Lucifer Led Deceived Angels to Engage in Warfare Against Christ

The spirit of dissatisfaction thus kindled was doing its baleful work. While there was no open outbreak, division of feeling imperceptibly grew up among the angels. There were some who looked with favor upon Lucifer's insinuations against the government of God. Although they had heretofore been in perfect harmony with the order which God had established, they were now discontented and unhappy because they could not penetrate His unsearchable counsels; they were dissatisfied with His purpose in exalting Christ. These stood ready to second Lucifer's demand for equal authority with the Son of God. But angels who were loyal and true maintained the wisdom and justice of the divine decree and endeavored to reconcile this disaffected being to the will of God. Christ was the Son of God; He had been one with Him before the angels were called into existence. He had ever stood at the right hand of the Father; His supremacy, so full of blessing to all who came under its benignant control, had not heretofore been questioned. The harmony of heaven had never been interrupted; wherefore should there now be discord? The loyal angels could see only terrible consequences from this dissension, and with earnest entreaty they counseled the disaffected ones to renounce their purpose and prove themselves loyal to God by fidelity to His government. — {PP 38.3}

Lucifer was the most beautiful angel in the heavenly courts next to Jesus Christ, but Christ was one with God, assimilated to the image of God to do the will of God. Satan, knowing that Christ had the first place next to God, began to insinuate to the angels that he should be next to God. His great beauty and exalted position made him feel that he was not receiving due honor in being second to Christ. Therefore he would suggest this to the angels, and this suggestion [began] to be communicated to the heavenly angels, and finally [it was] brought before God that Lucifer was the one who should be next to God. Thus the seed was sown and the result was that angels sympathized with Lucifer; next, there was war in heaven. Lucifer’s beautiful appearance was constantly exalted and the Lord God of heaven [saw] that Lucifer and his party were very strong against Christ. — {25LtMs, Ms 90, 1910}

Satan is the leader of every species of rebellion today, as he was the originator of rebellion in the courts of heaven. Standing next to Christ in power and glory, yet he coveted the honor that belonged to the Son. He desired to be equal with God. To carry out his purpose, he concealed his true designs from the angels, and worked deceptively to secure their allegiance and honor to himself. By sly insinuations, by which he made it appear that Christ had assumed the place that belonged to him, Lucifer sowed the seeds of doubt in the minds of many of the angels; and when he had won their support, he carried the matter to God, declaring that it was the sentiment of many of the heavenly beings that he should have the preference to Christ. — {RH February 4, 1909, par. 1}

Thus the seeds of alienation were planted, afterwards to be drawn out and presented before the heavenly courts as proceeding, not from Satan, but as originating with the angels. So he would show that they thought as he did. Satan whispered his disaffection to the angels. There was at first no pronounced feeling against God. But the seed had been sown, and the love and confidence of the angels was marred. The sweet communion between them and God was broken. Every move was watched, every action was viewed in the light in which Satan had made them see things. — {11LtMs, Ms 57, 1896, par. 3} (RH September 7, 1897, par. 3)

Lucifer carefully concealed from the angels his real sentiments and purposes; and when he had succeeded in turning them from their loyalty, and the terrible results of his work were manifest, he tried to make it appear that he had not been the originator of the evil. He led the ones he had deceived to engage in warfare against Christ and the loyal angels, urging them on with the hope that they could overcome Christ and dethrone God. With Lucifer on the throne, as ruler in heaven, he told them that a better order of things would be brought in. — {22LtMs, Lt 356, 1907, par. 12}