But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness,... 2 Peter 2:10
"In the rebellion of Korah is seen the working out, upon a narrower
stage, of the same spirit that led to the rebellion of Satan in heaven.
It was pride and ambition that prompted Lucifer to complain of the
government of God, and to seek the overthrow of the order which had been
established in heaven.
Since his fall it has been his object to infuse
the same spirit of envy and discontent, the same ambition for position
and honor, into the minds of men. He thus worked upon the minds of
Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, to arouse the desire for self-exaltation and
excite envy, distrust, and rebellion.
Satan caused them to reject God as
their leader, by rejecting the men of God's appointment. Yet while in
their murmuring against Moses and Aaron they blasphemed God, they were
so deluded as to think themselves righteous, and to regard those who had
faithfully reproved their sins as actuated by Satan.
Q: Do not the same evils still exist that lay at the foundation of Korah's
ruin?
Pride and ambition are widespread;
--and when these are cherished,
they open the door to envy, and a striving for supremacy;
--the soul is
alienated from God, and unconsciously drawn into the ranks of Satan....
It is by sinful indulgence that men give Satan access to their minds,
and they go from one stage of wickedness to another. The rejection of
light darkens the mind and hardens the heart, so that it is easier for
them to take the next step in sin and to reject still clearer light,
until at last their habits of wrongdoing become fixed. Sin ceases to
appear sinful to them." E.G.W.