. Participation in a death penalty

  Thus, we find that spiritualism and the appearance of Satan begin a major end-time prophecy. This period of time also meshes with Daniel 12:7 and Revelation 12:12-17.

Terrible will be the time of trouble that is soon to come. Our faith must be tested enough to show it will remain focused on Jesus no matter what the stress or conflict.

"It is through one who is a brother and companion in tribulation that Christ reveals to his people the fearful conflicts which they must meet before his second coming. Before the scenes of their bitter struggle are opened to them, they are reminded that their brethren also have drunk of the cup and been baptized with the baptism. He who sustained these early witnesses to the truth will not forsake his people in the final conflict."[10]

References (emphases added unless otherwise noted):

  1. The Great Controversy, p. 510.

  2. Ibid., p. 623.

  3. Last Day Events, p. 129.

  4. Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 4, p. 379.

  5. The Great Controversy, pp. 590, 591.

  6. Maranatha, p. 176.

  7. Life Sketches from the Life of Paul, p. 251.

  8. The Great Controversy, p. 624.

  9. Manuscript Releases, vol. 9, p. 282.