The Signs of the Times
April 15, 1897
Christ the Restorer
“And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots; 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.” ST April 15, 1897, par. 1
Before Christ's first advent the world seemed indeed to have become the grave for all piety. It was Satan's seat; man was in the power of the great apostate, helplessly receiving his lies of God and of Christ as truth. The heavenly angels looked upon the world polluted by sin under the inhabitants thereof, and thought how much easier it would be to exterminate it than to reform it. But the Son of God himself came to work a reformation. ST April 15, 1897, par. 2
Heaven's councils decided that Christ, the great Teacher, must himself come to the world. God had spoken through nature, through types and symbols, through patriarchs and prophets. Lessons must be given to humanity in the language of humanity. The messenger of the covenant, the Sun of Righteousness, must rise upon the world. His voice must be heard in his own temple. Christ must come to utter words which would be clearly and definitely understood. He, the Author of truth, must separate truth from the chaff of man's utterance, which had made it of none effect. The principles of God's moral government, and the plan of redemption, must be clearly defined. The lessons of the Old Testament must be fully set before men. ST April 15, 1897, par. 3
“When the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son.” Man's terrible necessity demanded help without delay. Who met this necessity?—An illustrious teacher, the Son of God. The eternal Word came to our world to win the confidence of humanity. The prophet that had been revealed to Moses, like unto his brethren, whom they should hear in all things, came as man's Redeemer. Hear, O heavens, and be astonished, O earth; for the appointed instructor of man was no less a personage than the Son of God! ST April 15, 1897, par. 4
Tho rebellion had overspread his dominion, tho corruption and defiance might be seen in every part of the alien province, yet God gave his beloved Son for its recovery, that every son and daughter of Adam might be saved. Christ did not come to sweep the living agencies of evil off the face of the earth; he came with an embassy of mercy. He took the penalty of man's transgression upon his own divine soul. ST April 15, 1897, par. 5
Prophecy has clearly outlined the work of Christ. “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all the mourn; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion; to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called Trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.” “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. 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; he shall bring forth judgment unto truth. He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth, and the isles shall wait for his law.” ST April 15, 1897, par. 6
God did not design that his wonderful plan to redeem man should achieve only insignificant results. What could be greater and more costly than the plan of redemption? The whole heavenly force is enlisted in the great work of elevating, refining, and sanctifying the human soul. Divine power is exercised to save rather than to destroy the work of God's hands. All this stupendous machinery is set in motion to save men from Satan's army, from the slavery of sin, and to lead them to enlist in the work of salvation. ST April 15, 1897, par. 7
Christ was the brightness of his Father's glory. When we begin to trace out the greatness of the plan of redemption, we feel the poverty and feebleness of human words. The most powerful intellect can but feel its emptiness as it seeks to comprehend these grand themes. Individually we need faith, for human wisdom is but ignorance. Our understanding is too weak to penetrate the mystery of the incarnation, God manifest in Christ, his only begotten Son. ST April 15, 1897, par. 8
As Paul contemplated this subject, he was oppressed with its weight, its greatness, its incomprehensible magnitude. “Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given,” he writes, “that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; and to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.” “For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.” ST April 15, 1897, par. 9
In Christ God beheld the reflection of his own image. God was manifest in the flesh because of the entire identity of his character with Christ's character. That God should be thus manifest in the flesh was a wonder to the heavenly host, “even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations.” But as soon as the light revealed itself in the world, it was assailed by the whole energies of apostasy. The great apostate worked with a fierce determination to destroy the champion of God and of truth. With his band of evil, he determined by one desperate act to cut off all communication between the world and heaven. He confederated with the priests and rulers of the Jewish nation to kill Christ; and when the question was asked the people at the trial of Christ, “What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ?” they cried with hearts filled with frenzy, “Let him be crucified.” With one voice they made their choice between Barabbas, the robber and murderer, and Christ, the Son of God. ST April 15, 1897, par. 10
What a sight for the heavenly universe! From the heavenly courts the angels watched every movement with intense interest. They saw their Commander in the hands of a merciless power. They saw his agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. They saw him insulted, mocked, derided, scourged. They saw him staggering under the burden of his own cross, fainting, to all appearances dying. Yet no command was given them by the God of heaven to break their ranks and go to the help of the divine Sufferer. They saw him hanging on the cross in shameful humiliation and agony. What would man receive for this Satanic work? ST April 15, 1897, par. 11
Full provision has been made that man shall become one with Jesus Christ. Life and immortality are brought to light through Christ. The truth is to make a deep imprint on mind and character. As we see Christ and contemplate his character, and identify ourselves with him, we know God. Our knowledge of God is measured by our knowledge of Christ. ST April 15, 1897, par. 12
Man's elevation is not measured by his knowledge of worldly things, but by his knowledge of the one thing needful for salvation. He can be lifted from his degradation if he will accept Jesus, the appointed One, who can save to the uttermost all who come unto him. But if he thinks that in receiving Christ he is taking a step downward, he is down already. He falls as Adam fell. Like the Jewish nation, he refuses the only provision whereby man may be freed from Satan's tyrannical power, and exalted as God designed he should be. ST April 15, 1897, par. 13
If we stand apart from Jesus Christ, refusing to make him our personal Saviour, the words of Paul are applicable to us: “For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward; how shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him.” God gave his Son to a shameful death, for the salvation of the world; and the greatness of the sin of neglecting the salvation thus brought within man's reach is proportionate to the greatness of the offering. How careful should every human being be in regard to slighting this salvation! How dare any one trifle with his eternal interests? Such neglect denies Christ, refuses his overtures of mercy, and throws scorn and contempt on the Saviour. ST April 15, 1897, par. 14