第六章 背道，蓄势待发

现在让我们更近地来看看撒旦暗中攻击余民教会标准的目的。我们已经描述过他通过擦边球类问题逐渐渗透的狡猾战略，并描述了那些小小的漏洞是如何慢慢扩展为对我们历史原则之大背离的。神圣的因果效应定律马上开始运行，产生了对真理教义的怀疑与混乱。一旦有足够的心灵因与世界同化已经完全迟钝了，撒旦就非常确定其蓄势待发的欺骗杰作便可脱颖而出了。福特（Desmond Ford）和沃尔特（Walter Rea）几乎是同时出场的，那老调陈腐的异议开始首次在基督复临安息日会教友的思想中引起了疑问。

惟有当我们近距离聚焦“新神学”的错误时，才能明白撒旦别出心裁的战略。几乎其所有的攻击都是针对上帝的律法。虽然有些基督复临安息日会信徒害怕这么说，但历代大争战的真正问题就是围绕着上帝的律法这一主题，以及它是否能被遵守。

撒旦甚至比我们更清楚，大争战的决定性冲突必将围绕着对律法的忠诚与顺从。现在他所能做的使律法在基督复临安息日会信徒眼中被削弱与怀疑的任何一件事，都必是他那一方的一次成功妙举。他对付基督教界其余之人，已毫无问题了，因为他们的教义已经轻视了十条诫命；然而他却需要一些不可思议的欺骗手法，来使复临信徒轻看律法。

这律法大战的根源一直追溯到堕落的天使――路锡甫身上。那背叛的天使把他对上帝所有的攻击都建立在这个前提之下：他说天国的律法太严厉了无法遵守。那些错误的控告就在未堕落的宇宙众生前被宣扬，1/3的天使被说服了，认为路锡甫是对的。从那时直到现在，善与恶的政体就被锁定在一场大争战之中，来解决路锡甫所引起的那些问题。

上帝设立救赎计划，要在全宇宙面前维护祂的公义与尊荣，从祂的律法无法遵守的虚谎控告中表明祂圣名的清白。祂那6000年计划的目的一直就是要产生一班愿意度无罪生活的子民。如果上帝的计划无法把人从堕落恢复到顺从的原始状态，撒旦的争辩就要被同意了。另一方面，在撒旦所能制造的最不利的环境中，如果上帝能够出示一群已全然顺服于祂的子民，那么祂的圣德在未堕落的世界面前就永远被澄清了。宇宙将永保安全，免于进一步的背叛，因为蒙救赎余民活的见证将在千秋万古的岁月中，成为上帝对待其创造物之公义的记念。

现在，你能看清撒旦必须让人犯罪有多么重要吗？你能看清为什么女人其余的儿女——那些遵守诫命并有预言之灵的人——是龙发怒的特别对象了吗？撒旦无论做什么来对抗上帝忠心的圣徒，目标都是要削弱他们对律法的信心。他必须以某种方式预备他们看律法是如此无足轻重，而罪又是那么不惹人讨厌，以致当他们的生活正处于危险中时，他们就要选择违抗胜似灭亡了。撒旦将此视为最后一次机会，攻击上帝使其百姓完全的计划。

现在对撒旦而言预备特别攻击守安息日之人岂不是更有意义了吗？难怪他设立了聪明的计划把世俗的做法慢慢推进到教会里面。他非常明白圣经的原则，知道教义的混乱马上就会接踵而至。他仔细地做了准备，通过影响力最大而有名望的内部发言人，引进其狡猾的“反律法主义”。

CHAPTER 6 APOSTASY WAITING IN THE WINGS

But now let us look more closely at the purpose of Satan's sneak attack on standards in the remnant church. We have described his cunning program of gradual infiltration through borderline issues, and how those tiny loopholes were slowly expanded into major departures from our historic principles. The divine cause-and-effect law immediately began to operate, creating doubt and confusion about the true doctrine. And Satan made very certain that a masterpiece of deception was in both wings waiting to emerge just as soon as enough minds had been sufficiently dulled by conformity to the world. Desmond Ford and Walter Rea appeared on the stage almost simultaneously, and for the first time the old, stale objections began to raise questions in the minds of Seventh-day Adventists.

It is only when we look closely at the focus of the "new theology" errors that we can understand Satan's ingenious strategy. Almost all of its attack is aimed at the law of God. Even though some Seventh-day Adventists are afraid to say it, the real issue in the age-long controversy is over the subject of God's law and whether it can be kept or not.

Satan knows even better than we do that the final clash in the great contest will revolve around loyalty and obedience to that law. Anything he can do now to weaken and discredit the law in the eyes of Seventh-day Adventists will be a master stroke on his part. He has no problem with the rest of Christendom, because their doctrine already belittles the Decalogue, but he needs some incredibly deceptive approach to make Adventists look lightly upon the law.

The roots of the law controversy go all the way back to the fallen angel, Lucifer. That rebel angel based his entire attack against God on the premise that Heaven's law was too severe and could not be obeyed. Those false charges were aired before the unfallen universe, and one third of the angels were persuaded that Lucifer was right. From that time to this, the governments of good and evil have been locked in a titanic struggle to settle those issues raised by Lucifer.

The plan of salvation was designed by God to vindicate His justice and honor before the universe, and to clear His name from the lying accusation that His law could not be obeyed. The purpose of His 6000-year program has been to produce a people who will live without sin. If God's plan is not able to restore man to that original position of obedience from which he fell, then Satan's arguments will be upheld. On the other hand, if God is able to exhibit a people who have totally obeyed Him, under the most adverse conditions Satan can create, His character will be eternally vindicated before the unfallen worlds. The universe will be forever secure from further disobedience, because, age upon age, the living testimony of the redeemed remnant will be a reminder of God's righteousness in dealing with His creatures.

Now, can you see how important it must be for Satan to make people sin? And do you see why the remnant of the woman-those who keep the commandments and have the Spirit of Prophecy-are the special objects of the dragon's wrath? Whatever Satan does against God's faithful saints will be aimed at diluting their confidence in the law. Somehow he must prepare them to regard the law so lightly and see sin as so unobjectionable, that when their lives are on the line, they will choose to disobey rather than perish. Satan sees this as his last opportunity to strike out against God's plan to bring His people to perfection.

Does it begin to make more sense now for Satan to prepare special assaults against Sabbathkeepers? No wonder he devised the clever plan to slip worldly customs slowly into the church. He knew very well the Bible principle that doctrinal confusion would quickly follow. And he made careful preparations to introduce his artful "anti-lawism" through respectable inside spokesmen who would have the widest influence.