Our Saviour and Lord by George W. Reaser

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Sep 10, 1912

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 39, No. 35.

Our Saviour and Lord

By George W. Reaser

Christ as Our King

IN the original plan of Heaven for our world, Adam was created to be its eternal king. But kingship was never conferred upon him. His right to this high office depended upon his loyalty to the King eternal, during a test which was to continue while the earth was being peopled with his posterity. The eldest son of a ruling monarch is “the crown prince.” Adam, being the eldest “son of God” in our world, was “the crown prince” of our human family.

What a glorious experience it might have been, had not Adam failed,—and that very early in the test,—finally to have filled the earth with his own seed—all righteous—then to have had the proclamation issued from his capital city that upon a certain date all the inhabitants of earth were to assemble to witness his coronation, and that both Jehovah and His Son, the Creator, would be present at the coronation to bestow upon Adam his kingly crown!

But Adam will never receive the kingly crown once in prospect for him as “crown prince” of our world. He yielded to Satan, and the latter became “the prince of this world.” John 12: 31; 14: 30. While for Adam the failure and loss is extremely pathetic, yet for the redeemed of earth even a more blessed and glorious provision is made to supply them with a king than if Adam had remained loyal. And thus it is that none of His plans can fail, for out of apparent defeat and despair God can bring more glorious results than if Satan had not interposed to defeat His purposes.

The More Glorious Experience

But what will be the better, the more glorious experience of the redeemed members of the race of Adam, than if our first parents had remained true to God until the kingly crown would have been bestowed?

In answering this question, we need not dwell at length upon the sad event of the fall, and of the consequent loss to Adam of life and of the position of crown prince, and thus of the hope of ever being crowned king. Suffice it to say that altho our first father and prospective king failed, our race is not left fatherless and kingless. An everlasting Father has been provided. He will presently be crowned “King of Kings and Lord of Lords,” and both reader and writer may be present at the coronation if we are willing to make the needful preparation.

The First Dominion, Lost in the Fall, Won Back and Restored by the Cross of Calvary

The three facts that Adam once held complete dominion as “crown prince,” that now man does not have the dominion, and the centering of the hope for humanity upon One who has already triumphed and will presently restore the dominion, are all set forth in these words: “But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that Thou visitest him? Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; Thou crownedst him with glory and honor, and didst set him over the works of Thy hands; Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man.” Heb. 2: 6-9.

By these inspired words our hopes for the restoration of the lost dominion, “the world to come,” are focused upon Jesus.

The only reason why man does not have complete dominion over “all things” in our world “now,” even to absolute control over sickness and death, is because the head of the race yielded to Satan, the usurper, who by the law of usurpation became “the prince of this world.”

When Paul mentions the fact that “now we see not yet all things put under” man, he immediately directs our minds to Jesus, the One by whom deliverance is assured. Thus the life for the redemption of the world is in Jesus Christ.

How shall Jesus win back and restore the dominion lost by Adam? There was but one way to accomplish this, and that by the way of Calvary, or tasting death for every man.

Christ could not restore the dominion and take Adam’s lost kingship without first redeeming Adam’s failure; and to redeem Adam’s failure, He could not win the conquest by fighting the battle as the Son of God. He must come into the world on Adam’s plane, be “made a little lower than the angels,” and thus in the flesh common to humanity vanquish the one who had conquered Adam. And thus it is written, “Forasmuch then as the children [the ones who are to be redeemed and to whom the kingdom is to be restored] are partakers of flesh and blood [human nature, subject to death], He also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” Heb. 2: 14, 15.

In rescuing the dominion from Satan, temptations were forced upon Him with far greater intensity than were brought to bear upon Adam. In one of the three great temptations (Matt. 4: 8), the devil showed Christ “all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them,” and offered them to Him for a moment’s worship. Jesus knew full well that the winning back of the lost dominion was not by following in the footsteps of the first Adam — yielding to Satan — but rather by the conquest of the cross, tasting death for every man.

This fact He stated when, just prior to

Calvary, He said: “Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out [dispossessed of the dominion]. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me. This He said, signifying what death He should die.” John 12: 31-33.

The death of Jesus upon the cross — His giving His life for a rebellious race — is the drawing power, the outflowing of love, by which all the intelligences, not only of this world but also of the universe, will finally be drawn toward and bound to Christ, and rejoice at the overthrow of Satan, the usurper.

This winning back of the dominion lost by Adam was foreshadowed in these prophetic words: “And Thou [Christ], O Tower of the flock [the church], the Stronghold of the daughter of Zion, unto Thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem.” Micah 4: 8.

Prophecies of Christ’s Kingship

A few of the prophecies which foretell His kingship are as follows: “Yet have I set My King upon My holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto Me, Thou art My Son; this day have I begotten Thee.” Ps. 2: 6, 7. “For 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.” Isa. 9: 6, 7.

When the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she was to be the mother of Jesus, he added, “He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David: and He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end.” Luke 1: 32, 33.

When the Magi came to Jerusalem, and inquired, “Where is He that is born King of the Jews?” their inquiry conveyed a correct idea of what Jesus was to be by virtue of His birth into our human family.

When Pilate asked the question of Jesus, “Art Thou a king then?” Jesus answered: “Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born.” John 18: 36, 37. But He assured Pilate that the time had not yet come when He was to take possession of His rightful kingdom. The proclamation is soon to be made in heaven, “The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign forever and ever.” Rev. 11: 15.

When He who is “called the Word of God” finally goes forth to dispossess Satan of the dominion usurped from Adam, He will have “on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” Rev. 19: 13, 16.

When the kingdom, having been won back and restored, is all ready for the home-coming, He will extend a welcome home to the redeemed in these words: “Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Matt. 25: 34.

Jeremiah described His future kingship thus: “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. . . . And this is His name whereby He shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.” Jer. 23: 5, 6.

Nearly sixty centuries of death have followed Adam’s failure. Adam’s children might all have been princes of God had it not been for sin. Now provision is made so that the overcomers of Adam’s family become princes of God. But the “last Adam” will be their eternal, matchless King.

The Throne of the Godhead to Be Transferred to Our World

After describing the beauty and glory of the capital city of Christ’s coming kingdom, the revelator adds, “The throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it.” Rev. 22: 3. The brightest, the most glorious and lofty place in all the universe is where the throne of Divinity is established. Then this world, now the darkest, the most sad and gloomy spot in the universe, will by the glorious triumph of Calvary be the most blessed place in all of God’s realm; and from the joint throne of Jehovah and of Christ, the entire universe will be governed, will receive, while eternity shall roll, life and power and blessing, and Christ the Son of Man will forever be this world’s King.

In a mental picture of the meeting of the two Adams, we can imagine the first Adam casting his crown at the Saviour’s feet, and the latter embracing him tenderly, and then introducing him to the whole family of the redeemed and to the eternal joys of the kingdom restored.

Think, fellow wayfarer, of having a King with creative power, one who spoke the territory of His kingdom into existence; with resurrection power; a King who by the cross of Calvary will have bound all of the universe to Him in cords of love that can not be severed; a King matchless in wisdom, in power, and in glory, yet who is our elder Brother, and who shares the throne of His kingdom with the subjects of the realm. Dan. 7: 27.

The Coronation

How far would you travel to witness the actual meeting of the two Adams, and to behold the coronation of Christ before angels, all the redeemed of earth, and representatives of all worlds?

The recent coronation and pageant of King George the Fifth, one of the most brilliant functions in all of the history of the world, was witnessed by hundreds of thousands of delighted spectators. But how insipid, how insignificant in importance, the crowning of any earthly monarch, in comparison with the coronation of Christ!

This, the most brilliant, the most satisfying of all coronation scenes in the history of the universe, will soon take place; and all the princes and princesses of God — overcomers — will be present. The price to pay for being present at the coronation, for sonship, and for being a joint heir with Christ, is to become an “overcomer.” “He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be My son.” Rev. 21: 7.