Through the long centuries of "trouble and darkness"
and "dimness of anguish" (Isaiah 8:22) marking the
history of mankind from the day our first parents lost their
Eden home, to the time the Son of God appeared as the
Saviour of sinners, the hope of the fallen race was centered
in the coming of a Deliverer to free men and women from
the bondage of sin and the grave.
The first intimation of such a hope was given to Adam
and Eve in the sentence pronounced upon the serpent in
Eden when the Lord declared to Satan in their hearing, "I
will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between
thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou
shalt bruise his heel." Genesis 3:15.
As the guilty pair listened to these words, they were
inspired with hope; for in the prophecy concerning the
breaking of Satan's power they discerned a promise of
deliverance from the ruin wrought through transgression.
Though they must suffer from the power of their adversary
because they had fallen under his seductive influence and
had chosen to disobey the plain command of Jehovah, yet
they need not yield to utter despair. The Son of God was
offering to atone with His own lifeblood for their transgression.
To them was to be granted a period of probation,
during which, through faith in the power of Christ to
save, they might become once more the children of God.
Satan, by means of his success in turning man aside from
the path of obedience, became "the god of this world."
2 Corinthians 4:4. The dominion that once was Adam's
passed to the usurper. But the Son of God proposed to
come to this earth to pay the penalty of sin, and thus not
only redeem man, but recover the dominion forfeited. It
is of this restoration that Micah prophesied when he said,
"O Tower of the flock, the stronghold of the daughter of
Zion, unto Thee shall it come, even the first dominion."
Micah 4:8. The apostle Paul has referred to it as "the redemption
of the purchased possession." Ephesians 1:14. And
the psalmist had in mind the same final restoration of man's
original inheritance when he declared, "The righteous shall
inherit the land, and dwell therein forever." Psalm 37:29.
This hope of redemption through the advent of the Son
of God as Saviour and King, has never become extinct in
the hearts of men. From the beginning there have been
some whose faith has reached out beyond the shadows of
the present to the realities of the future. Adam, Seth, Enoch,
Methuselah, Noah, Shem, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob--
through these and other worthies the Lord has preserved
the precious revealings of His will. And it was thus that
to the children of Israel, the chosen people through whom
was to be given to the world the promised Messiah, God
imparted a knowledge of the requirements of His law, and
of the salvation to be accomplished through the atoning
sacrifice of His beloved Son.
The hope of Israel was embodied in the promise made
at the time of the call of Abraham, and afterward repeated
again and again to his posterity, "In thee shall all families
of the earth be blessed." Genesis 12:3. As the purpose of
God for the redemption of the race was unfolded to Abraham,
the Sun of Righteousness shone upon his heart, and
his darkness was scattered. And when, at last, the Saviour
Himself walked and talked among the sons of men, He
bore witness to the Jews of the patriarch's bright hope of
deliverance through the coming of a Redeemer. "Your
father Abraham rejoiced to see My day," Christ declared;
"and he saw it, and was glad." John 8:56.
This same blessed hope was foreshadowed in the
benediction pronounced by the dying patriarch Jacob upon his
son Judah:
"Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise:
Thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies;
Thy father's children shall bow down before thee. . . .
The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
Nor a lawgiver from between his feet,
Until Shiloh come;
And unto Him shall the gathering of the people be."
Genesis 49:8-10.
Again, on the borders of the Promised Land, the coming
of the world's Redeemer was foretold in the prophecy
uttered by Balaam:
"I shall see Him, but not now: I shall behold Him, but
not nigh:
There shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Scepter
shall rise out of Israel,
And shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all
the children of Sheth."
Numbers 24:17.
Through Moses, God's purpose to send His Son as the
Redeemer of the fallen race, was kept before Israel. On
one occasion, shortly before his death, Moses declared, "The
Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the
midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto Him
ye shall hearken." Plainly had Moses been instructed for
Israel concerning the work of the Messiah to come. "I
will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren,
like unto thee," was the word of Jehovah to His servant;
"and will put My words in His mouth; and He shall speak
unto them all that I shall command Him." Deuteronomy
18:15, 18.
In patriarchal times the sacrificial offerings connected
with divine worship constituted a perpetual reminder of
the coming of a Saviour, and thus it was with the entire
ritual of the sanctuary services throughout Israel's history.
In the ministration of the tabernacle, and of the temple
that afterward took its place, the people were taught each
day, by means of types and shadows, the great truths relative
to the advent of Christ as Redeemer, Priest, and King; and
once each year their minds were carried forward to the
closing events of the great controversy between Christ and Satan,
the final purification of the universe from sin and sinners.
The sacrifices and offerings of the Mosaic ritual were ever
pointing toward a better service, even a heavenly. The
earthly sanctuary was "a figure for the time then present,"
in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices; its two holy
places were "patterns of things in the heavens;" for Christ,
our great High Priest, is today "a minister of the sanctuary,
and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and
not man." Hebrews 9:9, 23; 8:2.
From the day the Lord declared to the serpent in Eden,
"I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and
between thy seed and her seed" (Genesis 3:15), Satan has
known that he can never hold absolute sway over the
inhabitants of this world. When Adam and his sons began
to offer the ceremonial sacrifices ordained by God as a type
of the coming Redeemer, Satan discerned in these a symbol
of communion between earth and heaven. During the long
centuries that have followed, it has been his constant effort
to intercept this communion. Untiringly has he sought to
misrepresent God and to misinterpret the rites pointing
to the Saviour, and with a great majority of the members
of the human family he has been successful.
While God has desired to teach men that from His own
love comes the Gift which reconciles them to Himself, the
archenemy of mankind has endeavored to represent God
as one who delights in their destruction. Thus the sacrifices
and the ordinances designed of Heaven to reveal divine
love have been perverted to serve as means whereby sinners
have vainly hoped to propitiate, with gifts and good works,
the wrath of an offended God. At the same time, Satan
has sought to arouse and strengthen the evil passions of
men in order that through repeated transgression multitudes
might be led on and on, far from God, and hopelessly
bound with the fetters of sin.
When God's written word was given through the Hebrew
prophets, Satan studied with diligence the messages concerning
the Messiah. Carefully he traced the words that
outlined with unmistakable clearness Christ's work among
men as a suffering sacrifice and as a conquering king. In
the parchment rolls of the Old Testament Scriptures he
read that the One who was to appear was to be "brought
as a lamb to the slaughter," "His visage . . . so marred
more than any man, and His form more than the sons
of men." Isaiah 53:7; 52:14. The promised Saviour of
humanity was to be "despised and rejected of men; a man
of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; . . . smitten of God,
and afflicted;" yet He was also to exercise His mighty power
in order to "judge the poor of the people." He was to
"save the children of the needy," and "break in pieces the
oppressor." Isaiah 53:3, 4; Psalm 72:4. These prophecies
caused Satan to fear and tremble; yet he relinquished not
his purpose to thwart, if possible, the merciful provisions
of Jehovah for the redemption of the lost race. He determined
to blind the eyes of the people, so far as might be
possible, to the real significance of the Messianic prophecies,
in order to prepare the way for the rejection of Christ at
His coming.
During the centuries immediately preceding the Flood,
success had attended Satan's efforts to bring about a worldwide
prevalence of rebellion against God. And even the
lessons of the Deluge were not long held in remembrance.
With artful insinuations Satan again led the children of
men step by step into bold rebellion. Again he seemed about
to triumph, but God's purpose for fallen man was not thus
to be set aside. Through the posterity of faithful Abraham,
of the line of Shem, a knowledge of Jehovah's beneficent
designs was to be preserved for the benefit of future generations.
From time to time divinely appointed messengers
of truth were to be raised up to call attention to the meaning
of the sacrificial ceremonies, and especially to the promise
of Jehovah concerning the advent of the One toward whom
all the ordinances of the sacrificial system pointed. Thus the
world was to be kept from universal apostasy.
Not without the most determined opposition was the
divine purpose carried out. In every way possible the enemy
of truth and righteousness worked to cause the descendants
of Abraham to forget their high and holy calling, and to
turn aside to the worship of false gods. And often his
efforts were all but successful. For centuries preceding
Christ's first advent, darkness covered the earth, and gross
darkness the people. Satan was throwing his hellish shadow
athwart the pathway of men, that he might prevent them
from gaining a knowledge of God and of the future world.
Multitudes were sitting in the shadow of death. Their only
hope was for this gloom to be lifted, that God might be
revealed.
With prophetic vision David, the anointed of God, had
foreseen that the coming of Christ should be "as the light
of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without
clouds." 2 Samuel 23:4. And Hosea testified, "His going
forth is prepared as the morning." Hosea 6:3. Quietly and
gently the daylight breaks upon the earth, dispelling the
shadow of darkness and waking the earth to life. So was
the Sun of Righteousness to arise, "with healing in His
wings." Malachi 4:2. The multitudes dwelling "in the land
of the shadow of death" were to see "a great light." Isaiah 9:2.
The prophet Isaiah, looking with rapture upon this glorious
deliverance, exclaimed:
"Unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given:
And the government shall be upon His shoulder:
And His name shall be called
Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God,
The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of His government and peace
there shall be no end,
Upon the throne of David,
And upon His kingdom,
To order it, and to establish it
With judgment and with justice
From henceforth even forever.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this."
Verses 6,7.
In the later centuries of Israel's history prior to the first
advent it was generally understood that the coming of the
Messiah was referred to in the prophecy, "It is a light thing
that Thou shouldest be My servant to raise up the tribes
of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also
give Thee for a light to the Gentiles, that Thou mayest be
My salvation unto the end of the earth." "The glory of
the Lord shall be revealed," the prophet had foretold, "and
all flesh shall see it together." Isaiah 49:6; 40:5. It was
of this light of men that John the Baptist afterward testified
so boldly, when he proclaimed, "I am the voice of one crying
in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as
said the prophet Esaias." John 1:23.
It was to Christ that the prophetic promise was given:
"Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, and His Holy
One, to Him whom man despiseth, to Him whom the
nation abhorreth, . . . thus saith the Lord, . . . I will
preserve Thee, and give Thee for a covenant of the people, to
establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages;
that Thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them
that are in darkness, Show yourselves. . . . They shall not
hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite
them: for He that hath mercy on them shall lead them,
even by the springs of water shall He guided them." Isaiah
49:7-10.
The steadfast among the Jewish nation, descendants of
that holy line through whom a knowledge of God had
been preserved, strengthened their faith by dwelling on
these and similar passages. With exceeding joy they read
how the Lord would anoint One "to preach good tidings
unto the meek," "to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim
liberty to the captives," and to declare "the acceptable year
of the Lord." Isaiah 61:1, 2. Yet their hearts were filled
with sadness as they thought of the sufferings He must
endure in order to fulfill the divine purpose. With deep
humiliation of soul they traced the words in the prophetic
roll:
"Who hath believed our report?
And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?
"For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant,
And as a root out of a dry ground:
He hath no form nor comeliness;
And when we shall see Him,
There is no beauty that we should desire Him.
"He is despised and rejected of men;
A Man of Sorrows, and acquainted with grief:
And we hid as it were our faces from Him;
He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.
"Surely He hath borne our griefs,
And carried our sorrows:
Yet we did esteem Him stricken,
Smitten of God, and afflicted.
"But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities:
The chastisement of our peace was upon Him;
And with His stripes we are healed.
"All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned everyone to his own way;
And the Lord hath laid on Him
The iniquity of us all.
"He was oppressed, and He was afflicted,
Yet He opened not His mouth:
He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter,
And as a sheep before her shearers is dumb,
So He openeth not His mouth.
"He was taken from prison and from judgment:
And who shall declare His generation?
For He was cut off out of the land of the living:
For the transgression of My people was He stricken.
"And He made His grave with the wicked,
And with the rich in His death;
Because He had done no violence,
Neither was any deceit in His mouth."
Isaiah 53:1-9.
Of the suffering Saviour Jehovah Himself declared
through Zechariah, "Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd,
and against the Man that is My Fellow." Zechariah 13:7.
As the substitute and surety for sinful man, Christ was to
suffer under divine justice. He was to understand what
justice meant. He was to know what it means for sinners
to stand before God without an intercessor.
Through the psalmist the Redeemer had prophesied of
Himself:
"Reproach hath broken My heart;
And I am full of heaviness:
And I looked for some to take pity,
But there was none;
And for comforters,
But I found none.
They gave Me also gall for My meat;
And in My thirst they gave Me vinegar to drink."
Psalm 69:20, 21.
Of the treatment He was to receive, He prophesied,
"Dogs have compassed Me: the assembly of the wicked
have enclosed Me: they pierced My hands and My feet. I
may tell all My bones: they look and stare upon Me. They
part My garments among them, and cast lots upon My
vesture." Psalm 22:16-18.
These portrayals of the bitter suffering and cruel death
of the Promised One, sad though they were, were rich in
promise; for of Him whom "it pleased the Lord to bruise"
and to put to grief, in order that He might become "an
offering for sin," Jehovah declared:
"He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days,
And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand.
He shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied:
"By His knowledge shall My righteous Servant justify many;
For He shall bear their iniquities.
Therefore will I divide Him a portion with the great,
And He shall divide the spoil with the strong;
Because He hath poured out His soul unto death:
And He was numbered with the transgressors;
And He bare the sin of many,
And made intercession for the transgressors."
Isaiah 53:10-12.
It was love for sinners that led Christ to pay the price of
redemption. "He saw that there was no man, and wondered
that there was no intercessor," none other could ransom
men and women from the power of the enemy; "therefore
His arm brought salvation unto him; and His righteousness,
it sustained him." Isaiah 59:16.
"Behold My Servant, whom I uphold;
Mine Elect, in whom My soul delighteth;
I have put My Spirit upon Him:
He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles."
Isaiah 42:1.
In His life no self-assertion was to be mingled. The
homage which the world gives to position, to wealth, and
to talent, was to be foreign to the Son of God. None of the
means that men employ to win allegiance or to command
homage, was the Messiah to use. His utter renunciation of
self was foreshadowed in the words:
"He shall not cry,
Nor lift up,
Nor cause His voice to be heard in the street.
A bruised reed shall He not break,
And the smoking flax shall He not quench."
Verses 2, 3.
In marked contrast to the teachers of His day was the
Saviour to conduct Himself among men. In His life no
noisy disputation, no ostentatious worship, no act to gain
applause, was ever to be witnessed. The Messiah was to
be hid in God, and God was to be revealed in the character
of His Son. Without a knowledge of God, humanity would
be eternally lost. Without divine help, men and women
would sink lower and lower. Life and power must be
imparted by Him who made the world. Man's necessities
could be met in no other way.
It was further prophesied of the Messiah: "He shall not
fail nor be discouraged, till He have set judgment in the
earth: and the isles shall wait for His law." The Son of
God was to "magnify the law, and make it honorable."
Verses 4, 21. He was not to lessen its importance and binding
claims; He was rather to exalt it. At the same time
He was to free the divine precepts from those burdensome
exactions placed upon them by man, whereby many were
brought to discouragement in their efforts to serve God
acceptably.
Of the mission of the Saviour the word of Jehovah was:
"I the Lord have called Thee in righteousness, and will
hold Thine hand, and will keep Thee, and give Thee for
a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; to
open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the
prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison
house. I am the Lord: that is My name: and My glory
will I not give to another, neither My praise to graven
images. Behold, the former things are come to pass, and
new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you
of them." Verses 6-9.
Through the promised Seed, the God of Israel was to
bring deliverance to Zion. "There shall come forth a Rod
out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of
his roots." "Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a
Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. Butter and honey
shall He eat, that He may know to refuse the evil, and
choose the good." Isaiah 11:1; 7:14, 15.
"And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the
Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel
and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the
Lord; and shall make Him of quick understanding in the
fear of the Lord: and He shall not judge after the sight
of His eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of His ears:
but with righteousness shall He judge the poor, and reprove
with equity for the meek of the earth: and He shall smite
the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath
of His lips shall He slay the wicked. And righteousness
shall be the girdle of His loins, and faithfulness the girdle
of His reins." "And in that day there shall be a Root of
Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it
shall the Gentiles seek: and His rest shall be glorious."
Isaiah 11:2-5, 10.
"Behold the Man whose name is the Branch; . . . He
shall build the temple of the Lord; and He shall bear the
glory, and shall sit and rule upon His throne; and He shall
be a priest upon His throne." Zechariah 6:12, 13.
A fountain was to be opened "for sin and for uncleanness"
(Zechariah 13:1); the sons of men were to hear the
blessed invitation:
"Ho, everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters,
And he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat;
Yea, come, buy wine and milk
Without money and without price.
"Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread?
And your labor for that which satisfieth not?
Hearken diligently unto Me, and eat ye that which is good,
And let your soul delight itself in fatness.
"Incline your ear, and come unto Me:
Hear, and your soul shall live;
And I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
Even the sure mercies of David."
Isaiah 55:1-3.
To Israel the promise was made: "Behold, I have given
Him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander
to the people. Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou
knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto
thee because of the Lord thy God, and for the Holy One
of Israel; for He hath glorified thee." Verses 4, 5.
"I bring near My righteousness; it shall not be far off,
and My salvation shall not tarry: and I will place salvation
in Zion for Israel My glory." Isaiah 46:13.
In word and in deed the Messiah, during His earthly
ministry, was to reveal to mankind the glory of God the
Father. Every act of His life, every word spoken, every
miracle wrought, was to make known to fallen humanity
the infinite love of God.
"O Zion, that bringest good tidings,
Get thee up into the high mountain;
O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings,
Lift up thy voice with strength;
Lift it up, be not afraid;
Say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!
"Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand,
And His arm shall rule for Him:
Behold, His reward is with Him,
And His work before Him.
He shall feed His flock like a shepherd:
He shall gather the lambs with His arm,
And carry them in His bosom,
And shall gently lead those that are with young."
Isaiah 40:9-11.
"And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the Book,
And the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out
of darkness.
The meek also shall increase their joy in the Lord,
And the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One
of Israel."
"They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding,
And they that murmured shall learn doctrine."
Isaiah 29:18, 19, 24.
Thus, through patriarchs and prophets, as well as through
types and symbols, God spoke to the world concerning the
coming of a Deliverer from sin. A long line of inspired
prophecy pointed to the advent of "the Desire of all nations."
Haggai 2:7. Even the very place of His birth and the time
of His appearance were minutely specified.
The Son of David must be born in David's city. Out
of Bethlehem, said the prophet, "shall He come forth ...
that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been
from of old, from the days of eternity." Micah 5:2, margin.
"And thou Bethlehem, land of Judah,
Art in no wise least among the princes of Judah:
For out of thee shall come forth a Governor,
Which shall be Shepherd of My people Israel."
Matthew 2:6, R.V.
The time of the first advent and of some of the chief
events clustering about the Saviour's lifework was made
known by the angel Gabriel to Daniel. "Seventy weeks,"
said the angel, "are determined upon thy people and upon
thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an
end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to
bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision
and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy." Daniel 9:24.
A day in prophecy stands for a year. See Numbers 14:34;
Ezekiel 4:6. The seventy weeks, or four hundred and ninety
days, represent four hundred and ninety years. A starting
point for this period is given: "Know therefore and understand,
that from the going forth of the commandment to
restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince
shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks" (Daniel 9:25),
sixty-nine weeks, or four hundred and eighty-three
years. The commandment to restore and build
Jerusalem, as completed by the decree of Artaxerxes
Longimanus, went into effect in the autumn of 457 B.C. See Ezra
6:14; 7:1, 9. From this time four hundred and eighty-three
years extend to the autumn of A.D. 27. According to the
prophecy, this period was to reach to the Messiah, the
Anointed One. In A.D. 27, Jesus at His baptism received
the anointing of the Holy Spirit and soon afterward began
His ministry. Then the message was proclaimed, "The
time is fulfilled." Mark 1:15.
Then, said the angel, "He shall confirm the covenant
with many for one week [seven years]." For seven years
after the Saviour entered on His ministry, the gospel was
to be preached especially to the Jews; for three and a half
years by Christ Himself, and afterward by the apostles.
"In the midst of the week He shall cause the sacrifice and
the oblation to cease." Daniel 9:27. In the spring of A.D. 31,
Christ, the true Sacrifice, was offered on Calvary. Then
the veil of the temple was rent in twain, showing that the
sacredness and significance of the sacrificial service had
departed. The time had come for the earthly sacrifice and
oblation to cease.
The one week--seven years--ended in A.D. 34. Then by
the stoning of Stephen the Jews finally sealed their rejection
of the gospel; the disciples who were scattered abroad by
persecution "went everywhere preaching the word" (Acts
8:4); and shortly after, Saul the persecutor was converted
and became Paul the apostle to the Gentiles.
The many prophecies concerning the Saviour's advent
led the Hebrews to live in an attitude of constant expectancy.
Many died in the faith, not having received the promises.
But having seen them afar off, they believed and confessed
that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. From
the days of Enoch the promises repeated through patriarchs
and prophets had kept alive the hope of His appearing.
Not at first had God revealed the exact time of the first
advent; and even when the prophecy of Daniel made this
known, not all rightly interpreted the message.
Century after century passed away; finally the voices
of the prophets ceased. The hand of the oppressor was
heavy upon Israel. As the Jews departed from God, faith
grew dim, and hope well-nigh ceased to illuminate the
future. The words of the prophets were uncomprehended
by many; and those whose faith should have continued
strong were ready to exclaim, "The days are prolonged, and
every vision faileth." Ezekiel 12:22. But in heaven's council
the hour for the coming of Christ had been determined;
and "when the fullness of the time was come, God sent
forth His Son, . . . to redeem them that were under the
law, that we might receive the adoption of sons."
Galatians 4:4, 5.
Lessons must be given to humanity in the language of
humanity. The Messenger of the covenant must speak.
His voice must be heard in His own temple. He, the author
of truth, must separate truth from the chaff of man's utterance,
which had made it of no effect. The principles of
God's government and the plan of redemption must be
clearly defined. The lessons of the Old Testament must be
fully set before men.
When the Saviour finally appeared "in the likeness of
men" (Philippians 2:7), and began His ministry of grace,
Satan could but bruise the heel, while by every act of
humiliation or suffering Christ was bruising the head of
His adversary. The anguish that sin has brought was poured
into the bosom of the Sinless; yet while Christ endured
the contradiction of sinners against Himself, He was paying
the debt for sinful man and breaking the bondage in which
humanity had been held. Every pang of anguish, every
insult, was working out the deliverance of the race.
Could Satan have induced Christ to yield to a single
temptation, could he have led Him by one act or even
thought to stain His perfect purity, the prince of darkness
would have triumphed over man's Surety and would have
gained the whole human family to himself. But while Satan
could distress, he could not contaminate. He could cause
agony, but not defilement. He made the life of Christ
one long scene of conflict and trial, yet with every attack he
was losing his hold upon humanity.
In the wilderness of temptation, in the Garden of
Gethsemane, and on the cross, our Saviour measured weapons
with the prince of darkness. His wounds became the trophies
of His victory in behalf of the race. When Christ hung
in agony upon the cross, while evil spirits rejoiced and evil
men reviled, then indeed His heel was bruised by Satan.
But that very act was crushing the serpent's head. Through
death He destroyed "him that had the power of death, that
is, the devil." Hebrews 2:14. This act decided the destiny
of the rebel chief, and made forever sure the plan of
salvation. In death He gained the victory over its power; in
rising again, He opened the gates of the grave to all His
followers. In that last great contest we see fulfilled the
prophecy, "It shall bruise thy head, and thou shall bruise
his heel." Genesis 3:15.
"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not
yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He
shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him
as He is." 1 John 3:2. Our Redeemer has opened the way,
so that the most sinful, the most needy, the most oppressed
and despised, may find access to the Father.
"O Lord, Thou art my God;
I will exalt Thee,
I will praise Thy name;
For Thou hast done wonderful things;
Thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth."
Isaiah 25:1.