68
The Desire of Ages
and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,
and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people
prepared for the Lord. And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby
shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in
years.”
Zacharias well knew how to Abraham in his old age a child was
given because he believed Him faithful who had promised. But for a
moment the aged priest turns his thought to the weakness of humanity.
He forgets that what God has promised, He is able to perform. What a
contrast between this unbelief and the sweet, childlike faith of Mary,
the maiden of Nazareth, whose answer to the angel’s wonderful an-
nouncement was, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me
according to thy word”!
Luke 1:38
.
The birth of a son to Zacharias, like the birth of the child of Abra-
ham, and that of Mary, was to teach a great spiritual truth, a truth that
we are slow to learn and ready to forget. In ourselves we are incapable
of doing any good thing; but that which we cannot do will be wrought
by the power of God in every submissive and believing soul. It was
through faith that the child of promise was given. It is through faith
that spiritual life is begotten, and we are enabled to do the works of
righteousness.
To the question of Zacharias, the angel said, “I am Gabriel, that
stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to
show thee these glad tidings.” Five hundred years before, Gabriel had
made known to Daniel the prophetic period which was to extend to
the coming of Christ. The knowledge that the end of this period was
near had moved Zacharias to pray for the Messiah’s advent. Now the
very messenger through whom the prophecy was given had come to
announce its fulfillment.
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The words of the angel, “I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence
of God,” show that he holds a position of high honor in the heavenly
courts. When he came with a message to Daniel, he said, “There is
none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael [Christ] your
Prince.”
Daniel 10:21
. Of Gabriel the Saviour speaks in the Revelation,
saying that “He sent and signified it by His angel unto His servant
John.”
Revelation 1:1
. And to John the angel declared, “I am a fellow
servant with thee and with thy brethren the prophets.”
Revelation 22:9
,
R. V. Wonderful thought—that the angel who stands next in honor