714
The Desire of Ages
“The Lord strong and mighty,
The Lord mighty in battle!
Lift up your heads, O ye gates;
Even lift them up, ye everlasting doors;
And the King of glory shall come in.”
Again is heard the challenge, “Who is this King of glory?” for the
angels never weary of hearing His name exalted. The escorting angels
make reply,—
“The Lord of hosts;
He is the King of glory.”
Psalm 24:7-10
.
Then the portals of the city of God are opened wide, and the angelic
throng sweep through the gates amid a burst of rapturous music.
There is the throne, and around it the rainbow of promise. There
are cherubim and seraphim. The commanders of the angel hosts, the
sons of God, the representatives of the unfallen worlds, are assembled.
The heavenly council before which Lucifer had accused God and His
Son, the representatives of those sinless realms over which Satan
had thought to establish his dominion,—all are there to welcome the
Redeemer. They are eager to celebrate His triumph and to glorify their
King.
But He waves them back. Not yet; He cannot now receive the
coronet of glory and the royal robe. He enters into the presence of His
Father. He points to His wounded head, the pierced side, the marred
feet; He lifts His hands, bearing the print of nails. He points to the
tokens of His triumph; He presents to God the wave sheaf, those raised
with Him as representatives of that great multitude who shall come
forth from the grave at His second coming. He approaches the Father,
with whom there is joy over one sinner that repents; who rejoices over
one with singing. Before the foundations of the earth were laid, the
Father and the Son had united in a covenant to redeem man if he should
be overcome by Satan. They had clasped Their hands in a solemn
pledge that Christ should become the surety for the human race. This
pledge Christ has fulfilled. When upon the cross He cried out, “It is
finished,” He addressed the Father. The compact had been fully carried
out. Now He declares: Father, it is finished. I have done Thy will, O