The Nature of the Cosmic Conflict and Limits of Omnipotence When sharing the theme of the Great Controversy with others, the most common question I receive is, “How could any created being hope to win a war against an all-powerful God?” This is a great question since, if God is as powerful as Scripture portrays Him, then why is this war still going on? To many, the answer should be as simple as God flicking His fingers together and instantly eliminating all the evil in the universe. But, this answer reveals a
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misunderstanding of the very nature of the conflict itself. The issue at stake in this conflict has nothing to do with power. Lucifer never claimed that he was more powerful than God. If I claim that I can do more push-ups than my friend Miguel, there is a simple way everyone could know whether or not my claim is true or false: a test. In Heaven, Lucifer slandered the character of God (Ezekiel 28:16, 18). He caused many to doubt whether or
not God had the right, morally, to be in charge of the universe.1 He claimed that God was untrustworthy and, ultimately, that he would do a better job if he was in God’s position. This kind of assertion cannot be answered by a simple test, nor can it be resolved by a display of power. While initially we might think that there is nothing an all-powerful God cannot do, Scripture tells us that God cannot deny himself (2 Timothy 2:13),
