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Amazing Facts

Joe Crews

The Origin of Sin

Strange as it may seem, the first and fiercest war of which we have any record was actually started by an angel with eye trouble.

Oddly enough, history reveals that no 1 was killed in the original battle.

But its effects are still being felt today.

I'll be back in a moment with the amazing facts about this unusual war.

🎵 Hello, this is Joe Cruz and the Amazing Facts broadcast, facts which affect you.

You know, several years ago when China was still staving off the approaches of a Communist takeover, the United States had some B-29 bombers based at certain military fields on the mainland of China.

As 1 of those giant planes thundered down a runway for takeoff 1 day, a Chinese civilian suddenly dashed across in front of the bomber, barely escaping the whirling propellers.

The man was taken into custody and questioned about his suicidal actions, and this was the explanation he gave.

He said, there was a devil chasing me, and in front of the plane, so that the devil would be killed if he came behind me." Well, we may all have to agree that this act was based upon superstitious fears, but that man did believe in the existence of a devil at least.

Hence, he was much better off than thousands of Christian theologians who question even the existence of such a being.

Now it's hard to believe, friends, but in a poll taken of 500 leading preachers, it was found that 54% did not believe in a personal devil.

Now those men are the worst fool men in the world, and Satan is very happy to have it that way, believe me.

He is delighted when men preach that he's not real, that he's only an evil influence or a bad thought.

Now let's see what Jesus, the master teacher, had to say about the reality of the devil.

In John 8, 44, he described Satan as a murderer and the father of lies.

Now, that's the teaching of Christ on the subject.

Can you imagine an influence telling a lie?

Again, in James 2.19, we are told that even the devils believe and tremble.

Now, it takes a personality, an intelligent mind, to believe.

The devil, then, is not a mere fantasy, but a reality.

Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil as a roaring lion walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.

Now, the devil is just as real as a lion is real.

In the Testament alone there are 71 direct references by name to this prince of evil.

Well where did the devil come from anyway, friends?

To answer that question we must go back to the ages of the past before the creation of this world.

We have to consider the glorious host of angels whom God made as His ministering spirits and who lived there in the very presence of God.

Among those angels was 1 called Lucifer, which means day star.

He was the most beautiful of all, holding the highest position right by the very throne of God.

But you know, 1 day something happened to this angel which had never happened to any creature in all the universe before.

He first became dissatisfied with his position and began to covet the place of God Himself.

Here we have the record of the first sin that ever existed.

I'd like to read a few texts from the Bible to impress this story.

First let me read about the beauty and position of this angel In Ezekiel 28, verses 12, 14, and 15, Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Taurus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord God, Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.

Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth, and I have set thee so.

Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, until iniquity was found in thee.

Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty.

Thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness." Now under the figure of the King of Tyrus here, this description is given of Satan as he existed once in the counsels of God in the beautiful paradise.

Now we turn to Isaiah 14, 12-14, and read those words describing this beautiful angel.

How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning?

How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weak nations?

For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God.

I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation in the sides of the north.

I will ascend above the heights of the clouds.

I will be like the Most High." Now friends, Notice how he kept talking about himself and how, III will do these things, I will take God's place.

Lucifer coveted the right to rule the universe.

He introduced rebellion in the ranks of the angels of heaven.

You see, he was an angel with eye trouble.

The concord of the universe was broken, and slowly the spirit spread from 1 to another until one-third of the angels had become disaffected with God.

The result of all this is portrayed for us in Revelation 12, 7-9.

Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon fought in his angels, and prevailed not.

Neither was their place found any more in heaven.

And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent called the devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world.

He was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him." And then, of course, we remember those words of Jesus in 10, 18, where he said, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.

Now just try to think of it a moment, friends.

Christ and the good angels fought against the dragon and those who had joined with him in his rebellion.

And the result was that the devil was cast out into this earth with one-third of the angels who joined him in this rebellion against God.

And so the great controversy between good and evil was started in heaven and then transferred down to this earth.

No longer was Lucifer called the Day Star.

His name now was changed to Satan, which means adversary.

Listen, there is no explanation for it whatsoever.

The most we can say is that he did indeed have eye trouble.

He was that angel who kept saying, III5 times in those 2 verses.

His beauty, his position became an obsession with him, and he would not stifle that spirit of self-seeking.

How many others have fallen victim to that same delusion and suffered an eternal loss as a result?

Now we learn how the human race became involved in this conflict.

God made a beautiful garden called the Garden of Eden in which He placed Adam and Eve, the first man and woman.

In that garden was 1 tree which God commanded them not to touch or eat, and it was to this forbidden tree that Satan came, and by his subtle deceit caused first Eve and then Adam to taste of that fruit.

With this first sin, the penalty of death passed upon the human race, because God had said that if they disobeyed, thou shalt surely die.

So Adam and Eve were driven from the beautiful garden home, and death entered the human family for the first time, and Satan has been here ever since, deceiving and destroying.

Most people have seen him painted as some horrible red creature with a long forked tail and a pitchfork in his hand.

If it were true, very few people would want to follow him.

The fact is that Satan was the most beautiful of God's creation.

He makes his appearance even now before the world with a lot of glitter and glamour.

His appeal is in the bright lights, the loud laughter, the fine clothes.

The snares of the devil are clothed with outward respectability and beauty.

He is so subtle that he never appears in the habit of his ugly, repulsive self.

The ugliness appears after the trap is sprung.

Now right here I'm going to anticipate a question that's already forming in your mind.

You're wondering why God did not destroy Lucifer before he could spread this deadly spirit of sin and rebellion.

You're wondering now if God isn't somehow responsible for sins, since He created Lucifer, who became the devil.

Now, let's see if we can find the answer to this question.

First, let me say that God did not create a devil at all.

He made a beautiful, sinless creature who was full of holy innocence.

Let's try to illustrate this for a moment.

Let's say that a mother has a beautiful son born to her whom she names John, John Doe.

She tried to train him in the right way, but he got in the wrong company and became a drunkard.

His life became an embarrassment to his own friends.

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The Origin of Sin

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