Ezekiel 28:14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covers; and I have set thee so: thou was upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. 15 Thou was perfect in thy ways from the day that thou was created, till iniquity was found in thee.
[Desire of Ages pp 759] God could have destroyed Satan and his sympathizers as easily as one can cast a pebble to the earth; but He did not do this. Compelling power is found only under Satan's government. The Lord's principles are not of this order. His authority rests upon goodness, mercy, and love; and the presentation of these principles is the means to be used. God's government is moral, and truth and love are to be the prevailing power.
God’s hand of mercy was stretched forth to save any and all who would be willing, and therefore, the use of force as a last resort, was an effort to protect the angels who chose to serve God willingly. If in a certain household, one child keeps bringing home drugs like fentanyl and other opioids, trying to get the other kids to indulge, then the parents will have to act sooner or later, lest all of the kids end up as drug addicts. So, let’s reiterate our first point:
The foundational principle of peace and good will is love, not the kind that seeks one’s own benefit, but rather seeks the good and wellbeing of others first. In practical ways, this godly principle could only be truly manifested when Christ is in the heart, for the principle itself is foreign to fallen human nature. In situations where a choice has to be made between personal benefit, and the benefit of others, the one who is in Christ will defer to the other without any grudges or bad feelings.
Matthew 6:14 For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15 But if you forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
May God add His blessing to the study of His word. “Good night” and God bless!