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Study 04 of 10

The Kingdom of God and the Great Controversy

The prayer 'Thy kingdom come' is set against the backdrop of a universe-wide controversy that began with Satan's envy in heaven and now plays out on earth in the choice of loyalty each soul must make.

Hands-free narration of this study — good for the car.

Synopsis

Preaching on the Lord's Prayer, Prescott shows that God's plan of salvation reaches beyond this earth to reconcile 'things in heaven' as well, because sin began not here but in a rebellion in heaven led by Satan. That rebellion, Prescott argues from Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28, was rooted in envy—Satan's desire to occupy a position higher than his own, in contrast to love, which 'envieth not.' Cast out of heaven, Satan came to this earth and, through fraud and deception, wrested the dominion God had given Adam, setting up his counterfeit kingdom by force, just as he had attempted in heaven by rebellion. The entire controversy now centers on which kind of government is better—Satan's, founded on force and fraud, or God's, founded purely on love—and every soul is a participant, not a spectator, in this drama being watched by the universe. Job's story illustrates that Satan still appears among the 'sons of God' as earth's self-appointed representative, and every believer's daily loyalty answers the question the universe is watching to see resolved.

Key points

  • Sin's rebellion began in heaven, rooted in Satan's envy of Christ's unique position with the Father.
  • Cast out of heaven, Satan set up a rival kingdom on earth by fraud, having wrested Adam's God-given dominion.
  • God's kingdom is founded on love alone; Satan's is founded on force and fraud—this is the substance of the great controversy.
  • Every believer is an active participant in a drama the universe is watching, and daily loyalty answers the question at stake.

Key texts

  • Matthew 6:10
  • Isaiah 14:12-14
  • Revelation 12:7-10

From the book

Sermon 3 · The Great Controversy · Read this chapter

  • “And there was war in heaven.... And the dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil and Satan.” (sermon 3)
  • “It was envy on the part of Satan against Christ that caused the war in heaven in the first place, and those who are opposed to Christ will have the same disposition to-day.” (sermon 3)
  • “This World is the Theatre on which a drama is being enacted which is commanding the attention of the universe. We are called to be actors in this drama.” (sermon 3)

Put it into practice

  • Recognize any trace of envy in my own heart, remembering that 'love envieth not.'
  • Remind myself daily that I am an active participant, not a spectator, in the great controversy between good and evil.
  • Choose deliberately whose kingdom I am upholding today—one built on love, or one built on force and self-exaltation.
  1. Comprehension

    1. What does Prescott say caused the war in heaven?

  2. Scripture

    2. How did Satan gain dominion over the earth, according to this sermon?

  3. Doctrinal Clarity

    3. Why does Prescott say God did not simply crush Satan's rebellion by force at the start?

  4. Comprehension

    4. What is the fundamental contrast Prescott draws between God's kingdom and Satan's kingdom?

  5. Contrast

    5. What role does the story of Job play in illustrating the great controversy?

  6. Scripture

    6. How does Prescott connect Michael in Revelation 12 with Christ?

  7. Doctrinal Clarity

    7. According to this sermon, why is this world called 'the theatre' of the controversy?

  8. Application

    8. In what specific choice today are you being asked, as an 'actor in this drama,' to choose loyalty to God's kingdom of love?