The Fundamentals (1910), Vol.1

24

The'Fundamentals. conviction of the deity of Christ is coeval with Christianity it­ self. There never was a Christianity, neither in the times of the Apostles nor since, of which this was not a prime tenet, j A SATURATED GOSPEL. Let us observe in an example or two how thoroughly satu­ rated the Gospel narrative is with the assumption of the deity of Christ, so that it crops out in the most unexpected ways and places. In three passages of Matthew, reporting words of Jesus, He is represented as speaking familiarly and in the most natural manner in the world, of “His angels” (13:41; 16:27; 24:31).' In all three He designates Himself as the “Son of man ; and in all three there are additional suggestions of His majesty. “The Son of man shall send forth His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that cause stumbling and those that do iniquity, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire.” I Who is this Son of man who has angels, by whose instru­ mentality the final judgment is executed at His command? The Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and then shall He reward every man according to his deeds.” Who is this Soil of man surrounded by His an­ gels, in whose hands are the issues of life? The Son of man “shall send forth His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” Who is this Son of man at whose behest His angels winnow men? A scrutiny of the passages will show that it is hot a peculiar body of angels which is meant by the Son of man’s angels, but just the angels as a body, who are His to serve Him as He com­ mands. In a word, Jesus Christ is above angels (Mark 13:32) —as is argued at explicit length at the beginning of the Epistle to the Hebrews. “To which of the angels said he at any timp, Sit on my right hand, etc.” (Heb. 1 :13).

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