a review.
let us stop now for a moment and think before we proceed to the special subject of this chapter. it is clear, from what we have learned, that jesus had a very specific mission to perform on the earth. he did not come merely to display miraculous power. he came to save mankind—to teach them to know god and his commands, and to show them, further, how to keep the commands. and the wonderful thing about the mission of jesus is that he was willing to suffer as no other man has ever suffered and finally to lay down his life in order to bring about the purpose of god.
and the great purpose of god in this world is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. for just as jesus did not come merely to show how he could perform wonders, so god did not organize the earth and put living things upon it only to display his power. he had a far greater and higher purpose. that the purpose may be accomplished, man must learn to know god and jesus christ whom he hath sent.
the problem of evil.
now, it may seem to you that, if god were so desirous of saving mankind that he was willing to give his only begotten son to accomplish the desire, he could have made it very easy for men to keep his commands. indeed, he might have made his will the only possible thing to do. but it is not so. it is not ever really difficult to keep the commands of god if one sets his mind to keep them; but there are always so many other things {56} possible to do that one is tempted to neglect the word of god. evil is always in the way. we wonder why there should be evil in the way, and how evil came to be. men have wondered about the same thing for many ages. it would be so much easier to be good if there were no wrong. in this lesson, therefore, we want to learn how evil came into the world; in the next one, we shall learn why it is here.
the parable of the sower.
one day, when a great multitude of people had assembled about him, jesus related the parable of the sower. said he, "a sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trodden down and the fowls of the air devoured it. and some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. and some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. and other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold....
the meaning.
"now the parable is this: the seed is the word of god. those by the wayside are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. they on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. and that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. but that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good {57} heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience."
the devil the power of evil.
it is the devil, then, who, in this world, is the power of evil. directly or indirectly he gets between man and the path of duty. although a man may know the way of righteousness, the devil tempts him to neglect it, or even to depart from it and to walk in the way of evil. but who is the devil? whence did he get such power? how came he to be the devil?
a council of the spirits.
in the pre-existent state, of which we learned in the preceding lesson, all the spirits of men lived together in a world of spirits. it was there that they first heard of the plan of salvation—the gospel. the plan was explained at a great meeting, or council, of the spirits. god himself presented the plan to them, and showed them how, in order to carry out the plan, there would be needed a savior—someone to perform the very mission that jesus has actually performed for us. then, when he had fully presented the gospel plan, god asked, "whom shall i send?"
jesus volunteers.
there was present at the council a spirit of supreme intelligence and humility. he was immanuel, the son of god. this spirit stepped forward and volunteered unselfishly, "father, here am i, send me. thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever."
lucifer volunteers.
but there was present at the assembly a proud and haughty spirit named lucifer, the light-bringer, a son of the morning. lucifer also volunteered, saying, "behold—here am i, {58} send me, i will be thy son and i will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely i will do it; wherefore give me thine honor."
one can easily imagine that not only god, but the whole multitude of spirits also, must have been astounded at the selfishness and the arrogance of lucifer. he was willing to try to save mankind—to force their salvation, in fact—but as reward he would thrust god from his throne, and claim for himself the honor and glory of god. it was as if he had said in his heart, "i will ascend into heaven, i will exalt my throne above the stars of god."
lucifer rebels.
it is no wonder, then, that god said simply, "i will send the first." naturally, lucifer became angry, and rebelled against god, carrying with him one-third of the spirits of heaven. but in the war which followed, lucifer and his host were defeated, and were cast out of heaven. "and he became satan, yea, even the devil, the father of lies, to deceive and to blind men, and to lead them captive at his will, even as many as would not hearken unto (god's) voice."
the declaration of jesus.
that is how evil came into the world; and that is why jesus said once to the jews who rejected him, "if god were your father, ye would love me: for i proceeded forth and am come from god: neither came i of myself, but he sent me. why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. he was a murderer from the beginning, and abode {59} not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. when he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it."
the references
luke 8:4-15. isa. 14:12, 13.
moses 4:1-4. doc. and cov. 29:36-38.
abraham 3:27, 28. doc. and cov. 76:25-27.
john 8:42-44.
the questions
1. why is one tempted to neglect the word of god?
2. what is the lesson of the parable of the sower?
3. who is the sower of evil in the world?
4. how did satan come to be the devil?
5. what is the devil's mission on the earth?
6. how did jesus characterize the devil?
