"Again, the devil took Him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And said unto Him, All these things will I give you, if you will fall down and worship me. Then said Jesus unto him, Get you hence, Satan: for it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve." (Matthew 4:8-10)
When Satan showed to Christ the kingdoms of this world, and the glory of them, he did it in a moment of time. Doubtless he realized that the picture would not bear inspection.
England has been covered with that same glory by her army in the recent war, but the shouting is dying away, and in its place there comes a rising murmur of discontent:
• The War Office attacked and ridiculed from all quarters;
• The generals who have been shelved for their incompetency;
• The reservists "fretting over deferred pay," and unable to find employment;
• The "ragging" of the young officers, and other features, do not combine to produce a very glorious spectacle.
Even in this life, the glory that God gives, is preferable to the glory of the world. God presents to us the cross of Christ, but whoever bears it finds glory in it.
The world allures with the promise of its glory, but it means a pathway of mortification and final disappointment.--Present Truth, March 26, 1903--Timeline: II-3 (The Temptation)--Matthew 4:8-10.