Satan has great advantages. He possessed the wonderful intellectual power of an angel, of which few form any just idea. Satan was conscious of his power, or he would not have engaged in a conflict with the mighty God, the everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace. Satan closely watches events, and when he finds one who has a specially strong spirit of opposition to the truth of God he will even reveal to him unfulfilled events, that he may more firmly secure himself a seat in his heart. He who did not hesitate to brave a conflict with Him who holds creation as in His hand, has malignity to persecute and deceive. He holds mortals in his snare at the present time. During his experience of nearly six thousand years he has lost none of his skill and shrewdness. All this time he has been a close observer of all that concerns our race. {2T 171.2}

[Satan har store fordele. Han var i besiddelse af en engels vidunderlige intellektuelle kræfter, som få danner sig en rigtig forestilling om. Han var sig sin magt bevidst, for ellers ville han ikke have indladt sig i kamp med den mægtige Gud, den evige fader og fredsfyrsten. Satan holder skarpt øje med begivenhederne og når han finder nogen, der i sin ånd er en særlig stærk modstander af Guds sandhed, vil han endog åbenbare uopfyldte begivenheder for ham, for at han kan sikre sig en endnu fastere plads i hans hjerte. Han, som ikke betænkte sig på at vove en kamp (172) med ham, som holder skabningen i sin hånd, er ond nok til at kunne forfølge og bedrage. Han holder dødelige mennesker i sin snare i denne tid. I sin næsten seks tusind år lange erfaring har han ikke mistet noget af sin kunst og skarpsindighed. I al denne tid har han været en skarp iagttager af alt, hvad der vedrører menneskeslægten.