252
THE K I NG ’S BUS I NE S S
As priest, Aaron had three functions to fulfill. Bishop Pearson called them oblation, intercession, and benediction. These represent Christ’s three -func tions as our priest. The first of these is past, the second is present, the third is future (as to its major value). Consider the oblation of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is wonderfully prefig ured by the supreme oblation in Israel’s calendar of offerings, on the day of atonement. On that day, Aaron engaged in various ceremonies, but the chief one had to do with offering the sin sacrifice for the whole nation. Herein we see him taking two goats and dealing with them in different ways—but the two make only one sin offering, viewed from different stand points. Upon the head of one of the goats Aaron laid his hands, confessing upon it all the sins of all the people, thereby transferring, as it were, their sins to it. That goat was banished to the desert, never to return—indicating the remov al of Israel’s sins into utter oblivion. The other goat was slain. Death is sin’s wages; it is the nation’s due. But the innocent goat suffers the ' stroke of death on Israel’s behalf, dying as a substitute. In all of these solemn cere monies, Aaron acted alone. There was none with him. The Aaronic action on this occasion Is referred to by the writer to the He brews as a figure of what. Christ, our priest, did on Qalvary. Only, Christ is sin offering as well as sacerdotal offerer. Behold Him confessing the sins of others as His own. Behold Him un dergoing our sentence of death (in soul and in body) for us. Behold Him ban ished from the divine favor for a mo ment that we might be received into it forever. Well, that is the true day of atonement. And, observe* Christ and He alone was the actor. When Aaron had shed the blood of tjie goat to be slain, he carried the blood into the holy of holies and sprinkled it upon and before the mercy seat, therebymaking the sacrifice which had been made without to be represented within the tabernacle. Now, the Christ did not (as some hold) take His precious blood into heaven (the antitypical holiest), yet He en tered into the tabernacle above by vir tue of (dia—Heb. 9:11) His blood. Moreover, seeing He is there, within the veil, in the very manhood which died, His offering once made on earth is forever signified above. Within the holy of holies Aaron stood before Jehovah as the represen tative of the people—his very presence procuring for them what his sacrifice had purchased for them. Even so, Christ- our priest appears before the face of God. His intercession is not designed to influence the Father pn our behalf. It is merely designed as an orderly arrangement for meting out
The Kingly Office Consummated The second coming will be the con summation of Christ’s kingly office. Being Son of God, Christ is the natural ruler of all creation. But when He became man, His manhood was exalted to share that rulership with Him. Hence, at His birth He was termed Lord (Lk. 2:11). That lordship He exercised when He was here on earth. He wielded it over men and Satan, over nature and death. He wielded it over Judas, e. g., when He ordered him to carry out his wicked designs earlier than he intended to do. To the devil He said "Begone” (Gr.) and he left. To wind and wave He gave His "Peace! Be still!” and all was calm. To thé dead He called “Arise! Come forth” and the great unseen gave way. Even when hanging on the cross He exer cised His kingship, assuring, in regal style, the poor robber of a place by Him in the royal garden (Paradise). Risen and ascended, Christ is now upon the throne of the universe. His coronation is past, not future—except, that in the future, men shall be forced to own His lordship. Jesus Christ is Lord of all. His reign has three stages. First, in grace does He reign—sending ambassadors with a message of par don to the very city which crucified Him! But men presume on His mercy; they take advantage of His clemency, as He offers forgiveness to all men. Shortly, the King will return. Then comes the second stage of His reign. It is characterized by judgment. The little Lamb in the midst of the throne is in full charge of world affairs and, when' His hour is ripe, He will sweep the earth with “the besom of destruc tion,” says Isaiah. The climax is reached in such a passage as Revela tion 19:11. Finally comes the stage of glory in the new heavens and the new earth. Having fulfilled His mediatorial com mission to quell all insubordination in the universe; and having delivered up to the Father a world set in order either by saving His enemies or judg ing them; then, in that new regime where God is all in all, Christ will for ever reign in unspeakable glory—and we shall reign with Him. Blessed be God! Thus the second coming also means the consummation of Christ’s kingly office. We have seen that Christ’s second advent is the consummation of all three of His offices; His prophetic, priestly, and kingly offices await their completion when He comes again. It is that coming which will put the finish ing touch on dll of them. By so much, then, will the Lord Jesus Himself, con sidered as the Christ, not be fully glori fied until His second coming. Then for His dear sake, let us cry afresh and in creasingly, ■ “Even so, come. Lord Jesus.”
the benefits already purchased for ud. For, His intercessory as well as His sacrificial action is appointed by the Father Himself. Christ prays for us, not in the spirit of a beggar, but. in that of a sovereign. He does not plead for us as one stand ing before the throne but as one seat ed upon it. He asks for that which He has already paid for. He asks out of the consciousness of equality with the Giver—the verb used in John 17:9, 15 denotes just that. Moreover, He prays as One who fully realizes the longing in the Father’s heart to bestow. We -may also say that Christ’s in tercession is vocal as well as by His sheer presence. Whereas He ever in tercedes for all His own in the latter respect, He also intercedes for indi viduals among His own in the former respect, according as they have special need of such intercession. At least, we cannot conceive of Christ’s present praying as being less than His past praying, and we know that in the past He did pray for a special need of an individual disciple, (cf. Lk. 22:31, 32; 1 John 2:1, 2). But Aaron emerged from the holy of holies in due time. He came out to bless a waiting people—thus turn ing the movement manward which heretofore had been Godward. So One greater than Aaron is going to appear again. He is coming out of the heav enly tabernacle to bless us in Jehovah’s name. As a matter of fact, He thus blessed us when He went in (Lk. 24:50, 51). But the blessing under which we now are is only the first installment of what is yet to be. Therefore, we justly count our priest’s benediction as being, in the main, in the future. That benediction will mean our glori fication—internally and externally. It is important to note that the second coming means the consummation of Christ’s priestly office.
Made with FlippingBook Annual report