AN: Just something I really thought some of you might want to know. I don't mean to cause any controversy. I just read it myself and it caused myself to wake up. Just thought you guys might want to inform yourselves like I did.

11 A Cosmic Conflict
It's important to understand the big picture. Billions of eons ago, the Creator of the Universe decided to make a group of highly-intelligent and powerful beings called Angels. One angel's name was Lucifer, meaning "Light Bearer," who was the highest of them all. Lucifer and his angel friends were holy, good, gentle, happy, and filled with love for each other and for their Maker. The Bible says, "God is love" (1 John 4:8), and each angel was content to reflect His love like sunlight throughout illimitable space.

That is, for a while. Mysteriously­no one can explain it­Lucifer became dissatisfied with his angelic position. The Lord later said of him, "Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor" (Ezekiel 28:17). Inside the secret chambers of his heart, the Shiny One became proud. He yielded to the never-before-experienced phenomenon of self-exaltation in contrast to humble God-exaltation. Lucifer wanted power­the Power of God Himself. The Word says, "For you have said in your heart, I will ascend… I will exalt…I will be like the Most High" (Isaiah 14:13, 14.). This is how the Light Bearer became the Dark One. God then changed his name to Satan, meaning "adversary."

"And war broke out in heaven…" (Revelation 12:7). A cosmic battle erupted between Lucifer and some of the angels against God and loyal angels. "… but they the rebel angels did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him" (Revelation 12:8,9).

Right after the Great Rebellion, the Infinite Creator carried out His plan to create another non-angelic order of beings called Humans, formed "in the image of God" (Genesis 1:27). In an exercise of awesome power, the Magnificent One made the earth, the sky, the sea, all the animals, birds, fish, and finally a man and a woman. "For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day" (Exodus 20:11). God also created a beautiful Garden called Eden, and in the midst of it He planted "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil" (Genesis 2:9). This tree was to test the loyalty of Adam and Eve when Satan would come there to offer them its fruit.

To eat or not to eat, that was the question. It was obedience vs. disobedience, loyalty vs. rebellion, trusting the source of life vs. believing the rebel angel. "No bites" meant Adam and Eve would be content to humbly rely on God for their happiness and would be satisfied reflecting His image, while tasting the forbidden fruit meant following Lucifer, becoming proud, seeking to reflect one's own image, and searching for power­the Power­apart from their Creator. You know what happened. Adam and Eve sinned and failed the test (Genesis 3:1-6), thus plunging the entire human race­including their descendants­into the midst of an ongoing, life-or-death, cosmic struggle between God and loyal angels against Lucifer and his evil angels.