“His name shall be called Immanuel, …
God with us.”
“The light of the knowledge of the glory of God” is
seen “in the face of Jesus Christ.” From the days of eternity
the Lord Jesus Christ was one with the Father; He was
“the image of God,” the image of His greatness & majesty,
“the outshining of His glory.” It was to manifest this glory
that He came to our world. To this sin-darkened earth He
came to reveal the light of God’s love,—to be “God with
us.” Therefore it was prophesied of Him, “His name shall
be called Immanuel.”
By coming to dwell with us, Jesus was to reveal God
both to men and to angels. He was the Word of God,—
God’s thought made audible. In His prayer for His
disciples He says, “I have declared unto them Thy name,”
— “merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in
goodness and truth,”—“that the love wherewith Thou
hast loved Me may be in them, and I in them.” But not
alone for His earthborn children was this revelation given.
Our little world is the lesson book of the universe.
In the beginning, God was revealed in all the works of
creation. It was Christ that spread the heavens, and laid
the foundations of the earth. It was His hand that hung the
worlds in space, and fashioned the flowers of the field….
Now sin has marred God’s perfect work, yet that
handwriting remains. Even now all created things declare
the glory of His excellence. There is nothing, save the
selfish heart of man, that lives unto itself.
The angels of glory find their joy in giving,—giving
love and tireless watch care to souls that are fallen and
unholy. Heavenly beings woo the hearts of men; they bring
to this dark world light from the courts above; by gentle
and patient ministry they move upon the human spirit, to
bring the lost into a fellowship with Christ which is even
closer than they themselves can know.
The work of redemption will be complete. In the
place where sin abounded, God’s grace much more
abounds. The earth itself, the very field that Satan claims
as his, is to be not only ransomed but exalted. Our little
world, under the curse of sin the one dark blot in His
glorious creation, will be honored above all other worlds
in the universe of God. Here, where the Son of God
tabernacled in humanity; where the King of glory lived and
suffered and died,—here, when He shall make all things
new, the tabernacle of God shall be with men, “and He
will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and
God Himself shall be with them, and be their God.” And
through endless ages as the redeemed walk in the light of
the Lord, they will praise Him for His unspeakable Gift,—
Immanuel,
“God with us”.
[Adapted from the Desire of Ages, Chapter One:
“God With Us” by Ellen G. White.]
Recent Comments