As an American by birth, I'm familiar with the history and the claims of being a Christian nation. Although I've questioned that claim for a long time it wasn't until I lived abroad for the better part of the last 18 months that I began to realize how truly inaccurate is the claim of religiosity.
Probably the most striking difference between Eastern and Western cultures is the dedication to family. Living among people from nearly every Asian and several African countries, the dedication to and responsibility for family is key. Especially coming from a culture that values independence and self-sufficiency. And here we come to the crux of the issue: the heart of the war in heaven was pride, independence, and self-exaltation.
If one were to look through both Biblical and secular history, one would find that Satan's arguments in heaven keep repeating throughout history. According to chapter one in "Patriarchs and Prophets" the rebellion in heaven happened for two reasons: (1) Satan's pride would not allow him to accept the divinity and sovereignty of Christ, and (2) he was convinced that, in His unfairness, God would not return him to his former glory if he repented whole-heartedly.
Christ's Divinity and Sovereignty
God made it abundantly clear to the angels that Christ was equally divine, omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, and eternal. But Satan's pride and delusions of grandeur made it impossible to yield. how many of us - be we Adventist, protestant Christian, or anything else - are any different? We are self-sufficient, the "self made man" is applauded for his/her achievements, and anyone who "yields" to another power is weak - weak-willed, weak-minded - and will never amount to anything. We, like Lucifer in heaven, refuse to acknowledge the sovereignty of Christ in all aspects of our lives. What is CHRISTianity without Christ?
Repentance and Restoration
The lies of Satan ring in our minds, "If you repent of your 'self' attitude and submit to Christ, you'll be stripped of everything you've gained, everything you've accomplished. You'll never succeed in anything if you give yourself to Him."
What we don't understand, what we can't seem to grasp, is that the only way to true and lasting happiness is to let go of the rat race and embrace a life with Christ, not against Him. "'For I know the plans I have for you,' says the Lord. 'They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.'" (Jeremiah 29:11, NLT). Humanity's only hope for a future is to give up our love of self, wealth, and power and turn to the Author of our hearts' desires.
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