Sorrow filled heaven, as it was realized that man was lost, and
that world which God had created was to be filled with mortals
doomed to misery, sickness, and death, and there was no way of
escape for the offender. The whole family of Adam must die. I
saw the lovely Jesus and beheld an expression of sympathy and
sorrow upon His countenance. Soon I saw Him approach the exceeding
bright light which enshrouded the Father. Said my accompanying
angel, He is in close converse with His Father. The anxiety of
the angels seemed to be intense while Jesus was communing with
His Father. Three times He was shut in by the glorious light about
the Father, and the third time He came from the Father, His person
could be seen. His countenance was calm, free from all perplexity
and doubt, and shone with benevolence and loveliness, such as
words cannot express. He then made known to the angelic host that
a way of escape had been made for lost man. He told them that
He had been pleading with His Father, and had offered to give
His life a ransom, to take the sentence of death upon Himself,
that through Him man might find pardon; that through the merits
of His blood, and obedience to the law of God, they could have
the favor of God, and be brought into the beautiful garden, and
eat of the fruit of the tree of life.
At first the angels could not rejoice; for their Commander concealed
nothing from them, but opened before them the plan of salvation.
Jesus told them that He would stand between the wrath of His Father
and guilty man, that He would bear iniquity and scorn, and but
few would receive Him as the Son of God. Nearly all would hate
and reject Him. He would leave all His glory in heaven, appear
upon earth as a man, humble Himself as a man, become acquainted
by His own experience with the various temptations with which
man would be beset, that He might know how to succor those who
should be tempted; and that finally, after His mission as a teacher
would be accomplished, He would be delivered into the hands of
men, and endure almost every cruelty and suffering that Satan
and his angels could inspire wicked men to inflict; that He would
die the cruelest of deaths, hung up between the heavens and the
earth as a guilty sinner; that He would suffer dreadful hours
of agony, which even angels could not look upon, but would veil
their faces from the sight. Not merely agony of body would He
suffer, but mental agony, that with which bodily suffering could
in no wise be compared. The weight of the sins of the whole world
would be upon Him. He told them He would die and rise again the
third day, and would ascend to His Father to intercede for wayward,
guilty man.
The angels prostrated themselves before Him. They offered their
lives. Jesus said to them that He would by His death save many,
that the life of an angel could not pay the debt. His life alone
could be accepted of His Father as a ransom for man. Jesus also
told them that they would have a part to act, to be with Him and
at different times strengthen Him; that He would take man's fallen
nature, and His strength would not be even equal with theirs;
that they would be witnesses of His humiliation and great sufferings;
and that as they would witness His sufferings, and the hatred
of men toward Him, they would be stirred with the deepest emotion,
and through their love for Him would wish to rescue and deliver
Him from His murderers; but that they must not interfere to prevent
anything they should behold; and that they should act a part in
His resurrection; that the plan of salvation was devised, and
His Father had accepted the plan.
With a holy sadness Jesus comforted and cheered the angels and
informed them that hereafter those whom He should redeem would
be with Him, and that by His death He should ransom many and destroy
him who had the power of death. And His Father would give Him
the kingdom and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven,
and He would possess it forever and ever. Satan and sinners would
be destroyed, nevermore to disturb heaven or the purified new
earth. Jesus bade the heavenly host be reconciled to the plan
that His Father had accepted and rejoice that through His death
fallen man could again be exalted to obtain favor with God and
enjoy heaven.
Then joy, inexpressible joy, filled heaven. And the heavenly host
sang a song of praise and adoration. They touched their harps
and sang a note higher than they had done before, for the great
mercy and condescension of God in yielding up His dearly Beloved
to die for a race of rebels. Praise and adoration were poured
forth for the self-denial and sacrifice of Jesus; that He would
consent to leave the bosom of His Father, and choose a life of
suffering and anguish, and die an ignominious death to give life
to others.
Said the angel, "Think ye that the Father yielded up His
dearly beloved Son without a struggle? No, no. It was even a struggle
with the God of heaven, whether to let guilty man perish, or to
give His beloved Son to die for Him." Angels were so interested
for man's salvation that there could be found among them those
who would yield their glory and give their life for perishing
man, "But," said my accompanying angel, "that would
avail nothing. The transgression was so great that an angel's
life would not pay the debt. Nothing but the death and intercessions
of His son would pay the debt and save lost man from hopeless
sorrow and misery."
But the work of the angels was assigned them, to ascend and descend
with strengthening balm from glory to soothe the Son of God in
His sufferings, and minister unto Him. Also, their work would
be to guard and keep the subjects of grace from the evil angels
and the darkness constantly thrown around them by Satan. I saw
that it was impossible for God to alter or change His law to save
lost, perishing man; therefore He suffered His beloved Son to
die for man's transgression.
Satan again rejoiced with his angels that he could, by causing
man's fall, pull down the Son of God from His exalted position.
He told his angels that when Jesus should take fallen man's nature,
he could overpower Him and hinder the accomplishment of the plan
of salvation.
I was shown Satan as he once was, a happy, exalted angel. Then
I was shown him as he now is. He still bears a kingly form. His
features are still noble, for he is an angel fallen. But the expression
of his countenance is full of anxiety, care, unhappiness, malice,
hate, mischief, deceit, and every evil. That brow which was once
so noble, I particularly noticed. His forehead commenced from
his eyes to recede. I saw that he had so long bent himself to
evil that every good quality was debased, and every evil trait
was developed. His eyes were cunning, sly, and showed great penetration.
His frame was large, but the flesh hung loosely about his hands
and face. As I beheld him, his chin was resting upon his left
hand. He appeared to be in deep thought. A smile was upon his
countenance, which made me tremble, it was so full of evil and
satanic slyness. This smile is the one he wears just before he
makes sure of his victim, and as he fastens the victim in his
snare, this smile grows horrible. -