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The Spirit of Prophecy Volume 3
the most explicit manner Christ pleaded for his church, identifying his
interest with theirs, and advocating, with a love and constancy stronger
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than death, their rights and titles gained through him.
God’s answer to this appeal goes forth in the proclamation: “Let
all the angels of God worship him.” Every angelic commander obeys
the royal mandate, and Worthy, worthy is the Lamb that was slain;
and that lives again a triumphant conqueror! echoes and re-echoes
through all Heaven. The innumerable company of angels prostrate
themselves before the Redeemer. The request of Christ is granted; the
church is justified through him, its representative and head. Here the
Father ratifies the contract with his Son, that he will be reconciled to
repentant and obedient men, and take them into divine favor through
the merits of Christ. Christ guarantees that he will make a man “more
precious than fine gold, even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.”
All power in Heaven and on earth is now given to the Prince of life; yet
he does not for a moment forget his poor disciples in a sinful world,
but prepares to return to them, that he may impart to them his power
and glory. Thus did the Redeemer of mankind, by the sacrifice of
himself, connect earth with Heaven, and finite man with the infinite
God.
Jesus said to Mary, “Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to
my Father.” When he closed his eyes in death upon the cross, the soul
of Christ did not go at once to Heaven, as many believe, or how could
his words be true—“I am not yet ascended to my Father”? The spirit
of Jesus slept in the tomb with his body, and did not wing its way to
Heaven, there to maintain a separate existence, and to look down upon
the mourning disciples embalming the body from which it had taken
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flight. All that comprised the life and intelligence of Jesus remained
with his body in the sepulcher; and when he came forth it was as a
whole being; he did not have to summon his spirit from Heaven. He
had power to lay down his life and to take it up again.
The brightest morning that ever dawned upon a fallen world, was
that in which the Saviour rose from the dead; but it was of no greater
importance to man than the day upon which his trial and crucifixion
took place. It was no marvel to the heavenly host that He who con-
trolled the power of death, and had life in himself, should awaken from
the sleep of the grave. But it was a marvel to them that their loved
Commander should die for rebellious men.