The answer of the Lord to the powers of darkness

16

may not be believed. But if they trace the nature of the prophecies, they will find that the Lord’s prophecies, like Moses’ staff, will swallow up the rest. For no prophecy Satan can invent, nor all the arts of Earth and Hell, can bring their prophecies to the Bible as this one does. Men who have a right and true faith in God and weigh the whole thing together will see it is like Moses’ staff that swallowed up all the others; and they will confess that none but a God could prophesy in such a manner. They will be like the children of Israel, who dipped the hyssop in the blood of the lamb and struck the doorframes of their houses when the destroying angel went through their land: that means they will be led by faith to believe that their being sealed will be as great a protection to them as striking the doorposts was to the children of Israel.

But now I shall come to the point. When Moses disputed with Pharaoh, it was man disputing with man, visible to each other. And now the shadow is brought to the substance: it is Satan instead of Pharaoh who is now to be defeated; then it must be a spiritual Moses, and not a physical one, to defeat him. But as Satan’s words are on record, so shall My answer be, which is the answer of the Lord. It begins at the twenty-first page,* answered in reverse order.

Now, Satan, here your God breaks His silence;
From Heaven’s high courts, I now speak to you.
As all your words are laid before My view,
And in this page you say it is God you will know,
“Who guides My servant and directs her hand;”
Then now I bid you to stand trembling.
If you answer Me in even one word again,
You will see My power increase your pain;
And now I will come back to all your arts,†
Did you not tell her that Hell was certainly her doom?

• See page 21 of the book Dispute between the Woman and the Powers of Darkness, to which the reader is asked to refer whenever a page is quoted.
  † From the Fall of Man.

---

17

If she dared to obey My command,
Look back and see how all your arts are laid out;
Yet in these threats you shall see the same result;
I will now answer you in your own manner:
You say you would compel My servant,
With all the armies you have in Hell,
To take her life if she would not comply.
Then, Satan, stand and hear what I say:
With all the armies I have above,
I will now defend all those who love Me.
And you shall shortly see My mighty power,
And I will shortly devour all your host.
And see if you can be a supreme king
By all the hellish host that you gain!
First, by temptations that were full of lies,
Look back and see when you rose up in Heaven
With pride and envy, and swelled with rage,
Because you could not compel all of Heaven
To worship you, so that you might be supreme.
Look back and see how you laid your trap here;
And know that you laid it just the same in Heaven,
And said your wisdom was superior to Mine.
And so you say you have the greatest power,
And by your arts, you devoured the angels;
To draw them from glory and the highest bliss,
You promised happiness that they will now miss.
For as they judged you were the wisest king,
And thought you outshone Me in wisdom.
For as you have pleaded with the woman here,
You know you surely appeared that way in Heaven;
Your fury went in exactly that manner,
I know you filled the angels with deceit,
To tell them plainly that you had supreme power!
And you falsely told them they would gain pleasures
If they would only worship you in their hearts:
And so you drew My angels away.
And by your arts, you said I was unjust
When you were cast out of Heaven by Me:
For just like your pleading with the woman here,
You and your angels appeared daily,
Until you then began to threaten;
And you well know I cast you out for that very thing.
And then you all agreed together,*
To plead against My just decrees.
In the same manner you have spoken here,
You and your angels appeared just so;

• When cast out of Heaven, the same sentiments prevailed among the fallen angels as they do today: that God was unjust.