XXVIII. The Son of God

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Jun 6, 1911

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 38, No. 22.

XXVIII. The Son of God

The Answer of the Text

[The answers to the questions are from the American Revised Version. Omitting questions, and disregarding sometimes the capital at the beginning and the period at the close of an answer, the text may be read continuously. In notes and comments both versions are used without designation.] 1. When the devil was cast down, what did the prophet hear? And I heard a great voice in heaven, saying. 2. What four things did the voice declare had come? Now is come the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ. 3. What else then occurred? For the accuser of our brethren is cast down, who accuseth them before our God day and night.

Note and Comment

1. A GREAT VOICE.—The message is more important than the messenger; the event is more important than the one who announces it. It is often the case in the Bible that we hear the voice, but are not told who it is that utters it. John the Baptist was one of the greatest of prophets, but he was content to be "the voice crying in the wilderness" God's message. The voice of this text may have been that of the angel Gabriel or of the Eternal Himself; the more important thing for us to know is the great announcement.

2. NOW.—For that time, that moment, that "now" the ages had waited. From the time that He who afterward became Jesus of Nazareth left His position in the Godhead as the Creator of the heaven and earth, and for the sake of His fallen creatures risked all to save them, the universe had been in suspense. In the beginning He was one with the Father in supernal glory (John 17:5), "the very image of His [the Father's] substance" (Heb. 1:3); but His position of equality, His claim to eternal Sonship, had been disputed by that being who stood next to Him, the one created being above all others who in himself sealed up the sum of bestowed wisdom and beauty (Eze. 28:12), Lucifer, the son of the morning (Isa. 14:12). He not only disputed the position of the Word of God, but he led others to do the same. A third part of heaven's spirits of light revolted. The universe was divided, broken, diseased, by the entrance of sin. God's power might have been vindicated by utterly crushing the rebellion of Lucifer in the beginning, but such a course would have sown doubt in the minds of beings who were on probation, yet still loyal. It was God's character that was called in question—His justice, His love. If God's creatures could be led to believe that God is not love, that He is unjust, partial, implacable, unmerciful, they would not serve Him, would fall as easy prey to Satan's deceptions. But God is merciful, kind, loving, just. Therefore God bore with Lucifer and his rebellious host. Therefore He gave them opportunity to repent and return. Therefore He pleaded with them as only Deity could plead, to restore them to righteousness and life. How do we know this? — Because it is thus that God pleads now, and He is eternally the same, without "variableness or shadow of turning."

The eternal Word gave Himself. He did not aspire to be equal with God, "did not meditate a usurpation" of the throne of the universe (see Phil. 2:5-7, A.R.V.), but He emptied Himself, gave Himself, then and there, for sinners. He took the form of a servant, becoming an angel among the angels that He might redeem angels; but they would not. And when they rejected the righteousness and life so freely offered, He descended lower still to those duped by Satan — fallen man — stooping even to death, that He might redeem of the fallen all who desired to be redeemed, and vindicate to the universe to all eternity the character of God. That was the work of the Word of God, the eternal Logos, when He became Michael the Archangel, when He became Jesus the Man of Nazareth, when He was anointed the Christ, when He died our Sacrifice on Calvary. Yet during all this time the hosts of evil, with all the baleful, deceptive, cruel devices of sin, were hurled against Him, that God's character might be marred, that the great Vindicator-Redeemer might fall.

But He did not fail. To the very cross of Calvary He pressed forward, ever revealing the Father, and vindicating by His eternal Sacrifice of love the character of God. For that "NOW" the universe had waited. In that "NOW IS COME" the universe triumphed.

3. SALVATION.—It had been assured before in the promise and oath of God, by the "two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie." Heb. 6:17, 18; Gen. 22:16-18. It was eternally confirmed by the life, the death, of our Lord. Other great leaders had promised man salvation in himself, by something that man individually or collectively could do. And all failed, utterly failed, to lift man from his low plane of carnality. Jesus Christ conquered by faith sin in the flesh; and He comes into the heart and life of every soul that believes, with all the assured triumph over sin. When He came into this world, He said, "A body hast Thou [the Father] prepared Me." Heb. 10:5. In that body of flesh, fitted for Christ Jesus through multiplied generations from Abraham to Mary, were all the inherited traits and tendencies and weaknesses of humanity. Think of the sinning ancestors through which His fleshly inheritance came; of the duplicity and self-seeking of Jacob; of the licentiousness of Judah; of the weaknesses and sinfulness in various ways of David and Solomon and Rehoboam and Ahaz and Manasseh. God fitted a body for His only-begotten Son in the flesh, which was peculiarly susceptible to the influence of every sin that has bound humanity through all the ages. He "was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin." The mighty, glorious, blessed fact of all, is that He met sin and Satan at the very worst advantage, in worse case than any follower of His will be called to meet them, and conquered. "For in that He Himself hath suffered being tempted, He is able to succor them that are tempted." Heb. 2:18. But He can help in all things, can "save them to the uttermost" (Heb. 7:25); therefore He met every temptation that it is possible for man to meet, and prevailed for our salvation. And that salvation, thus purchased, is "the salvation" of eternity.

4. THE POWER.—The power won through Christ is the power of right, the power of truth, the power of love. It is "dunamis" (dynamite), but it is the dynamite of God. It is not manifest in its mightiest forms in violent and sudden explosions, but in mighty energy of God in the re-creation of souls, in the overcoming of sin in the flesh. This power is resurrection power. "Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that He should be holden of it." Acts 2:24. Sin can not enchain righteousness. Death can not entomb it forever. "In the way of righteousness is life; and in the pathway thereof there is no death." Prov. 12:28.

His resurrection from the dead demonstrated our Lord to be "the Son of God." Jesus had said He was. God had acknowledged Him from heaven as His beloved Son. Would He stand the test? Would HE be triumphant where others had failed? In bearing the sins of others, had He Himself become tainted with sin? Nay, it was His glory that He overcame sin in its very stronghold, the flesh, and demonstrated by His victory that He was indeed in all the humiliation the Son of God. Therefore the glad tidings is "concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; and DECLARED TO BE THE SON OF GOD WITH POWER, according to the Spirit of

holiness, by the resurrection of the dead." Rom. 1:4. It is that power which God wishes to place in the lives of every one of His followers, of which the apostle Paul thus speaks:

The exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power, which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: and hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fulness of Him that filleth all in all. Eph. 1:19-23.

5. THE KINGDOM OF OUR GOD.—Only glimpses have been given us of God's kingdom in all the past. God wished to form a kingdom on earth with Israel, and there were times when it surpassed all other earthly dominion, as under David and Solomon. But only in weak measure at the best was it God's kingdom. Finally, God's people wandered so far, their kings became so apostate, that the people were carried to Babylon, and to Babylon came the rule of Jerusalem. Three times more the kingdom would be overturned,—by Medo-Persia, Grecia, and Rome,—and then He should come whose right it is, and God would give it Him. Eze. 21:25-27. This refers to our Lord's second coming; but Christ won His right to reign when He conquered Satan in the flesh, when His power of righteousness lifted Him above the power of sin and death. Then all the angels of God worshiped Him. Heb. 1:6. Then when He ascended on high a triumphant Conqueror, as He neared the gates of the heavenly city, His escort of angels burst out with heavenly joy:

Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lifted up, Ye everlasting doors; And the King of Glory shall come in.

From within the city of God comes response:

Who is this King of Glory?

And again the angel escort sings:

The Lord strong and mighty, The Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; Even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; And the King of Glory shall come in.

And once more, that they may hear that new note of triumph, it is asked:

Who is this King of Glory?

And then again the victorious escort replies:

The Lord of Hosts, He is the King of Glory. Ps. 24:7-9.

The kingdom of God is won by the power of God in character.

6. AUTHORITY OF HIS CHRIST.—To power succeeds authority. Earthly rulers frequently have authority without power, and so exercise it in an irresponsible way, developing disorder, disloyalty, anarchy, and ruin. Christ our Lord was entitled to the authority by the power of His character. It was after His death upon the cross, after His resurrection from the dead, that He declared:

All authority hath been given unto Me in heaven and on earth. Go ye therefore. Matt. 28:18, 19.

He bestows that power upon us that we may win the kingdom. "Who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love." Col. 1:13. In this is the climax of the blessings of that "NOW" for which the ages waited. Surely it should be told with a great voice from heaven, and echoed by many glad voices of earth, "Now is come the SALVATION, and the POWER, and the KINGDOM of our GOD, and the AUTHORITY of His CHRIST."

7. THE ACCUSER . . . IS CAST DOWN.—Jesus met him on the mount of temptation; He met him in mortals sinful and diseased; He met him in demon-possessed souls; He met him in ambitious, worldly men; He met him in the Garden of Gethsemane; He met all his hellish hate on the cross of Calvary. He knew the struggle was coming. He went forth assured of victory. As the