p. 552 | Shall Christ Be King? by Francis Monroe Burg

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Sep 8, 1914

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 41, No. 35.

Shall Christ Be King?

By Francis Monroe Burg

The Great Rebellion—The Triumph at the Close of the Struggle—Scenes of Glory and Victory

By FRANCIS MONROE BURG

"The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it." Luke 16:16. From the time that Lucifer set up his rebellion in heaven, one question, taking precedence of all others, has demanded the attention of every intelligent creature in the universe; and that is, Who shall be recognized as the rightful king?

THE REBELLION OF LUCIFER

He who was with the Father from the beginning, the eternal Son, was set upon the holy hill of Zion, to reign with Jehovah upon His holy mountain, "in the sides of the north." But Lucifer, through envy and selfish ambition, set himself up in opposition to the everlasting Father, the eternal King. He said within himself, "I will sit [reign] also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north." Isa. 14:13.

There was then begun a propaganda of rebellion, under the leadership and inspiration of the great adversary, that has never ceased, nor will it cease until its final and eternal suppression, when the devil is destroyed. Christ "in His times . . . shall show, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords." 1 Tim. 6:15.

TO REDEEM AND SAVE

The plan of redemption was instituted to redeem and bring back to harmony with God again those who had become disaffected through the influence of the great arch-rebel; but primarily, and paramount to all else, to vindicate the character of the everlasting King, and to settle finally all question as to His right to reign.

And when at last this great plan is consummated, the inhabitants of all Jehovah's worlds will be assembled to behold the grandest scene ever to be witnessed in all the eternal years,—the coronation of the Son of God. As He sits upon His throne of burnished gold, high above the walls of the beautiful city, there will be assembled about Him that vast number who have been redeemed by His blood out of every nation, kindred, tongue, and people.

SCENES OF TRIUMPH

One of our versatile current writers has pictured the scene in this soul-stirring language:

"Far above the city, upon a foundation of burnished gold, is a throne, high and lifted up. Upon this throne sits the Son of God, and around Him are the subjects of His kingdom. The power and majesty of Christ no language can describe, no pen portray. The glory of the eternal Father is enshrouding His Son. The brightness of His presence fills the city of God, and flows out beyond the gates, flooding the whole earth with its radiance.

"Nearest the throne are those who were once zealous in the cause of Satan, but who, plucked as brands from the burning, have followed their Saviour with deep, intense devotion. Next are those who perfected Christian characters in the midst of falsehood and infidelity, those who honored the law of God when the Christian world declared it void, and the millions, of all ages, who were martyred for their faith. And beyond is the 'great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, . . . before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands.' Rev. 7:9. Their warfare is ended, their victory won. They have run the race and reached the prize. The palm branch in their hands is a symbol of their triumph, the white robe an emblem of the spotless righteousness of Christ which now is theirs.

SONGS OF VICTORY GREET THE UNIVERSE

"The redeemed raise a song of praise that echoes and reechoes through the vaults of heaven, 'Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.' And angel and seraph unite their voices in adoration. As the redeemed have beheld the power and malignity of Satan, they have seen, as never before, that no power but that of Christ could have made them conquerors. In all that shining throng there are none to ascribe salvation to themselves, as if they had prevailed by their own power and goodness. Nothing is said of what they have done or suffered; but the burden of every song, the key-note of every anthem, is, 'Salvation to our God, and unto the Lamb.'"

THE CORONATION OF THE KING OF KINGS

"In the presence of the assembled inhabitants of earth and heaven the final coronation of the Son of God takes place. And now, invested with supreme majesty and power, the King of kings pronounces sentence upon the rebels against His government, and executes justice upon those who have transgressed His law and oppressed His people."

When the great plan of redemption has accomplished its work, then, at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, and every tongue shall "confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Phil. 2:10, 11.